Pre-Med - Yale, Hopkins, Cornell, UChicago or Columbia?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Ummm…Yale? No question in my mind.</p>

<p>Why is Yale “but it is more suited for pre-law students, imho.” Because YLS is great? Granted Hopkins has a fantastic hospital attached to it as does Columbia (Cornell’s is in NYC so don’t count on having too many research opps at Weill during the school year) but Yale Med is certainly no slouch. </p>

<p>And as for “I’m sure you will have no trouble being top of the class there,” I really wouldn’t take things like that for granted.</p>

<p>Yale is Yale and I would pick any of HYPS for pre-med or for pretty much anything. The faculty access, ug experience are pretty fantastic.</p>

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<p>pimpdaddy, basing a college decision off of only prestige is pretty stupid imo. Especially when all of these schools are very prestigious and elite in the country to begin with. We’re simply stating which programs are the best. yale is not one of them. If she had said Harvard, I would’ve suggested that as well, easily, over Yale Pre-Med</p>

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<p>Yale. There is no question about it. </p>

<p>There are five schools in the country that have the highest percentage of premeds getting into med school every year ( Harvard, Brown, Princeton, Dartmouth and Yale). As you can see, they are the strong “undergrad” ivies (except for Harvard).</p>

<p>Hopkins is great for med school but a killer for premed. The competition gets rather “unpleasant” sometimes and the premed committee will make sure to discourage you from being a premed if they think you are shaky or a weak applicant. </p>

<p>Cornell and Columbia are both great schools too but make sure you go for a “fit”. You need to be happy in college, especially if you are going to be a premed</p>

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<p>Hope2getrice, you are dead wrong with Hopkins for premed. Duke places more premeds into med school than Hopkins does. </p>

<p>OP, all you need to do is go to Hopkins and talk to their premeds. You do not need to believe anyone here. That will probably convince you. Remember, the premed students, not the faculty nor the advisory committee. You will see what i mean.</p>

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<p>MyOpinion. Once against, you do the typical CCer thing, which means: basing your view of a school based on hearsay and no actual support.</p>

<p>What Hopkins’ pre-medical committee does is NO different from the pre-medical committees of Harvard, yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Stanford, etc in that they give BLUNT and HONEST advice to candidates about their shots at Pre-Med and what students should do in order to get into medical school. If a student has a science GPA of 3.0 or an overall GPA of 3.2, he/she is clearly not ready to spend $3000 applying to medical school, only to risk being rejected by every single one. What the Hopkins pre-medical committee does is suggest ways for the applicant to re-evaluate his/her application and apply either at a later time and/or take other courses to improve one’s chance at medical school entrance.</p>

<p>And contrary to popular belief, Hopkins is not cutthroat. A few decades back, Hopkins actually marketed itself as a cutthroat institution when trying to gain footing on competitor schools and to set itself more apart. Since then, they have realized that this marketing doesn’t really work…lol…and have since, gotten rid of this strategy…though the rumors and beliefs remain to this day. Is Hopkins challenging? YES. It is easily one of the most rigorous institutions in the nation along behind MIT, Caltech, UChicago, and maybe Harvey Mudd. However, graduate schools and employers alike recognize that rigor. I have spoken to family friends who are admissions people at a few top 20 medical schools who have unanimously told me that when it comes to pre-med, Johns Hopkins is the University that prepares their students the best, and their admissions counselors keep that in mind when reviewing the application of a Hopkins student.</p>

<p>That’s why you have students at Hopkins who might have a 3.5 GPA or a 3.4 GPA, low by the standard’s of grade-inflated Harvard or Yale, getting into top medical and graduate schools.</p>

<p>The Hopkins Pre-Medical Committee is made up of phenomenal advisors, the leader of whom, was the Dean of Admissions at one of the Top Medical Schools in the country; Johns Hopkins Medical School. It is for that reason that Hopkins’ medical school applicants enjoy one of the highest medical school admittance rates to medical schools in the country, rivaling that of Brown, Harvard, etc.</p>

<p>All medical school applicants who go through the advising plan will get an officially sealed Johns Hopkins Medical Committee letter, basically stating that the full weight of the Johns hopkins University is supportive of the application of candidate X, etc. </p>

<p>A Pre-Medical Education at Hopkins is nothing to belittle and nothing to spread rumors about, especially if you are as unknowing as some of the people here at CC who haven’t even visited Baltimore, much less, spent an Academic Week in recent years at Hopkins.</p>

<p>Trust me, going back to your list, Hopkins and Columbia are the standouts for Pre-Med, with Cornell thrown in there because of that research scholarship.</p>

26

<p>either way, as I will state as I had at first (before some people decided to be a little more rude in their posts): any of these schools are great. These are just my personal opinions from if I were in your shoes. Of course, you would still do great at Yale. I’m just telling you the truth in what you can expect of premed at some of these institutions.</p>

<p>any choice would be fine.</p>

<p>and I find it really oddly funny how insecure CCers have to denigrate other schools which they clearly know nothing about to prove a point, instead of trying to highlight the selling points of their own schools. haha. that strikes me as sad.</p>

27

<p>also, I think that the Pre-Meds MyOpinion is referring to are the people who are clearly not set to apply to medical school in the first place at JHU. There are students, honestly, who party/waste their time away and get GPAs in the 2s who still have the courage to go to the pre-medical comittee and demand to apply to medical school, and then get all whiny when they are given strong suggestions for waiting a year and/or taking other courses to up their GPAs. Those students aren’t numerous, but they tend to be the most vocal of pre-meds.</p>

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<p>

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<p>I would actually suggest that they are all about the same for faculty caliber, especially in the sciences. And bizarrely, Yale may be the weakest in some of the sciences.</p>

<p>For student caliber, it would probably be:</p>

<p>Yale=Columbia
Cornell=Chicago=JHU</p>

<p>But all five schools have absolutely outstanding students in the sciences.</p>

<p>The Presidential Research Scholar at Cornell is quite the opportunity. You will be working with a professor and have full research support/funding from day one. I have had friends work on polar expeditions, study pulsars at Arecibo, and design flying robotic insects with the program. </p>

<p>And if you are willing to stand a little bit of Cornell-boosterim here, I think one of the things that makes Cornell a worthy undergraduate experience is that it is an undergraduate focused institution – the majority of students in Ithaca are undergrads, and the faculty’s attention is more geared towards undergrads. At some other schools, there is a much greater share of graduate students.</p>

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<p>Choose Yale, forget the rest, then move on :)</p>

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<p>

Hahahahahahahahaha</p>

<p><em>wipes tears of mirth from eyes</em></p>

<p>Do you know ANYTHING about the sciences at Yale? You do know that it’s on par with Hopkins for biology and stomps Hopkins in chemistry, computer science, geology, math, and physics?</p>

<p>In 2008, Yale had 2/3 as many students (43) as Hopkins (62) at Hopkins med. That’s extremely impressive given that Hopkins students are attracted there in large droves. Cornell (14), Chicago (3), and Columbia (10) didn’t even come close.
<a href=“http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/students/academics/catalog/mcat07_08/MCAT11b.pdf[/url]”>http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/students/academics/catalog/mcat07_08/MCAT11b.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

Source?</p>

31

<p>Wow, you guys really know how to confuse a girl lol. I do really appreciate what has been said here so far though. Feel free to continue posting because you guys are really helping me out here although I’m still quite confused.</p>

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<p>^ Serious advice. Bargain with Yale if you can. Concentrate on that and go there. Forget about the rest. They’ll confuse you. Yale is the best school that admitted you. It’s YALE and we’re not talking about engineering or computer science here!!! :)</p>

33

<p>Hey, on second thought Jcan: go with Yale :slight_smile:
A Hopkins education is not for everyone, as I’m sure many CCers like IBClass06 can attest to. Go somewhere where you are bound to worry less about academics and have an easier time :slight_smile: Go to Yale. Not everyone can handle Hopkins, but I’m sure you can handle Yale perfectly.</p>

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<p>Que? Why the sudden change of heart rice?</p>

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<p>Jcan, I’m just saying the easiest way would be Yale :slight_smile: It’s generally easier to get an A at Yale than at Hopkins, as Yale enjoys pretty infamous grade inflation. </p>

<p>Though to be perfectly honest, I really suggest you visit each of these schools while they’re in session (not that admitted student happy crap) and make the decision based on your actual time spent amongst current students, sitting in on classes, etc.</p>

36

<p>Money and current exams coming up make that out of reach though. Also, wouldn’t grade inflation be counted against you in applications to med school as opposed to the rigor of Hopkins and lack of inflation?</p>

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<p>Jcan,</p>

<p>If that’s the case, then I suggest finding current students from Hopkins, Yale, Cornell, etc to comment on the campus and the academics, life, etc. there (as Phead128 and I have done). </p>

<p>Grade Inflation is seen negatively, but that is where the MCAT comes in. If you have a 3.8 GPA from Yale with a 26 MCAT competing against a 3.4 GPA from Hopkins with a 32 MCAT, it’s more likely that the admissions council will go with the Hopkins applicant for Med School. on the other hand, if you have a 3.8 GPA from Yale with the same MCAT score from Hopkins, they will both probably be viewed the same. In short, yes, grade inflation is not good in the eyes of Medical School Admissions, but they factor in MCAT scores and average school MCAT scores to balance things out so that, eventually, the Yale GPA would be decreased a bit in comparison to a GPA from Caltech or Hopkins. </p>

<p>However, at Yale, there would probably be less stress for you because of the GPA.</p>

<p>Let me tell you why I’m changing my mind:</p>

<p>Hopkins is not for everybody. The people who should choose Hopkins are the people who are committed to academics and researching and developing their ideas though their own persistence and hard work. There is generally no hand holding, and professors expect as much out of you as graduate students. The general first reaction on a science test from just about everyone is “Holy crap, that was the hardest test I’ve ever taken.” and that comes before an eventual curve brings the class average back up. Students here, even the brightest of the bright, will find that the general Hopkins professor expects a lot more of his/her students than the general Yale/Harvard/Stanford professor as they will not inflate grades or curve the class average to ridiculous highs, and/or get rid of D’s and F’s like Brown University.
Students at Hopkins still have fun and enjoy the wide opportunities that are had here. You have students working at the Hopkins East Baltimore Campus with Medical Students on projects, as well as at the best Public Health School in the nation, running diagnostics on urban health and charting the history/effects of chemical warfare on impoverished locations in the middle east. You will have students talking in private to writer and professor Alice McDermott on revising their short stories and/or their manuscript, and you will have people debating passionately in Model UN or playing their hearts away at Peabody or JHU’s Symphony Orchestra.
These are the happy people at Hopkins. These are the people at Hopkins that truly enjoy every ounce of academic opportunity Hopkins affords them, and takes advantage of the enormous science and non-science opportunities Hopkins gives every day. These people still manage to graduate phi beta kappa, get into Harvard Law School or Hopkins Medical School and also maintain a very good social life, with trips to enjoy downtown clubs, the harbor, or explore DC.
Inevitably, there will be the miserable people at Hopkins. The people who don’t join any clubs, don’t participate in sports, and don’t seek out research or volunteering, internships, etc, and are too arrogant to ask for help, even when the teacher posts his/her office hours and offers TA assistance. These are the people who will find Hopkins too challenging and would probably have been better off at a school where they could be the top students once again and/or have opportunities thrown at their feet. These are the people that help give Hopkins a sometimes bad image that it doesn’t deserve.</p>

<p>All in all, I don’t think the latter type of people should have come to Hopkins. They wear down school spirit, and they leave and grow remnants of rumors that Hopkins is miserable and horrible for anybody and/or everybody. If you are that type of a person, please, do not go to Hopkins. Yale will be better suited for you, and make you much happier.</p>

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<p>I’m definitely not the latter. I already know that I want to get into research asap and definitely want to join capoeira at Hopkins and the Caribbean club that they have. If they have chess I’ll probably continue it too. I’ve been used to rigorous courseloads over the years anyway.</p>

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<p>That sounds good and reassuring JCan. I’m sure students like you will be able to succeed at any institution. As all of these institutions are spectacular, and I am in no position to make a decision for you, I will leave you with my words and allow you to make the choice on your own. good luck.</p>

40

<p>Thanks. Same to you with your stuff too. I think I’m gonna continue to try and get as many opinions as I can for now since studying for exams and such is impeding everything else that I intend to do.</p>