<p>Hey, I am wondering, out of these schools, which seems like the best fit for me. I realize that I should really visit these schools, but the truth is that I probably won't be able to visit all of them. Anyways, here are my interests and what I want out of my undergraduate experience:
-great pre-medical program (good advising to really help me get an edge into medical school admissions, challenging but not impossible courses, competitive but not a super cutthroat environment, great place for research and summer internships)
-location in or close to a large city (not just any large city, but one where I can experience numerous different things like great shows, restaurants, sports teams, maybe even museums idk for sure but hopefully you understand somewhat what i'm talking about)
-really nice campus vibe (where the school is generally pretty close-knit and there is large involvement in school spirit and pride)
-pretty respectable status (high rank and a school where medical school admissions would be impressed if I even got just like a 3.5 or 3.6)
-nice people (I kind of already mentioned this, but i don't want a school where everyone is SUPER competitive... instead I want a school where people are pretty laid-back and nice with each other)</p>
<p>NU or UPenn.</p>
<p>And you’ll need better than a 3.6 no matter where you go if you wan’t to be sure you get in, unless you take only science classes.</p>
<p>Why do people care so much about location/campus vibe…you’re only there for 4 years, it’s not a lifelong commitment</p>
<p>Also, unless a person has attended all 4 of those schools, there is no way they could accurately compare these subjective qualities anyways</p>
<p>IF you want to know which school is the “best fit” for you, there is simply no substitute for spending some time at each, and I don’t mean a quick info session and tour. You should try for an overnight visit, sit in on a class or two, talk to some students, etc.
Qualitatively, each school on your list is superb. You can’t lose.
You will get a first rate pre-med education at all of them.
Duke is not in/near a large city, so that might be one strike against it if that matters to you. Michigan isn’t in a large city either, but its students absolutely love the great college town offerings there nonetheless. NU has the advantage of being in a fabulous suburb, which is both a great college town and is right at Chicago’s threshold, so its students are in Chicago frequently.
As for the campus “vibe” and nice people, I go back to the first thought, which is that there’s no substitute for a visit because of how subjective this is.
Bottom line: if you can get into one or more of these schools, it’s win-win.
Good luck.</p>
<p>-great pre-medical program (Can’t really go wrong)
-location in or close to a large city (NU wins here, Chicago is much more dynamic as St. Louis and Philly aren’t great cities, Ann Arbor is nice but not “large”)
-really nice campus vibe (NU or Michigan – Big Ten sports build pride)
-pretty respectable status (NU and Penn)
-nice people (Can’t speak for other schools on this)</p>
<p>1) Premedical program - little difference. The same individual presenting the same effort at any of these four schools will probably see no measurable difference in probability of medical school admission. Be very skeptical of schools trying to sell you any other argument, something “special” that they alone may offer. It’s pure salesmanship at work. </p>
<p>2) “Location” - sounds like Northwestern hands down FOR WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR. Chicago is a big city with very big city opportunities accross the spectrum. Access - anywhere - is easy and cheap from campus. Philly is a fun small city but “small” is the operative word. Ann Arbor is one of the great college towns, but a town. St. Louis, on every level, just doesn’t do it for me. </p>
<p>3) “Nice campus vibe” - can’t answer this. All four schools have enthusiastic student bodies. Self-selection is obviously working on these campuses. If you find the school that fits you, as WCASParent argues, the vibe will - surprise! - feel just right. Visiting is the best way to sort this through.</p>
<p>4) “Respectable status” with med schools - as above, all these colleges will be respected. Adcoms are very savvy about numbers grade inflation and deflation-wise and won’t be fooled easily. This shouldn’t be a factor in decision making. </p>
<p>5) “Nice people” - I’ll have to admit a midwestern bias here. Advice in general I’ve offered before to pre meds - if it’s important to you to avoid a highly competitive pre med environment, don’t surround yourself with it at a school saturated with pre meds. By example, while I wouldn’t hesitate to go to Hopkins as an IR or english major, I’d never consider premeding it there.</p>
<p>I’m beyond shocked that any of you could consider Philly to be small! Plus you have easy access to NYC and Boston!</p>
<p>I have heard that NU is very good at weeding its premeds out and that its environment is enormously stressful for them. I don’t know about the others; it’s probably the same or very similar.</p>