UPitt Honors or Boston University? (pre med)

College Search & Selection
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<p>Focusing on academics here, should I go to University of Pittsburgh Honors College or Boston University for pre med? </p>

<p>I want to have a high GPA for medical school. I hear Boston is rumored to have horrible grade deflation, meaning it will be difficult to earn a high GPA. Is it true that med schools weigh an applicant's GPA based on the school they graduated from? For example, if a Boston U graduate and a graduate from a much less prestigious school (e.g. Temple University, Drexel University) have the same GPA, will the BU graduate's GPA be weighted more?</p>

<p>In addition, will earning the same GPA at Pitt Honors or BU be around the same difficulty? Or will it be harder at BU? Apparently BU's pre med intro courses are purposely hard to weed out students. </p>

<p>Also, which school will better prepare me for med school (i.e. MCAT prep, volunteer opportunities, research opportunities, etc.)? </p>

<p>If anyone goes to or went to University of Pittsburgh or Boston Unversity, please help me on my decision! </p>

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<p>have you been accepted? what will they cost you, including loans?</p>

3

<p>Med schools only care about GPA, not where you got it. So, no, there won’t be any “extra weight” because you went to BU.
I’d go with Pitt Honors - lots of opportunities for research and professional experience in Health Sciences, prefential treatment.
But a premed’s first criterion should be cost: which will accrue the smallest debt?</p>

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<p>Pitt all the way.</p>

<p>Honors college advising from day one: <a href=“http://www.honorscollege.pitt.edu/health-professions-advising”>http://www.honorscollege.pitt.edu/health-professions-advising&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Undergraduate research: <a href=“About| site | University of Pittsburgh”>http://www.undergradresearch.pitt.edu/about/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Hospitals and Medical School on Campus: <a href=“http://www.medschool.pitt.edu/upmc/”>http://www.medschool.pitt.edu/upmc/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Also, grade deflation at BU: <a href=“USA Today Educate - Teacher & Student Resources & Guides”>USA Today Educate - Teacher & Student Resources & Guides;

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<p>pitt for sure… better all around experience (IMO)</p>

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<p>@jkeil911‌ Yes I’ve been accepted to both. Pitt is offering me a very generous financial aid package - $13,000 not including loans. Boston will be slightly more expensive (between $16-20,000), but still affordable. </p>

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<p>@quakerstake‌ Thank you for that article; it put me in new perspective. </p>

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<p>Definitely Pitt. As a whole as schools they are equal, but Pitt’s pre-med program is pretty tough to beat. Pitt’s med school is one of the world’s best and the school is less expensive. Don’t worry Pitt pre-med is plenty challenging. Bio I and II are weed outs and many pre-med freshman change their minds after those and the dreaded O-Chem. </p>

<p>Pitt grad here</p>