<p>Hi! i'm wondering wich of these universities (penn state and the university of miami) is better since i'm applying to both of them for undergraduate studies....i haven't decided the major but since my goal is to go to med school, i'd be applying to biology or one of the classics. My concern is to know wich one will prepare me better for med school admissions and wich one has a better reputation.</p>
<p>Penn State has a better overall reputation.
I don’t know much about the pre-med programs, unfortunately, but U of M isn’t the most competitive to say the least…</p>
<p>UMiami is very expensive but from what I heard it is an excellent school for pre-med. People have told me, since UMiami is the major university in the area almost all volunteer work and opportunities goes directly to Miami’s students. Penn State is a great school as well and I am sure it offers lots of opportunities. I think it is a matter of preference. Also, I believe Miami is smaller which may be a plus</p>
<p>Are you in-state for Penn St? </p>
<p>The doctors on this forum have often said, it’s not that important to go to a top school for pre-med undergrad since MCATs and top grades are what really count. Their advice has been to go to a good school that has a qualify bio/chem/math/physics departments, work as hard as you can, do well on your MCATs, and then you’ll get in to med school. Going to a “top school” is not necessary unless you can do so at a reasonable cost.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re going to need to borrow $200k+ for med school, it isn’t a good idea to also borrow big loans for undergrad. The payback on $300k of loans is immense - about $3500 per month - yikes!</p>