<p>I was wondering how good the Pre-med program is at Pitt. What exactly are helpful and popular majors to pursue during this track? My D is seriously considering to go to the University of Pittsburgh, but is still waiting to hear back from other schools. </p>
<p>Also, is the University of Pittsburgh a great school to attend overall, in terms of environment, academics, reputation, etc? She has earned a full-tuition Honors College scholarship (coming from out-of-state) and is wondering about the types of opportunities that are available there, in terms of research, volunteering, study abroad, clubs, extracurriculars, etc. since these would all be crucial for applying to medical school.</p>
<p>We visited the school last summer and she absolutely LOVED it, loved the urban feel of the campus and certainly seemed like a Fantastic school to attend, but still has other questions about it!</p>
<p>Feel free to add anything else that would be beneficial to know too.</p>
<p>PLEASE, If you could take the time to answer some of these questions, that would BE FANTASTIC and would mean so much to me as she's almost nearing her decision!</p>
<p>Pitt is one of the excellent college for pre-med. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is ranked 10th in the nation. I saw an ad about that. Unless, its the ivies or other top colleges like Stanford, Swarthmore, UCB etc. her first choice should be Pitt.</p>
<p>As an FYI, there is no such thing as a “pre-med” program or a “pre-med” major. All that means is that you take the required courses to help you prepare for medical school and sitting for the MCAT exam. </p>
<p>Pitt is an excellent Med school and that trickles down into its undergraduate program. The sciences here (Chem, Bio, Neuro) are particularly good, which is great for someone who wishes to pursue a medical degree. Plus, with all the UPMC hospitals nearby, there are tons of research or clinical opportunities for undergraduates at a very early time.</p>
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<p>In terms of research, Pitt is among the top 7 schools in the country, and the top 25 schools in the world (Wikipedia). Nationally in public universities we rank anywhere from 39 to 265. Internationally we rank from 58 to 98 (i.e. always in top 100). All these facts are on the Wiki page for Pitt.</p>
<p>In terms of environment, that’s something you have to visit to decide for. I thought I would hate the “urban” feel of the campus, but it’s something I actually really enjoy (hungry? Walk across the street and eat at one of the plethora of restaurants. Bored? Head downtown to watch a show or go into the park to admire the flowers and ice skate in the winter). Some people might require the traditional walled campus feel, and if so, Pitt is not for them. However, I found out I actually enjoy being part of the city more than NOT because it keeps Pitt from becoming too secluded and in its own little bubble.</p>
<p>As for all of the opportunities you listed, Pitt provides them all and actually ranks high (sorry I can’t remember numbers) in some of those. Research and Volunteering is the easiest since there are TONS of clinical labs or opportunities at the hospitals that are all either within walking distance or a short (and free!) bus ride. There’s a huge study abroad office that can help answer any questions you have about trips you want to do, and specific schools might have their own too (I know Engineering has their own advisor).</p>
<p>Lastly. For popular majors: Anything. Literally ANYTHING. As long as she can finish those “pre-med” classes (Bio1/2, Chem 1/2, OChem 1/2, Physics 1/2, Calc 1/2 I think that’s everything) within her major she should be fine. I know people who did History, Psychology, Journalism, a hard science (i.e. bio or chem or Neuro), BioE/ChemE, etc. Some majors make it easier than others because the pre-med requirements are inherent major requirements, but really no major would deter from med school. In fact, I’m sure Med School would like to see more people who haven’t just done bio and then straight to med school (i.e. how law schools love non-poly sci majors) as a way of expanding their interests.</p>
<p>Thank you so much, XtremePower & AwesomeOpossum!! These facts and info will be very, very helpful and I appreciate the time you put into the response.</p>
<p>My son’s girlfriend is majoring in Biology with the intention of applying to medical school. She’s now a sophomore and loves Pitt. She’s volunteered at one of the hospitals, tutored high school kids and is now an officer with Global Brigades. She’ll be going on her second trip with them to Honduras in May. My son is on a full tuition scholarship for Pharmacy (4 out of the 6 years) and we feel so blessed to get a Pitt education at such an affordable price!</p>
<p>Wow! That’s fantastic TitanMom16! Pitt’s deal is amazing and is going to be hard to pass up. If anyone knows, how difficult is the curriculum there? Would it be feasible to get into a good medical school after going to Pitt the first 4 years of undergrad? Also, my daughter loves Pitt Med and would love to attend medical school at Pitt. She unfortunately didn’t get into GAP and is wondering if the percentage is high for Pitt Undergrads to get into Pitt Med?? Thanks so much!!!</p>
<p>Another data point, my S is a soph in a pre-med track and a double major (neuroscience and linguistics). He has an internship doing schizophrenia research nearby (within walking distance) which will definitely help him with medical school admission. Your kid should have no issues getting into a good medical school if she takes advantage of the available opportunities.</p>
<p>I’m actually in the same exact situation as you daughter haha, accepted into pre med on a full tuition scholarship. from what I’ve read pitt is going to be a great school for med students and students in general really. I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t pass up this deal, especially when every other college is going to cost a minimum of 25,000 for me</p>
<p>I know exactly, TheRicePicker and congrats to you! Pitt is definitely a fantastic school for pre med and med students, no doubt! Wow, there seems to be so many opportunities at Pitt for undergraduate research and is ranked really high in NIH Fundings, in the Top 10 among various institutions in 2013 which is amazing.</p>
<p>UPMC being on campus provides easy, year-round access to an innumerable number and breadth of health science opportunities for research, physician shadowing, volunteering, and networking that few other schools can provide.</p>
<p>but for undergraduate ? do those resources matter at all for undergraduate pre-med ? Its not like the OP is talking about medical school…I also think Pitt has a high GPA requirement right ?</p>
<p>Absolutely those things make a difference. </p>
<p>GPAs and MCATs may get you an interview. All the serious med school candidates have top stats. But all that other stuff is what separates the candidates that gain admission from those that do not, at least to the better med schools.</p>
<p>When all those resources are on the same campus, it is infinitely easier to take advantage of them and thus demonstrate to an admission committee one’s serious interest and commitment to medicine and service.</p>
<p>Immersing oneself in an environment like that will also add confidence to someone’s decision to pursue medicine as a career, and that will likely also come across to an admission committee.</p>
<p>I don’t understand your question about Pitt having a high GPA requirement.</p>
<p>Any opinions of choosing the Pitt over University of Michigan for pre med? This right now is a big dilemma. UMich would be 15K EFC for the first year only (no guarantee Financial Aid would be there for all 4 years (or would it?)and Pitt would be 15K EFC for every year (through the renewable full tuition honors scholarship). This is often a heated debate between students since both schools are so similar in terms of its curriculum, rankings, and recognition in its fields of study. I really don’t know as of now. Any feedback or comments are welcome. Thank you!!!</p>
<p>Tough one. Really no wrong decision between the two. It really depends on your preferences for any intangibles like setting, as well as your financial situation. Have your D think about where she would be happiest. With all things being fairly equal, that is what it should come down to.</p>