<p>I definitely want to be a doctor...
would it be better to go to Cornell CALS and major in biology and go crazy in next four years and struggle to get high gpa but then have it relatively easy at one of the best med schools......or just go through the accelerated med program at RPI in Troy, NY for three years and then four years at Albany Medical College.</p>
<p>RPI/AMC vs Premed at Cornell</p>
<p>damn this should be one of my last posts - i think im addicted to this site
i come here more than yahoo haha</p>
<p>I am not familiar with the RPI/Albany Med School arrangement. I imagine acceptance into AMC is contingent on academic performance. The edge might not be as great as you think. RPI is a great university, especially for sciences and it would be an excellent place for premed because of an established pre-med advising system.</p>
<p>But, head-to-head with Cornell Agriculture and Life Sciences...I would go with Cornell, especially if you are a NY resident. This because of Cornell's superb pre-med advising, excellent track record, overall reputation, Ivy status, beautiful campus, Ithaca vs Troy, strength in biological sciences, and so on.</p>
<p>You will probably have a good chance at Albany Med College if you do well at Cornell. One slight drawback might be that you are in an Ag school vs a straight Bio program (although courses are similar). I think you would also work very hard at RPI, by the way.</p>
<p>If you are a NY resident, then definitely Cornell.</p>
<p>benefits of rpi/amc program are that i wouldn't have to take mcat and i would be guaranteed a place at Albany Medical School if i was accepted and maintained a reasonable gpa and it would take only 7 years as oppossed to the usual 8 years</p>
<p>if i went to cornell, it would take 8 years and i would have to apply to medical schools and such and it would probably be a more hectic process again</p>
<p>but cornell is a better school and would probably get me into a better med school</p>
<p>cornell cals is about 28,000 a year for nys residents including staying there but rpi i might be able to get quite a bit of scholarship im not sure</p>
<p>i think if i get a lot of scholarship money from rpi, i mite go there
if not, cornell</p>
<p>Quote: "One slight drawback might be that you are in an Ag school vs a straight Bio program (although courses are similar)"</p>
<p>Actually, the biology program at CALS is exactly the same as the bio program at CAS. You take exactly the same courses, the only difference is you do not have the liberal arts requirements such as language that are specific to CAS. Instead, there is a stronger focus on science. There is no drawback in attending CALS if you plan to major in biology.</p>
<p>A few points.....the 7 yr med programs are often not much fun as crammed with science stuff...obvious advantage is you're in and no worries if maintain decent GPA...if you are a great student you will likely get in somewhere so maybe don't rush it.</p>
<p>Any med school is OK - thus no need to feel obligated to push it to gain acceptance to Hopkins,etc.</p>
<p>Any major is OK - don't feel obligated to be in bio unless you like it the most.</p>
<p>Bottom line...have fun and it will work out.</p>
<p>The RPI 7 year med program is extremely prestigious and selective. If you are positive you want to be a doctor, do the RPI/AMC program. Cornell will only cost you more time and money.</p>
<p>I was accepted to Cornell CALS for bio, and I am a NYS resident. The $28000 he is referring to is after the addition of room and board. My package for financial aid (or lack there of) says that Cornell costs 29500 after room board and expenses.</p>
<p>Honestly, Cornell will be a great time, RPI less so. If you are confident you can work hard and be at the top of your class, then Cornell is definitely the way to go. But if you just want to be an MD and don't care where you practice, the prestige will matter a lot less.</p>
<p>thanks everyone for your insightful replies
there was a girl i remember who posted on the old cc that turned down harvard for this rpi/amc program because not everyone in harvard can get into medical school. in fact albany medical college rejects many harvard grads with not high enough gpas. cornell doesnt even have the inflation that harvard has so it would be even harder to get a high gpa there and maybe after cornell i won't be able to get into medical school. it comes down to how much prestige albany medical college has. i will save a year of my life but is it worth it. rpi/amc is not an easy program and as many of you have said its definitely not fun (with a goddamn 3 to 1 ratio of male to female). cornell will be more fun yet also more stressful as i have to take the mcats and stuff through the normal way.
i really wouldn't be satisfied just being a normal doctor, i want to be really big and it does matter to me where i practice.<br>
two most important factors are how successful cornell's cals is at placing students in medical school (i heard for the ones that get into medical school, med school is relatively very easy compared to cals) and how prestigious albany medical college is itself. if anyone knows anything regarding that please respond. once again thanks everyone, it really helps.</p>
<p>It's a gamble. I know a lot of physicians who couldn't get into US medical schools and had to go to Mexico or the Caribbean. Anecdotal, but one is a department chief at a university hospital and the other is in his residency at a top of the line teaching hospital. Others may disagree, but I'd take the spot at RPI/Albany. It certainly is more prestigious than a foreign medical school. If people can do well coming out of those programs, you can certainly do well coming out of Albany.</p>
<p>Given what you have said, I would go to CALS. Sure RPI will be "less stressful", but personally I would rather work hard/ play hard anyday. I would rather study for the MCAT and do all those things associated with the normal process. Cornell will be a blast. You only get to go to college once. You don't sound like the type of guy who wants that one time to be RPI. </p>
<p>One of my best friends (now at Penn Medical School) had the option to go to Case Western's Med program and decided to go to Dartmouth. He was really studious and didn't go out every weekend. But he still had the time of his life and is now at a better place in the end. </p>
<p>Another friend had a 3.2 at Dartmouth and she still got into three in-state med schools (She had a 31 MCAT). </p>
<p>Personally I wouldn't base my decisions on plan B. And as a person in grad school myself, almost no amount of money could make me give up a year of college. Three years is too quick.</p>
<p>slipper1234, the RPI/AMC program is harder to get into than you think. Cornell is an ivy, but RPI/AMC is a top notch accelerated medical program.</p>
<p>My niece turned Cornell down for a program that is not as generous as the RPI one. She is graduating from AMC this year. She knew in her case that it was her best shot at med school and it did pay off. Her best friend who did go on to Cornell did not get into med school which was also her goal. The premed track is difficult at Cornell and getting selected for recommendation for medical school is not a slam dunk there. A few Cs will really hurt your chances. </p>
<p>These combined programs are more difficult to get into than some of the most selective schools in the country including HPY. My friend's son ended up at Harvard and accepted to every single undergraduate school where he applied but did not get into a single combined program. He did graduate from Harvard, and is now in med school. You seem to have a good handle on what the choices are exactly. You may want to spend "a day in the life of" at Cornell and then at RPI both with kids in the same programs you are considering. Environment and day to day living is important too. RPI is not an easy school, so it is not like you are comparing Party City to the sweatshop.</p>
<p>This will come off as trite but here goes...if med school is your destiny you'll get there....a "regular" college experience may even lead to other possibilities. It is difficult for a 17 yr old to predict what his/her life will be like as a doc 30 or 40 years hence....why hem yourself in?</p>