Hey everyone! I recently got denied from my number one choice (Vanderbilt) and am looking for reasons to attend the other schools I have gotten into. I am looking forwards to double-majoring / studying biochemistry and neurosciences while on the premed track. I also want to look into minoring in Spanish as well as computer science if at all possible. I want to know what Wisconsin could offer me and if it’s a good choice. I don’t necessarily mind the partying but reputation / prestige does concern me a bit with this school (I don’t want anyone to look down on me because I attended a party school). Any input is welcome. Thanks!
UW offers comprehensive majors and therefore no minors. You need to focus on only one, possibly two, majors regardless of where you attend college. With intentions of becoming a physician you also need to take certain required classes. You also need to get top grades. To get into medical school the prestige of your undergrad institution does not matter as much as your performance.
In real life no one cares about where you went to school. Your competence and ability to think matter. UW’s party reputation means nothing in the workplace or education. Those who party too much also do not survive the rigors of the academics. The caliber of the academics does matter and UW has it. Plus, there may be partiers but there are plenty of students who do not. And- some other elite or prestigious schools make those lists.
Get over your perceptions. Consider the academics at each school you get admitted to. Realize that in college you take many breadth courses but only delve deeply into one, perhaps two fields. You need to choose a major that truly interests you, not the major du jour that is popular for premed students. Consider your major not just as a stepping stone for medicine (any major will do, btw) but as something you can be passionate about. You cannot guarantee that you will get into a medical school, you need a viable plan B.
You should investigate the UW Honors Program.
Once you are in college (anywhere) you will continue to mature. You will discover what your like and want to do. Get over the prestige factor. Every top tier school has pros and cons and different campus cultures. A large school like UW has enough students to satisfy many different personalities. It also has stellar academics for those who desire them.
“while on the premed track”
There are hundreds of universities in the US that are very good for premed. However, if you want to keep open the possibility of going to medical school, then you need to budget for a full 8 years of university, with the last 4 years being particularly expensive, followed immediately by low paying residency. I know of very good top specialist doctor’s who went to relatively affordable undergrad and medical schools who are still paying off loans more than 10 years after graduation.
As such we cannot give you a sensible reply without considering the cost of attendance.
I see in another thread: “I am OOS for UW-Madison”
As such it is hard to believe that it is actually the most economically sensible option. I think that to give you reasonable advice, we need to know your state of residency, and should see a full list of schools that you have been admitted to, with the total cost of attendance for each and the total loan amount that you would need to take on for each.
Finances trump all. Do not count on any free (scholarship money) for any of it. There is a reason many elite students attend their state flagship. You will find the caliber of students at UW to contain many much more brilliant than you believe yourself to be.
1 reason to attend UW-Madison, because you want your degree from UW-Madison.
Also, as wis75 said there are no minors at UW. There are certificates, and in order to earn a certificate in Spanish you must be a Business student.
Good luck with your decision
In my honest opinion (albeit limited and probably ignorant), I find that the quality of education far outweighs the cost, that said, finances aren’t a large issue for me. I mostly care about whether or not I can achieve excellent education at UW - Madison within biochemistry / neurosciences. I’m currently applying to the honors college, hopefully I get in as it would 100% seal-the-deal for me. Also, for those who did / are knowledgeable about premed, does Wisconsin offer good advising as have a good retention rate for premed (how many students tend to switch their majors / tracks).
“finances aren’t a large issue for me”
If you have $600,000 sitting in the bank waiting to pay for university, then you are probably nearly okay for 8 years wherever you want to go. However, if this is the case, you could alternately pick different excellent schools, pay for 8 years of university, and also buy a small house.
Right now there are students getting an excellent university education and paying $70,000 per year. There are also students getting an excellent university education (at schools that send a significant number of students to top medical schools) and paying $15,000 per year without any need based aid.
If you are in the top 0.1%, then yes you don’t need to consider this stuff.
There is a pre-health advising office https://prehealth.wisc.edu/
For information on your intended majors you can look at Guide http://guide.wisc.edu/undergraduate/
Please spend some time on the UW website, for instance, regarding Honors. https://honors.ls.wisc.edu/ Honors at UW is not a separate college, it is a program, that students can do as much or as little as they choose. One can graduate with Honors in the Liberal Arts if one completes the breadth and depth requirements for Honors program; it is not a program which creates a “school within a school.” My son loved his Honors work, and it was a mechanism which allowed him to have seminars of 20 students starting in freshman year with professors doing ground-breaking research. There is also an undergrad research program which one can apply to https://urs.ls.wisc.edu/scholar-application
Biochem, as a major, can be done at the College of Letters & Science or at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Neurobiology is a major within the College of Letters & Science.
@Shaun1234567: To which other schools have you been admitted/applied ?
You say you want to minor in Spanish. Even if you cannot “minor” and call it such officially, you can of course take the same number of courses in Spanish. When you look to leverage your coursework in Spanish for your resume, the real issue is whether you can say you are “fluent” or “proficient” in Spanish, not whether you have a minor on your transcript (the same is true for graduate school—the question is whether you can actually read/speak a foreign language, not whether you took courses in it).
Down the road as a physician, being proficient or fluent in Spanish may help you in applications for certain residencies or jobs. I would focus on that aspect.