<p>Hi so I'm pre-med and was accepted into Rice for biological sciences, a 7 year bs/md program at a non-prestigious med school, and UT Health Science Scholars program, and I do not know which to choose. I am also gay and would like to go to a place that I know I would be accepted when I come out of the closet. </p>
<p>The thing that worries me about Rice is that I may not be able to handle the science courses and get a low GPA, in addition to not have time to study for the MCAT because of all the tough courses, and may not get into med school.</p>
<p>The 7 year program means I will not get into a prestigious med school (but does this even affect you after you graduate?). Also, it is not very accepting of gays (but it's not super conservative either).</p>
<p>UT is cheap which is great but it's not as prestigious as Rice. But, do you think I could get a higher GPA than I would at Rice and get into a better med school?</p>
<p>Also, which place is more accepting for a gay student, UT or Rice?</p>
<p>Both Rice & UT are gay friendly. Houston has a larger gay community.</p>
<p>Med school acceptance is based on GPA & MCAT scores. The prestige of the undergrad school is irrelevant. Rice will be challenging, but the faculty access & support is strong. They would not have admitted you if they didn’t think you could do it – they had plenty of other strong applicants. </p>
<p>I’d say it’s probably worth the cheaper tuition, the saved year, and the guaranteed med school spot at UT. Austin in general has a better reputation for its gay community than Houston, though Rice itself may be more accepting than UT. Within any big state school there will be a gay student group that you could certainly go to for support.</p>
<p>UT Health Science Scholars is excellent and Austin in gay-friendly, but I agree that Rice would probably have better support. It depends where you fall on admitted students - look at college data + name of school and see whether you’d be in the top 25% there or in the middle.</p>