SMU vs. UTD for Pre-Med?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I have been accepted to SMU, UTD, Austin College, Baylor, and UT, and I was wondering which one would be best for pre-med. I've heard a lot of good things about UTD, like the fact that a lot of its students will end up at UT Southwestern (UTSW). The same goes for Austin College, with ts medical school acceptance rate of 90%+. SMU is a whole lot less well known as a pre-med school when compared with others, but I've seen people graduate from SMU and go to UTSW as well. Although UTD offered me full tuition and fees, whereas I would have to pay $30,000 a year at SMU, I'm still leaning towards SMU because I feel that I would get a much better "college experience" there. Would I be miserable at a school like UTD or Austin College? Is there anyone who goes to UTD/SMU/Austin College that could give me some insight? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>"Although UTD offered me full tuition and fees, whereas I would have to pay $30,000 a year at SMU, "</p>

<p>Who would pay the $30k per year? Are your parents fine about paying for that? Will they also help pay for med school?</p>

<p>Have you visited each school? If so, what did you like about UT-Dallas? UT-D is an upcoming school.</p>

3

<p>Hi mom2collegekids,</p>

<p>I’m sorry, I should have been more clear. My parents would be paying the 30 grand out of pocket, and they plan to support me through med school as well. But, we aren’t “rich,” so this money isn’t just laying around in their savings. </p>

<p>I haven’t visited ITD yet, but I certainly plan to. My girlfriend attends UTD, and she’s told me a lot about it.</p>

<p>In the end though, I still wonder whether UTD or SMU prepares their premed students better for med school.</p>

4

<p>“wonder whether UTD or SMU prepares their premed students better for med school.”</p>

<p>Univs don’t “prepare students” for med school. The premed prereqs are basic classes that STEM students take. It’s really UP TO YOU. YOU have to learn the material. </p>

<p>Schools don’t prepare students for the MCAT, they don’t prepare students for med school. The classes aren’t unique to premed students. Your classmates will be chem majors, bio majors, physics majors, eng’g majors, etc. </p>

<p>Both schools are fine for premed students. Both schools will have more-than-adequate bio, chem, ochem, math and physics classes. </p>

5

<p>Then why do some schools in Texas have higher medical school acceptance rates than others? It’s obvious that students from some schools do better than others. How else does Austin College brag a 90% medical school acceptance rate? Austin College’s pre-health advisers play an active role in their students’ lives, offering them countless experimental learning opportunities in medicine. At SMU, there are a lot of research opportunities at the Dedman School of Science, which would look really great on a med school application. Schools like Texas A&M aren’t offer little to no research opportunities in science. I am well aware that GPA and MCAT are what you need to get into medical school; But someone with a 4.0 GPA and a high MCAT score from a well known, recognized school has a much, much higher chance of getting into a top-notch school like UT Southwestern or Baylor than someone with the same stats from a less esteemed university. </p>

<p>I’m just wondering how UTD’s and SMU’s pre med programs compare.</p>

6

<p>

Because they manipulate the numbers. Not only does Austin College use a committee to only let those most qualify apply to an MD program, but it also counts those who’ve gotten into any medical program, regardless of whether it’s DO, PA, or whatever else. The actual percentage of freshman premeds who end up getting into medical school is much much smaller than 80%. </p>

<p>Keep in mind that at most schools, a far higher number of students enter as premed, than leave as medical school bound. This is often not because they couldn’t handle the workload but because they simply decided that being a doctor wasn’t for them. I had many classmates at my previous school, one known as a place where doctors get their start, that they couldn’t imagine going to college for four years, medical school for another four, and then doing years of low paid internships and residency just to go into a profession they realized they didn’t want. For this reason, I think it’s foolish to choose a college solely on the prospect of getting into professional school, especially when your choices range from the tiny semi-liberal Austin College, to the very religious Baylor, to the mega sized UT Austin. </p>

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<p>"Then why do some schools in Texas have higher medical school acceptance rates than others? It’s obvious that students from some schools do better than others. How else does Austin College brag a 90% medical school acceptance rate? "</p>

<p>lol…do you think that all Texas schools have a similar student body? Do you think that the student body at UTEP is the same as the student body at UT-Dallas or SMU? Do you think Rice has the same student body as TAMU?</p>

<p>Also…those reported acceptance rates don’t tell the whole story. Do you think that if there are 400 freshmen premeds at Austin College that 90% get into med school??? No, not even close. Probably less than 25%.</p>

<p>This is what happens at virtually every undergrad. Freshman year, a large number of students say that they’re premed. Then after Bio I & II and Chem I and II grades come out, that premed group shrinks. After Ochem I and II and Physics I and II grades come out, the original number of premeds has now been cut in about half. Then during junior/senior years, after taking the MCAT and upper division courses, that remaining half gets cut again. Now only about 25% remain. The Committee may look over that group and tell the ones who’ve stubbornly stayed as premed without having med-school-worthy grades that either they aren’t going to get a Committee Letter, or they’re not going to get a good one. </p>

<p>So, of that remaining 25%…maybe 85%-90% will get into at least one MD school. this is the case at nearly every undergrad. </p>

<p>Therefore, when a high school kid looks at med school admissions stats and sees “85%-90% admittance rate”, that does not mean that that student has a 90% chance of admittance. No way. </p>

<p>And virtually every undergrad with a premed advising office will list many medically-related research and volunteer opps. Austin College isn’t doing anything unique. They all do this. </p>

<p>“This is often not because they couldn’t handle the workload but because they simply decided that being a doctor wasn’t for them.”</p>

<p>Well…I wouldn’t say that. The first couple of semesters, it is grades that nearly always causes kids to move on to another career goal. I agree that once a student is a junior, it is often “other interests” that move them from premed to something else. </p>

<p>The truth is that many “smart science kids” in high school get “coached” by friends and family to become doctors, because that’s what people think a smart science kid should be. However, college science is a LOT harder and many kids’s high school science foundations are WEAK, so they flounder in college-level science courses. </p>