Best Pre-Med Undergrad Program?

[Premdmtsfn]

New member here, just got my college acceptances and to be honest I didn't get in ANYWHERE I really wanted. I'm not too crazy about any of these schools and needed advice as to which school would be the best for their pre-med undergrad program. The schools are:

Boston University
Fordham University
SUNY Stony Brook
Colgate University
Bucknell University

Any information would be much appreciated...

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[al112987]

Any school with good science depts that have a lot of research opportunities for undergraduates should do just fine.

 

[sunny1]

Any school with good science depts that have a lot of research opportunities for undergraduates should do just fine.

The only thing I would add to that is to minimize your undergrad debt if possible by selecting the school that fits the above criteria and also is the lowest cost to you.

 

[Premdmtsfn]

Obviously Stony Brook is the cheapest, but I don't think it's really "prestigious". Will med schools care that I went to a public school like Stony Brook over a private one like Boston University or Colgate?

 

[ryandote]

.

 

[-Goose-]

The above advice is bad, in my experience. Where you go for undergrad matters in the med school application process (probably more than where you go to med school matters for residency application process). I'm sure there will be disagreement on this (mostly by pre-meds), but I found it to be true during my application.

That being said, I'd minimize your debt load and pick the cheapest school unless there is a school that really stands out to you in terms of prestige, fun, or unique opportunities.

Good luck. Its a long road, but it is rewarding in the end. Have fun along the way. Never take life too seriously. Best advice is to work hard and play hard.

 

[Tired Pigeon]

Pick the school you think you'd feel most comfortable/happiest at. If you're in an environment that you really enjoy, you're setting yourself up to have a greater shot at success in your pre-med coursework.

 

[ejay1518]

its rele up to you. Stony Brook is the cheapest and they have their own medical shcool which is not bad. They also have a lot of research opportunities

 

[Bartelby]

The above advice is bad, in my experience. Where you go for undergrad matters in the med school application process (probably more than where you go to med school matters for residency application process). I'm sure there will be disagreement on this (mostly by pre-meds), but I found it to be true during my application.

That being said, I'd minimize your debt load and pick the cheapest school unless there is a school that really stands out to you in terms of prestige, fun, or unique opportunities.

Good luck. Its a long road, but it is rewarding in the end. Have fun along the way. Never take life too seriously. Best advice is to work hard and play hard.

Excellent advice.

 

[seraph524]

Best pre-med program doesn't exist. If you are good, you will thrive wherever you end up. That being said, I would pick the one that you are most happy with, and the one that is the cheapest...med school isn't cheap, might as well start saving now. Best of luck with your choice!

 

[ryandote]

.

 

[scarletgirl777]

New member here, just got my college acceptances and to be honest I didn't get in ANYWHERE I really wanted. I'm not too crazy about any of these schools and needed advice as to which school would be the best for their pre-med undergrad program. The schools are:

Boston University
Fordham University
SUNY Stony Brook
Colgate University
Bucknell University

Any information would be much appreciated...

The only school on this list I'm familiar with is BU, but I would say that I think that in choosing universities v. liberal arts colleges, universities often offer more research opportunities, that you should consider location because the location of a school can make it easier for you to find a diverse set of jobs and internships, and that some schools have better resources for helping students with these things, which can be helpful in building your resume for med school. I believe that BU is pretty solid on these things, but again I'm not really familiar with the others...

 

[biggiesmallsiz]

colgate. its terrific!

 

[medhawk1]

Interesting. I would say the opposite from my limited perspective (undergrad at a middle-of-the-road private school and currently a med student at a pretty decent public school in another state).

In both situations, I feel like your personal performance (GPA, MCAT, Step 1, research) FAR outweigh your institutional name. Theoretically, though, your undergrad school name would speak to the rigor or your undergraduate education, while your med school name might give you a leg up in the networking/LOR area.

$.02

I have to agree with ryandote on this one. What you do during your undergrad/med school years carries far more weight then the name that comes along with it. Having said that I recommend you go where you felt the most comfortable. A positive supportive environment does wonders for maintaining motivation to actually pursue great opportunities and good grades.

 

[CTtarheel]

Undergrad reputation matters, but all of those schools are more or less the same. Some things to consider:

1. Research (ONLY IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN DOING IT)
-bigger schools tend to have more opportunities/facilities but you also have to compete with the grad students.
(AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO RESEARCH IF IT DOESN'T INTEREST YOU!)

2. Advising
-not a bad idea to contact the pre-med adviser at each school and try to get a feel for how much they support pre-meds. Smaller private schools tend to do a better job at this

3. Cost
-you're looking at $150K and up of debt just from med school. You need to keep your undergraduate debt as low as possible. Having no undergrad debt will give you more options when you choose medical schools.

4. Location
-medical schools tend to be more familiar with the schools closest to them.

5. BEST FIT
-last and most important. Which school is the best fit for you? Where will you enjoy your next 4 years the most? I promise you that if you go somewhere that you're happy you'll get the best grades and make the best medical student you can.

Good luck, and don't be disappointed, you've got a bunch of great options.

 

[Isoprop]

ignore everything above and just stick to this:

1 avoid premed committees like the superplague.
2 the bigger the school, the better.

completely serious.

 

[ORTHO4ME]

New member here, just got my college acceptances and to be honest I didn't get in ANYWHERE I really wanted. I'm not too crazy about any of these schools and needed advice as to which school would be the best for their pre-med undergrad program. The schools are:

Boston University
Fordham University
SUNY Stony Brook
Colgate University
Bucknell University

Any information would be much appreciated...

colgate is pretty cool, fordham is more of a pwerhouse for business and law and is also smack in the middle of manhattan which is pretty cool. Bucknell is a big name as well.
I would choose colgate, probably the strongest academic experience out of all of them.

 

[skyeblue0610]

Go with which school fits you the best. I like the location but the school itself. On paper, the website, and structured tours a school can seem great. I went to all my choices on odd days and just walked around saying "I'm going to be here for 4 years, I better like/love it" and I do. I ended up going to the "cheapest" school out of my choices. And it's still not cheap cheap. BUT it has an excellent pre-med program. For a small school a lot of seniors are getting accepted in med school, even Baylor which is great for me I hope

 

[BrainBuff]

I have to agree with ryandote on this one. What you do during your undergrad/med school years carries far more weight then the name that comes along with it. Having said that I recommend you go where you felt the most comfortable. A positive supportive environment does wonders for maintaining motivation to actually pursue great opportunities and good grades.

I do not think the issue is how much more weight your performance in undergrad carries over the rigor of the school you are attending. Both things may go hand in hand. Why is it then that taking too many courses at a community college does not look good in an application to med school? A 3.2 GPA from University of Chicago is far more impressive than a 3.8 from your local state u.

Choosing a college with a good reputation and well known in the academic world would only enhance your application as long as you take advantage of all the resources it offers.

 

[medhawk1]

I do not think the issue is how much more weight your performance in undergrad carries over the rigor of the school you are attending. Both things may go hand in hand. Why is it then that taking too many courses at a community college does not look good in an application to med school? A 3.2 GPA from University of Chicago is far more impressive than a 3.8 from your local state u.

Choosing a college with a good reputation and well known in the academic world would only enhance your application as long as you take advantage of all the resources it offers.

This is because community collegesdo not grant BA/BS degrees. As I do not know of any community universities, in your example no, a 3.2 will not be more impressive. Your school name will not make up for a .6 GPA difference. The name will make you seem more attractive when compared against a candidate with similar stats, but it will certainly not make up for such a large discrepancy in GPA. I agree with the second half of your post, though with the caveat that you at the least find it bearable.

 

[BrainBuff]

medhawk1, I disagree with you here. The school in question could make up that GPA difference big time. U of Chicago is a very good example because most premed GPAs are around 3.2 -3.5 .The school is known for the rigor of the curriculum and also for grade deflation and it has a great reputation in the academic world.

On the other hand, it should be more than bearable. Being happy and at a good fit school, will likely translate into becoming a stronger applicant anyway.

 

[thierryhenry]

deleted

 

[DoctorDreamer]

OP, you've caught yourself in the classic debate of whether undergrad matters. Your personal performance will be far more important than your undergrad, so you need to go somewhere you can thrive. BUT, your undergrad will play a role.

A 3.0 at Harvard is not as good as a 4.0 at a state school.
A 4.0 at Harvard is better (ridiculously, and in their eyes, not mine) than a 4.0 at your state school.

Take that for what it's worth, go to college, enjoy your life, and do the best you can. It will all work out.

 

[vicinihil]

If you do well at a more prestigious university it'll mean a lot more than doing well at an OK one. Med schools factor school difficulty (pretigious-ness) into their formulations to equalize someone from Stony Brook and someone from MIT. I'm not sure if these numbers are published anywhere...might be private data. Either way, challenge yourself, go to the best school on that list...do well and kick ***.

 

[Chrissy]

Best pre-med program doesn't exist. If you are good, you will thrive wherever you end up. That being said, I would pick the one that you are most happy with, and the one that is the cheapest...med school isn't cheap, might as well start saving now. Best of luck with your choice!

The idea that if you are good you will thrive no matter where you go is cute, but simply and absolutely not true.

This debate has been beaten to death. Undergrad does matter, but will not make up for a poor performance. These comparisons of 3.0 Harvard vs. 4.0 state school are extreme and not helpful. If you go to an IVY and do well (>3.3) you will have a good shot at allopathic schools. A 3.3 at a state school and you probably will not. Off topic, but interesting i think, is also the fact that average MCAT scores at better schools also help make up for slightly lower GPAS. Just anecdotes, but I know many people who have gone from Penn to allopathic schools with as low as 3.2 and 34+ MCATS. Further, as others have stated, it is often the intangible factors that also make graduates of top schools attractive. A student at Penn will probably have a more interesting story talking about cutting-edge proton therapy vs. a student who spent 4 years watching fruit flies....just an example.

I agree that you should go where you ultimately feel most comfortable and where you would go if you weren't even considering med school. Good luck.

 

[EkLiLiaN]

The idea that if you are good you will thrive no matter where you go is cute, but simply and absolutely not true.

This debate has been beaten to death. Undergrad does matter, but will not make up for a poor performance. These comparisons of 3.0 Harvard vs. 4.0 state school are extreme and not helpful. If you go to an IVY and do well (>3.3) you will have a good shot at allopathic schools. A 3.3 at a state school and you probably will not. Off topic, but interesting i think, is also the fact that average MCAT scores at better schools also help make up for slightly lower GPAS. Just anecdotes, but I know many people who have gone from Penn to allopathic schools with as low as 3.2 and 34+ MCATS. Further, as others have stated, it is often the intangible factors that also make graduates of top schools attractive. A student at Penn will probably have a more interesting story talking about cutting-edge proton therapy vs. a student who spent 4 years watching fruit flies....just an example.

I agree that you should go where you ultimately feel most comfortable and where you would go if you weren't even considering med school. Good luck.

Don't forget that there are tons and tons of premed opportunities out there. And even if one attends a less prestigious school, you could take advantage of opportunities in many prestigious schools (there are many programs out there). I just think that no matter where you go, you will do great; just keep your eyes and ears open and work as hard as you can.

 

[surfstarj]

Best pre-med program doesn't exist.

For your list, this is pretty true. Your choices are all relatively the same prestigewise. Where are you from (rural, suburb, urban)? Because you've got colgate and bucknell in there that are the middle of nowhere, the other 3 are urban...think about that too when you are deciding. If you grew up in nyc or LI, you might not appreciate cowtown.

 

[malika]

ignore everything above and just stick to this:

1 avoid premed committees like the superplague.
2 the bigger the school, the better.

completely serious.

can you please explain your first statement.

 

[bcat85]

Heres the thing: You can get into ANY medical school in the country from ANY undergraduate institution. Does it help to go to harvard? sure. But its really sort of questionable whether the extra 100k to go to harvard over podunk state university is worth it. it certainly wasn't to me. I picked McKendree (a tiny NAIA school) over big, bad Washington University in St. Louis because they gave me a huge scholarship. If you do well, you do well, regardless.

 

[doomknight]

on a side note. whats the best pre-premed high school that will allow getting into the nice premed colleges?

 

[EyEnStein 07]

i THINK colgate probably has the best facilities.

 

[SamSt1]

Obviously Stony Brook is the cheapest, but I don't think it's really "prestigious". Will med schools care that I went to a public school like Stony Brook over a private one like Boston University or Colgate?

I had a friend who went to stoneybrook, and the undergrads there have an opportunity to do research at the medical school if they search for it. It's a good school for sciences/pre med/pre dental. especially if you're a NY res.

 

[Breazy]

Definitely go with Colgate. Someone said that it was in Manhattan earlier which is blatantly false (it's in Hamilton, NY - the boonies) but they're definitely the "best" in terms of name recognition from that list. And yes, med schools definitely look at the school's name to gauge how tough they are and how your GPAs compare to other applicants at other schools. Half of the advice about "it doesnt matter which undergrad you go to...just go where its cheapest" is total BS. Don't listen to it, unless cost is really that important (you'll be shelling out a lot more money for med school anyways).

 

[RySerr21]

If you arent going to Occidental College, its almost not even worth being pre med. by far the best in the nation in any category you choose.

 

[xanthomondo]

Isn't Bucknell like ridiculously expensive?

 

[deuist]

I can't comment on how "good" these schools really are. I will say that any university that has a medical school attached to it is a good bet. Also, I will agree with the statement that you should go to a very big school with lots of research opportunities.

Avoid premed clubs.

Don't pay too much for college. I don't know of too many doctors who were glad they went to expensive schools and now have a ton to shell out from their student loans. Just look at the list of universities that produce the most premedical applicants. Of the top 10 schools, most of them are state universities.

 

[Doctorverardoll]

colgate is pretty cool, fordham is more of a powerhouse for business and law and is also smack in the middle of manhattan which is pretty cool. Bucknell is a big name as well.
I would choose colgate, probably the strongest academic experience out of all of them.

Umm Fordham is in the Bronx, there is a campus in Manhattan, but the main branch is not.

That said they are all good choices. I know people that attended all those schools and have been successful. They are all pretty different, so it comes down to what YOU want. Urban or not? Small or large? While college is about prep for your next step (the MCAT and med school in this case), a lot of that falls on you. Pick where you think you will be happy.

I turned down Colgate, because I wanted a larger, urban school (and a scholarship (attended a large uni in Boston). It didn't have the same name power, but I got into med school.

 

[87138]

Isn't Bucknell like ridiculously expensive?

All of the Patriot League schools are ridiculously expensive.

 

[Arjuna]

New member here, just got my college acceptances and to be honest I didn't get in ANYWHERE I really wanted. I'm not too crazy about any of these schools and needed advice as to which school would be the best for their pre-med undergrad program. The schools are:

Boston University
Fordham University
SUNY Stony Brook
Colgate University
Bucknell University

Any information would be much appreciated...

With good stats, could you get into a top four medical school, if you graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park. Do you know of any matriculants? Any statistics? I havent found a single person on MDApps who was accepted to a top four school from UMDCP. Any thoughts??

 

[icarus8]

This is more or less a direct quote from an adcom at a middle of the road, private medical school:

He told us that it does factor in, in so far as an applicant from "easier" school X might be expected to have a 4.0 science GPA, whereas from a "harder" school Y might only be expected to have a 3.5 science GPA.

What I gathered from this is that the reputation of your undergrad can help you by a few tenths of a grade point, but it would have to be a big difference in the quality of the undergrad...

 

[xanthomondo]

This is more or less a direct quote from an adcom at a middle of the road, private medical school:

He told us that it does factor in, in so far as an applicant from "easier" school X might be expected to have a 4.0 science GPA, whereas from a "harder" school Y might only be expected to have a 3.5 science GPA.

What I gathered from this is that the reputation of your undergrad can help you by a few tenths of a grade point, but it would have to be a big difference in the quality of the undergrad...

I dont buy that - a lot of times at smaller, unknown schools students will pile on 5-6 classes per semester while at huge universities students only take 4 classes.

I sacrficed *name* for money, I came out of ugrad debt-free and never had that once mentioned against me during my applications/speaking to people/interviewing etc

The others at my school didn't have problems with the lesser-known name, either

 

[RySerr21]

just a comment about the research opportunities. im not sure why that got brought up b/c you didnt even mention an interest in research, but despite what some people believe, you do not need to go to a huge institution to find research opportunities. I go to a school with 1800 students, i've had opportunity be involved with research since day 1. if you seek it out you will easily find it. professors are excited to see students that are eager to learn and assist in a research project.

going to a small school has many many advantages and i can't really think of anything you'd be missing out on hat you would otherwise get at a big school. the pros far outweigh the cons man. but like others have said, go where you feel happiest. if it happens to be a big school, then great, i'm sure you will do fine! If it happens to be a small school, then that is equally as great. its all up to you. dont worry about the hype or the prestigue. if you do well, it wont matter.

EDIT:

I'm pretty sure Colgate is a college similar to mine, just on the opposite side of the country. If you go there i'm sure you will be more than pleased, its a fantastic school and it really is hard to beat a liberal arts education...i might be biased tho

 

[xanthomondo]

just a comment about the research opportunities. im not sure why that got brought up b/c you didnt even mention an interest in research, but despite what some people believe, you do not need to go to a huge institution to find research opportunities. I go to a school with 1800 students, i've had opportunity be involved with research since day 1. if you seek it out you will easily find it. professors are excited to see students that are eager to learn and assist in a research project.

going to a small school has many many advantages and i can't really think of anything you'd be missing out on hat you would otherwise get at a big school. the pros far outweigh the cons man. but like others have said, go where you feel happiest. if it happens to be a big school, then great, i'm sure you will do fine! If it happens to be a small school, then that is equally as great. its all up to you. dont worry about the hype or the prestigue. if you do well, it wont matter.

not to mention that when youre doing research at a small school vs a big school you might actually do something meaningful rather than being a dishwashing slave

 

[searun]

You are an annoying little pre-med wannabe that gives pre-meds a bad name.
Whining about some really good schools. Pre-meds deserve their bad name but you will definitely add fuel to the fire. Why do you want to be a little douche- b#g?

Personally, I would go to Colgate, one of the top liberal arts schools in the country. But if you do well at any of these schools, you will be admitted to med school, assuming someone is willing to write a letter of recommendation and doesn't think you are a little douche b#g, which you appear to be. So your feelings got hurt because Princeton turned you down. I feel your pain, dude. If I were your dad, I would kick your whiny little b#tt.

 

[malika]

I can't comment on how "good" these schools really are. I will say that any university that has a medical school attached to it is a good bet. Also, I will agree with the statement that you should go to a very big school with lots of research opportunities.

Avoid premed clubs.

Don't pay too much for college. I don't know of too many doctors who were glad they went to expensive schools and now have a ton to shell out from their student loans. Just look at the list of universities that produce the most premedical applicants. Of the top 10 schools, most of them are state universities.

does this list of 100 produce pre-meds that later entered to med school or they just mentioned they are pre-med and unclear they got into med school?

 

[Cegar]

The school least known for its pre-med program will have the best pre-med program.

Why? The pre-med classes probably wont be ridiculously difficult weed out courses. You stand a better shot at earning a higher GPA.

 

[Manyac86]

This is a very limited sample size of 1, but:

I went to my state school on a full-ride and I feel the education I got out of here was excellent.

Biochemistry, physics, other class is the same material no matter where you go. If you put the effort in you will learn.

One problem about my very large school was I had to be careful to find a good teacher who wasn't an evil grader for some of my classes.

I think that at my school there were a lot of professors who basically thought of teaching as an afterthought. It was an obligation they had to fulfill but what they really came to work every day for was research etc. I think this is a pt for liberal arts schools. I think professors come there to teacher. However if the school is small there might only be 1 professor teaching a required class and said teacher might be a tough sob which will require you to work your butt off. The hardest classes I ever had were organic chem and intro english which were difficult respectively because I took teachers with high standards.

Another problem is that a famous name does not a good teacher make. I remember for intro chemistry my freshmen year I was placed in a class with a very famous and prestigious researcher and despite his best efforts to teach (teacher was a good guy and the TA also worked his butt off) I had to do a lot of book/self learning because I got little out of lecture.

About research, I think the comparison above about proton therapy versus fruit flies is unfair. All these researchers secured a grant. So whatever research you do it's going to be cutting edge work. The fruit fly, E Coli, other model organisms are an important part of advancing science. If the comparison is basic science (on the lab bench) to clinical then I guess you can find clinical by going to the school that has a medical school affiliation.

In the end, I got a high GPA at my school (not quite a 4.0) , years of research experience, a little clinical experience (was my fault for not pursuing this earlier). I also did very well on my MCAT (40+).

So I applied this year and got some interviews. What struck me is that at everywhere I went med students were disproportionately from more prestigious undergrads. Some of this might be because of the quality of students that said prestigious undergrads attracts but I think at least a good part of it is institutional bias. So anecdotaly I feel that there's an advantage to going to a more prestigious school. However the good students at my university succeed regardless (and I have friends from my school heading to Harvard med and Stanford med next year) but many of the slightly-more-middle-of-the-road students (those who got low 30's MCATS and 3.7+ GPAs but really didn't do anything too out of the ordinary to stand out) either don't get in at all or only to the state school/lower tier school. Maybe this is a problem everywhere but the students at the prestigious schools just know how to stand out a bit better. Personally I didn't do quite as well as I'd hoped but I'm still going to a good med school (as if there are non-good ones?) next year.

Wow, that was a rant. Hopefully it helped.

Oh ya, in terms of the schools above:

Assuming you're from NY, I think you ought to pick between your SUNY and your favorite liberal arts school. The SUNY will be cheaper ($$) and has an affiliated med school which could provide for clinical experiences and clinical research. The liberal arts school will be a smaller pond. The professors there came there to teach. You will have the more movie-esque college experience. Also I think that there is a certain degree of prestige at Colgate and Bucknell. Those are nationally known private schools. However it'll be expensive.

Also maybe you'll go to school for a few years and realize medicine just isn't for you but you really like business or engineering or philosophy etc. Enjoy school. Keep an open mind.

 

[cpants]

I go to a middle of the pack state medical school. Around half of our class went to our state schools. In the other half, the vast majority of us went to excellent private schools--the ivies and baby ivies, basically. There don't seem to be many people who went to mediocre privates or other state schools.

 

[icarus8]

I dont buy that - a lot of times at smaller, unknown schools students will pile on 5-6 classes per semester while at huge universities students only take 4 classes.

I sacrficed *name* for money, I came out of ugrad debt-free and never had that once mentioned against me during my applications/speaking to people/interviewing etc

The others at my school didn't have problems with the lesser-known name, either

I'm certainly not implying that going to a state school, or a smaller unknown school, prohibits you in any way or penalizes you during the admissions process. I do think, however, that an applicant from a notoriously rigorous undergrad gets a little benefit on their GPA; similarly, having a top GPA from a top undergrad will undoubtedly look better than having a top GPA at a less competitive school.

Just my two cents.