I am having a bit of a dilemma. I need to commit to a school in the next few days, but I am only down to 3 options.
To start: I visited the 3 schools and I really liked all of them. However, if I were to rank my overall impression, I would say it’s JHU < UVA < Vanderbilt. I’m from New England, so there is no financial incentive to go to UVA and my aid from the three schools is about equal. The distance from home is also not a factor.
For JHU: I think that JHU has some great opportunities and the name would look great for medical schools but I’m not a fan of the high-intensity environment. It’s also a bit on the small side for me.
UVA: I liked the school overall, but it felt predominantly southern and much bigger than I anticipated. I got into the honors program, so I think that I would be at a noticeable advantage because I would probably be in the top 10-15% and have a 3.8+ GPA, which would look great for medical school down the line.
Vanderbilt: Best atmosphere and opportunities in my opinion, but it seems that there is a lot of grade deflation and that may not be the best option if I follow through with the pre-med route. I would probably have a 3.5 GPA or so.
Do you think it’s better to be average at a school like JHU/Vanderbilt and take advantage of all of its opportunities or be at the top at a school like UVA (which is still an amazing school) and sacrifice some other opportunities?
I know that a lot of people who start out pre-med do not ultimately follow through, so I am trying to be open minded. I also know that GPA and prestige are not the only factors that contribute to a medical school application, but they are something to consider.
Has anyone else had to make a similar decision? Thank you for all of your input - I appreciate it!
Hi I feel like I’m somewhat close to you because I’m choosing between UT honors plan ii and Wustl and personally I think because you don’t like the environment at JHU that Vanderbilt or UVA would be better. One question is the financial aid for both schools? Is one a lot better than the other?
I think you should pick wherever you like regardless of GPA because I’m leaning towards Washu because of their premed, which like Vanderbilt is incredibly strong. Many washu students told me that most colleges count for the grade deflation and add a bump to your GPA, which I believe Vanderbilt would do as well!
In terms of prestige, all 3 are in the same ballpark and should be able to provide you all of the opportunities you would need to be a successful pre-med. I searched through some threads on this site concerning pre-med at each of the institutions (you should do this) - it seems like JHU/Vandy would be more difficult to maintain a good gpa because they curve their “weed-out” classes to a C+/B- average whereas it does not seem like UVA does this as much. So if you were picking on difficulty alone UVA might have the edge but if you really feel strongly towards one of the schools, that should certainly carry some weight.
I lived in new England for a while, and from what I saw, the whole country music scene is not widely appreciated there. I mean it was like they never heard it and had no interest in ever hearing it. While there is a lot more to Nashville than county music, if someone actually hated it Nashville might get on his nerves eventually. Baltimore would probably be a bit easier for most New Englanders to adapt to. But those are generalities…only the OP knows how flexible he is.
If you’re watching TV tonight, I’m guessing you’re scratching Hopkins off the list. The Hopkins waitlist better be pretty long, because they will probably be getting.more than a few de-commits.
Vanderbilt: Best atmosphere and opportunities in my opinion, but it seems that there is a lot of grade deflation and that may not be the best option if I follow through with the pre-med route. I would probably have a 3.5 GPA or so.
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That person who suggested going to Vandy and not worrying about GPA is WRONG.
Being “average” at your undergrad does NOT get you into med school. And med schools do not compensate for your “lesser” GPA. All you have to do is spend some time on SDN and you’ll see unhooked traditional applicants from big name schools with 3.5 GPAs with NO MD MED SCHOOL acceptances. (I am not talking about the URM and non-trad applicants…their situations are different).
Another problem with being “average” at your undergrad is that there is NO INCENTIVE for the profs to give YOU a glowing recommendation. When these same science profs are being asked by 100+ students to write med school LORs, who do you think they’re more likely going to write the glowing ones? Uh…that’s an easy answer…the TOP GPA students.
There is a mom (who I hope sees this thread) whose D went to a top school and applied this current app season. She had a good MCAT score and a 3.5 GPA. She applied to many med schools…at least 15, but I think more. Everyone thought that she would get into at least one MD school. SHE DIDNT EVEN GET an interview from any MD school. NONE. Not even an interview.
Traditional unhooked med school applicants need a 3.7 BCMP and cum GPA plus a good MCAT score to have a good chance for an acceptance at a US MD med school.