I'm torn... help!

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
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<p>I already posted this on another forum but I'm hoping for more response here.</p>

<p>UChicago or Johns Hopkins. To be honest, I didn't plan on making it into either--they were both "First Choices". However, I did. And I'm ecstatic about that. But now I can't choose between the two.</p>

<p>I know that this is ultimately a personal decision that no CCer can make for me. But I would really appreciate some input and advice based on personal experience. I've tried to look at the pros and cons of each, but the best choice is still not clear cut. I'll show you what I've got.</p>

<p>ACADEMICS: I'm an International Baccalaureate student, top of my (very small) class. I know UChicago's core would make college very similar to these last two years of high school. The thing is, that really doesn't bother me. My interests are spread across the academic spectrum: I'm very interested in both the humanities and the natural sciences.</p>

<p>However, my heart is set on med school. Last year Hopkins sent 95% of its pre-meds to med school. While UChicago also sends many students to med school, the numbers aren't nearly as impressive.</p>

<p>Also, I'm somewhat torn between the majors offered at the different universities. I do believe that at Hopkins, I could manage to double-major in something like Biology and International Relations. At UChicago, I don't think this would be as manageable. I'd have to focus on one of the two. Thus my med school app would be considerably more impressive coming from Hopkins than from UChicago, wouldn't it?</p>

<p>LOCATION: UChicago is considerably more attractive than Johns Hopkins in terms of campus location. I love the city of Chicago, and the freedom and social opportunity it provides. I've grown up in a European city, and this is important to me. However, Baltimore offers the JHU Hospital, as well as many links to other east coast cities--internship opportunities?</p>

<p>ATMOSPHERE: Maybe I'm a little disillusioned about both of the universities, but the atmosphere at each seems a little intimidating. Now I know JHU is an excellent university, but for some reason it's begun to come off as NOT intellectually stimulating. Maybe that's just because I've been comparing it to UChicago, which is, of course, as intellectually stimulating as it gets. I WANT to be challenged in college, and I WANT to have to work. However, at the same time, I want to have some fun. Yes, this does mean a party every once in a while (I'm coming from Europe, give me a break).</p>

<p>PEOPLE: I can't help but wonder if I fit in with the UChicago stereotype. Thing is, I'm not "quirky", as they call it. Outside of school, I pursue many intellectual interests, but I also like girls, movies, sports, hanging out downtown, shopping, you get the point. I'm not an antisocial bookworm, and I wouldn't be happy surrounded by them. Yes, I've done my research, but it still seems like I might not be happy surrounded by UChicago students.</p>

<p>Then again, maybe I'm just contradicting myself. So I want social students, but an intellectual atmosphere? Do they come together?</p>

<p>REPUTATION: As ridiculous as this is, it does play a role. Everyone knows of Hopkins, and in Europe it's called the "Harvard of Medical School". With everyone so amazed at my accomplishment of getting in, it's hard to turn down. All that work in high school seems to have paid off when I'm constantly being congratulated.</p>

<p>So, if you've finished reading this, thank you. I'm just trying to sort out my thoughts, and I'd like some advice. Anyone who was in a similar situation, or can read into what I'm thinking a little deeper, help me out please.</p>

<p>Oh yeah, I've visited JHU, and the city of Chicago (though never the campus). At this point, it's unlikely that I'll be able to visit Chicago before I make a decision.</p>

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<p>Those were the two schools I was deciding between, too. I obviously picked Chicago. I'm giving the pro-Chicago perspective on all your points. Hope that's OK.</p>

<p>Academics: I'm not super-familiar with the IB program, and I think the Core is similar in its broad, intellectual approach; however, I think that the Core does differ and offer a lot more beyond IB. I know a lot of pre-meds at the U of C (including maybe myself next year!). You need to be careful looking at just the numbers for med school. I don't know whether this is true at Hopkins, but at many schools they try to get that percentage at high as possible by very delibrately weeding pre-meds out. It would be interesting to see the comparison between the number of pre-meds declared first year getting into medical school at each place. The same pattern may emerge, or it may be different. A lot of students at the U of C do find gen chem too difficult or hate it or whatever and decide not to be pre-meds, but I personally have never met a student here who wanted to be pre-med but didn't because of some weed out class. If you go to the U of C, plan and prepare for med school, study hard, and work hard, you will get into medical school. The U of C pre-med advisors have said that the vast majority of applicants denied from medical school with a 3.3+ GPA did not take it upon themselves to prepare thoughtfully for med school admissions. It may be difficult to double major and do the pre-med requirements, but obviously pre-med and biology overlap, so it may be possible. Look at the course guide online to look at the number of classes required for each. In all honesty, though, many students change the specifics of their plans once they actually take classes in those subjects and in other interesting subjects in the core.</p>

<p>Location: Good internships are almost always during the summer. People go all over for summer internships, so that shouldn't be a constraint. The University of Chicago Hospitals are basically on campus, and I know a number of students who work over there. It's not on the same level as JHU Medical Center, but it's still an excellent hospital. Unless you're planning ot get deathly ill during college, I can't see the differences between the hospitals having a huge effect on your undergrad years. </p>

<p>Atmosphere: I think you'd be fine at both schools. Chicago does have a more intellectual environment, but at both schools students work hard, and you can party at either if you want to.</p>

<p>People: I don't fit that typical stereotype, either. Only a small percentage of the population does. The classes each year are filled with more typically social students. There is a quirkiness to campus, but that's mostly from the fact that we're all taking similar classes, reading similar books, and intellectually driven. If you live in the Shoreland, Max, or Pierce you will find the types of students you're looking for.</p>

<p>Reputation: It makes sense that it plays some role. The thing is, academics in the US all respect the University of Chicago. The guy delivering your pizza may not know what a great school it is, but the people you go to med school with and the people you'll be working with all know the U of C. You're in a particular social circle right now that doesn't know about the U of C; that's not the cirlce you're going to be in for the rest of your life.</p>

<p>Overall, though, they're both wonderful institutions, and you can't go wrong.</p>