<p>im starting to look for colleges and wondering, wat r some of the BEST, premier undergraduate schools for medicine (schools that would help the most with grad school).
my guidance couselor just recommended that Boston University has a good med program which i just found out about. I kno Columbia and Upenn obviously have good med, even if they dont have programs. Im also thinking about NYU... so if some1 could be so kind and PLEASE BE A BIG HELP and tell me what you think, especially if your experienced. Heres a list of schools at which i will most likely end up at one of them. BTW... i have 99 average (UNWEIGHTED, not inflated), and an SAT of about 1450 (out of 1600), i find out that in May 31st.</p>
<p>Columbia University
University of Pennsylvania
Boston University
New York University
Syracuse University
Cornell University
John Hopkins University</p>
<p>i should be able to make a good amount of those... so wat is ur take on those schools and undergraduate med?!?!!?... anything would be a big help, THANX =D</p>
<p>I assume that you are talking about being pre-med.</p>
<p>Since it seems that you have very good stats, at least academically, you should go to the school that fits you best - the one where you feel you can accomplish the most, while still having a great time. Admissions to medical school are very competitive (a whole different level compared to Undergrad) regardless of where you graduate from, and the "benefits" of going to a prestigious undergrad school are small to non-existant. It matters far more what you do while you are at these schools (ie GPA, MCAT, LofR, volunteering, research, campus involvement, etc.)</p>
<p>well... i live in New York, and absolutely am in love with new york city, so Columbia U and NYU are at the top of my list. Columbia is at the very top, i may do early decision. after seeing their campus, im stuck on them. so, i want to be in the city, but that mite distract me from the various activities and studying which may be a downside. i was just asking to see if any1 knew from experience whether they liked a certain mentioned college. Maybe wat colleges prepare u best for the MCAT, or which colleges have the MOST OPPORTUNITIES for volunteer work and research???</p>
<p>MCAT prep is an individual thing. It may be possible to find stats on average MCAT scores from a certain school, but it is going to be difficult to tease out what impact came from the school, and what came from the type of student population they have. Columbia and NYU are going to have a different student population compared to syracuse.</p>
<p>Hard to quantify opportunities for volunteer work - find a hospital and see if they have openings. Same thing for research unless the schools have specific undergraduate programs aimed at getting students into research (my alma mater, Nebraska, had such a program that offered a lot of money for a two year commitment with the first year aimed at assisting a prof with their research, and the second aimed at the student doing their own research).</p>
<p>My advice to you is put together a list of places you are interested in - even a tiny bit, talk with your parents about what is reasonable in terms of price and trim down your list accordingly. Put together a list of characteristics (like size, location, intramurals, greek system, big time college sports, etc) that are important to you. Then research your schools, put together a list of questions (a good one might be what type of research opportunities are there for undergrads) and then visit all your schools. The one where you most at home is where you should go - you'll probably be able to tell which school it is, even if you can't explain why.</p>
<p>although i am speaking with very little actual experience (yet), premed seems to be what you make of it, if you can get into any one of the above mentioned schools (Washington St. Louis and Duke are also known for their premed "programs"), you'll just have to decide which school suits you best; personally, i found wash u to be too laid back for me, just not my style, and enjoyed my stay at Duke much more</p>
<p>People make too big a deal out of "premed programs." Honestly, choose the school you will be most happy in. I certainly wouldn't choose a school based on the strength of its intro bio or chem class. Let's face it, premed is basically just 4 classes + a few more optional ones.</p>