UVA or CWRU?

College Search & Selection
1

I have narrowed down my college selection to these two school, but am having an incredible amount of difficulty picking between them. I intend on majoring in either anthropology or chemistry on a pre-med track.

I live in Virginia, but I got a significant scholarship from CWRU, so the cost of both schools is very similar. Both schools (I believe) are equally prestigious in the eyes of medical schools as well. Traveling from Virginia to Ohio is not a huge issue either.

On one hand, CWRU is located right next to 3 well-established hospitals, and students are welcome to volunteer, shadow, and conduct research in these hospitals- which is a huge bonus. Another plus of Case Western is that they have a student-run EMS organization, and although I am not certified yet, I could get certified through the university easily. This is something I would love to do, and would also be helpful when applying to medical school. The main issue I had with Case, however, is the overall “vibe” I got from campus. The students there seem a bit more “nerdy,” and not in a fun, “being smart is cool” way… I know I would find my “group,” but I didn’t feel that there were many people quite like me there.

UVA, on the other hand, also has an established hospital, although there is only one of them. I’m not sure how easy it would be to volunteer, shadow, or conduct research there, but I’m assuming that at least getting a volunteer position shouldn’t be impossible. Research at UVA is of course present; however, it may not be as easy to get involved as it is at Case. Additionally, the EMS of Charlottesville is not student-run, and I do not believe it is as accessible to get certified as it is in Cleveland (correct me if I’m wrong). In my opinion, UVA does have a great “vibe” though, and I felt that I fit in a bit better there…

Overall, both schools are great. CWRU may provide me with more opportunities to prepare me for medical school; however, UVA has the student body that I love. I’d appreciate any insight you have to offer. Thanks!

2

Getting certified as an EMT is no more difficult if you do it outside of the college than inside. The course is a simple one that usually lasts a bit less than a semester (around 2.5 months). Charlottesville offers several, including one offered by the university - NUIP 4004 (here: https://carsrescue.org/classes/). The class is by application, but if you commit to volunteering with the EMS for 2 years you are more likely to get in.

The fact that UVa offers a class implies, to me, that many UVa students volunteer with the EMS service in Charlottesville.

The biggest difference with a community EMS (versus a student-run one) is likely the commitment to run 12 hours a week including summers and holidays. Many student-run EMS services do run through the summer; it doesn’t appear that CWRU. I’m sure that in a college town Charlottesville’s EMS has navigated that before, with some students heading home or to internships during the summer. It’s probably a question you’ll want to ask.

But a pro is that the CARS in Charlottesville will have professional/career EMTs and service providers as well as students, so you can learn side-by-side with some more experienced members of the profession.

I don’t think you’ll necessarily have better or more opportunities that will prepare you for medical school from CWRU than UVa. UVa is a well-respected university that sends lots of kids to medical school every year, and they’ve got a page on their pre-health advising site about how to gain experience (http://career.virginia.edu/gpsa/pre-health/gain-experience).

If you fit in better at UVa and enjoy the vibe better, I think you should go there.

3

Wow! I really appreciate all of that information! I just got back from both admitted students’ days, and I’m thinking that CWRU might have done a better job communicating all of the opportunities to students than UVA did, which may have sparked some bias, haha. Thank you!

4

There are actually two hospitals in Charlottesville. Sentara Martha Jefferson is the other. I’m sure they have a volunteer program as well. You should look at the site juillet provided as information.

Of note, schools like Davidson (which is a LAC that does not do much R&D compared to a research university and is located in a pretty small town) have excellent pre med reputations and have produced quite a few doctors per capita. The research you are looking for is more a guided project with a professor than the big federally funded studies. You might be overthinking the pre-med angle. Lots of schools, including those that don’t have medical schools or hospitals, can have great pre-med programs.

5

Case Western Reserve and UVA were both on my shortlist, and I am also pre-med. In the end, I realized that it would hardly make a difference as to which would better prepare me for med school admissions, so I let the overall experience dictate my choice. In the end, the larger school in the smaller college town with the better weather won me over :slight_smile: