<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I want to know the opinions on Michigan State's Pre-Med. As well as how it would compare with Wayne States Pre-Med and UofM's Pre-Med.</p>
<p>I am accepted to Michigan State and Wayne State, however, I have been deferred from UofM and wont hear again from them until April.</p>
<p>Let me know what i should do if I do end up getting into UofM because currently I have my eyes set on Michigan State's Pre-Med</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Well, I applied too, MSU’s premed program has 3 different colleges, it is a really good college, that’s all I know.</p>
<p>I’m a pre-med student at MSU now. There is no specific “pre-med program”, you just major in whatever you want as long as you complete the med-school pre-reqs.</p>
<p>Quoted from SuperDhooper</p>
<p>"There is virtually no difference in the education you will receive at either university. You will have the same material taught to you. The only difference some say is a competitiveness difference. At U of M UG admissions is more competitive so I assume students getting there achieve more on average so grades in classes will be more competitive. Anyways, as for any other difference, there are a few that deal with volunteer/research/internship opportunies. You would think UM would be better for this with their excellent med school. Unfortunately I haven’t heard of anyone who benefited from any extraordinary opportunities by going to U of M. Then again, there aren’t any mind blowing mind opportunities at state. Truly, I am wrong in both cases. They’re probably a lot of great opportunities at both but you have to work to figure out what they are. If they were easy to find and do everyone would be doing them. </p>
<p>As for MSU’s med school, I do not have any evidence but based on the MCAT score they accept, their requirements for courses, and what I’ve heard from UG upperclassmen is that it’s a decent Med School but it’s nothing special based on USNews Rankings. You should look it up. It’s called MSU CHM. It’s just slightly harder to get into than MSUCOM (Osteopathic Medical School) based of it’s average admission scores. If I were you I would at least look into the Osteopathic Medicine too. A D.O degree is exactly the same thing as an M.D degree. Same rights, priviledges, etc etc. MSU has the nation’s best Osteopathic Medical School and it is the largest Medical School in Michigan with connections to many residency programs which will make so many connections for you once you graduate from the medical school. </p>
<p>As for U of M’s med school which is undisputably better than either of the previously mentioned, I’m not being sarcastic but good luck getting in. It’s 150 spots for which 7500 competitive applicants apply for, but hey! Everyone has their goals. </p>
<p>As for statistics med schools don’t release those. If they did the facts would be well known by all now. Word on the street, however, is an extremely small population of U of M undergraduates are selected for U of M’s medical school. </p>
<p>Lastly, the idea of comparing the Pre-Medical education received at these schools is proposterous! It’s not like U of M’s professors are teaching 1st year undergraduates what their top 10 ranked grad schools find in their research and studies. The Pre-Medical track is equally as good wherever you go. </p>
<p>I went to State over Umich. I went because I got into the DO Scholars Program meaning I am in MSUCOM as long as I get a 3.5 in UG. If you’ve got nothing like that going for you you’re better of at UM because if you change what you want to do U of M has great programs for everything."</p>
<p>Punk,</p>
<p>I’ve seen that post that you quoted however I want some more insight on MSU’s pre-med “track” I know you don’t major in pre-med you just fulfill the prereqs. But everytime i ask an adult or another student they tell me go to Uofm because of the name and their classes are harder. So i’m looking for advice. But from what I can tell MSU is better to go to than Wayne state correct? Also, I got into Lyman Briggs can you tell me if thats a good hall to be in for pre-me as well?</p>
<p>Punk,</p>
<p>I’ve seen that post that you quoted however I want some more insight on MSU’s pre-med “track” I know you don’t major in pre-med you just fulfill the prereqs. But everytime i ask an adult or another student they tell me go to Uofm because of the name and their classes are harder. So i’m looking for advice. But from what I can tell MSU is better to go to than Wayne state correct? Also, I got into Lyman Briggs can you tell me if thats a good hall to be in for pre-med as well?</p>
<p>Ok, sorry</p>
<p>I can’t make a comparison on MSU vs. UM vs. Wayne, but I can tell you what my experiences have been so far.</p>
<p>I like MSU mainly because of all the opportunities I have here, education and class wise, you’re learning the same stuff you’d be learning at UM, its just less competitive here. But not being as competitive can be a good thing. Like this is my first semester here and I already have a research position in a lab, doing real work, not just grunt stuff. I volunteer at the local hospital. Both of these things look good med school applications as well as the fact that there are so many campus organizations that you have numerous opportunities to get executive positions to showcase your leadership skills.</p>
<p>And yes, UM is ranked higher than MSU but do a search through the pre-med forums, the student doctor forum and google and you’ll see that prestige plays very little to no role in adcom selections, its more important to go somewhere that is a good fit financially and socially.</p>
<p>Now for Lyman Briggs, I’m not in it but Holmes, which is the briggs dorm is right next to my dorm. Briggs is good because the classes are smaller, and you’re basically living with your classmates who are mostly pre-med, so you’ll have a lot in common and therefore build a sense of community. Which is lots of fun, trust me. Plus by applying to Briggs you’ll get to bypass staying in Brody, The freshmen dorms. Also most of your classes will be in Holmes as well, which is a plus especially for morning classes and if you don’t wanna make that winter trudge.
The cafe at holmes is okay too, its not huge but it has late night (open until 12:00 am) which comes in handy when you’re starved. Its also open on the weekend. The Sparty’s (convenience store) at Holmes is amazing too, gaming computers, flat screen tvs with theatre style seating and a wide variety of foodstuffs.</p>
<p>I hope this was helpful, if you wanna know anything else you can pm me :)</p>
<p>No Need to say sorry thanks for all your help! Your last post really was informative.</p>
<p>Glad I could help :)</p>
<p>Lyman briggs is good, im in it now, do you have specific questions?</p>
<p>Hey guys, I want to correct myself. Medical Schools do sometimes release Stats. You can find UMich’s under UMich Med School–> Class Profiles. Also, stats for residency matches are pretty commonly posted on the med schools website somewhere. I am a Lyman Briggs Second Year now. Regarding MSU Pre Med, I think it’s a decent option. Looking back to my previous posts, I don’t think I was right to say anything about UMich or WSU since I do not attend those institutions. </p>
<p>Here are some Pros/Cons I find at MSU:</p>
<p>Pros:</p>
<p>OMSP: The program I’m in which gives you preferential admission status (no one who’s put a legitimate effort has been denied) to MSUCOM so long as you complete program requirements: 3.5 GPA, 600-800 volunteer hrs (including high school), shadow D.O.s The program also gives your some clinical experience opportunites and an inside look into what Medical School really is. It’s also non-binding so if Medicine is not right for you or if you get a 42 MCAT and 3.95 GPA you can apply elsewhere. If you fulfill this program’s requirements, the MCAT is waived. To apply google MSUCOM, go to admissions, and under it there should be OMSP. Apply. I applied and was interviewed before I attended MSU and that’s why I chose MSU. Now I hear they are accepting applications (the process is more competitive though) during your 1st yr. </p>
<p>PA Program: Professorial Assistanship Programs awarded to Honors College students with 33 or higher ACT. They work alongside a professor in a lab doing meaningful work. Even those without those stats can talk to the honors college and get similar research jobs. I myself went and talked to a professor I was interested in and he said he’s give me my own project next yr. </p>
<p>MSU Service Learning Center: Places students in meaningful volunteer positions including hospital/hospice volunteering, youth mentoring, etc. (Please explore more alternatives to hospital volunteering. I feel that when I volunteer at a hospital, I get a better idea of what a nurse or nurse assistant does and that this kind of volunteering should be more geared towards these careers. Pre-meds should volunteer in the hospital or hospice for a while to get experience with interacting with patients but the filling waters and taking out linens gets old really fast. Instead, consider volunteering at school and coaching little kids. Nursing homes and being one of those emergency volunteers on call are also good options. I find these volunteer opportunities much more entertaining and just as useful for a pre-med student. </p>
<p>Intramural Sports:</p>
<p>The gym and sports facilities at MSU are excellent. If you want a to be a doctor obviously sports isn’t your biggest focuses but as a physician you are a role model for health so fitness definitely should be a focus. MSU has 3 IM Sports gyms and plenty of free or less expensive independent ones in residence halls like Holmes and Akers. Also, intramural sports are pretty competitive and keep you fit. Basically, one of the reasons I’m proud to be a Spartan is due to the fitness level I see exhibited by MSU students. At MSU, I see fitness as a given. </p>
<p>Study Abroad:</p>
<p>Medical schools are looking for diversity. At MSU, many humanity classes a pre-med might take (ex. PHL344-Ethical Issues in Healthcare) are offered abroad in countries like the U.K, Ghana, Costa Rica etc. Therefore, being to these countries shows you have that diversity. Also, I am realizing more and more how important it is to do something I genuinely enjoy rather than using it as something im going to put on my resume. I know for sure now I’m going to be in some medical school and I’ve been with current medical school students, they basically have no lives. Have any of your guys taken the PSL430 series or BMB460 series? Med School classes are just a little harder than those and instead of being 12-16 credits a semester, it’s 24+
This is why you should do things you genuinely enjoy like explore the world outside the U.S before you’re here locked up for 4 years learning medicine. MSU has the best and most diverse study abroad program. </p>
<p>Lyman Briggs:</p>
<p>It’s a great residential program because they emphasize the core bio, chem, and physics that are required for med school admissions and on the MCAT. Also, they teach science and incorporate the humanities. In addition, the program is somewhat rigorous so you see less of the whole partying/drinking (beware-it’s less but definitely NOT absent). </p>
<p>Honors College:</p>
<p>If you demonstate your academic competence by being in the top 10% of your college (kinda hard to do if ur in Briggs) or if you score +30 and are in the top 10% of your graduating class you get to be in MSU’s Honors College. You can substitute required social science and humanity classes for meaningful premed humanity courses (which overlap with some of your Briggs requirements). In addition, you are not restricted by prequisites, (seriously if you want you can easily take 400 level or graduate courses as a freshman with permission from the honors college). They HC also publishes a research journal and have undergraduate research symposiums so it’s a good opportunity to see how research is conducted at the professional level. </p>
<p>Competition:</p>
<p>At MSU competition is at a low and achieving a good GPA is less stressful while at the same time the education you receive is not poor. As a comparison with U of M, a couple students I know tell me over the summer they are studying the notes they got from their friends for courses they will be taking next year. They say it will give them the competitive edge and are desperate for a 4.0. This is one thing I question about U of M even with all the respect I give the university. Why make classes so difficult that you limit non-academic opportunities students participate in. It doesn’t make them learn more. Summer should be a time for fun and creative learning, not self-studying for courses you are paying money to have taught to you. </p>
<p>Cons:</p>
<p>MSU as a whole:</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, the campus is great and if you know where to look, MSU houses some of the best research and clinical opportunities. (Ex. My Honors Bio profs did graduate work at Yale and Cornell and had multiple nature publicatios which they were willing to discuss). On the other hand, call me a misanthropist, classify me as anti-social, and tell me “it’s college, what do you expect” but I disapprove with all the partying and drinking that goes on at MSU. I find the party nature a huge distraction and it’s hard to find decent students (I found my group of besties). At MSU, a large number of students have quite low (think of the College partier w/ the undecided major stereotype-it’s real and popular at MSU). In high school I was surrounded by some of the brightest, hardworking, and ambitious students and as a result I was able to perform at a whole new level academically. Here I feel I’m missing that. If you want to come out of MSU as a succesful pre-med you can’t cave in to peer pressure or be bothered by what the majority is doing. You have to be on your own mission. At the same time though, go to parties, have fun, and you better find/make lots of friends! Just be sure that you aren’t being influenced in a negative way.</p>