<p>I'm a junior and I'm pre-med. I was just accepted into ND economics. I was deciding between ND and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I'm an Illinois resident so tuition at UIUC is one-fourth of what I'd pay at ND and I was wondering if it was worth it.</p>
<p>I have already taken gen chem, gen bio, and orgo one and two. I went to Saint Louis University which i think would be a lot less competitive than both ND and UIUC. The stats at UIUC for med school is abt a 45% acceptance rate while at ND it's much higher (but i think the caliber of students is much higher at ND though too).</p>
<p>I'm just worried that if I go to ND since it is so competitive that I will not do very well even if I study a ton since ALL the kids are really smart. Does ND weed out many of its pre-med students? I know many schools like Northwestern and Cornell do that. Because in the end, i just want to go to wherever I can get a higher GPA and where I have a higher chance of getting into medical school. UIUC is still a good school but ND has the name value. What would be better for me in the long run? Thanks so much!!</p>
<p>It’s probably not the best idea to select a school based on where you can get the higher GPA. It is impossible to predict where one excel academically given unique and individual circumstances. It is true that ND has a high med school acceptance rate but I do not think that it can be attributed to academics alone or even the name. ND students are respected for their grasp of the liberal arts and ethical groundings. ND also encourages service work which is becoming more and more desired by medical admissions committees. Admissions committees like these trends and thus often favor ND students. </p>
<p>ND does not weed out its Pre-Meds. ND also has an outstanding advising committee which will write your cover letters and work personally to get you into medical school. It is a true luxury to have these advisers during your junior and senior year. I am not sure if UIUC has these but it is something you should research. It is also easy to make contact with your professors at ND. This will be critical for letters of recommendation. Good luck.</p>
<p>Any ideas why UIUC has such a low acceptance rate? Is it because the university is so large?</p>
<p>“I’m just worried that if I go to ND since it is so competitive that I will not do very well even if I study a ton since ALL the kids are really smart.”</p>
<p>Well, that will certainly be the situation you’ll face in medical school, so perhaps you should give some thought to what would be the best preparation for such competition. Medical (and law) schools accept students from a wide variety of schools, some of which I can guarantee you have never heard of. But they have to work harder to challenge themselves and find the mentors who will guide them through the application process.</p>