University Minnesota Twin Cities vs. UM-Wisconsin Pre-Med Path

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Minnesota
1

<p>Before we begin, I just wanted to let my fellow peers know that this is my first post. </p>

<p>About Me: I am a high school student in Nebraska. My family income would qualify as average making the the generic middle class student. I will be going to college soon and I just wanted some advice on which university was better based off of my interests. My top two colleges of choice are University Minnesota and UM-Wisconsin. As a student, I am fairly exceptional and I know I will get into both universities. My SAT/ACT scores are decent as well as my 4.20+ GPA. I have a variety of extracurriculars and outside activities that I participate in. I am not concerned about getting in, I am concerned about which one will be better for my future. As the title suggests, I plan to follow the Pre-Med path and I was wondering if I could get some information on which one is a better university to attend. That is not my only deciding factor when I choose a school though. Below I have listed what qualities in a University I am look at. Please tell me which college is better for pre-med and which one satisfies my liking. Also I would really appreciate what sources you used to answer :DD</p>

<p>Qualities:
Very strong study abroad program - Europe especially.
An entertaining campus/surrounding area - whats goes on in these places? Campus atmosphere and activities is a HUGE deciding factor.
Strongest Per-Med path
Many opportunities in the medical science fields such as internships
Parties and Greek Life - I want to chill down in college
Merit of the college - I want to graduate from a college with some prestige
Honors Program - what are the benefits of each college
Dorms</p>

<p>Feel free to discuss any other strong qualities of the college I shoud know about. I really appreciate it. DANKE SCHOEN!</p>

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<p>Well the likeability factor im not gonna comment cause they are both likeable to your nature but UMW being a good party school. But for pre med it won’t matter between these two schools. Med Schools will mostly just look at your GPA and MCAT and some ECs.</p>

3

<p>The financial aid will be much better at UMN than it will be in Wisconsin. If you are from out-of-state Wisconsin will most likely offer you only loans and you will have to pay OOS tuition. If you are a good student and go to UMN you can get in-state tuition and also various scholarships. If you are NMSF or NMF you can get $10,000 or so a year. With the cost of med. school being what it is, low debt from undergrad is really a good thing. All your other criteria would be met by both schools. UMN does have a very strong study abroad program, you can check it out on their website. It can be hard to go abroad if you are pre-med because of the course work. Take as many APs as you can in high school and get the gen eds out of the way.</p>

4

<p>MedKumJ - I lived in Madison for my first 18 years, moved to the Twin Cities for college, and moved back to Madison for a job post-college. I think I’m qualified to answer most of your questions :)</p>

<p>Study Abroad Program - Hands down goes to Minnesota. The Learning Abroad Center is a great resource and programs generally accept credits easily. Also, Minnesota has a culture that studying abroad is almost deemed a part of the college experience, whereas I do not get that feeling in Madison or from my friends who attend/ed Madison.</p>

<p>Campus area - Winner is: Minnesota. While Madison is a great town, with some fun things to do, you can do all of those things in Minnesota too, with a lot of additions. Very similar climates, you get all of the same classic summer and winter activities, but the nightlife, music scene, and sports venues in Minneapolis is a step above.</p>

<p>Campus atmosphere - Draw. Madison itself is a college town, and the University has infiltrated the entire community. This has many merits and demerits - I personally did not like this. Minnesota is split into three distinct campuses, with an efficient transportation system between them. Campus atmosphere is what you make of it - whether you choose to be involved in campus activities, go to sporting events, etc.</p>

<p>Pre-Med path - Draw. Both institutions offer a quality education and access to opportunities. I know plenty of people from both Universities that have successfully been admitted to great medical schools and are on their way to becoming doctors.</p>

<p>Internships - Focusing on gaining experience through volunteer work and internships is great, and I feel that Minneapolis has a lot more non-profits to work with, which may be health/medicine-related (ex: One Heartland). As far as medical internships, I would say both cities have significant opportunity, as both areas have many hospitals. The Madison area also has Epic, a medical software company, if you are interested in health care IT at all. </p>

<p>Parties/Greek Life - Both Universities have had their share of recognition for party life, with Madison generally considered a bigger “party school.” I find that the Gophers party as hard as Badgers, its just that there are other things to do in Minneapolis, as opposed to Madison. Madison parties are in grungy basements, Minneapolis parties generally are on the main floor. Do with that what you will. Greek life is pretty prominent on both campuses, but easier to miss in Minneapolis, if you decide it’s not for you, with plenty of non-Greek activities and people to party with.</p>

<p>Merits - Both institutions will give you a quality education, particularly in the sciences. Minnesota, once considered to be the red-headed stepchild, in comparison to Madison, has gained a lot of ground in recent years. Test score medians are nearly identical, and Minnesota is actually significantly more selective, based on admission rate. ([College</a> Search - compare colleges and universities side-by-side](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board))</p>

<p>Honors program - Draw. Both are excellent.</p>

<p>Dorms - I feel that the dorms in Minnesota are pretty good. I was an RA and have seen all of the buildings - all are quite comparable. At Wisconsin, there are some great dorms - Liz Waters, Smith - but some really terrible ones, too - particularly the freshman dorms. At the end of the day, however, a dorm room is a dorm room and it’s all part of the college experience.</p>

<p>Cost - Out of state tuition at Madison is astronomical for a public institution ($24k yearly). At Minnesota, you’ll qualify to pay 150% of in-state tuition through the Midwest Student Exchange Program ([Midwest</a> Student Exchange Program](<a href=“Blog - Get Ready for College”>Blog - Get Ready for College)).</p>

<p>Anyway, viel Glück with your decisions. Just remember that no matter where you end up, it’s really the opportunities that you make for yourself that will determine your success.</p>

5

<p>Hands Down?? Actually UM and UW have nearly the same number of students doing study abroad in a year and UW has significantly fewer undergrads.</p>

<p>"New York University remained the leading sending institution, reporting that it gave academic credit for study abroad to 3,524 of its students. It was followed by Michigan State University (2,610), University of California – Los Angeles (2,371), University of Washington (2,349), University of Southern California (2,348), University of Minnesota – Twin Cities (2,347), University of Texas – Austin (2,322), University of Wisconsin – Madison (2,230), Penn State – University Park (2,181), and University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (2,116). Open Doors 2010 reports that 52 U.S. campuses, primarily large research institutions, awarded academic credit for study abroad last year to 1,000 or more of their students.(Open Doors-Institute for Int. Education)</p>

<p>Minnesota gets more applicants but UW still gets better applicants. But UM has closed the gap. UW has an avg ACT of 28.3 while UM is at 27.2 (Fall 2010). In 2001 it was UW 26.9 and UM 24.5. So UM is up 2.7 pts while UW is up 1.4. </p>

<p>All UW dorms are open to Freshmen. In fact they are by far the most represented group. The only exceptions are the Transfer dorm and a small all female co-op style dorm.</p>

<p>I actually have never been to a party in Madison that was in a basement except in frat party rooms. Most are above ground as most houses have multiple flats or apt units in them. But most social activity is still in the 50-60 bars and clubs that are in walking distance of campus. Thus instead of going to a club downtown and being with a mix of local accountants, Target buyers and other working people you are socializing with other students which I think is better. </p>

<p>Most surveys have rated Madison as one of the best places to attend college while I rarely if ever see Minny on any such lists. Especially when it comes to college sports and student/school spirit. This might be a foreign concept for internationals but in the US it’s a big deal. </p>

<p>The other items are probably OK.</p>