<p>To make a long story short, it came down to AU and Penn. I choose AU at the last minute on the basis that as a pre-med student (tentative), AU would be less stressful and not cut-throat. AU also gave me a free ride though money was not a determining factor. I also felt that the honors program at AU would be more of a nuturing place for the top students as opposed to a place where everyone is a top student.</p>
<p>However, I can’t help but feel that I sold myself short. Penn is an amazing school, and while my overnight was dreary (rainy and felt sick), I still felt that it could be a place where I would’ve thrived. Don’t get me wrong, AU is still a great school, it just lacks the pre-med prestige and is somewhat weak in math/natural sciences. I felt that medicine-wise, Penn offered more resources, but AU would make a greater effort to find me resources off campus in DC.</p>
<p>I guess I’m really wondering if pre-med at Penn is really as cut-throat and difficult as I perceived it and whether I made the best choice. “Right” choice is probably incorrect.</p>
<p>you made the right decision. don’t stress, and know that american is a great school. do well in your undergrad, and if you really feel the need to attend penn, apply for graduate.</p>
<p>I agree with touhou, but you also need to make sure your head is screwed on straight before you show up at AU in the fall.</p>
<p>If you show up looking for things that confirm you made the wrong choice, you will find them. On the other hand, if you show up looking for things that confirm you made the right choice, you will find those instead.</p>
<p>The Washington Post had a marginally interesting story recently about a HS senior from Maryland who chose College of Charleston over AU. In AU’s applicant pool, she was mediocre and received no offer of aid. In CofC’s applicant pool, she was a star and offered lots of aid. She liked CofC just fine because of the programs/opportunities/culture it offers, and the financial package put it over the top for her. Perhaps AU is your CofC–you have plenty of good reasons to like it (even though it may not be “better” than Penn, or at least not as prestigious) and the money makes it even more appealing.</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard from pre-med friends is that AU’s program is defined by the incredible amount of personal attention you’ll get from professors, especially when it comes to research. If you do well in your classes, you have a great chance of being accepted by a top med school, and AU’s placement rate is quite high. The Cassandra Ricketts story is not an aberration.</p>
<p>Additionally AU is actively seeking to strengthen its science programs (I am a graduate of one of them), particularly when it comes to the health sciences. In fact, just this week BA and BS programs in Public Health were announced. This would be a great major (or second major/minor) for a pre-med student.</p>
<p>pswillia, I know you were simply quoting the article, but the fact is the young lady in question was quite competitive at AU <em>and</em> C of C. Based on her stats, it appears to me she would have fallen in the top 20% or so of AU’s entering freshmen, and (since she is Honors College) we know she’s in the top 10% at C of C.</p>
<p>If I am a little sensitive on this point, it is because D1 is a rising sophomore at AU and D2 will be a freshman at C of C this fall. Their grades and scores were almost identical, with D2’s class rank being about ten spots lower than D1 and D2’s extracurriculars a little more balanced than D1’s. </p>
<p>D1 chose AU (Honors) over UNC, UVa, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and Emory. D2 chose College of Charleston (Honors/Aiken) over UNC, Tulane, AU, William and Mary, Clemson, USC, Alabama, Miami, and Georgia Tech. Both were in competitive scholarship competitions at “prestige” schools on their list. In each case, thanks to merit $, the chosen school ends up costing us about the same as UNC costs a North Carolina resident.</p>
<p>Each school has a unique personality, and one should never discount that as a major factor in a college choice. Feeling wanted and feeling “at home” are incredibly important. </p>
<p>Rankings, in my opinion, are not worth the paper they’re printed on.</p>