<p>I've been admitted to both UIC's direct GPPA med program and U Chicago. Where should I go?</p>
<p>U Chicago: We talked to an academic adviser, and he told us that w/ my AP credits, I could graduate in 3 years (taking close to a full load each quarter), thus saving a year's worth of tuition. Now, the people and the campus are AMAZING. I feel at home on campus and not at all creeped out by the people. This school has always been my first love. Everyone is so academically driven and friendly. But, no money from them. This will be a lot of stress b/c along w/ this full load, I have to actively participate in clubs and hold leadership positions, as well as begin studying for the MCAT's freshman year. Pros-it's U Chicago. It is the most amazing university I have ever stepped foot on. But, it'll be really stressful.</p>
<p>UIC's GPPA: I visited UIC last Friday and stayed overnight. UIC will give me credits to the point where I will literally be a junior when I enter, and I'll also do my undergrad in 3 years. Here, though, my load will be lighter, I can participate in research during the school year and join lots of clubs. The third year of undergrad, I could also focus and take some classes that usually med students take, thus preparing myself. I would take the MCAT and apply out and aim for some other med schools in the area (aka U Chicago). The tuition is half of U Chicago's tuition, but the campus isn't that great. Most people barely care, drinking is much more prevalent(I'm not a fan of it), and the dorms aren't all that great(except Stukel Towers). I could do a lot of research, but the campus doesn't really have a campus feeling and gets creepy at night.</p>
<p>According to a lot of doctors I have talked to, undergrad is more or less irrelevant to my future career. What really matters is how I do on the boards during my med school and where I get matched to do my residency. So does my undergrad really matter in the end? Is it worth paying so much for U Chicago?</p>
<p>Long term, no one cares about where you went to school. Long term, it is experience which matters. For med school, in terms of getting a good residency, its your USMLE scores and grades from rotations.
I don't know if the med school allows non-med students to take their classes.
Everyone knows, in the Chicago universities, University of Chicago is where fun dies. That is their reputation in this area.<br>
Most of UIC's dorms are relatively new or have been recently renovated.
One thing you should know, it is harder to be accepted into Med school if you do undergrad in 3 years. Some schools really hate that.
Most of UIC's undergrads do not live on or near campus. I don't find the campus creepy. UIC is in a safer area than UC. Technically speaking, UIC's crime statistics are lower than UIUC's statistics. Most students just find that ironic.
The drinking here is pretty normal for a university. They drink a lot more at Urbana than here. University of Chicago is the odd one out.
You must keep the financial aspect in mind. If you want to go to Med school, you'll going to be, by then, $100k-$200k in debt.</p>
<p>I would say save money and go to UIC. And you don't even have to worry about getting into med school because if you want you could go to UIC's medschool. Then again, you did say Chicago is a better fit. I think it really depends on your finances and how much debt you will be in by the time you graduate and what you are looking for to come out of your undergrad experience. </p>
<p>I advise you to save the money and go to UIC, because you'll be taking on close to $200,000 in debt for med school already. In addition, if you go to U Chicago, you're far from guaranteed to even get back into UIC med school, where the average GPA is something like a 3.5-3.6, which is around top 25% at U Chicago. And that's not even counting the MCAT, where you could score poorly. You could take the weedout premed courses at U Chicago and struggle with your grades. You'll have tons of stress trying to keep up your grades and study for the MCAT like all the other premeds. The point is, there's too much at risk if you choose U Chicago: higher debt, low grades, and the possibly of ending up at a worse med school or no med school at all. If the choice were between UIC GPPA and an Ivy like Harvard, Yale, or Princeton, or if you got financial aid from U Chicago, it might be closer.</p>
<p>If you attend UIC GPPA, you can always try to maintain a high GPA and apply to other higher-ranked med schools, with UIC med school as a backup.</p>
<p>There is no comparison between these two schools with respect to the college experience you will have. UChicago will offer PLENTY of fun and social life for you, and you will be challenged intellectually. I would not base the decision on the med school thing with respect to these two schools. You are obviously bright and I have no doubt that you will get into medical school. If you change your mind, as many, many students do, UChicago is the much better degree and will servce you better. If you can afford it, go to UChicago. It sounds like a much better fit for you.</p>
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You are obviously bright and I have no doubt that you will get into medical school.
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<p>Not really. A friend of mine was the brightest guy I knew during hs, went to Michigan, got mostly B's or C's, and failed entering med school. Medical school is really competitive, and it seems very illogical to me pass up such a good deal for just an undergrad UChicago degree. Not worth it. Go with UIC.</p>
<p>hmm, I think my friend was in a similar situation, and not I'm a bit worried for her. She said she got a good package from UC as far as aid but I really don't know what she defines as good, and in any case it was more expensive than UIC. Doubt she was planning to graduate in 3 years, but its certainly true that UC will be a lot harder for her. Still, I would think she has a just as good a chance to getting into med school from UC than UIC as long as she does well on MCATS and decent in her classes (in comparison to her classmates since UC on average gives out lower grades).</p>
<p>If you do accept a spot in the UIC GPPA program, you do not have to end up matriculating into the program.
UIC is a strict grading school especially with the 100/200 classes. Many a potential pre-med have been destroyed by it. Of those who graduate, the average GPA is about a 3.0. The grade distribution hasn't changed since the 1960s.
A high GPA and a high MCAT score is still a high GPA/MCAT score regardless of where you go.</p>
<p>The life of a doctor is one of constantly juggling schedules and working hard and long hours. If you are afraid of the challenge of a place like U of Chicago, then I would be afraid of having you as my doctor. There is no comparison between the two places academically.</p>
<p>I would take UIC, because it's a clearer path to your career and because of the cost savings. It is true though that you will still have to crank out the grades and MCAT score, but to me it seems easier to do at UIC.</p>
<p>I'm sorry if this comes across as obnoxious, but everytime I see this thread I think it has to be a joke. You should NOT base your college choice that heavily on the career you think you want at age 18. Do you know how many kids bail out of pre-med? Not just because they can't hack it, either. You might discover another passion totally unrelated to medicine. The opportunity to attend University of Chicago, with its faculty and the peers who would challenge you, should not be ignored. You are simply not going to have the same kind of college experience at UIC.</p>
<p>I would reiterate that objectively the chances of getting a high enough GPA to get into a decent med school (about 3.6) is about 25%, and that's not counting the fact that many premeds drop out because they can't hack the science courses. That percentage also does not factor in the chances of getting a high MCAT score. Therefore, I would pick UIC GPPA unless the chance that you would turn down a guaranteed acceptance into med school is more than 80%.</p>
<p>Thank you for all your help for everyone who posted! First of all, I did choose the GPPA program. I do understand that many people are unsure of their further education plans, but this is one thing that I am completely postive about, and the only decision to make was how I wanted to achieve becoming a doctor. This field is the one for me. I know what I want because I have spent most of my summers working in medical research and interning with different doctors and speciality departments.</p>
<p>The reason I did not choose U Chicago in the end, was sadly, the large financial burden so early on. :(( I thrive under pressure and absolutely love the challenge(stress means nothing out of the ordinary to me), but I did not have the heart to make my parents pay over 200 grand for my undergrad and then med school prices. I am very disappointed because U Chicago meant everything to me and the academic environment could not be beat. I will apply out for med school to see what other schools I might be able to get accepted to. Thank you again for your opinions!</p>
<p>P.S. The other plus side to UIC is the opportunity to have the time to study abroad and the possibility of doing research starting my freshman year, which means a lot to me.</p>
<p>I would be careful about listening to the people in threads like this. Some of these people are misinformed.</p>
<p>In regards to the UIC GPPA program, it is VERY VERY competitive. If you are guaranteed a spot now why not take it. If you go to U of C, you MAY or MAY NOT get into U of C or even UIC. UIC has a pretty good med school. </p>
<p>As far as the atmosphere, someone said U of C is more “fun”. LOL</p>
<p>Credentials of students admitted to UIC GPPA are typically higher than a general freshman admission credentials to University of Chicago.
Cheers
(…For an average student, the school matters whereas for brilliant students, only the student matters…)</p>