I have been fortunate enough this admissions process to have been accepted into both NC State University and UNC-Chapel Hill for my undergraduate degree. I know for certain that I wish to pursue the medical field and go to a great medical school in the future.
Lately, I’ve been torn between choosing between UNC-CH and NCSU for premeds specifically. I’ve heard arguments saying that UNC may be a little more prestigious and the fact that it has a medical school and a hospital may be beneficial for a premed. However, I also have gotten the impression that the classes at UNC are much more difficult, which may lower my GPA, and therefore be worse off for a med school applicant. I know that I may stand out a little bit more at NC State, but I would love to get any additional opinions. Also, the cost of attendance will be about the same for both colleges.
If I go to UNC, I anticipate a Neuroscience Major with a Computer Science minor
If I go to NC State, I anticipate a BME Major
Would the difficulty of classes required for premed students at UNC-CH make a difference for med school apps? (3.7 GPA at NCSU vs 3.7 GPA at UNC-CH)
How are the premedical advising differ between the schools? Do you think one would help out a bit more than the other?
How would the opportunities at NC State compare/differ from those at UNC?
Are there any additional aspects that I should also consider?
Somewhere there is a list of statistics of where the accepted students going to UNC Medical School as well as the ECU one received their undergraduates. In all cases, NCSU always provides more accepted students to those Medical Schools. Think about it…Chemistry is a very important subject for Premed students. Which school will have a more rigorous Chemistry program…a liberal Art school or a technical school. I think I would go with the school that gives me the best chance…
My twin boys are both looking at med schools, one at State, the other at UNC. They’re only freshmen, but off the bat, I can see the difference in guidance counseling. My son at State has received a clear 4-category EC requirement that will make him attractive to med schools (along with the GPA (3.7+) and MCAT score over 510)- my son in UNC is talking to his seniors and med students who also play in the orchestra. My son at UNC is in Bio-Medical Engineering, the one at State pretty much got to design his double major- Nutrition Science and Biological Sciences with a concentration in Integrative Physiology and Neurobiology.
The GPA will be a challenge at UNC- a 93 at State is an A, at UNC, an A-. State has an A+ for 98 and above, which gives you some GPA flexibility. The Organic Chem professor at State is amazing! My son at UNC is planning on going to State for him-he’s confirmed to BME, so he can take classes at State.
Essel confirmed one point of mine…these medical schools know and look very carefully at those organic chemistry courses. They know the hard professors and take that into account with applications.
Go with which school/major you like best. Both are excellent. The BME program at State is a very popular path to Med. School, so discuss this if you visit. And, no the classes will not be easier doing this route. My guess is they would be harder.