<p>How is the pre-med "program" or track at the U? What about the volunteer opportunity?It is either going to be Scranton or Pitt for me and I don't want to write scranton off.</p>
<p>Pre-med is strong at Scranton. There are plenty of volunteer and service opportunities available and it is strongly encouraged. There are 3 hospitals within walking distance of campus. They are constructing a new science building with a planned opening of Fall, 2011. Here is a link to their pre-med information [The</a> University of Scranton Programs of Study: Pre-Medical Program](<a href=“http://matrix.scranton.edu/academics/ac_pgm_premedical.shtml]The”>http://matrix.scranton.edu/academics/ac_pgm_premedical.shtml)</p>
<p>Have you visited? How comparable are the costs between Scranton and Pitt after any merit or need based aid?</p>
<p>I live within 30 min of Scranton so yes I visited. After finanical aid Pitt is around $2k less.</p>
<p>My son also wants to do premed. I am very interested in Scranton because I love the Jesuits ( I graduated from Fordham) and everything I read about the school seems very positive. I am hoping that when the time comes, my son can get some good merit aid. We plan to visit soon. Son is only a freshman, but I am starting early to help keep him motivated and focused on his schoolwork, (hopefully, lol)</p>
<p>The pre med program is self selective. If the school does not see you as a strong candidate they will let you know that they will not assist you in the med school process. That is the reason the stats for acceptance is higher than at some other schools.</p>
<p>I think all pre-med programs are “self selective”. Of course the school will only recommend the strong candidates. That happens everywhere!</p>
<p>There are many school that permit students to complete the pre med sequence and apply if they choose to. </p>
<p>I think that it is a very good idea that Scranton lets their students know that they have not met the med school criteria (or offer the necessary letters). There are many schools that permit students to continue on when the chance for entrance is very slim.</p>
<p>Pitt is better than Scan-tron. It has a med school so there are more oportunities.</p>
<p>I am currently a student at Scranton. The pre-med program is not how momma-three describes it. The Health Professions Organization is open to all students, and the Health Professions Evaluation Committee will not turn anyone away. They are willing to offer advice. If you are not a strong medical candidate, they will tell you but give you advice on how to change. But they will never turn anyone away.</p>
<p>Do med applicants from here get into “Top 15” med schools?</p>
<p>While I graduated a number of years ago from Scranton, my perspective may still be helpful. My year more than 60 students went to medical school (I believe the numbers are down a bit since then). Anyone who wanted to go to medical school could apply and be considered (this contrasts with another school with a good pre-med rep in PA, Franklin and Marshall, where I was accepted as a premed), although probably 95% were biology majors and we all were in the same science courses We had probably 90 students go to an initial premed orientation as freshman, with ~ 20 or more deciding it wasn’t for them within first semester or year, and the several others as time went passed. Scranton even had a specific physics course for self designated “pre-meds” with the scenarios made medically relevant. Interestingly, when I met with admissions at Pitt for undergrad, they were pessimists and told me that it would be safest to major in engineering so that I could get a decent job if med school didn’t pan out. We got into good schools, the majority in Philadelphia, but some others as well. My year where students went included Pitt (where I went) Penn, Hopkins, Harvard, Jefferson, Georgetown, Temple, Hahneman, NY Med, Columbia, Hershey, etc… After Med School, I went to one Ivy league for Internship and another for Residency and Fellowships. I was on faculty at an Ivy and currently remain successful in academic medicine. You can go anywhre from Scranton!</p>
<p>They are very different settings. You should really go where you would be most comfortable and successful. A 3.9 GPA is not going to look any better coming from Pitt vs Scranton. The advantage of Pitt’s setting is it having a massive biomedical research and hospital complex right on campus (5th most NIH funding in the nation), so the opportunities to do things that can pad your med school application, like doing significant undergraduate research with the possibility for publication is substantially greater. Having it all on the undergrad campus also helps facilitate scheduling things like research and shadowing/volunteering around a busy undergraduate academic and social schedule. But, where you’ll feel most comfortable for the next several years should also factor in quite heavily.</p>
<p>Agreed. Pitt offers much. Pitt is my med school alma mater and I loved it there. The campuses and feel of the schools are tremendously different. For me, Scranton was great for undergrad and Pitt for Med School. You cannot go wrong either way. Pick whichever feels better for you.</p>
<p>More impressive Pitt info is available at this link.
<a href=“http://www.oafa.pitt.edu/pdf/MedSchoolGradAdmSupp.pdf[/url]”>http://www.oafa.pitt.edu/pdf/MedSchoolGradAdmSupp.pdf</a></p>
This is very good to hear!!!