Northwestern (Pre-Medicine) UG vs UIC GPPA

[whatsupdok]

I am currently a senior who has been accepted to both NU's undergraduate program and the UIC GPPA program and am having difficulty deciding between the two.

Northwestern:
-One of the best universities in the country
-Would provide me with an incredible undergraduate experience in and out of the classroom.
-Major: biological sciences or cognitive science. I understand that there are many research opportunities at NU as well.
-The amount of financial aid that I have been offered is absolutely mind-blowing as the cost for tuition for myself would be incredibly low.
-Would be rooming with and hanging out with my 2 closest friends from HS

UIC GPPA:
-Guarantees a seat in UIC's medical school, granted that one keeps a certain GPA (I believe 3.5) and a certain MCAT score (TBD as the required score will be based on the new MCAT). Generally, these requirements are not too difficult and the school is not only lenient but also offers advising to those who struggle to meet the program's expectations
-Major: Biological Sciences but may switch to something in the humanities not certain
-Undergraduate experience will definitely not be as rich as NU's
-Financially speaking, would be paying the same FOR UNDERGRAD if I were to go NU.

The thing is, since UIC med school is a state school and would offer me in-state tuition, go to their med-school would be incredibly cheaper than most other medical schools, around $30K for tuition. If I were to enroll in this program, I would be guaranteed a fiscally speaking cheaper med school while having an exceptional educational experience (I know it is not Johns Hopkins Med School but it is still a great program)​

-Can use AP credits to shorten the program to 3 yrs if I wished to
-Could apply to other medical schools after finishing my undergraduate degree while still holding my spot in the med school. So basically, in theory, I could be rejected by all the schools I apply to and STILL have a spot guaranteed in a medical school to fall back to.

The biggest thing for me is that UIC's UG pales in comparison to NU both in and out of the classroom. But then again the offer a guaranteed spot in medical school is hard to turn down. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thanks!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[efle]

Northwestern would by my choice. A cheap, extremely high quality college experience is not something you should pass up for a backup acceptance at an MD school, and the medical applicants coming out of Northwest meet with a TON of success in getting into med schools, including some of the very best ones. I believe Northwest accepts a good deal of APs as well to give you some flexibility with going abroad etc.

My .02

 

[Adjet]

I would say UIC GPPA is be the better option. You will be able to enjoy your undergraduate experience so much more without the pressure of medical school admissions. NU might look like an ideal place initially, but all that goes down the drain quite a bit when things get serious and you end up spending a lot of time studying & resume padding. And the fact that you can apply out means that you don't have to resign yourself to UIC if you can do better (which isn't to shabby to begin with). Costs also seem to line up (you can take a year off UIC if you have enough credits) with the relatively cheap medical school etc.