Hey guys, I’m a junior and i was wondering if i could get input on these schools. I need to decide a top 3 from these because my dad said we can only go visit 3 of these schools. I want to have a top 3 that i can eliminate to a #1 that i can potentially ED to. I’m leaning on applying to Stanford EA but i feel like i have a better shot at these schools applying ED. I will be applying to all these schools regardless i just need find an ED school that i truly love and know where i will be happiest at. So which school will prepare me for Med School and the MCAT the most? Which school is easiest to get at least a 3.7 at? School with most grade inflation? Which one gives lots of research opportunities? Which one will help me get into a top 25 medical school? I’m undecided on my major but i like HUM BIO at Stanford but i’m not 100% sure yet on the other schools, maybe Biology. At which school will be able to have the true college experience with the rigors of pre med? At which school can i party, go to sporting events, and attend other social and school functions in my free time? I don’t want to join a frat but i still wanna be able to party once a week. Will i be able to have free time on the weekends at these schools? Which school is the most collaborative because i HATE competition between students. My plan in college is to “work hard, play hard” as you can tell lol. Thanks to all those that give me input because i will have to decide my top 3 by the end of April so i can make those college visits and decide my favorite school. How bad are the Evanston winter because i hate the cold since i get sick a lot during the winter lol
Well, the benefit to these research universities is the access to their medical school. All of these schools will prepare you for the MCATs and there is no “easiest” school among those for a 3.7. GPA is usually affect more so on certain difficult classes rather than different universities. However, I must say WUSTL is more pre-med focused and might be more competitive in that area. Rice has an accelerated program with Baylor I believe and Northwestern has an accelerated program as well. So, if you are looking into combined or accelerated programs those two schools would be good options. But, if you want to take the regular pre-med route I would recommend Duke, WUSTL, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern because you have access to the top medical schools in the country and in return the best pre-med advising as well as research opportunities in those schools. Why not consider other schools like Hopkins, UMich, or the Ivies? I have a few friends that graduated from Hopkins (relatively rumored to be one of the more competitive pre-med schools) and they said as long as you manage your time having free time is not much of an issue. Furthermore, intrinsically, pre-med students are competitive because they are essentially competing against each other and students from other universities around the world for limited spots in med schools. Pre-med is not like engineering where collaborative effort is imperative but you could participate within research labs or internships in hospitals and collaborate with the people there. However, in the classroom setting, it may be impossible to not have competition. Of course, everything also depends on your individual ability and effort. I think you should choose pre-med with the mindset that you are willing to give up occasional night-outs and weekends to really achieve the best possible application for med school. Of course, you could attend sporting events and go party but while you are doing that what could other pre-med students be doing? What do you truly desire over the other? Sure, finding a balance is important, but you have to realize a college experience does not necessarily mean going to a party once a week and going to sporting events because it is different for everyone. Some people see their college experience as 4 years of research in area they are passionate about while others strictly go to college for the social scene. Of course, it depends which medical school you wish to go to as well. Just food for thought.
@XAtlas thanks for the reply! I don’t really like any of the ivies or JH because i have heard the kids are way to competitive to an extent where it’s to serious. I really like study groups, note sharing, and comparing homework answers with other students. I go to a very competitive high school in my state and i hate all the competition around me but i was lucky to form a study group of a few people and we are super collaborative with each other. I want to be happy at a school so i was wondering which school you go to out of these and why you choose it. Thanks again!
@hamzag Honestly, most elite schools have certain kids who are seriously competitive but most people are not like that. Sure, most are intrinsically competitive (because they work hard) but they study in groups, share notes, and compare homework answers. I don’t know where you heard this but most of my older friends that attend Ivy League institutions and other top unis do all these things. My cousin at MIT talks about how he and his friends would spend a weekend doing a problem set together. In schools like these you will find your group, do not worry too much about that. I am actually a senior and waiting for decisions, but some of my cousins and friends attend these institutions and always seem to advertise it to me.
@XAtlas thanks for the reply!!! That really makes me think about applying to one Ivy now RD. I hate competition between students so much and i thought Ivy league school students were to where people don’t share notes, sabotage other people’s labs, steal notes, not compare hw answers, etc. At my high school right now, we have a small handful of kids that are super competitive but i have a group of friends where we try to help each other and work together on everything.