<p>Compare the opportunities and advantages of one school over the other. I am interested in a premed degree, and really want to attend penn. Is it worth paying more or is iowa just as good? Any help??</p>
<p>Well when you’re applying to med school it doesn’t really matter where you went for undergrad. It matters what you did with your time there and how well you performed. The committee will focus on your GPA and MCAT scores, not the name on your diploma.</p>
<p>There is no such thing as a premed degree, nor is premed a major. Premed is simply a set of coursework you need to apply to Med school, it can be completed within just about any major. Please see the sticky threads at the top of the Pre-Med Topics subforum, both about premed requirements and picking an UG school.</p>
<p>Well UPenn is going to be significantly better than Iowa for pretty much everything except writing and campus life. Iowa is tops for writing, and like most state flagships, has great campus life, which most private schools can’t match (although some do, and exceed…UPenn isn’t one of those).</p>
<p>Is it worth it though, to do UPenn over Iowa? Well if you haven’t gotten significant finaid from UPenn, then I’d say no, because Iowa is a stellar university. But there are some who would say it is because graduating from UPenn makes you a more prestigious person and gets you ‘in’ with a very prestigious crowd. Personally I doubt that because your grades will get you into med school, not your alma mater and prestige, but to each his own.</p>
<p>If you like each of them equally, I would go to the institution that costs less. Penn’s name will not fare your any better in med school admissions than will Iowa’s.</p>
<p>My father used to do med school admissions. School brand is not everything, but it is a significant thing indeed.</p>
<p>Med school is obscenely expensive. Pre-med coursework is basically the same wherever you do it. If Iowa is less expensive than Penn, go there. If Penn is less expensive than Iowa go there. If both cost the same (and please, please, please don’t count loans as “aid” because you have to pay them back) then pay a visit to both campuses during the term, walk around and see how they feel.</p>
<p>My mother was formerly on the admissions committee of Mayo Medical School, the most selective medical school in the country.</p>
<p>School brand is not significant in the least, the process is very holistic, and she said they have NEVER had to make a decision on whether to admit someone over someone else because of the name of their school. Stop spreading your crap, pl0x</p>