<p>Hello,
I am a senior in high school interested in pursuing a career in medicine. Currently, I am planning on receiving an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and I have been accepted to the following schools:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
I have also applied to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but for practical and economical purposes, I would not want to attend a college so far away. (I live in Illinois.)</p>
<p>Which of these schools do you think would be the best school for a pre-med student? I would love to go to U of I, because it is in my home state and it would by far be the cheapest option for me. It also has great research opportunities and a wonderful Chemistry program (or so I've heard). However, I am concerned that it would be an unwise choice, as it does not have a renowned hospital like UM and UW. Any opinions on this? Or am I going about this all wrong; should I have chosen a smaller school, like Wash U, so I could stand out? I love the feel of big universities, and I believe that I could succeed there. Thank you, and let me know your thoughts!</p>
<p>My vote is U of I because:
</p>
<p>Why does it need to have a renowned hospital? It’s unlikely the name of the hospital will matter for you as a premed anyway, since the most you’d do there is volunteer and shadow, and you can learn plenty from any hospital. Seems like there are plenty of good hospitals near UIUC.</p>
<p>Let’s say a few years down the road, you do end up actually applying to med school. In that case, your best chance of admission will be from your state’s state school. There’s a chance that having gone to that school’s UG could enhance your application because the med school’s adcom will be more familiar with your courses, profs, volunteer work (assuming it’s in the surrounding community), rec letters, etc etc. Would this potential boost be enough to make me choose a school I otherwise did not like? Not at all. But since you like UIUC and it’s a good financial choice and it will prepare you just fine for med school AND it might potentially give you a soft boost should you decide to go to UIUC for med school…well, I think it’s a no brainer.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine paying out of state tuition to go to another state school, unless perhaps you could get in state rates for soph-senior years. State vs private school is a different story, but in-state vs out of state is an easy decision in my mind.</p>
<p>(In case you’re curious, here’s some background on me: I’m from MO. I was accepted to MU, U-M, UVa, and a few private schools for undergrad–went with MU because it made the most financial sense. Bio major. Had a fantastic time during undergrad. Currently second year med student at MU.)</p>
<p>(PS: did you catch the recent MU-UIUC game? MIZ!)</p>
<p>Thanks so much, you have helped a lot 
Now if only our football team was better…</p>
<p>Go Illini!</p>
<p>(Gotta admit is hurts when D2 calls me from Ann Arbor to gloat over how the Wolverines put down the Illini.)</p>
<p>And I have to agree with kristin. UIUC is fine school. And its chem dept is excellent. Both of my kiddos strongly considered going to UIUC, but, alas!, the OOS price was too high.</p>
<p>The CU campus is great place to spend your undergrad. And if it saves you money so you can minimize your debt before med school–even better.</p>
<p>There are two medium sized hospitals in CU–Carle Clinic and Christie Clinic. Either ought to provide sufficient opportunity for clinical experiences.</p>