Pitt's Pre-Med Program- Be Honest!

<p>I am in a bit of a pickle right now, because I was accepted with a full ride scholarship to PITT for pre-med, and I was accepted (with no money) to UNC Chapel Hill (For Biology/Pre-med). I am leaning towards PITT but this afternoon my parents started to scare me out of going there and are trying to convince me to go to Chapel Hill. My main concern is that Pitt may not be as prestigious of a school in medical school's eyes as UNC Chapel Hill is, and while I am not that competitive of a person in nature I do want to show that I came from a rigorous pre-medical education. Any opinions? Please be honest here, I know this is a PITT thread but I want to make an informed unbiased decision.</p>

<p>Are you in-state for UNC?</p>

<p>keeping your undergraduate education affordable should be priority # 1, particularly between two “comparable” schools. you need to decide which school offers the classes and research opportunities that you want and then immerse yourself in these activities. the specific classes are not so important in grad school/med school admissions as to what you did with your time and who you did it with and what their recommendations say about you.</p>

<p>LurkNessMonster: I’m in state for PA, so out of state for UNC Chapel Hill (which is a big deal, since out of state is as competitive as applying to Duke).
Crazy Momster: That is how I feel, and I find that Pitt has so many extracurricular opportunities that I can pursue to diversify my application to med school. However, UNC Chapel Hill offers more biomedical research opportunities, which will set me apart from other applicants. Its a tough decision, and I was decided on PITT until my dad started questioning me about Chapel Hill, so I’m now lost. Thank you for your input!</p>

<p>UNC is not going to give you one bit of bump for med school admissions over Pitt. That is true for most schools’ “names”: one generally won’t give you a bump over another, except perhaps Ivies/MIT, etc. But even that depends on certain biases on the med school admission committees and it can work both ways, and that can completely vary. But in generally, a “name” means very little, or nothing, compared to your actual accomplishments. And if it does, a state school like UNC is going to be looked at equivalently to a state school like Pitt. The differences in “name” between those two for your purpose is non-existent. The difference between Harvard and Mississippi State, yeah, there might be a difference, but again, it comes down to accomplishments first and foremost.</p>

<p>UNC absolutely does not offer more or better biomedical research opportunities than Pitt. Almost no schools do. UNC may offer equivalent levels, but not more. Pitt is the more powerful research institution in medical/biosciences with ~$100 million more in NIH research than what is being conducted at either UNC or Duke (see [here](<a href=“http://www.brimr.org/NIH_Awards/2011/Institution_2011.xls]here[/url]”>http://www.brimr.org/NIH_Awards/2011/Institution_2011.xls)</a>). Now Duke, I’d have to say it even though it has less research money from NIH it generally has a better reputation. But in general, if you want to know the opportunities for biomedical research, and the general reputation, look at NIH funding levels. That’s the gold standard and how they are compared in the real world, also by publication impact factor in particular fields (see rankings of research impact [here[/url</a>] and [url=&lt;a href=“http://ranking.heeact.edu.tw/en-us/2010%20by%20Field/Domain/LIFE/TOP/100]here[/url]”&gt;http://ranking.heeact.edu.tw/en-us/2010%20by%20Field/Domain/LIFE/TOP/100]here](<a href=“http://www.scimagoir.com/pdf/sir_2011_world_report_northern_america.pdf]here[/url”>http://www.scimagoir.com/pdf/sir_2011_world_report_northern_america.pdf)</a>).</p>

<p>So although UNC may have a somewhat better general undergrad reputation, Pitt is actually looked as as a little bigger place overall for medical/health/bioscience. Although UNC wouldn’t be far behind and most would probably think of them similarly. They are both great schools for your interest, and you can’t go wrong either way, but if it just comes down to money, you’d be absolutely silly not to go to Pitt with the scholarship there.</p>

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<p>Sadly, your parents are misinformed. Prestige of undergraduate institution has very little to no bearing on med school admission chances. It might hypothetically matter if you’re comparing a candidate from an ivy to a candidate from Podunk U with the same GPA, but even then I am hesitant to say that it would really make a difference. However, I can say with certainty that in this case, the slight difference in prestige between Pitt and UNC would have ZERO bearing on medical school admission chances. Hands-down THE most important factors are grades and MCAT score, followed by clinical experience, research experience, and extracurriculars. At either institution, you’ll have ample opportunities to become involved with research as an undergraduate. Pitt is a veritable mecca for gaining clinical experience. I’m sure that clinical experiences abound at UNC, too. I’m going to go ahead and anticipate your parents’ next assertion: UNC will do a better job of preparing you for the MCAT. This one’s also false. The only person who can prepare you for the MCAT is you. The basic science curricula are pretty much the same everywhere, especially in the case of established schools like Pitt and UNC. A respectable MCAT score is primarily attained by substantial independent preparation.</p>

<p>Given that both institutions would allow you to do what you need to do to gain a highly-coveted med school acceptance, the only difference I can perceive between the two is cost. And I think you’d be <em>extremely</em> foolish to turn down a full ride when you’re potentially going to be faced with hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical school debt. Plus, you can always add that full tuition scholarship as a line under the Honors/Awards section on your resume and medical school application. That’s actually something that medical schools WILL care about.</p>

<p>Current sophomore at Pitt about to enter junior year next fall. One of my friends was accepted to Harvard med, another to Columbia. Pitt is it.</p>

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<p>Am I the only one that finds this hard to believe? Between Pitt Sciences, Pitt Bio Engineering, Pitt Grad Sciences, Pitt Grad Engineering, Pitt Med School, and UPMC…that is a TON of research opportunities in the bio-med industry. I can’t think of a single person I know at Pitt who is interested in bio-med research who CAN’T or hasn’t found a research position (and most are paid!). A few of my friends actually had to PICK a lab from the multiple ones that offered them spots…</p>

<p>It might be location bias, but I feel like Pitt also has a lot of (or maybe just as many?) groundbreaking medical research groups as UNC would. That’s another amazing opportunity to think of. Plus with the whole UPMC set up, if you were more interested in a practical approach (i.e. EMT/Emergency Services), you can volunteer at the hospital, conveniently located on campus, and get a look at life in the ER. Not sure if there is a similar ease of volunteering at UNC.</p>

<p>I also have to agree with everyone else here: I don’t know WHY your parents would encourage you to turn down a full-ride at Pitt to pay full OOS price for UNC. Do they not realize how much more money Medical school will cost? I would think that saving money while getting a great education (instead of rank-picking) would be their/your ultimate priority.</p>

<p>And to add to highflyin’s list, I have friends accepted at Yale, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Pitt Med (arguable one of the best public med schools), and others. Pitt is it for sure.</p>

<p>Awesome, you live up to your name. Do you recall what your friends thought of the pre-med advising? It’s down to Pitt and one other school . . . both honors programs look very good, and both cities feel good. Generous merit aid at both. Really liked the friendly Pitt students at honors day.</p>

<p>Ugh. I feel like I’ve decided on University of Georgia and then I come onto Pitt’s forum and I want to go to Pitt again!!! Ughh!!!</p>

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<p>I can’t remember if my friends used their regular adviser for much help, but I know UHC just added an honors pre-med adviser (possibly this year I believe?) and that they are supposed to be pretty nice/friendly (as is everyone up at UHC, so that’s a plus). Honestly, I think some of the best advice my friends got was from each other. There’s a good support system at Pitt and especially in the UHC. We’re definitely about working together and NOT being cut-throat competitive.</p>

<p>Agree that Pitt on full ride would be my choice. My son chose Pitt (with full tuition scholarship) over WashU for Biology/Premed … despite that fact that WashU was his dream school. Averting ~ $180K of tuition that could otherwise be applied to Med School is compelling.</p>

<p>Regarding research, I agree with ‘Awesome …’, the opportunities at Pitt are substantial. Sophomore son has a very stretching research assignment in mathematical biology.</p>

<p>r33mgiggles, I’m a Chapel Hill girl who got into UNC and I’m choosing Pitt, so let me give you my reasons and take it how you will. First of all, given my position, I can’t say anything bad about either school, so you can’t possibly go wrong in the position that you’re in.
That being said, I would save now for medical school down the road and take the full ride to Pitt. I want to do public health and people think I’m crazy for turning down UNC, but I’m thinking ahead: I want to come back to UNC for the MPH in four years. I know that public health isn’t med school, but we probably share some of the same reasons for choosing UNC and Pitt, such as both schools being strong in the sciences. However, Pitt offers research opportunities for undergrads; I even know underclassmen who have done science research at Pitt, which is not common at all.
In addition to the heavy research that happens at Pitt, you’ve also got Carnegie Mellon right across the street (literally), so for any technical science/hard science internships, research opportunities, etc., you’re in a great place. This is unlike UNC, which is kind of located in a “bubble” - drive 20 minutes in any direction and you’re definitely not feeling the research vibe anymore.
I’m a Tar Heel rooting for you to chose Pitt, but again, you can’t go wrong, so good luck and let us know what you decide :)</p>

<p>thankss a bunch wgmcp101! i’ve decided on pitt and I completely agree with you that pitt offers much better biomedical research opportunities</p>

<p>Thank you so much Divel. I’m happy to know that I’ll be able to use my scholarship to my advantage when applying to med schools!</p>

<p>Thank you MaddyK. Its comforting to know someone who had been in the same position as me. At the end of the day, I don’t think that me choosing Pitt over UNC will have that big of an impact on me getting into medical schools. And with the scholarship I received, I feel more relaxed knowing that I will be able to avoid most medical school debt.</p>