I’m from Illinois and I can’t decide between these two great schools. I am pursuing a degree in biology with aspirations to go into dental school later, but I also like to have a good time and go out. I’ve visited both campuses and I liked SMU’s campus better, but I feel like Miami is better academically. I also plan on rushing for either school I choose and SMU’s greek life looks amazing, but downtown Miami seems equally amazing. I appreciate any feedback or recommendations anybody has. Thank you in advance:).
Choose the school with better academics. A beautiful campus will only impact your life for four years. By the way, SMU has had three pre-med advisors in four years. Not a great record.
Great options, congrats! The schools are similar in size and USN ranking and accepted students’ SAT/ACT numbers. So, I wouldn’t say that one is necessarily better than the other academically. Do a little more research into Bio, to see if there is a significant difference.
Both schools rush in January, which is great, because you get settled into classes and meet a variety of friends before you have to dedicate to one sorority.
The biggest difference is the culture and climate. Where would you feel most at home? In a tropical, laid back atmosphere with modern architecture, or in a climate with 4 seasons (though much milder than Chicago), with a preppy, somewhat Southern feel with traditional architecture?
We live about 50 miles north of UM and never considered it for our son. Miami has gotten so much bigger, and more crowded, and expensive . . . we just had no interest. We did look at SMU, but did not end up applying for reasons that had nothing to do with the school or the area really.
I have no knowledge of the academics, so take my words with a grain of salt.
Thank you all for your input. I’m going back to SMU in April to see the campus one last time before I decide. I also forgot to mention that although I will most likely be studying biology at both places, I got accepted into the pre-dentistry program at Miami. This makes me wanna lean towards Miami more, but I still am having such a hard time making a choice.
Academically SMU is a very good university. I don’t know anything about Miami but I’ve heard they are comparable. I would simply pick based on which one fits you the best. Which feels like home to you after all you will be there 4 years. SMU pre med program is stellar. They have advisers that help you every step of the way. My son had 3 advisers when he was SMU. One was a freshman adviser, job placement adviser, and his adviser for his major. SMU does a really great job helping you with whatever you choose to do. My son loved SMU with a passion. He succeeded because of that. They say happy students are successful students. It’s very true. So pick the school that fits you. Good luck!!!
I respectfully disagree that the SMU pre-med program is stellar. Three pre-med advisors in four years is not indicative of a stellar program. The newest advisor may stay for years, making this a non-issue for you, however. While it is common to have multiple advisors (a “major” advisor, a pre-med advisor, etc), I can say that the inconsistency with pre-med advising was most certainly a negative for my student. In addition, pre-meds will be required to take physics… You will be hard pressed to find any pre-med - or possibly even physics major - who finds the SMU physics department good or helpful. Many biology students are not fans of that department either, particularly the lower level courses. Of course, this could be the case at Miami as well. On a positive note, SMU has a very active Greek community and Dallas has many options for nightlife, sporting events, etc. I don’t think you would be disappointed with the social aspect of SMU, that is if you are into Greek life. The campus is beautiful and the weather is far more temperate than Illinois. As other posters have mentioned, you will be happiest where you feel most at home. No college is perfect. Choose the kind of people you’d enjoy sharing the experience with, along with an environment where you feel comfortable. Best wishes!
I’m sorry that happened to you. That didn’t happen to my son. He really didn’t need his advisors since he knew what he had to take and what grades he had to get. I would think premed is the same thing. I mean you can major in French and take all the required pre med classes in order to get into med school. I heard of a couple students doing this which is a brilliant way to keep your GPA up. I heard you have to have a 3.8 to get into med school. That’s definitely tough!
I agree that a major outside the typical biology or chemistry route may be a good plan. A Dr. told me that med schools often look for “other” majors. Who knows, though! Anyway, for my DC the issue wasn’t knowing what classes to take, even with a triple major plus pre-med. It would have been nice to have a pre-med advisor around to help with the med school application process, though.ave
Not trying to be totally negative about the school - just the pre-med experience (advisor, many of the prereq classes, etc) was disappointing. Lots of good experiences, though - particularly the honors program.
i will say though that my friends in pre-med are prepared there was a lot of excited whispers about a girl my freshman year who was admitted to harvard medical school also its simply a school on the rise (almost 15,000 applications from ~12000 my year, also the midle 50% act has increased by a point 28->29 and 31->32)