Hi! I applied undecided to both but will probably major bio with premed track - I want to go to med school.
Miami Pro:
Honors College + Dorms
Cheaper (scholarship)
10/10 Campus (love the size+gorgeous)
Could potentially continue my athletics there sophomore year
Study abroad in Luxembourg
Miami Con:
Far (5.5 hrs)
Not the best reputation (I really don’t like the reputation it has for its students, and not the strongest academic reputation from my experience but correct me if I’m wrong)
UIUC Pro:
James Scholar
7/10 Campus
Good academics reputation
Close to medical facilities (volunteer options)
Study abroad (haven’t looked into specifics)
UIUC Con:
Maybe too big?
Can’t continue my athletics
Regarding costs: I received the highest tier scholarships from Miami, so in all I’d owe about $21,000/year. I get in state tuition for Illinois, so all in all about $33,000. My parents set up a fund for me that will cover quite a bit and I’m extremely lucky and grateful that they will try to cover as much as they can, so as of now costs are not a limiting factor.
I’m just not convinced which one to choose. One day I’ll love one over the other and the next day it will be the other way around. I just need to hear some more opinions other than my own. Thank you
I believe your impression is wrong. Miami OH has a good reputation, especially the honors college. Medical schools do not care where you went to school. Go where you will feel most comfortable as that’s likely the place where you’ll get the best GPA. Good luck!
Both are fine schools and as someone already said you’ll need good grades and a strong MCAT.
Miami, due to its size, might give you a bit more personalization. I’ve been to both - from a tour POV and that doesn’t mean the school will be this way, Miami was more customer friendly.
You noted the campus - Miami is very nice and in my opinion much nicer than UIUC. You seem to concur.
UIUC probably has more going on there - and other than their sports stink, they are big 10 - so they have that. But there’s a town - not much is in Miami.
Greek at Miami will be milder - in that they house the sororities in the dorms.
You want to go to med school, you’ll save at least $48K over four years (and Miami locks in tuition) - it seems Miami is the better fit.
You mention a 5.5 hour drive as a con. That’s a silly reason not to choose a school. So a few times a year you drive a little father.
I think both Miami and UIUC are strong public schools. Miami is not the flagship but it’s very competition and has top notch students and outcomes.
Plus, 5.5h is perfect! It’s close enough to get home I half a day without flying, but not so close that you will be inclined to go home too frequently stunting the development of your independence.
I agree with the previous posters. Miami of Ohio over UIUC.
Miami has a good reputation for undergraduate teaching. I’m not a huge fan of Urbana-Champaign. It ain’t Madison or Ann Arbor.
Go to the place where you can thrive with your GPA, provides you with better academic experiences, and costs you significantly less (about $50K over four years, which you can use for med school). Honors colleges cater to students, there are three new residence halls in the honors college, you get additional research opportunities, and the study abroad program. The 5.5 hours is not far, and as mentioned, it’s an ideal distance for college.
For pre-med, Miami. I TAed pre-med courses at UIUC, and it is, indeed, too big (intro courses with 800-1,200 students). For majors in which “prestigiousity” of the college is important, UIUC may be a better choice. However, for medical school, your GPA is more important, and a smaller college with more personal education is a lot better for getting a good GPA, not to mention that Miami is a prettier campus.