<p>Need input here, basically Future intention is medical career.
Tulane - Dean Scholar (full tuition)+ Honor program,
Univ of Chicago - University Scholar about $15K scholarship&grant
tuition cost:25K extra<br>
Umich - Instate Ross Preferred+ Art&design or LSA dual degrees
tuition cost:10K+
Any inputs on pre-med program for these schools well appreciated.
Any cost benefit comments are appreciated.</p>
<p>OK, to get meaningful input requires more information. Most important, is the money an issue? And that is even a two-fold issue, the primary one being would you have to take out loans to make up the difference? If the answer to that is yes, then having all that debt while still facing med school loans makes the decision much easier. Beyond that, is it all about getting into med school, or are there factors you would prefer in a college for yourself such as size, relationships with faculty, location, sports, food, etc. These can tell people a lot.</p>
<p>You are going to get a lot of comments on the other two schools’ threads along the lines of “Chicago of course, it is so much higher ranked” or “Michigan >>> Tulane”. That really isn’t the issue. Med schools take people based on GPA and MCATs, not where they went undergrad. Besides, for what you need to get into med school do you really believe there is a gap between any of these schools? There is not.</p>
<p>You asked about the premed program. There is no such thing, technically. Premed consists, as I am sure you know, of taking 4 semesters of chemistry, some biology, physics, calculus, and English, the last of which you have to anyway at all schools pretty much. All these schools offer these basic courses quite competently. Sure, there are advisors and the like for premeds, but again that won’t really vary much. There isn’t that much to know.</p>
<p>So the real issue aside from finances is the environment of the three schools. That is totallhy personal. Michigan is obviously the most different. If you want that big state school atmosphere, go for it. If not, don’t go. Chicago and Tulane are somewhat more similar in that regard, but still lots of differences in location, vibe at the schools, etc. If you just look through these threads for the last few months, you will see lots of similar inquiries. See if any of those help. But if you really made it a simple cost/benefit equation, and define benefit as getting into med school, Tulane would be the choice.</p>
<p>You are likely quite smart enough to do well at any of these schools and get the required stats to get into med school. I would go beyond that in defining benefit to which school you attend is most likely to result in you looking back in 20 years and saying “Going there taught me more about myself and life than I could have imagined, and I had a really great time besides getting what I needed to go to med school”. If you can make your best guess at that, and weigh that in conjunction with financial factors if they exist, then you will have your answer.</p>
<p>Thanks for long reply, College money is an issue. However, will really like overall well round college education. Personal passion on visual art and music, future career is medical profession.</p>
<p>Well, no surprise then that I like Tulane as a choice for you. It would be just wrong to take out a lot of debt for undergrad when you can get such a good education debt free. New Orleans and music? Enough said, although Chicago as a city has a wonderful music scene. But NOLA has that plus Tulane has a very strong music program, and you absolutely do not have to be a major to participate. Tulane also has a very strong arts program. Here is a video that was broght to my attention the other day: [YouTube</a> - Tulane Glass Studio](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjcYDVKrAAM&feature=channel]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjcYDVKrAAM&feature=channel) Just a slice of what there is, but representative.</p>
<p>I think that your phrase “well-rounded” is really key though. I am sure all three can provide that, but it is almost in the DNA of Tulane, if you will. Tulane is academically strong, but of nearly equal importance are the other facets of life. Community service and other EC’s are very prominent, and Tulane students definitely know how to have fun. That last does NOT mean just getting drunk on weekends. Of course there is drinking at Tulane, as there is at all colleges. But no more than most, and there is plenty to do and people to do it with for non-drinkers or light drinkers.</p>
<p>You cannot go wrong at any of these schools. And of course Michigan is the best choice if e.g. big time college sports is what is important to a student, Chicago if, e.g. it is being in a very large city with pro-level sports, etc. From what you just said plus the chance to not take on debt, Tulane might very well be the way to go. BTW, my D is a DHS winner also and is very much enjoying the Honors Program at Tulane. She is not premed, however.</p>
<p>Betterchoice, my D was in the same position as you. She is a DHS winner with an eye on Med School. She was accepted to some higher ranked schools but in the end realized that no debt going in to med. school is the best way to go. Like Fallen said, it is GPA and Mcat that really matter. In this economy, we let finances be our guide for this choice. While she had Emory as her 1# she realized, for her, it wasnt worth the 50k+ price tag. I should make it clear that we had already informed her that we were not going into big debt nor would we allow her to either for undergrad when she had great choices that were so much more financially appealing.
When we visited on Honors Weekend, she really got the feeling that the school wanted HER. She committed right after that, not waiting on W&M or Rice. She hasnt looked back. She cant wait for August!</p>
<p>If the primary goal is medical school, then Tulane may be the best choice. UChicago is not an easy place to get a stellar GPA, and O-chem there is extremely difficult. Many Chicago kids, including S1, attend the Harvard summer program where one can get an entire year of chemistry or o-chem credit, rather than face Chicago’s sequence. The Core at Chicago is also quite demanding. At Chicago, one finds a highly charged intellectual atmosphere where theory is king. The have a t-shirt that says, “That’s all fine and well in practice, but how does it work in theory?” Sometimes those looking to follow a more preprofessional undergraduate path feel a little out of place there, though I understand that this may be changing a little now. Tulane has excellent academics and a longer history of serving the preprofessional needs of its students. This is one reason S2 chose it.</p>