Princeton vs Columbia (John Jay Scholar) vs Penn (University Scholar) vs Brown for Premed

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>Hi so obviously I have a great choice which I'm very happy about but I'm struggling from choosing among these four schools.</p>

<p>Princeton:</p>

<p>I think Princeton is the most prestigious of the four, and it boasts around a 95% med school acceptance rate. However, when I visited Princeton, they said that a lot of premeds will take a year off before applying to med school, which is something I don't want to do. So I'm wondering if the 95% means just those who apply without taking a year off or includes everyone no matter what year they applied. I think Princeton gives a great education and I love the campus and everything, but I'm worried about the grade deflation issue everyone keeps talking about and if it would limit my chances for med school, if the courses might be too challenging, and also if the atmosphere is too stressful. Also the lack of a hospital to do research at might be a setback. However I could always do clinical research over the summer and also Princeton requires you to do research which would be a good boost to my resume. Also I think the other students there might be way too smart and make me look worse. Will I have to spend time studying 24/7?</p>

<p>Columbia:</p>

<p>I like how Columbia is in the city, which would provide a lot of internship opportunities because of the close proximity to different hospitals and everything. I also got awarded to be a John Jay Scholar, so I would get separate advising and some other perks, though I'm not sure how helpful this is. The main issue with Columbia for me is the core because of all the reading required and this might prohibit me from focusing on science. Also I think that Princeton might be better known/be more impressive when applying to med school. Would going to Columbia be more helpful with getting me into Columbia med school?</p>

<p>Penn:</p>

<p>Penn seems to be the college that wants me the most because it sent me a likely letter and asked me to be a University Scholar and a Vagelos Scholar. I think a University Scholar would be helpful for med school, though its requirement of doing research over the summer is basically the same thing as what Princeton requires without being in a special program. I'm not sure if the separate advising or special designation would be better for med school though. I'm definitely not doing Vagelos because it sounds way too hard. Also would going to Penn be helpful for getting into the Penn med school. I know Penn is very preprofessional which would be good for helping me stay on track in achieving my career goals.</p>

<p>Brown:</p>

<p>I think Brown might be the the easiest of these colleges in terms of getting the highest GPA because I could choose only the courses that interest me, which I think is a great idea, but I'm not sure how helpful this would be in comparison with going to Princeton but getting a lower GPA. I know Brown is the least cut-throat/competitive of the schools which is a plus, but would it be worth sacrificing a Princeton degree?</p>

<p>So that's basically my thought process right now. Sorry for such a long post. Obviously it's after May 1st but I have asked for a week-long extension. I might go to Princeton, but I'm not sure if it would be better to go to Columbia, Penn or Brown where there's a hospital close by to work at. However these three schools have around 80% accepted to med school, but are students discouraged from applying in Junior year like at Princeton? Also I think Princeton is the only school that compares in prestige to Harvard, which is where I applied early/wanted to go. Do you think I'm missing out because I didn't get into Harvard or Yale, which are the other two most prestigious colleges but also have hospitals close by to work at?</p>

<p>My stats:
SAT: 790 Reading, 800 Math, 800 Writing
SAT II: 800 Bio, 800 Chem, 800 Math II
GPA: 3.95 unweighted with a heavy courseload
AP: 5 in Bio, 5 in Chem, 5 in Calc, 5 in French
Rank: Top 5%
Major Awards: AP Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist, Presidential Scholar Candidate, USABO Semifinalist, AIME qualifier
School type: Magnet Public School
Asian Female</p>

<p>Ok thanks please respond. Sorry for writing so much. Basically I probably will go to Princeton but wanted to know if you think I would be making a mistake/if any other colleges are offering me better opportunities that would allow me to get into a better med school in the future. </p>

2

<p>bump</p>

3

<p>Yes, you are so missing out – never going to have a fulfilling life because you didn’t get into Harvard or Yale. If you think med schools are splitting hairs over which college is most prestigious, I have news, the admissions committee isn’t made up of HS students.</p>

4

<p>Thank you for your incredibly helpful sarcasm and rudeness. The Harvard and Yale thing was a side comment. I was asking if everything that Princeton offers outclasses the John Jay Scholars Program at Columbia or the University Scholars Program at Penn or if one of those might be better for a premed. I was also considering Brown because it is known to be less competitive. Maybe as a Brown Parent you could comment on that. Try reading my full actual post first please.</p>

5

<p>Just pick the one you like best. Doing well at the school you choose will determine your success at getting into medical school. Pre-med is a rat race at all schools, and will be stressful regardless of which of the four you choose. Good luck.</p>

6

<p>They’re all great schools. But I think you’re too dismissive of the core. Medical schools increasingly want people who are broadly educated, not just focused on science.</p>

7

<p>bump</p>

8

<p>Does anyone know anything specifically about how good the University Scholars Program/John Jay Scholars Program are?</p>

9

<p>JJ scholar AFAIK means very little and you get very little from it. Don’t make it a basis for any decision</p>

<p>Your concentration about prestige is completely off re-med school; GPA and MCAT is most of your admissions, your comparative undergrad program has minimal effect especially given the pool of schools you mentioned. A high GPA means a lot more than a highly ranked institution, and you will have a tough time in all of these schools’ premed programs, that’s just the nature of trying to do premed in highly ranked places. </p>

<p>I think you’re underestimating what it means to get into Columbia or Penn’s med school. Med school is nothing like undergrad admissions. Most people would be lucky to get close to the top 20, and I’m talking about people at schools like Columbia and Penn. Don’t even worry about trying to get to top 10 schools based off an undergrad decision. If you actually have the talent to compete for this level of med school it’s going to be in the effort and dedication you make in your 4 years, not whether Princeton or Columbia is more prestigious. </p>

<p>There’s a reason why a lot of people take 1 year off before applying to med school and its not necessarily such a terrible thing. I think you’ll come to better terms with this as you go through college and approach med school apps. </p>

10

<p>Penn University Scholars is kind of nonsense. You can’t hope to have meaningful research meetings with people from all four schools. The research lunches will consist mostly of flashy powerpoint presentations, marketing, and very little actual research content. More for social science/humanities people than science people. </p>

<p>Vagelos is where you want to be if you’re interested in biochemistry/biophysics research. You’ll stay at Penn over sophomore and junior summer working in a lab, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to be able to work at whatever lab you want because the program pays for you. The juniors are required to give a presentation of their work at the end of the summer. </p>

<p>Vagelos also probably has the best placement rate. <a href=“Biochemistry | Penn Arts & Sciences”>Biochemistry | Penn Arts & Sciences;