Where to go?: HMC vs USC vs UChicago (Bio/Pre-Med)

College Search & Selection
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<p>Dear College Confidential Members,</p>

<p>The time has come, and I have decisions I need to make. Among the colleges I have been accepted to, I’m deciding from Harvey Mudd College, University of Chicago, and University of Southern California (College of Arts and Sciences). I’m also on the waitlist for Columbia, Rice, Vanderbilt, and Cornell.</p>

<p>Currently, I am wondering what school I should go to, and I would like your honest opinions on this. (I don’t think I have a very high chance of getting off the waitlist for Columbia, but on the off-chance that I do, it would be nice if someone could comment on this school.)</p>

<p>Below is some info about me, and some of my thoughts on the schools:</p>

<p>• I am interested in Biology, and I would like to pursue the Pre-Med track, or possibly Pre-Pharmacy. I may also want to pursue research, but I definitely want to go to grad school and pursue a PhD, hopefully an MD/PhD. Out of the schools above, I’m looking for a school that will help me not only to get into med school, but also prepare me well for it. I would like to go to a place where professors actually care and have time for me—a place where what they teach is actually relevant to the real world. Also, while I know that I need to study hard in college, I don’t want to go to a place where my GPA will be bombed and ugly—I still want to go to grad school.
• I got into the Thematic Option program and Freshman Science Honors program at USC—any input on this?
• Financial aid is currently not a factor.
• I adapt very well to almost any environment, but I generally prefer a smaller school.</p>

<p>I'm also a pianist, and I would love to possibly pursue a music minor in performance.
If you guys could help out, that would be awesome! Thanks!</p>

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<p>^bump please!</p>

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<p>As a PhD program feeder, USC is not in the same league as Chicago or Harvey Mudd. For per capita Bachelors-to-PhD productivity, Chicago and HM are both in the top 10 overall, and in the top 5 for Life Sciences, according to HEDSC 2010 figures ([COLLEGE</a> PHD PRODUCTIVITY](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/ir/phd.html]COLLEGE”>Doctoral Degree Productivity - Institutional Research - Reed College)). According to Washington Monthly data, USC ranks 128th overall by this measure (I don’t know how it compares in Life Sciences alone).</p>

<p>Chicago offers the small class sizes of a LAC. In fact, it has more classes <20, and fewer >50, than Harvey Mudd (<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/708190-avg-class-size.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/708190-avg-class-size.html&lt;/a&gt;).
Unlike Mudd, Chicago also gives you all the resources of a word-class research university (including its own medical school).</p>

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<p>I agree with everything tk21769 said. However, I dispute the relevance of “Unlike Mudd, Chicago also gives you all the resources of a word-class research university” for an undergrad degree. (I don’t dispute the fact! :stuck_out_tongue: ) Mudd has tons of research, and you don’t have to compete with grad students to get ANY of it. And with what you know and can do now, and for the next four years, you don’t need world-class research so much as you need any research. (I’m not saying you can’t get it at UChicago; I’m just saying you CAN get it at Mudd.)</p>

<p>Try reading a couple hours of posts from the UChicago threads and the Mudd threads and see which you feel is a better fit.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Yes, these two schools do ease the dilemma of choosing between a LAC and a research university. Mudd offers science research opportunities; Chicago offers small classes and a strong undergraduate focus.</p>