Where to go for undergrad???

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>I am currently attending a community college in Illinois and will transfer with an A.S. degree in Fall 2010; I am also a pre-med/biology major.</p>

<p>With months of research behind me I have finally narrowed down my list of schools to apply to. These schools include:
1. Bradley University
2. Illinois State University
3. University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign
4. Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale
5. University of Illinois @ Springfield
(I also may apply to some out-of-state schools, but I am still researching this)</p>

<p>I think these are all suitable universities for me and I have found many pros and cons of each. I would dearly love to hear from other members with their opinion of these schools. I'm not an athlete, so I don't even consider that when considering schools. I would like the academics to be challenging enough, but also manageable for my personal level (I admit that I'm not a rocket scientist, but I'm not dumb either) so that I might maintain the highest possible gpa (to gain entrance into medical school).</p>

<p>I am particularly concerned about reputation. Does anyone know anything about these schools? Class size and teacher interaction are also very important to me. I have never been in a class (high school or community college) with more than 50 people and I think I may prefer the smaller classes. I also have always enjoyed getting to know my professors. I know that UIUC has large classes. What has been your experience with large classes? Did yo ufind them manageable? I think, more or less, I am simply afraid of something with which I have no experience.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Bradley University: They have a very good success rate for their pre-med students getting into medical school. Also, they have smaller classes and many opportunities for undergraduate research. But, they mostly only have regional reputation.</p></li>
<li><p>Illinois State University: They have a nice department and also opportunities for undergraduate research. The classes are a bit larger (60-120), but I think they would be manageable, and they rely less on TAs for teaching. However, this school is not as well known for their biology department.</p></li>
<li><p>University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign: Nice campus and academically rigorous. VERY large! The core classes for biology majors are very large (500+), and they rely on TAs extensively. Research is available for undergraduates, but I am told that positions are very competitive and that I am probably at a slight disadvantage as a transfer student. My main concerns with this school are the HUGE class sizes and whether or not I could keep up a high gpa because of this. I consider myself a very hard worker, but nonetheless I have the fear of the unknown in me. I simply am not sure how I could manage such large classes. The student body here I think is much more competitive than the other schools, so perhaps it would be much more challenging?</p></li>
<li><p>Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale: I no longer think this is the ideal school for me. It didn't seem as rigorous, and was very laid back. I think, on average, the student body is not as motivated. This school seemed to be more geared towards preparing blue-collar type workers (nothing wrong with that, but not quite what I'm after). They also have a party reputation, and I beleive it. Yes, almost all universities have party reputations, but the reputation here is quite bad. Also, in Illinois they have a reputation as the school for students who are less motivated and simply want to party.</p></li>
<li><p>University of Illinois @ Springfield: This is my back-up/safety school; I am more interested in the other schools I mentioned. They definately have small classes, but I am not as interested in their biology department and research, they are not as well funded, and the campus is nearly non-existent. In Illinois, most people have not even heard of this school.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Please, anyone, comment!!! I love to hear from everyone, and I value everyone's opinions! I am applying to these schools, and I think that I have a very good chance at getting into any of them. I would like to make a decision regarding which one I would most prefer to attend. Your comments will definately help my decision! Please comment your heart out! Thank you! </p>

<p>Oh, and I am concernded about school image/reputation and how that might impact my chances at getting into medical or graduate school. Any comments on this??? </p>

<p>Which school would be better for getting into medical school? Do any of these schools have a good reputation for medical school placement?</p>

<p>Let me give a scenario, and please comment:
Student A: attended Bradley University (not as well-known), 3.9 gpa, extra-curriculars, and more reserach than student B.
Student B: attended UIUC (very well-known and close ties to the medical school), 3.5 gpa, some extra-curriculars, and some research.
Which student stands a better chance at getting into medical school? The student from the more reputable university (but with less extras) or the student from the lesser-known university?</p>

2

<p>For getting into medical school does it matter more where you went or what you did?</p>

3

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<p>Frankly, it doesn’t matter what any of us think of these schools. What matters is how good of a fit each school is for you.</p>

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<p>Don’t be. As long as they are all appropriately accredited, are not community colleges, offer all the pre-med required courses, and provide pre-med advising, they will be fine.</p>

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<p>Make a choice based on best fit. “Fit” includes cost, quality and availability of advising, location, housing options, school culture, and anything else you can think of that might matter to you over the course of 4 years.</p>

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<p>The consensus here at CC seems to be that school reputation may count for something, but if it does, it doesn’t count for much. There are things on your application that are far more important - grades, ECs, research, essays, MCAT score, how well you interview, when your application was complete, etc.</p>

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<p>Assuming everything else is equal? (Which, by the way, is not likely.) I’d say Student A.</p>

4

<p>I understand that what matters most is which school is a good fit for me. However, I consider myself a generally adaptable person. I can imagine myself being happy, and hopefully successful, at any of these schools. I simply am inquiring what other people think, and if they have any knowledge regarding the school’s reputations. I do not think there is any harm in this. My ultimate goal is to go to medical school, but if that doesn’t work out I want to go to graduate school. I do know that graduate schools place more emphasis on where you went than medical schools. I think I have the right to be concerned about choosing the right school. After all it is a major investment and commitment.</p>

<p>Does anyone else care to share their opinions on this matter, and in response to my original post?</p>

5

<p>Wherever you go, make sure that you will take your medical school pre-reqs at a 4-year college. If you have taken them at a community college, it is better to take them again (if possible) at a 4-year college; alternatively, take higher-level science courses.</p>

<p>Just my $0.02.</p>

<p>Hmm…It appears that you have researched UIUC. Is their Bioengineering good for premed? Some one asked me about this (how would I know!) not long ago but I did not know how to answer it or even dare not to give them my subjective opinion (as it would be irresponsible for me to do so.)</p>

<p>I know I am biased here, but in general, I think BME or Bioengineering are not good for most (but not all) premed students, unless they are from one of the top schools (e.g., JHU, Duke, Rice – and maybe a couple of others). UIUC is a top state school, but their Bioengineering department seems to be not that well-established as compared to the BME programs at some other top schools. So I have a mixed feeling about it.</p>

6

<p>So, if I have taken General Chemistry at community college, but I take Organic Chemistry (which is more difficult) at a 4-year unversity, will that be okay? I am probably also going to take some higher level chemistry electives for a chemistry minor. I would think that if I take some higher level chemistry courses at the 4-year university, the admissions committees could then see if I was a good student and perhaps it wouldn’t matter as much that I took my first year of general chemisty at a community college. Is this valid or flawed reasoning?</p>

7

<p>Student A would definitely win. Reputation would only tip the scales if it were a case of all things being equal. As shade said, it never is. I would say no to Organic chemistry making up for it, yes to higher level chemistry electives. Either way, if those were the only two pre-req courses that you took it won’t make a big diff unless you totally bomb your other pre-reqs.</p>

8

<p>Not a flawed reasoning if you do take two semesters of inorganic chemistry in the end. Please be aware that people may change their plan. An example: DS came to the college intending to be a chemistry major but changed his mind after only 1.5 year. Non-chemistry majors often hesitate to take any upper-division chemistry classes.</p>

<p>I vaguely remember that some schools in Illinois are somewhat strange in that some schools there would recommend a student to take one semester of organic chemistry only, followed by one semester of Biochemistry, which is considered as equivalent to Organic Chemistry II. But this is not true for most medical schools in other states. So it is better to consult with some local expert there (e.g., premed advisor at your current school or your future school.)</p>

<p>BTW, shades_children is much more qualified than me to answer your questions as he has been there and done that. (I am just a parent of a premed student who is a few years ahead of you.) So, please read his post above with care because there are many good advices in his post.</p>

9

<p>…there is a lot of good advice in his post*</p>

<p>“advice” can’t be plural. I think I’ve seen the mistake before in other threads, so I’m just throwing it out there. (sorry :()</p>

10

<p>Thanks! I will definately look into what the medical schools I am interested in require for chemistry. I think the ones that I have looked at so far have requred the usual 1 year general chemistry + 1 year organic chemistry, and many recommend biochemistry.</p>

<p>Does anyone else have an opinion on any of these schools and how they could affect my chances at medical school? Like I have said, at this point my top three choices would be UIUC, Bradley, and ISU. In other forum posts most people have indicated UIUC is the best option. Does anyone else agree or disagree with this? If so, why?</p>

11

<p>Would UIUC perhaps be the better choice because of their reputation? I went on the websites of some of the medical schools I am interested in (mostly located in the midwest :)) and I notived many students did their undergrad at UIUC. Of thsoe from Illinois, only a few were from other universities. Perhaps this has to do mainly because of the superior size of UIUC. However, ISU is still fairly large, but I couldn’t find nearly as many students who went there for undergrad. What do you think in regards to this?</p>

12

<p>It has to do with the superior quality of UIUC students, not its size.</p>

13

<p>Quote:“It has to do with the superior quality of UIUC students, not its size.”</p>

<p>So, do you think a motivated student could do well anywhere they choose? My “back up” plan is to go to graduate school, and I have read that they place much more importance on where you went for undergrad than medical schools. Is this true?</p>

14

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<p>Yes. Absolutely.</p>

15

<p>Do you think it is better to go to a university where it is less competitive? Would it be better to choose a university where I would be (perhaps) a little above average rather than a university where I would be average or even below average?</p>

16

<p>I have seen huge advantages for a star student to go to state school vs elite. They are treated like real stand out stars with opportunities that are not available to general student body. I heard it from others also. However, do not underestimate the fit of specific college to your needs. This seems to be the most important factor, you will live there for 4 years.</p>

17

<p>Thanks MiamiDAP! However, I am not necessarily considering very elite schools. UIUC is certainly about as close to “elite” as I have selected. But, it is not Harvard, Princeton, or Northwestern. Would it be advantageous then for me to perhaps attend a tier 3 school such as ISU or a master’s tier 1 school where I know I would be a little above average? In comparison to UIUC where I will be average (at best)?</p>

<p>Thanks so much!</p>

18

<p>IMHO, there are pros and cons to go to a more competitive school and also there are pros and cons to go to a “not so elite” school. It all highly depends on the individual and eventually it depends on yourself to decide how you are going to present yourself to adcoms. In the end, you need to be a “good enough” student at a “good enough” school. My subjective interpretation of “good enough” schools: They are the top 200 schools in the nation. These top-200 schools will likely have enough resources to enable you to be successful if you take enough initiative to take advantage of them.</p>

<p>You in general want to go to a school where you are sort of competitive there. You definitely do not want to go to a school where you are overwhelmed and unhappy because of it.</p>

<p>A “close-to-elite” school like UIUC may have more resources. But you should not be in a situation that you are under too much pressure (due to the academic rigor of that school) to take advantage of the more abundant resources. On the other hand, if you go to a “lesser” school, you may need to fight harder to get the (relatively) scarce resources (but maybe fewer strong competitors to compete with you for the resources) – in rare cases, you may even need to look for resources (mostly for your ECs) outside your home school.</p>

<p>It is all about “fit”. You are the most qualified person to decide which of these schools will be a “better fit” for you.</p>

<p>I hope my view on this is a balanced one. (Some may disagree with me though.)</p>

19

<p>When you refer to top 200 schools - how are you determining which are the top 200?</p>

20

<p>Some people consider ranking, we did not pay any attention to it. It seems to be a little on superficial side in terms of decisions making. When school gives you a ton of advantages right up from the beginning, you know that they want you, it is very good indication that you will be valued there. If, in addition, you feel very comfi there, that will definately indicate a good choice. However, be prepared for some adjustments to your expectations no matter where you go, be flexible in your plans. To support my points, here is my D’s example. Her current school was #2 on her original list of colleges. School gave her tons of Merit scholarships covering tuition, she got accepted to Honors and very selective program (10 spots for incoming freshmen) there. She absolutely loved location and campus. All this combined made her to decide on this school and not go to her #1, where she also got huge Merit $$, but did not get into similar program and did not care much for location. She keep saying that her choice was perfect for her. Make a list of your priorities, see which school fits it better and where you feel more appreciated right from the start.</p>