<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>