Currently a high school senior deciding where to go for college. I want to major in economics or sociology and minor in a science as a premed student. I am deciding between UC Berkeley (letters and science), UPitt (honors College), PSU Schreyers.
Money is a secondary concern for me.
Primarily, I care about prestige, opportunities, and teaching and also if the undergrad school will affect my chances of getting into a top, elite med school.
med schools care about gpa, mcat, relevant experience. Not where you went. I hope it works out for you and you don’t end up at one of those non-elite med schools, that would be crushing
Berkeley should be a no-brainer given your criteria except for the fact that it’s hard, not impossible hard but hard, to get a top GPA. Which will be important if you wanted to go to medical school.
I apologize for the way my language transferred. The only reason I hope to go to a higher ranked medical school is that I currently think I want to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery, a highly competitive field where not many spots are available each year for residency and any small thing that could give me an edge would help me.
Pitt offers more extensive opportunities to shadow drs, and do research from the get go. Look at NIH funding by higher ed - Pitt is #4 or 5 last yr. - nationally. Also seems you can excel for that high gpa.
I’d pick Pitt or Penn State Schreyer.
Pitt has hospitals nearby and a relatively loose Honors College.
Schreyer has the Hershey program, RAM, and a structured Honors College.
Read the tumbler by AFrenchie36 for what the optimal premed path is, semester by semester.
Where you go in college will have no affect on your residency match? It will be competitive, but it will be based on your med school grades and interviews, not where you went to college. Go where you can do well and get good resume building volunteering, research, etc. Pitt might really be your best bet.