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

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
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<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>

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<p>bump</p>

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<p>If you do well in any above college and score your MCAT above 95 percentile, you will have no problem to get into a medical school, assuming that you have significant health related extracurricular activities at the time of your application. The percentage of applicants getting into medical school from a specific college could be misleading if a school discourages its less successful applicants to apply for medical school. I don’t think grade deflation a significant negative factor in medical school admission since several “tough” schools such as Caltech and MIT do have high success rates in sending their students to top medical schools. Princeton is well represented in several top medical schools such as UPenn and Columbia. If you like Princeton, it is a no brainer. </p>

<p>That said. Many top medical schools do applicant screening based on numbers. But if your sGPA is above 3.5 in Princeton, you should be fine. I believe that quite achievable.</p>

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<p>bump</p>

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

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<p>Hey there,</p>

<p>While you’re pretty gung-ho about pursuing your professional goals, I think that it’s important to choose your college based on factors other than prestige and whether or not you can get a good GPA there.</p>

<p>But before I get to that, I’ll try to share some of what I know to answer your questions and concerns specifically.
“Does Princeton’s 95% acceptance rate to med schools pertain only to those who took a year off?”
These reported statistics are meant to be an overall rate, so no, it does not exclude students who apply straight. At the same time, the number of applicants who are not taking a gap year in the next cycle constitute only 22% of our pool, so this number may be a little weighted, in a sense. HPA does suggest (but does not force) students to take gap years, if they feel that the extra time may improve the strength of one’s application or may give more time to determine whether medicine is the right career path. They didn’t suggest it to me, as it was clear in my pre-application interview with them that I wouldn’t benefit too much from it.</p>

<p>“Princeton does not have a hospital.”
This one isn’t true, although the hospital is not within walking distance. Many students, including myself, volunteer at the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro (you can google it), which is a 5-minute bus ride via TigerTransit or NJ Transit. A lot of people get PACE cars to commute as well.</p>

<p>“Will Princeton’s grade deflation be too stressful?”
Admittedly, grade deflation is one of the primary causes for grief and complaining on campus, but as I will elaborate later, focusing too much on this one aspect of Princeton really makes you miss out on everything else on campus. By that, I don’t mean to just give up and accept a sub-par GPA, but rather to understand that you’re here to learn rather than to just get good grades. Putting it in this perspective actually helps with doing well in classes anyway. Also, there are so many people here who are unique and diverse that you won’t “look bad” in comparison as long as you focus on your own growth and interests.</p>

<p>I can’t comment about Brown, UPenn, or Columbia, although I hear similar great things about all of them. Brown does have a more laid-back personality.</p>

<p>WITH THAT SAID, I think you are still looking at this process suboptimally. If you focus this much on just getting a good GPA to get into a good medical school, you’re gonna burn out from obsession (as I did in sophomore fall before realizing that was an idiotic outlook) and miss out on a lot of great things, NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO. (Except maybe Brown, but I kid :P).</p>

<p>Pick a place you want to spend the next four years, not a place that you think will help you get to the place you want to spend the following four+ years afterward.</p>