Which one is better for a pre-med?
bump!
They are both great schools, obviously. Are you a city mouse or a country mouse?
This online list expresses an opinion on your question, should you find its underlying criteria meaningful: “The Experts’ Choice: Colleges with Great Pre-med Programs.” Both schools are included, one as a Top Choice, the other as an Honorable Mention.
They will be very different experiences overall but the quality of the education you receive at Dartmouth and Penn wil probably be quite similar. Consider, however, that Penn does MUCH more research especially in the medical sciences and opportunities to partake in that research are abundant. Those experiences are often what set apart a good application to med school and a great one. Penn has the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia right on campus. Additionally, it has a lot of other institutes and facilities partaking in groundbreaking health research like the Wistar Institute. Furthermore, Philadelphia has plenty of other resources and opportunities to do research and there are many ways in which you can become involved in public health either through the City or NGOs in Philly. Pre-med students at Penn are also surprisingly collaborative and supportive of one another. They form study groups together and share notes- it’s a highly collegial environment. Finally, the preprofessional atmosphere at Penn is often a benefit to students who want to go onto professional school as you will definitely feel supported by the school culture. Penn’s career services office also has tons of advisors and resources available to students interested in Med school that you can take advantage of from your first day at Penn. If you have any questions about Penn, feel free to reach out- I’m happy to answer them. Good luck with your choice!
Which one has hospitals nearby to volunteer at?
Both do. Dartmouth Hitchcock is a stellar hospital. Dartmouth also has a calendar structure that enables some good chunks of time off for internships, research, and the like.
I think the decision comes down to where you would be happier for 4 years? Are you outdoorsy or a city kid?