<p>I was admitted into these schools. I intend to go to medical school, but I do not want to major in pre-med, or take only those courses that would allow me to apply to medical school. I want to major in biochemistry, like I would for MLS, and take the courses needed to prepare me for medical school. I would like to enter enter medical school as a biochemistry (or chemistry/biology) major with the required pre-med courses taken.</p>
<p>That being said, which of these three options would be the best for my preparation for medical school? Maybe I should consider enrolling in Penn without MLS? How is Duke pre-med?</p>
<p>Duke pre-med is incredible but so is Penn’s so I would knock UChicago off your list unless you have a strong personal fit there and decide between those two. Vagelos @ Penn is a highly structured program so you might not have as much freedom to explore academic interests as you would as a general premed at Duke. Vagelos is incredible at getting you good business jobs from what I’ve heard but there are plenty of Duke students who start out premed and then becoming bankers/consultants due to changing interests.</p>
<p>I would visit to make a decision here and go with your gut. You can’t go wrong!:)</p>
<p>I disagree with Goldenboy - I don’t think you should knock UChicago off your list prematurely. Moreover, I think you should continue fact-finding on all three schools, and keep all three of these great schools on your list for the time being. </p>
<p>In the past, Goldenboy has pointed to stats that indicate that Duke places its pre-meds wonderfully well, and that UChicago lags on this front. Duke certainly has a great pre-med track record. Goldenboy’s analysis, however, leaves out an important fact: of the top schools, UChicago has seen the greatest improvement over the past ~5 years. Moreover, UChicago (just like Columbia, Penn, Duke, etc.) is just a really formidable school, and shouldn’t be discounted quickly. </p>
<p>I imagine that currently and certainly in the upcoming years, all three of these schools will be generally comparable in terms of the opportunities provided for its graduates. Go to all of the admit days (if you can), and choose generally for fit. The Vagelos program, seeing that its a pretty structured, sophisticated program, certainly deserves a careful look. </p>
<p>All of these schools are great, though, and I wouldn’t make any hasty decisions, as goldenboy suggests.</p>
<p>I think u may be referring to the Vagelos Life Sciences and Management program. This is not the one I’m talking about. I talking about the Vagelos Molecular Life Sciences one. </p>
<p>Thanks though! I actually live in Chicago and my parents say I should stay at UChicago, but to be honest it’s really between penn and duke.</p>
<p>Choose primarily based on fit as cliched as it sounds. Chicago is an absolutely phenomenal school, however, its policy of grade deflation could be detrimental to your chances for acceptance to med school. Duke and Penn are very similar schools in terms of academics and social life. Duke has better weather (of course this is subjective) and in my opinion, a more beautiful campus. Penn is in a rather sketchy neighborhood in Philly but then again Durham is no NY, although drastic improvements have been made to the city. Duke is also 8 miles from Chapel Hill which is home to a wide array of bars, pubs and restaurants. Duke has a greater sense of community and school spirit because of Duke basketball, and from my experience, pre med students always seem to collaborate on projects rather than engage in cut throat competition.
All great schools, visit if at all possible and then make a decision.</p>
<p>Hey,
I actually got into the Vagelos Program this year too and am choosing Duke over it. I’ll tell you what I learned from my research and some of my reasons why. I don’t claim to be an expert, and it’s just my opinion, but maybe it’ll help:
U of C- I know almost nothing about this school, but my friends there say it’s pretty difficult. </p>
<p>Upenn- If you Google, browse CC, speak to Penn Scholars, you’ll see only about 10/35 entering Vagelos scholars graduate. Now, this may not because of how the tough and rigorous workload is. Maybe some students found that they liked other majors better or something else happened, but I’m also assuming some dropped out of the problem due to the rigor. My main reservation was that the program would wreck my GPA and take so much time that I wouldn’t have time to do what I wanted, pursue a lot of E.C.s, and study a lot for the MCAT. </p>
<p>Duke!-
I was just there a few days ago. The environment really is nice and more laid back, in my opinion. From the research I’ve done and kids I’ve spoken to, you can definitely get a decent GPA at Duke. It’s definitely no walk in the park, but your GPA may be higher at Duke than at UPenn if you’re playing the numbers game.
I spoke with many professors, deans, and had dinner with Dr. Truskey of Biomedical Engineering. They all were so kind and open to undergraduates. After speaking to a professor after class, he, not knowing I wasn’t a student, offered to set up time outside of class to meet with me if I couldn’t go to office hours. Duke also has considerably less undergraduates and pretty small classes as I understand it.</p>
<p>I can only address Penn’s Vagelos MLS program as I have sophomore son in it now. This is not your typical pre-med program. It is actually geared for those interested in going on to do research at the Ph.D or MD/Ph.D level. It also involves getting a degree in biochemistry plus another major or alternatively a Masters in chemistry or biochemistry in your 4 undergraduate years.</p>
<p>It is true that more than 1/2 of the students drop out of the program (not Penn itself). Many want a more rounded education than what Vagelos allows. Others decide they don’t want to major in biochemistry. Some no doubt feel that the rigor of the program will harm their GPA. Still others may be disappointed in the lack of camaraderie within the program.</p>
<p>Having said all this, if you are truly interested in biochemistry with research you should consider MLS. The majority of those who stick it out end up in very top tier graduate programs in the field of their choice. Here is a link that summarizes where almost all the past graduates have ended up:
[url=<a href=“Biochemistry | Penn Arts & Sciences”>Biochemistry | Penn Arts & Sciences]Graduates[/url</a>]</p>
<p>As far as GPA and getting into Med Schools, it seems that many programs like what they see in MLS and probably give some slack for what they know is an extremely rigorous program.</p>
<p>As for my son, he is majoring in biochemistry and physics as well as getting a Masters degree biochemistry. He doesn’t know if he wants a Ph.D, MD or MD/Ph.d after he graduates, but feels he will be quite prepared for any of them.</p>
<p>Like I said, it’s not for everyone. But for those who want this kind of track, there are few (if any) other schools that would accommodate this kind of undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>In my opinion, the main decision is between UPenn and Duke.
Do some research and definitely try to visit both campuses. I don’t know you and your interests well enough to make a very clear and accurate recommendation. However, do keep in mind the long term goal and have some back-up plans if you change your study, something goes wrong, etc… Don’t go to a school just because of its name. Go there because it matches you.</p>
I actually live in Chicago and my parents say I should stay at UChicago, but to be honest it’s really between penn and duke.</p>