<p>In terms of getting into medical school on the east coast, which school is better? I got accepted to USC Keck School of Medicine - Global Health major, NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study (concentration: Global Health), the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor - undeclared major under arts and science, and UNC-Chapel Hill - honors program, in-state tuition, tiny scholarship, and international relations with a global health concentration. The cost is not very important. I would like to know which school is viewed better by the medical school admissions committee. Thank you!</p>
<p>If i’m reading your post correctly, you’ve already been guaranteed admission to Keck School of Medicine at USC as part of a BS/MD early admit program? That’s the clear runaway option here. All 4 of these schools have roughly equivalent undergraduate reputations but going to USC means you have already been accepted to medical school while attending UNC saves your family a lot of money.</p>
<p>I would go to USC unless you strongly prefer UNC-Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>USC does not have a BS/MD program; the OP was admitted to an undergraduate program offered by USC’s medical school. </p>
<p>UNC has the best public health school in the country behind Hopkins and would fall in my second tier for global health along with Yale, Columbia, and maybe U Washington (Emory, Tulane, JHU, and Harvard are tops). UNC students also have access to the excellent global health courses and research at Duke. Combined with in-state tuition and a very high quality of life, Chapel Hill is the obvious pick.</p>
<p>Lest this offend any Michigan posters, it should be noted that the OP did not post a version of this thread on the UNC forum, where I otherwise would’ve responded.</p>
<p>Top schools of Public Health:</p>
<p>[Best</a> Public Health Programs | Top Public Health Schools | US News Best Graduate Schools](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/public-health-rankings]Best”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/public-health-rankings)</p>
<p>Michigan isn’t exactly chopped liver in Public Health. Of course that wasn’t mentioned by a Dukie either. Of course instate to UNC is the best choice here for the OP moneywise.</p>
<p>
I was explaining why I believed UNC to be the best choice; Michigan’s ranking was irrelevant as UNC is considerably cheaper and at least as good in that area. I wasn’t implying that Michigan’s program was bad, though if it makes you sleep better at night to correct that, feel free. I am fairly certain I have never spoken ill of Michigan, and if you choose to attack me based on the college I attended, that is your prerogative. </p>
<p>Doesn’t it get tiring carrying around that chip on your shoulder?</p>
<p>Warblersrule, the OP has stated that cost is not a factor. He is more interested in placement into Medical school. Where medical school placement is concerned, Michigan seems to have better success than NYU, UNC or USC at placing students into top programs:</p>
<p>WUSTL Medical School (matriculants since 1995):
Michigan: 48
NYU: 14
USC: 13
UNC: 11</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins Medical School (current students)
Michigan: 12
UNC: 9
NYU: 4
USC: 1</p>
<p>Michigan Medical School (current students):
Michigan: 193
NYU: fewer than 12
UNC: fewer than 12
USC: fewer than 12</p>
<p>If cost is not an issue, I would go for the school that fits the OP best, keeping in mind that Michigan does have its own top ranked medical school which gives high priority to its own undergrads.</p>
<p>
While cost may not be a handicap to the OP, I am not sure it should not be a factor. (And I’m willing to bet his parents would agree.) </p>
<p>UNC is in many ways a smaller, warmer version of Michigan – we are not talking about, say, UNC vs. Barnard or Michigan vs. Reed. With a price tag differential of over $130,000 over four years, I’m struggling to justify that amount of money. That would cover the entire cost of medical school at UNC Med!</p>
<p>USC and NYU are admittedly much more urban than UNC, and someone who thrives in a big city environment may prefer one of them. I must admit a strong bias for college towns, however, and as someone from a low income family raised to be frugal, I wouldn’t consider either worth an extra $170,000. YMMV. </p>
<p>
Really, I’m surprised that you would throw out numbers devoid of context like that. </p>
<p>(1) Michigan has more than twice as many med school applicants as any of the others. </p>
<p>Michigan 774
…
UNC 360
NYU 294
USC 278</p>
<p>(2) Matriculation numbers say nothing about admit rates. </p>
<p>If Michigan placed 48/100 at WUStL but USC placed 13/13, which school is doing the better job? Without knowing the full context of these numbers (how many applied, what their GPA and MCATs were, etc.), enrollment numbers are nearly useless. </p>
<p>(3) Michigan has a lot more OOS students than UNC.</p>
<p>Although the median incomes for Michigan and NC families are very similar, Michigan has a much larger contingent of wealthy OOS students. (This is especially true since UNC, like UVA, meets full financial need for OOS students.) OOS students are also more likely to be high performing students and have higher MCAT scores. </p>
<p>A comparison between Michigan and the two private universities is more fair, as both USC and NYU have more of a national draw. </p>
<p>I remain skeptical that a student at Michigan with the same MCAT and GPA as a student at one of the other colleges would have a better shot. For that matter, I think students/CCers place too much emphasis on attending top medical schools. Aside from getting into academic medicine or a competitive field like dermatology, my impression is that where you get your MD often matters very little, even in terms of getting a residency position. How many of us know where our doctors, dentists, etc. did their degrees? That’s a different debate, though.</p>
<p>As you know, I have a great deal of respect for Michigan, and were the OP a Michigan resident, I would immediately reverse my position. Heck, if the OP were OOS for both, I might favor Michigan over UNC. As it stands, though, I feel strongly that UNC is the best bang for one’s buck here.</p>
<p>Warblersrule, I will preface this by saing that most of your information in the post above is accurate. I definitely agree that UNC is the best bang for the OP’s buck. If money is a factor, even in the least, UNC is far and away the best way to go. But to many families, $130k is not significant. If it is, I definitely think the OP should take UNC and not look back as it is as good an option as any. </p>
<p>I also agree that my placement figures were (gasp) shameless! 
Ok, so it was an intentionally low jab on my part, I am big enough to admit it. Medical schools do not place too much weight on where applicants completed their undergraduate studies, but some universities are definitely better at preparing undergrads for medical school than others and Michigan is famous for its premed advising. Whether or not it is better than the other three schools under cosnideration in this thread is pure speculation.</p>
<p>The only part of my post that was accurate was the part on admission into Michigan medical. Michigan medical definitely prefers its own. This said, NYU, UNC and USC each have their own excellent medical schools, each of which probably favors its own alums just as Michigan does.</p>