Hello guys! I’m curious about whether or not choosing an Ivy League school is truly worth it as a Pre-Med student. I have been accepted to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD (regents) (in-state for UC), and Georgetown, but I’m also waiting for Columbia, UPenn, and Brown to come out on Ivy Day. If I get into at least one of the four Ivies, which would be the best for the Pre-Med track? In your opinion, which is the best school in my list for pre-med? I understand that the undergraduate school that you attend is not a big factor at all in med school admissions, but which schools would offer the best resources, advising, etc.
One cool thing about Georgetown is the early assurance program, but how selective is it? Also, I’m very confident I will get great research positions at UCLA and UCSD (already contacted professors there)
Do the prices differ significantly? If so, then consider whether choosing a lower cost school can save money for medical school, which is expensive. https://services.aamc.org/tsfreports/
If you plan to apply to in-state California medical schools, note that getting to interviews from the east coast can be less convenient than from within California. However, California medical schools are highly competitive, so you may have to apply to other medical schools, so getting to other medical schools from California may not be as convenient.
Another question to consider is will you be happy at the school if you decide no longer to do pre-med?
I say wait until you actually get results from the three schools you’re waiting on, including some financial aid packages, and then come back. It’s not possible to effectively answer this without knowing whether costs are comparable or even lower at the three other schools.
That said, I don’t think there is a significant enough difference in advising and resources between the schools to make a difference - they’re all big, prestigious, well-resourced research universities with tons of opportunities. The major difference is size. UCLA, for example, is a huge school with a HUGE pre-med population. One of my friends from grad school went undergrad pre-med at UCLA and spoke of 600-person intro biology classes with overflow rooms. The Ivy League schools will have large intro classes for pre-med but they will be more along the lines of 150-300 students depending on the class (maybe a bit smaller at Brown). Where do you think you will have a better experience? Some students like the big and others like the small.
The underlying criteria of this online list may relate to the solidity of pre-med advising, etc.: “The Experts’ Choice: Colleges with Great Pre-med Programs.”