I will cross out Princeton. Since your S loves Boston (that’s what recall you saying) let him go to MIT if he is open to other areas like management consulting, engineering etc if not medicine. That’s what someone I know has done. Though got into state med school, quit after a year and went to management consulting of a major pharma company.
If medicine is really a top priority (not everyone comes to that decision at this point), then Penn State/Jeff is a fine program.
The point is that at UPenn & UCLA e.v.e.r.y class is on a forced curve. So the Grade/GPA deflation would be in A.L.L. majors.
Thank you @mom2boys1999 and @cofffee for sharing your stats + perspectives in the results thread.
Folks have made a decision, please share your details in the results thread.
Also, if you are sure that you will not attend a particular college, please send them a decline email or decline through the portal.
Add UCB, Cornell to grade deflation list.
Cornell and Princeton are brutal.
UPenn and Columbia are slightly on grade deflation side, though most if not all manage to do well (if not the ED, legacy, million dollar donor types). But to be at magna cum laude level, that is expected of typical ORM med school aspirants, is going to be challenging at these two.
Remaining four are easy (relatively).
I don’t know why you would say “a bell curve is usually used in colleges” when certain Ivies (Harvard) are well-known for grade-inflation. Secondly, any place that uses college GPA to differentiate/weed-out applicants definitely does NOT account for whether there was a curve or not (based on my experience in NYC recruiting for Wall Street Analysts).
So amongst Columbia, Princeton, UPENN, Cornell, how would you rank grade deflation? If one was to pick solely based on future MD plan and top GPA in BME, what would be the order?
Yes, there are schools which have grade inflation. AMCAS does not differentiate when calculating UG GPA and sGPA for all applicants to medical schools.
Whether a Tesla car is on the road or not depends on battery-life which is currently 3-4-5 years, although my sister’s S-model is still running in its 8th/9th year- may be because she uses her Model 3 more the past few years.
UPenn, Columbia, Princeton, Cornell. Best to worst.
Also UPenn has two great engineering disciplines, Bio Eng, Chemical & Molecular both of which are closely aligned with medicine. Though other engineering disciplines (except Materials) may not be that renowned. If any change in plans, can also pursue a second major at Wharton.
So does it matter Columbia or UPENN BME eliminating other 2.
C in NYC is also plus whereas UPENN out of nowhere. Also JHU BME full ride next to UPENN location wise. Think cross our UPENN right?
Thank you for your kind words!
Please read the book “Privileged Poor” by Anthony Abraham Jack. It explains the value private schools provide that end up paying dividend during a student’s college years.
See my edited response above. Yes, if Columbia gave you price break, but otherwise UPenn.
I dont expect much differnce in C or P BME/ChE - there are much better schools if BME/ChE is the way to go.
It is just IVY, grade deflation, future MD possibilty and so on. Think C wins perhaps being in NYC over others. We want to eliminate one headache of IVY and then think SBU or JHU.
Do not see any reason for UPENN unless missing something here.
@srk2017, It may be too late for your kids.
UPenn has added attraction of Wharton ( a minor in Finance ) if D chooses to do so and only 2 hrs from NYC. A BME/ChE major may be of little direct use in medical school but finance can be very useful for doctors.
Asking again, hoping someone will know and share:
Could someone comment about grade curve in BU?
Manhattanite here. What’s the plus of being in NYC for college? Impersonal, concrete jungle with cut-throat peers?!?!