UIUC vs. UW Madison vs. UMinn (Biology/Pre-Med)

College Search & Selection
1

Hi guys!

I’m kind of torn between these three schools for undergrad. Keep in mind that my ultimate goal after undergrad is med school, so that should weigh into which of these schools I choose.

For UIUC, I’m in state and I was admitted for Biological Sciences. I am also LAS James Scholar, but I’m not sure if that even matters at all.

UW Madison is the most appealing to me in terms of campus and location. I was also admitted for just Biology. However, I would be paying full out of state tuition, which is pretty much the only deterring factor for me right now.

UMinn is the cheapest option for me. I received the National Gold Scholarship so I only pay in state tuition for UMinn (Which is quite a bit cheaper than UIUC in state tuition). I’ve heard that CBS at UMinn is quite prestigious and has lots of resources.

In addition, after the grueling college admissions process, I was waitlisted by Emory, WashU, Cornell, Vanderbilt, and Georgia Tech.

Should I pursue some of my waitlist schools harder? I am aware that they are quite a bit more prestigious than the state schools I mentioned, but I know this isn’t necessarily a big factor for medical school?

If my ultimate goal is medicine, what do you think my best course of action would be?

Any opinions would be appreciated,

Thanks!

2

Prestige means little for med school acceptance. It’s about GPA, MCAT scores, and medical/research-related ECs.

What is your net cost of attendance at these three unis? Will you need to take out loans? Have you been accepted into the Honors college at any of the three?

It’s unlikely you will be accepted from the waitlist at any of the unis, and if you were, you would likely be full pay.

3

They are all very good state flagships with excellent biology programs Go with the cheapest.

4

Bump