<p>Hey, I'm having a hard time choosing between these four schools for premed. Does anyone have any thoughts that would sway me towards either one?</p>
<p>I know that Williams does a good job getting you anywhere you want to go in general if you do your part at the college in terms of getting the grades and scores, but if you happen to slip up or have too low a GPA (which is apparently not uncommon based off of the stories I've heard about the intense rigor of the classes there), you're gonna end up wasting time there. I personally don't see myself as messing up too badly where I'll be in a bad position for med school, but I also have to weigh social life and extracurricular opportunities in Williamstown versus the actual difference the college will make in my chances of getting into med school.</p>
<p>I find Berkeley and LA to have a lot of great opportunities and a vibrant community and less so Chicago.</p>
<p>Right, I wouldn’t disagree… but there are a lot of benefits to having a city nearby too. </p>
<p>Now, do you think that I can be equally successful in applying to medical school from UCLA and Berkeley if I manage to stay at the top of the class?</p>
<p>My son is pre-med at UCLA. It seems like he has a great balance of social life and academics. There seems to be a strong community of pre-meds there. You also have the hospital right on campus so there are tons of opportunities for research and clinical experience. He is very happy with his experience. The So. Cal. weather has also been great.</p>
<p>I am not sure what deflation stories you have heard. The average gpa at Williams is actually over a b plus, around a 3.4. If you are pre-med, you will be in a lot of science and math classes. The bad news is, they probably, overall, attract tougher competition. The good news is that it is easier to get a solid A in these classes than in a typical humanities class (it is also easier to get a grade at b minus or below, of course, more dispersed grading scale). But really, if you want to go to med school, you can’t be an average student, anywhere. So long as you are slightly above average at Williams, in the 3.5-3.6 range, and do well on your MCATs, you will have plenty of good med school options. If you are prepared to make academics your primary focus and work hard, getting a 3.6 is not as hard as you might think. Getting a 3.8 or above, on the other hand, is VERY difficult. Fortunately, it is not needed unless you aspire to an elite (top ten) med school or Phd program or competitive national fellowship. </p>
<p>I think the prep for med school at Williams will be far better than any of your other choices, by the way. Yes, I am biased, but I did attend UChicago for grad school, and I’d pick Williams for undergrad in a heartbeat, so long as you are not personally opposed to a more rural setting or a liberal arts environment.</p>
<p>“DEFINITELY not UChicago, that’s where dreams die…”</p>
<p>This is sheer ignorance, I have to advisees at U of Chicago and they are doing quite well, so stop spewing about things you have no clue about.</p>
<p>Of your choices, I think it comes down to Chicago and Williams and it really depends what type of environment you are looking for. Cal and UCLA are great, but you do not get the kind of small classes/close advising you would at Chicago or Williams. Personally, I would opt for Chicago, but Williams would not be a bad choice. I would also rank your options in this order Chicago, Williams, Cal, UCLA</p>
<p>^ I stand by my statement that UChicago is NOT a good place for pre-med and neither is NU (if that’s any consolation…). GPA is all med schools care about, and these schools simply give pre-meds a harder time than they need to have. Same deal will Berkeley to a lesser extent.</p>
<p>I’d put it this way: Williams, UCLA, Berkeley, UChicago.</p>
<p>But these are all opinions, make your own choice.</p>
<p>Hmm… I actually AM aspiring to go to a top 10 medical school. That’s the problem. And I would think that it’s hypothetically possible to get to a top ten med school from either one of these colleges as I know that people have done it before. In fact, I’ve always heard that Williams would do just as good a job at getting you into Med School as top Ivies would. And that has made sense to me because of Williams’s reputation. </p>
<p>Where would be the best place to head if I wanted to get into a top med school such as UCSF, Stanford, etc.?</p>
<p>And also, as a note to what I said above that Williams would do just as good a job as top Ivies… Would a grad school look at a Harvard 3.8 and a Williams 3.7 and see the impact of grade inflation on the the Harvard GPA? I would unfortunately think not. This is all based on things I’ve heard.</p>
<p>if your aim is to go to a top 10 med school…this is a redundant question. go to where you are happy as you’ll do the best there. </p>
<p>I’m sure you know getting into med school itself is extremely difficult…getting into the top 10 in the US is considerably harder. If you have what it takes to put in that effort/drive/etc. for those top schools (VERY difficult again) it should not matter which school you attend as you would put in the tons of work/have the mentality to get that “4.0”. all four schools you listed are very competitive in difficulty, and all of them have great resources for a pre-med, meaning the choice should be your preference.</p>
<p>besides, no matter what school you attend, you still have to ace the MCAT (another beast), as a high score is a requirement and NOT an exception for those top schools. I have a feeling your mentality will change once you enter college/take the MCAT, but regardless, go to the school you are “happiest” and you’ll have the passion to do well.</p>
<p>Hmm, I don’t know about that. I know I’ll probably enjoy my time at Berkeley and UCLA the most due to the amazing social opportunities. But I don’t think that it’s a good idea to discount the excellent track record of Williams in getting their students to top medical schools as well as the attention, class size, and counseling. </p>
<p>Ephman, what would you suggest now that I’m telling you that I in fact do want to get to an elite medical school? In fact, one of my primary reasons to keep considering Williams is the support you get and the competitive edge you get from four years at Williams for getting into competitive programs (whatever they may be). If being competitive like that is hindered by such a difficulty to get higher than a 3.6, what’s the appeal of Williams over UCLA and Berkeley?</p>
<p>My advisees both hold A- avg’s at U of Chicago and neither grew up with any advantages (ie they are not rich kids). Also med school is competitive and pressure packed so you might as well get used to it. I certainly would not want anyone as my doctor if they are afraid to take on the challenge of going to the best school he/she can go to.</p>
<p>UCLA and Williams are also pressure packed and competitive and will prep anyone for a top medical school. This is not a matter of taking the easy way out, it’s a matter of finding the most efficient way of getting into medical school (which is not UChicago…) while still staying on par with other medical students.</p>
<p>What’s up with the hate on UChicago? it’s certainly a fine academic university and will no doubt prepare one well for med school.</p>
<p>i’ve seen a lot of talk about med school, but i’ve yet to see any evidence supporting said claims. There was actually a meeting at UCLA not too long ago that was titled “5 misconceptions about grad school” or something like that. I’m sure there’s a ton of misinformation going around.</p>
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<p>This seems to me to be the best advice given in this thread. Williams may send many people to med school, but that probably has to do with the people who are there are happy there. While it is rare, there are plenty of people who HATE their universities. They just can’t find school pride because they really wanted to go somewhere else. I’ve met a few people who do this, and their grades suffer. (yes this is anecdotal, but nevertheless my experience)</p>
<p>UCLA will prepare you well for med school, but so will the other schools. Decide where you want to go based on where you’ll be the happiest.</p>
<p>Hmm I think my now, it’s safe for me to weed out UCLA, and possibly UChicago. Berkeley has a better record of sending people to better medical schools both by percentage and by quantity than UCLA. But by question to Ephman is really key still.</p>