Hello everyone!
I was accepted to U-M’s college of LSA for Fall of 2016 and was wondering about their Pre-Med program. I know they don’t offer a specific “Pre-Med” major, but I have looked into what they offer for prospective Pre-Med students and came out with a variety of outlooks. Some say going to U of M will better prepare you for Medical School while others claim that the rigor of their classes push a lot of people to switch majors and abandon their goals of going to med school. I’m really conflicted here because I’m worried a weeder class (like Organic Chemistry or Chemistry) is going to stump my chances of getting to med school by significantly dropping my GPA, or that the curriculum will simply be too challenging for me. I’ve really wanted to go to U of M for some time now and was thrilled to be accepted, but now I’m starting to consider some other colleges like Kalamazoo College, Oakland University, or Wayne State to complete my undergrad because I might get to know my instructors more and classes might be a little easier…
Can anyone share their experiences and/or advice?
Thanks!
If after comparing costs and fit, you still like UofM the best, do not let the course rigor hold you back from matriculating. If you were admitted, then the AdCom believed you have what it takes to be successful here. Besides, classes, Med School will probably be tougher. I am not a pre-med student or professional advisor, so if someone with more experience disagrees with me, please say so.
totally agree with @yikesyikesyikes
It is true that in the long run it would probably be better to go wherever you can get the best GPA possible. However, UMich certainly does offer a lot more extracurricularly than a lot of those other schools, in regards to research (one of the most heavily funded schools for research in the nation), to clinical experience (UMHS, Veterans Affairs Hospital, Heartland Hospice, etc.), and of course all the other type of clubs that exist, which comes with the rather big student body.
In addition, rigor of college does matter to a lot of the private medical schools (i.e. Harvard, Columbia, etc.). To public medical schools it matters a little, but for private they care a hell of a lot more. That does give Umich an edge in that department as well.
However, with all that being said, it’s best to go to the school that fits you academically. If you think you got lucky in getting into UMich (i.e. below the 10th percentile in GPA/ACT), then you may want to reconsider going to UMich in order to be pre-med. But you need to go to a school that at least challenges you a little bit, cause thats what gives you motivation to study hard and learn a lot. I’m sure you’d much rather be a big fish in a big pond than a big fish in a small pond.
And it’s certainly possible to get a 3.9-4.0 while doing lots of ECs at UMich. At least 20-25% (I’ve even had one that went as high as 40-45%) of kids in every pre-med class will get an A, so it’s not like there’s some insane curve where less than that will get an A.
The name of your undergrad institution can matter when you apply to medical school.
It is true that half the freshman come into umich saying that they are pre-med, and only maybe a few hundred people end up submitting an AMCAS application.
Thank you @hailbate and @yikesyikesyikes . My stats when applying for admission were up to par with their previous accepted students, but I am still worried about the transition from a public high school to a fairly large, competitive university.
@umcoe16 also made a good point when saying that many students go into college with aspirations of attending medical school. I have read articles written by upperclass U-M students displaying skepticism in many underclassmen coming into UMich claiming to be a Pre-Med student. I’m just a little nervous and hoping that I’m not one if those students who drop their Pre-Med degree path and settle for another major that I may not be as happy getting my degree in.
If you come in being pre-med, just make sure you have some sort of backup plan that you would be content with in case pre-med doesn’t work out. You will find that there are many reasons why people choose to no longer be pre-med. Some people decide that they don’t want to be in school for that long, some people simply discover that their interest lies elsewhere, etc. For more than half the people who discontinue pre-med, grades in pre-med classes is not the reason. There are people who do well in their pre-med classes that decide they just aren’t interested anymore, and there are people who get C’s in some of their pre-med classes that decide to follow through with pre-med.
Of course, if you have second thought about being pre-med after starting college, it is in your best interest to make up your mind regarding whether or not you wish to follow through with pre-med no later than after your first semester sophomore year. The pre-med classes do require a significant amount of time and effort, and you don’t want to end up feeling like you took all of those classes for no reason.
I know a number of people who entered Michigan to become MD physicians, but then they did not do well enough to get into medical school. But they did do well enough to get into osteopathic schools, and dental schools. U of M has a great dental school and State has an osteopathic school. Nowadays, osteopathic physicians, oral surgeons, endodontists, and even general dentists do as well financially as MDs.
Why do you want to be an MD?
Would being a nurse of PA be interesting to you too (if you’re interested in health care)?
If it’s for money, what about majoring in economics, math, or CS?
Have you taken a dual-enrollment class?
Among your two choices, Kalamazoo and UMich are you two best choices. They offer a radically different experience though.
Thanks @umcoe16 ! I’m working on finding a backup major in case med school does fall through… But knowing that I can at least get a feel for some of the classes for the first two semesters of college is reassuring. @gratefulalum , I am considering osteopathic medicine as well since I am looking into becoming a physician and not anything like a surgeon. I’ve heard that some of the DO schools are a little easier to get into than Allopathic schools, but I think the acceptance stats are very similar currently.
@MYOS1634 , I have considered becoming a nurse and a PA, but there are certain aspects of both of these careers that I don’t like. The money that a physician makes is definitely a perk, but I really enjoy caring for people and feel that being a physician (looking into a specialty of pediatrics) would be a very rewarding experience. I haven’t taken any dual-enrollment classes but I have taken many AP classes. I know of course these can never replace the actual college class experience, but it has gave me a sense for what I’m going to be getting into.
It’s been a little while since my pre-med days but I would definitely advise going to Michigan. Should you decide not to pursue medicine during undergrad I think you will be glad to have a Michigan degree in whatever field you choose. Otherwise, the med school pre-reqs are definitely going to challenge you and there will undoubtedly be times where you will want to kick yourself for choosing UM. However, having gone through medical school now, I firmly believe it is worth it in the long run. Becoming a physician means taking test after test and constantly competing against your peers. It is better to get used to taking tests with tons of other academically gifted students now than later (i.e. before bombing the MCAT, medical school exams, step 1, etc).
As others have stated, you will get some GPA forgiveness coming from Michigan at most medical schools. I would suggest starting off with a light course load and spreading out your pre-med requirements (weeder courses). If GPA truly becomes a problem for you then you can always take “summer classes” at UM-Flint/Dearborn where not only the credit will transfer to UM-AA, but also the grade. You can also do this at other local universities because the medical school application service will calculate your GPA across schools (even though your Michigan transcript won’t) and medical schools are not going to comb through your transcript to see what courses you took where. If there is still somehow a GPA problem then you can transfer schools, or do a post-bacc, and do grade replacement to go the DO route (this is very compatible with pediatrics).
@UMichMD, thanks for the advice! The info about taking summer classes at different UM campuses is really interesting!
I’m not too big on taking standardized tests, but I completely agree that it is best to get used to it soon since the MCAT will be looming over me from the start of college.
From my own research, it looks like most of the med schools in Michigan are receiving most of their apps from UMich alumni (Wayne State, Oakland, MSU). Do you suspect that these UMich students are applying to these alternative schools as their “back up plans” in case they don’t get into UMich’s med school? Or are they skeptical that they will even be admitted into UM’s medical school?
@fabes1998 A big reason why a lot of UMich students apply to those schools is due to in-state residents having a greater shot at acceptance at in-state schools as opposed to out-of-state applicants. There is no such thing as a “back up plan” for medical school since all medical schools have extremely low acceptance rates.
Even if you are in the 99th percentile of your class at UMich, you will have a hard time gaining acceptance at a mid-tier school due to yield protection. Med schools only accept students that they are convinced is a good fit for their school (stat wise and likely to matriculate there).
AP classes last 10 months and have 5 periods a week. You’ll cover the same amount of material or more in 4 months with 3 periods a week. That gives you an idea of how intense the classes will be.
Add to this that most premeds will be in the same “premed core” classes, gunning for the few A’s or to be top 20% in the class: you’ll be challenged regardless of where you go.
UMichigan’s students tend to be academically stronger, which would be a downside for a premed, but if (like most freshmen) you changed your mind you’d have more majors to choose from and your degree would get instant recognition.
Can you go and visit each university while classes are in session, perhaps for an overnight program for admitted students? (Most high schools give seniors a couple days to do that). You should make up your mind by spending time there.
Read the Fiske Guide’s entries, as well as Insider’s Guide and The Princeton Review’s Best Colleges. Take notes, see what sounds “like you” and what doesn’t.
Short hand, subjective:
If you want a close relationship with professors, interactive classes, an international-minded student body, and a sense of community, Kalamazoo is better.
If you want lots and lots of options, national prestige, Rah-rah “spirit”/D1sports, fraternities, UMichigan is better.
I’d go with Kalamazoo if you’re definite you have what it takes to make it through the premed gauntlet, and with UMich if you’re not certain.
I’d go with Kalamazoo if you really dislike large crowds, fraternities, or spectator sports, and would rather play intramural quidditch or broomball, or do your own thing. I’d go with Michigan if you can’t wait to paint your face maize and blue, ondulate with thousands of others in the stadium, and shout during big games, amazed you’re part of it.
@MYOS1634 I respectfully disagree with 2 aspects of your post: the small community and close relationships with professors aspect at UMich.
It’s just because I feel like you can still find those aspects you mentioned at UMich. Sure UMich is a huge community, but there are so many ways to make it feel smaller and find your “group”. Fraternities (social or professional), clubs, religious organizations, dorm halls, and residential programs all make UMich feel a lot smaller, and maybe you won’t get to know everyone on campus, but you have the power to make UMich feel small within those groups.
Also, in terms of getting close to professors, for intro level classes of course it’s going to be difficult (just like Kalamazoo cause I highly doubt their intro level classes have sizes of 20 kids). But once you reach higher level classes, you’ll see that the size of the class goes down drastically, and it is very possible to have small classes even at the intro level (i.e. beginner language classes are about 10-15 kids, Calc 1 and 2 have class sizes of 20-25 kids, etc.) The kids who want to have a relationship with a professor will go out of their way to do so. It doesn’t matter how big or small the class is, they’ll do it anyways.
Here are my arguments for UMich.
Yep, it’s tougher. But tougher classes often result in more comprehensive knowledge and desensitization to working under pressure. You will need this to be an effective doctor…and to score well on your MCAT. UMich will better prepare you. UMich might make your GPA go down, but it will also make your MCAT go up.
Research. You will not find the research opportunities that UMich offers anywhere else in the state. Impressive research experiences are valuable to med school applications.
Research Hospital. There’s a reason why UMich’s name carries the weight it does. Your professors will know about cutting edge research and procedures. Your education will be augmented by real-wold evolving advancements in the field of medicine.
If you’ve gotten into Michigan, and you’re really considering going to an easier school to be a doctor…in my opinion…you probably shouldn’t be a doctor.
This from the mom of a cellular and molecular bio major at Michigan. Takes hard work to do well in Organic Chemistry. It can be done if you put in the hours. Might as well learn now…med school isn’t easy and the competition is fierce.
Thanks everyone for the advice!