Maximizing Med School Acceptance Success at Chicago

<p>So, after reading some past threads about being a pre-med at Chicago, and remembering my time at the U of C, I wanted to create a thread devoted to showing prospective students/pre-meds how to maximize their chance of success at Chicago. Here are a few assumptions I'm operating on:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Chicago's medical school placement (in terms of those going to TOP medical schools) FALLS BELOW every SINGLE one of Chicago's peers. I'm assuming in terms of success of placement at top schools, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, UPenn, Duke, Williams etc etc. ALL enjoy better placement stats than Chicago. </p></li>
<li><p>Despite this, Chicago offers perhaps the PREMIER liberal arts education in the country, and many alums (myself included) consider their time at Chicago to be one of their most profound and liberating intellectual enterprises of their lives. </p></li>
<li><p>There is NO REASON for Chicago's pre-med stats to fall below some of the school's "lesser" peers. If students are smart about their courses and their academic/extra-curric decisions, they can enjoy a Chicago education AND gain acceptance to the very best medical schools. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>With all this being said, below, please find some tips that I feel are helpful. I invite current pre-meds at Chicago or other interested parties to include their own suggestions.</p>

<p>First, what you should know: </p>

<ul>
<li><p>From the GET-GO, know that top med schools care most about GPA and MCAT score. This is the BASELINE to even really get in the game of top med schools admissions. </p></li>
<li><p>Know that from Chicago, the golden rule is: you get a 0.1 boost in GPA. THAT'S IT. All of my pre-med friends met with the pre-med advisors, and this is basically what was disclosed. So if the avg. GPA at Hopkins med is 3.9, to even get in the ball game, you'll need a 3.8 from Chicago. </p></li>
<li><p>Know that your abilities and excellence demonstrated by receiving a Chicago acceptance later translate extremely well to medical school admissions success. By having a 1430+ SAT, superb grades, and a dedication to academic work, you have exemplary skills that med schools WANT. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>Some things you should do at Chicago if you want to be competitive at a top med school:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Unfortunately or not, balance your courses with an eye for GPA maximization. If you want to take that great but really tough Hum class with world-class professor Karl Weintraub (or the like), BALANCE this by taking an "easier" class where an A is a forseeable goal. These classes DO exist at Chicago. Psych courses, some sociology classes, offer this chance for success. </p></li>
<li><p>In short, MAXIMIZE your elective GPA. Electives count for 1/3 of of your course work at Chicago, and there's no reason you shouldn't have a 3.8-3.9 in this area of your chicago transcript. This will balance out your science GPA that will most likely be weaker (but may very NOT be - more on the sciences courses to take later). </p></li>
<li><p>Major in something you LOVE and can do well in too. So if you love English and had success in that, major in that. Sorry to come back to Psych again, but when I was at Chicago, many "weaker" students (the athletes who struggled in core classe) concentrated in this and do well. You should aim to keep your major gpa in the 3.6-3.7 range. </p></li>
<li><p>Now, for some controversial advice, DO NOT TAKE Chem or O-Chem at Chicago. Spend two summers at a State school finishing up the reqs in these classes. Chicago may not accept this as academic credit, but MEDICAL SCHOOLS WILL. Kids at other schools do this ALL THE TIME, and Chicago students should well. At the state school, you will automatically be at the top of the class in terms of ability, not in the middle. Getting in the A range is VERY do-able. Take one of these in the summer after your freshman year, and one in the summer after your sophomore year. </p></li>
<li><p>I repeat, Chicago probably will NOT accept any credit you earn for taking chem and o-chem at these state schools. DO NOT let this dissuade you, bc medical schools accept your work at the state school as fulfilling the pre-med reqs. Take the easier state school chem and o-chem, and fulfill your Chicago reqs with the easier classes offered at Chicago. </p></li>
<li><p>Take Bio and the EASIER TRACK physics at Chicago. It is well known at Chicago that the physics curriculum has TRACKS - one that is easier and suited for pre-meds. Until Chicago gets similar TRACKS for Chem and O-Chem, do NOT take these two courses at Chicago. Your GPA will benefit greatly as a result of this strategy. </p></li>
<li><p>Do NOT take anything higher than Math 150s to take your math req. The honors math 160s is for the kids that want to concentrate in math, and is just too plain hard. Math 150s is a good track and challenging, but getting a B+ or above is still attainable. Or, even if you have to fight with your advisor, see if you can take Math 130s - this will give you enough math background for the MCAT and for med school. </p></li>
<li><p>Meet with pre-med advisors REGULARLY (roughly once a quarter early on to check in, find out about summer opportunities, research opps, etc.). Also, they'll have information on stuff you're just unfamiliar about, such as "glide years" (ask them about it), speakers coming to campus that could be interesting, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>Take the MCAT very, very seriously, and consider taking a year off after Chicago to do some part-time research and concentrate on your MCAT and application. For example, I believe the MCAT is offered in September and January, and both dates will allow you to apply to med school for the following fall. After your graduation at Chicago, spend the summer in focused, diligent study for the MCAT. For 12 weeks, you're all about this test. If you still don't feel ready, and aren't scoring in say, the 33+ range, know that if needed, you can just take it in Jan. </p></li>
<li><p>Research and interview hard for a good, productive summer internship following your junior year at Chicago. Work at NIH, spend a summer at a top cancer center, do something where you get to know medical professionals who could serve as a great reference in the future for you. </p></li>
<li><p>Spend a manageable but NOT overbearing amount of time doing productive volunteer work during your college years. Volunteering at a hospital, community service, whatever, do something you can talk about for the med school interview game. </p></li>
<li><p>PRACTICE INTERVIEWING. Generally, Chicago students are not particularly charismatic or all-american in the ivy league athlete sort of way that med schools LOVE. Go to career services, they offer FREE PRACTICE INTERVIEWS, generally conducted by Chicago business school students. Take advantage of this and GET POLISHED. </p></li>
<li><p>Given Chicago's rigors, I STRONGLY suggest taking a YEAR OFF after college to focus on your application and the MCAT. Don't do med school apps on TOP of finishing up all your coursework during your senior year at Chicago. Take a year off where you can do some productive work and focus on your app more carefully. Not worrying about apps while all the other pre-med seniors are struggling through them really alleviates stress. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>Ok, this is about all I can think of for now. I invite other pre-meds to chime in as well. Overall, as evidenced by my other posts, I STRONGLY believe that those interested in Chicago SHOULD know the REAL DEAL about Chicago's grad school placement. After spreading awareness about the issue, we can better inform and instruct those coming after us to best deal with the challenges ahead.</p>

<p>Again, I truly believe that you can enjoy the first-class education at Chicago AND gain acceptance to a top medical school. There is NO reason a Chicago student cannot compete toe-to-toe from the best applicants hailing from Princeton or Stanford. The U of C structure sometimes works against the student though, so prospective students just need to BE AWARE beforehand. If they are aware, there's really nothing stopping them.</p>

<p>Best of luck! I look forward to hearing everyone else's thoughts.</p>

<p>this is a very very helpful post for me, thanks many many times !</p>

<p>A few questions/concerns:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>If UChicago won't accept credit for Chem/OChem, how will these pre-meds meet the prereqs for classes like Biochem or upper division Biology classes?</p></li>
<li><p>You say that your time at UChicago was one of the most intellectually liberating enterprises of your life. Would you have such an opinion of the school if you were constantly taking classes because they were known to be easy? Can you really enjoy the intellectual perks Chicago has to offer if you're planning your courses in a GPA-maximizing way?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I don't really see any advantage to going to UChicago from the way you present the situation. The strategy you propose is in strong opposition to the intellectual liberty that Chicago emphasizes so strongly. These students will not experience the wide array of interesting and thought-provoking classes that Chicago has to offer if they are continually basing their course decisions on which professors will give them the highest grades. And they might as well go to one of Chicago's peer institutions if they are not even planning on taking the science courses at UChicago!</p>

<p>I've stated it before and I'll state it again -- it's most definitely not the hardest accomplishment in the world to get high grades in non-honors general and organic chemistry. Yes, for some people these classes are challenging, but if you are focused on getting a good grade in these classes, there are many resources to take advantage of. The University has implemented a supplemental program to the chemistry courses where they assign extra problem sets and solutions in order to give those who want it extra practice. Professors have office hours where you can talk to the professor and not only get help but see what they think is important. There are also Chemistry tutors, along with many TAs who are more than willing to go over concepts that might be difficult for you. </p>

<p>Although the Chem department could maybe curve to a higher grade and be more flexible in general, they have been making strides to help out those who want the help. They are not going to hand you a high grade just because you show up for class, and I'm sure that this is the case at other institutions. The tests are in no way impossible, and if you are failing these tests perhaps it is a sign that you should take some time to evaluate whether a medical career is the correct path. The exams test whether you can apply learned principles to new problems; this is not a school that often rewards rote memorization. I think this is one of the greatest strengths of the science program and is another reason why one should not skip out on these challenging courses.</p>

<p>I just think you're attacking the problem in the wrong way. You should not come to UChicago and avoid the challenging classes by taking them at another university in addition to avoiding the interesting, challenging elective courses in order to protect one's GPA. This attitude completely defeats the purpose of coming to this university.</p>

<p>If you are premed you should come to this university because you value a strong liberal arts education in addition to being passionate about science. You may want to consider taking 3-course quarters if you are truly concerned about your GPA, but if you are going to plan out your schedule like Cue is suggesting you will not have an intellectually satisfying experience and will regret your choice to come here. It is not impossible to succeed at the college (even in the sciences), but it does take hard work as well as a scientific mindset. You also will gain what Cue has already stated: an opportunity to be in an intellectually liberating atmosphere with great classes that will stretch your thinking. </p>

<p>I am a non-premed Biology major at The College.</p>

<p>Windslicer - Thanks for the great post, and you provide some great counterpoints to the information I provided above. </p>

<p>Now, keep in mind, I graduated from Chicago in the very early 2000s, so life at U of C may be vastly different now than it was then, so take all that I am about to say with a grain of salt. </p>

<p>First off, you bring up a valid point about bio or bio-chem concentrations. Then, you MUST take chem and o-chem at Chicago. There is no way around this. The biggest thing I want to show in my thread, however, is that med schools frankly care very little about Chicago rigor. Most students DO NOT know this until its too late. You get very little boost at Chicago, and if for nothing else, students should know that coming into the school, not by the time they're leaving. </p>

<p>Overall, Here is my biggest concern with what you mentioned: I believe there is a difference between being rigorous, intellectually liberating, & stretching students, and simply setting the bar so high that it becomes punishing. To truly get a lot out of an academic enterprise, must it be a sincerely grueling experience? Is the only way to enjoy intellectual liberation through a degree of severe strain? Too many of my pre-med friends just felt punished by the system at Chicago. When the curve is set to a C or C- or whatever, and you have students working night and day on problem sets just to attain the C, I wondered whether it was worth it. </p>

<p>I don't think ease of class and intellectual liberation are necessarily mutually exclusive. Some of my most cherished classes at Chicago were with professors who approached grading in a much more, well, humane way. If you worked hard, showed improvement, displayed your own intellectual curiosity, the professor took this into account. I had pre-med friends who took this strategy for Chem and O-Chem and still just got pounded relentlessly. This seemed unfair to me (I concentrated in poli sci/history at chicago). </p>

<p>Please note, when I talk about "easy" classes at Chicago, all I mean is that through hard work and diligence, high grades are possible. Too many friends of mine thought even a B+ in Chemistry was completely unattainable. Shooting for an A- would just not even be in sight. I think in sociology or psych, this is not the case. Please keep in mind, you are still at the University of Chicago. You can't just breeze through and pick up your As. You must put in the work. What I mean by "easy" is that it is possible to attain traditional high grades. I should have clarified this before, thanks. </p>

<ul>
<li>Also, keep in mind what I offered is a COMPROMISE. You are right, you may sacrifice some of the intellectual perks at Chicago to maximize med school acceptance success. At the same time, Chicago boasts a world-class faculty and a level of intellectual liveliness that few other schools can match. If you take a class with a Weintraub or a Sinaiko or a Hannah Gray - classes that frankly go beyond anything else offered anywhere else - and then take an "easier" class, you still come out ahead no? You're still reaping the benefits associated with attending the premier liberal arts college in the country, while continuing down the practical road you want. </li>
</ul>

<p>You are right, to maximize the intellectual perks at Chicago, the best case scenario would be to take sinaiko and weintraub and chem and o-chem. For the majority of pre-meds during my time at Chicago, though, this was just an overwhelming and exhausting enterprise. I think many of my friends would have liked to have known another path exists. They at least could weigh that against all the valid counterpoints you make, and then decide which direction to take. </p>

<p>What I propose is a path for those committed to maximizing their chances of acceptance at a top medical school. There are of course costs to following this path. I strongly do not think, however, that you completely forsake the Chicago experience by following it. I do think a middle ground exists. </p>

<p>Finally, even at Chicago, those committed to top med school acceptance exist, and they should be addressed. On a very blunt note, if I went the path you espouse, enjoyed all the intellectual perks Chicago offers, struggled mightily, and ended up with a 2.5 GPA, I don't know if I would have considered the Chicago experience worth it. There are others who share the same sentiment, and they should know the alternative options that exist.</p>

<p>Also, on another note, I still think that taking a half dozen (instead than a dozen) of the top classes at Chicago still puts you ahead of students at pretty much anywhere else. During my time at grad school, I met many many students from Chicago's peer schools, and none of them had more than two or three "aha!" moments from undergrad. With either your path or mine, you could achieve this at Chicago in fall quarter ALONE.</p>

<p>Another point - I really should have said this in my first post, and I apologize for forgetting to include this: this proposed strategy is for those that want a great Chicago education, but also care a LOT about getting into a TOP medical school. It's not a strategy I'd advise by any means for someone who just approaches Chicago completely openly, and just wants to dive into all the academic opportunities provided. </p>

<p>If you care about medical school rankings and at least having a chance at a great medical school (and are not IN comparison to your Chicago peers, a wunderkid in the sciences AND humanities), you should know this path exists. </p>

<p>Also, obviously tailor this proposed path to your own abilities. If you took BC calculus in 8th grade and have been taking online math classes through Stanford since you were 14, then sure, you can probably hack it in Math 160s. The vast majority of Chicago students, however, cannot. </p>

<p>The final point, remember, is that GPA and MCAT matter a LOT, and Chicago does NOT get a significant adjustment based on rigor in this arena. As I said before, the golden rule is: 0.1 GPA boost for attending Chicago, no matter what you major in or what you do. You could take all logic classes where the class average is a C. Even if you pull all Bs, that 3.0 pretty much completely precludes you from admission to a top medical school. </p>

<p>For better of worse, in medical school admissions, those possessing a level of pragmatism are rewarded. This is just the reality of the situation. As the colloquial saying goes, hate the game, not the player.</p>

<p>One other point, windslicer, you state: "if you are going to plan out your schedule like Cue is suggesting you will not have an intellectually satisfying experience and will regret your choice to come here."</p>

<p>Unfortunately, for many of my pre-med classmates, they come out in the exact opposite way from what you assert. The regretted their decision to come to Chicago because they found the environment to be too punishing, and the intellectual experience was overwhelming and exhausting, not liberating.</p>

<p>Yea you definitely have some good points, Cue.</p>

<p>I do agree that prospective med school applicants should be aware that UChicago is a rigorous school and unfortunately med schools don't take the rigor into account as much as they should. If their goal is med school and they find themselves struggling a bit in their science or core courses, then yes I agree that they might want to take easier electives so that they don't put themselves out of the running for the ultimate end goal -- med school. It's also the option that they could take 3 courses a quarter. Summer session might be a viable alternative for some students, allowing them to take more 3-course quarters or just to get some requirements out of the way.</p>

<p>I just wanted to note that students shouldn't enter the college with the mentality of only taking easy classes and becoming very grade-focused when at the college. I'm not suggesting you were saying this (you obviously weren't) but I feel that it's easy to come away from the situation seeing this as a viable solution. And yes, as you pointed out, it's definitely a possibility that you can take an enlightening course with a humane grader (even if I haven't been fortunate in finding many of these courses :P). Just wanted to urge any prospective students to keep in mind the idea that the College has a lot to offer and if you focus too much on the grades, you may miss some valuable opportunities to learn.</p>

<p>All in all I guess it just comes down to what the student's priorities are. I think it's good to get all the perspectives out there so they can best decide how to approach their education, either at UChicago or any other university.</p>

<p>Before you buy into the 'take your Chem courses at Podunk State' theory, mosey on over to the premed thread.... Many posters state that taking chem over summer is a no-no for top med schools -- they want to see how you do with a full courseload of rigor. Sure, summer A's beats getting a C at Chicago, but your app will be at a disadvantage in comparison to those "easy" B's at grade inflated schools.</p>

<p>Bluebayou - Of course, the ideal situation would be straight As from Chicago. For most students however, this is not an option, and as you yourself mention, As at a state college (not necessarily a "Podunk" state university, I know several students who did their chem coursework at very good state schools) are easily preferable to Cs or perhaps even low B grades at Chicago. </p>

<p>Again, if you've taken great courses at Chicago, flourished, and taken science over thesummer at a good state college and received superb grades, you are CERTAINLY in the running at top medical schools. Combine this with all the other opportunities chicago offers (great research opps, internships, etc), and you're in very, very good shape.</p>

<p>Chicago will accept the summer chem and o'chem coursework from Harvard. They will not count the grade toward the GPA. S1 did this and found the courses to be very med school oriented, and much easier than what is typically found at Chicago. I also understand they accept coursework from other schools with prior permission.</p>

<p>idad - good to know. When I was at Chicago, students didn't even really THINK to take chem or o-chem away from the U of C. Just part of the the "I need to have the full Chicago experience" mantra that permeated Chicago. A lot of students regretted this choice, especially because even classes at Chicago's peer schools are considerably less grueling than what the U of C offers. </p>

<p>Overall, I think for most pre-meds, taking chem off-campus is an advisable move. In fact, until Chicago gets some distinct tracks in chemistry (if they do for physics, why not for chem?), this is the best way to go. In fact, the few students I know that took chem over the summer earned a great grade, and came back in the fall with a renewed appreciation for Chicago. Interestingly, NONE of them expressed any remorse at missing O-Chem at U of C. Most of them, to be quite frank, were happy to get Chem done away from Hyde Park. </p>

<p>idad, what did your daughter think of her experience in cambridge? A few of my friends actually said they enjoyed spending a summer just taking one class, and having time to explore a new city.</p>

<p>Actually it is my son (S1) :) He had a great time in Cambridge, but there was not all that much time since he did an entire year in 8 weeks. He did get to watch the Italians win the World Cup in a restaurant in Boston's Little Italy with students from Italy.</p>

<p>He found the Harvard students he met quite career oriented and not much interested in going off on the kind of tangents enjoyed by his friends at Chicago. He once tried to pursue a question in a section meeting with the TA and was told he should find a physicist to answer his (chem) question. He went looking for one in the building he was in and not having any luck decided to email his physics prof from the previous quarter. While the section was still underway he received a detailed reply. The students in the section were incredulous; they were shocked that a professor would take the time to answer an undrgrad's theoretical question, especially one not enrolled in a current course. He said everyone was very friendly, but more fashion conscious than what he was used to at Chicago.</p>

<p>First year in the college</p>

<p>idad: didn't know you could do the summerwork at Harvard</p>

<p>Question for cue: I'm thinking of law school. Actually, I knew about this med-school dilemma thing, but it is as bad for law school. Does that 0.1 rule still apply? </p>

<p>Btw side comment: I know chicago is a liberal arts college and the whole life of the mind philosophy, but why is the faculty and some students so oblivious ( well not oblivious more or less they don't care) about this whole med-school thing? You know it's bad when not even many from the college get into Pritzker; I heard one year that no one got accepted</p>

<p>nvm found law thread</p>

<p>Hey ikwame,</p>

<p>Thanks for the post. Just in case you haven't found the answer yet, yes, the GPA boost for Chicago alums applying to law school is also about 0.1. So, while the avg. GPA at Harvard Law is now probably around a 3.9, around a 3.8 or so from Chicago should do the trick. To be competitive at all but perhaps the top half dozen or so schools, around a 3.6, coupled with a 168 or so LSAT should do the trick. </p>

<p>For more detailed info on this, make an appt with the pre-law advisor, and ask to see Chicago's pre-law placement stats. Do this sooner rather than later. The placement stats will have all this info listed - avg. GPA and avg. LSAT for Chicago alums accepted at pretty much every law school. I've asked this before, but if you do see the pre-law advisor and can remember some specific numbers from the stat sheet (# of Chicago alums who were accepted at Harvard Law, etc.), PLEASE do post them here. </p>

<p>The stat sheet will give you a good idea of what to shoot for in the future. If your goal is a Chicago Law or Columbia Law, you'll probably need about a 3.6-3.7 and 171+ on the LSAT. For "lesser" schools like a Penn or Duke, say a 3.6 or 169 would make you very competitive. </p>

<p>In response to your question about why no one at Chicago seems to care about professional schools or professions generally, that's just the nature of the U of C. Anything smacking of pre-professionalism or practicality is frowned on a bit. Academics, research, etc. are lauded above all else. Obviously, this cuts both ways. You'll have tons of classes with world-class, world renown professors who are committed to academic inquiry. At the same time, it can be hard to get the inside scoop on what the heck you need to go to a great grad school. One of my goals as an alum is to try to spread an awareness of all the "real deal" information than many Chicago students just don't know.</p>

<p>If you're a freshman at Chicago though, you have plenty of time. Be savvy about your future course decisions, be diligent, keep the practical stuff I've mentioned (GPA AND LSAT matter a LOT) and you will be well on your way.</p>

<p>idad - my apologies. I'm glad your SON enjoyed his time in Cambridge. It's funny, one of the other reasons I'd advocate Chicago students taking chem and/or o-chem away from Chicago is because it gives these students an ENTIRELY new appreciation for Chicago. I took some summer classes at one of Chicago's peer schools, and while I enjoyed my time there, I came back even more eager and appreciative of my time at the U of C.</p>

<p>Pardon my boasting here, but there really is nothing like a Chicago education. Events we take for granted (i..e Professors promptly e-mailing a student back to discuss some arcane point in history, poli sci, chem, etc. or professors using the socratic method to put students on the spot) just doesn't happen at other places - even the supposed best of places. The amount of academic apathy present at even Chicago's most noted peer schools is pretty shocking. </p>

<p>(That being said, there are of course other schools that value academic inquiry quite highly. I've always been impressed by Yale and Swarthmore grads, for example. Overall, though, there is a lot of mediocrity out there.)</p>

<p>Chicago does have an interesting effect on its students. S1 called one day and I could tell he was irritated. He complained that a course he was taking, though a lot of work, simply wasn't rigorous enough. He complained that the level of analysis just wasn't what it should have been and was somewhat ticked-off that he had just received an A on a paper. I asked how that could be, he said he had "phoned it in" and it should not have been given an A. I laughed for quite awhile at that one, and thought that Joseph Schwab would have gotten a kick out of it as well. (Schwab was a very influential educator at Chicago who devoted his life to exploring curricula and inquiry, or enquiry as he called it. His work was brilliant, and from what I understand from alumni who actually took his courses an equally brilliant teacher. To determine how biology should be taught he read 15,000 journal articles to determine the depth and breadth of biological investigation. One can read much of his book, Science, Curriculum, and Liberal Education on Google Books Science</a>, Curriculum, and Liberal ... - Google Book Search . I highly recommend chapter 5 "Enquiry and the Reading Process."</p>

<p>Cue7,</p>

<p>Where is the evidence that Chicago students do worse in med school admissions? I've never seen anything other than anecdote. Sorry, but anecdote just is not enough.</p>

<p>Even better, where is the evidence that comparable students do worse out of Chicago?</p>

<p>And, where is the evidence that Chicago's grading practices work against students? For that matter, where is the evidence for grade deflation at the place, given the number that graduate with honors - over 2/3 last June? </p>

<p>While I'm at it, what is wrong with the honors chem courses (general and O')? Do you actually know anyone who took them? I do, and they did not find them any harder. They did find them more interesting. </p>

<p>We should also distinguish between developing a record for admission to "a" med school versus a record for admission to a "top" med school. The latter are not just numbers driven. </p>

<p>Note to IDAD: I presume your kid took OChem at Harvard at the Harvard Summer School? If so, be aware that their courses are not the same as regular FAS courses.</p>

<p>He took Gen. Chem taught by an associate professor who was head of some undergrad program. About a third of the class identified themselves as Harvard pre-med students. The Harvard students said the course, except for the quantity, was about the same as their other courses. Friends from Chicago did O Chem.</p>