so what should i do

<p>Well, I've been accepted at a couple of schools and I've narrowed it down between U. of Pittsburgh, Cornell and Johns Hopkins. Now I don't know what to do. I want to go to med school, but I'll have to pay for that unless I go to Pitt (b/c i have a scholarship so it'll cost me 5,000 a year). So if I go to Cornell or Johns Hopkins I'll have to pay for med school and I'm not crazy about that. My parents don't care too much because they'll be paying a lot either way. My fear is that if I go to Pitt, I'll have a harder time getting into medical school.<br>
So do you think Cornell or Hopkins would be worth the money for me?</p>

<p>it doesn't matter where you go, it's the grades. if you think you will have a hard time at cornell or hopkins, you're better off at pittsburgh</p>

<p>i'm in a similar boat man , Got accepted to Cornell, possibly JHU, Dartmouth, I got full ride tuition at University of Arizona with $3000 stipend , only gonna pay approximately 3000 a year for expenses etc. Which way should I go? I don't wanna be in major debt while entering med school, yet I want ivy league status , even hoping it will help some at med school admissions.</p>

<p>that's exactly how i feel, i don't care all that much about ivy myself, but i know that it'll make getting into med school easier</p>

<p>actually, even if you are at an Ivy school, if your grades are crap, then it will hurt you in med school. A 3.8 at Pitts is about the same as a 3.8 at Cornell.
Go to the school you think you'll do well in..</p>

<p>vbear: Pass along whatever you've been smoking.</p>

<p>Cornell's acceptance rate into med school the last two years of applicants with 3.8 GPA or above is 98.9% (92/93). I would love to see UPitt's statistics on this issue.</p>

<p>what are you going into? which school is strongest for your interest. keep in mind that schools like jhu and cornell will probably allow for more opportunities but then the con would be more fierce competition. i HIGHLY reccomend visiting the campuses you are interested in. they can make a HUGE impact on your decision (probably a little bias as cornell's is gorges, who wouldn't fall in love with it ^_^) but it will also allow for you to attend info sessions and find out where you will be happiest. good luck in your decision, and congrats.</p>

<p>norcalguy..
i meant that crap grades in Cornell will hurt you.</p>

<p>The meaning of crap is different at each college.</p>

<p>3.4=crap at a normal college
3.4=pretty good at Cornell</p>

<p>Obviously, if you're going to get a 2.1 at Cornell, it's not going to help you for med school. Personally, I'd rather go to a school that'll challenge and provide me with excellent research opportunities than settle for a second-tier school just so my GPA can be a couple of points higher.</p>

<p>So then which path is better for medical school? High GPA or better research oppportunities?</p>

<p>but the thing is, i plan on working just as hard at both schools, so don't you think that it would look better to have a certain grade from cornell than from pitt?</p>

<p>vbear: The two are not mutually exclusive lol I have a 3.8 at Cornell and I'm doing research at the same time. Cornell will definitely provide you with awesome research opportunities. I was hired after my first interview a month into first semester without any previous research experience. The high GPA thing is a bit tougher to achieve obviously. But if you think you have the capacity to achieve a high GPA at Cornell, why would you settle for a lower school just to get a 4.0? I doubt the acceptance rate of Upitt's 4.0 GPA applicants is as high as the acceptance rate of Cornell's 3.8 GPA applicants. At least at Cornell I know I've done my very best whereas at a state school, even if I get a 4.0, I would be wondering if I could've learned more.</p>

<p>pjv80287-Obviously, it would be better to get a 3.8 at Cornell than a 3.8 at Pitt. The problem is that you can put the same amount of effort into both schools and come out with drastically different GPA's. Cornell's tougher on the grading and the competition is more fierce (but not cut-throat) so logic would dictate that you're probably going to receive a lower GPA at Cornell than you would at Pitt.</p>

<p>for med schools the national acceptance rate is 50%
for applicants from cornell its 78%
for applicants from cornell with a 3.4+gpa, its 89%</p>

<p>norcalguy is even more correct than he thought</p>

<p>which school is better for a premed major, hopkins or cornell?</p>

<p>I don't have any statistics on hopkins, but cornell is obviously very good. In either one, if you do very well it seems like you're almost garunteed an acceptance. Also, the quality of your med school isn't as important. Patients want doctors who are awake to work on them in the ER, not necessarily one from the most prestigeous med school. Both cornell and hopkins have grad. schools in medicine. Perhaps it comes down to which school you like better in terms of atmosphere location etc.</p>

<p>Hopkins probably has the better acceptance rate but seems too sciency for me.</p>

<p>apparently (i didn't know this until i read it in the sdn) hopkins is known to have rampant cheating, and thus, their gpa is often (not always, and i'm not even sure if it is) taken with a grain of salt in the negative direction...whereas cornell's is taken with a grain of salt in the positive direction (most people will say multiply your gpa by 1.1 or add .3 and that's the gpa that they think it really is)</p>

<p>anyways, take this post with a grain of salt. i sure do.</p>

<p>ithaca is much nicer than baltimore. baltimore has more murders in a year than cornell has robberies in a year...</p>

<p>we have the ct creeper @.@ and i have a friend who actually lived in one of the houses that the landlord installed a camera...urgh. i'm never living off campus if i can help it. too spoiled by cornell.</p>

<p>correction on sparticus800 </p>

<p>"for med schools the national acceptance rate is 50%
for applicants from cornell its 78%
for applicants from cornell with a 3.4+gpa, its 89%"</p>

<p>I don't agree with the middle statement by sparticus, in the acceptance package, the finaid brochure says 76%, but obviously 78 , 76, no big diff. but just admitted to at least 1 med school? ? how many med schools did those cornell students apply on average? I don't want to have to get 3.3 or something GPA and apply to 10 med schools and end up with 76 or 78% chance of getting accepted by just one.<br>
How many med schools is an averg., good safe number to apply? I know for undergrad schools like CAS , my GC suggested 6-8, i applied exactly 7</p>