Compare Cornell, Penn, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, U chicago

[Bounty]

Hi everyone,
I am trying to figure out where I will be applying and since I cant apply to a million top schools, I wanted to narrow those down.
What do you guys think of these 5? Honestly, I probably wont be able to get into ANY of them but I want to pick a couple to apply to and I was wondering what you guys who have visited thought.
Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[moo]

Personally, I would apply only to Penn, Cornell and maybe Chicago out of these. Hopkins is in a horrible area (yes, Chicago's in a bad area too, but it looks like such a cool school), and location is VERY important to me. I don't care if it's ranked number two, and I really don't care about the name. However, this is just my opinion.

 

[rxfudd]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by moo:
•Personally, I would apply only to Penn, Cornell and maybe Chicago out of these. Hopkins is in a horrible area (yes, Chicago's in a bad area too, but it looks like such a cool school), and location is VERY important to me. I don't care if it's ranked number two, and I really don't care about the name. However, this is just my opinion.•••••Actually, the area right around U of Chicago is not bad at all. It's the areas surrounding THAT area that you want to be careful of...

 

[BlackPuma]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Bounty:
•Hi everyone,
I am trying to figure out where I will be applying and since I cant apply to a million top schools, I wanted to narrow those down.
What do you guys think of these 5? Honestly, I probably wont be able to get into ANY of them but I want to pick a couple to apply to and I was wondering what you guys who have visited thought.
Thanks!•••••vanderbild is keen on attracting any group that is non-white....so you might have a good chance of getting an interview and an acceptance...they have one of the lowest diverse groups in their class...

granted it is in nashville...

I HIGHLY Recommend, that you apply to as many schools as u CAN.....listen...when the time comes and u have a lot of interviews and acceptances...then you opt to not fill out other secondary applications, or opt not to go tothe interview

BUT, if you don't get in this year, then u might have to go through the SAME **** next year....which is like ten times worse!!!!

so heed my advice, apply to as many schools as u can...and when the prospect looks good, then don't fill out their secondaries, or don't go to the interviews.....

 

[Bounty]

hey watcha,
Im sending a PM...
B

 

[vyc]

it's hard to compare these schools and advise where you should apply bc we don't know your personal preferences.

for me, location was REALLY crucial. NYC is cool and i wanted to live there for 4 years, so i applied to Cornell.
Chicago is also a very cool city.

the other two schools aren't in as exciting cities as i would have liked.

but maybe location doesn't matter to you, so you'll have to discriminate in some other way.

i would say DO NOT apply to as many schools as possible bc it will be a huge waste of money. do some research on the schools beforehand and apply intelligently, with a wide range.

i've said this a million times before but range is more important than quantity. and you will save so much money and time that way.

good luck!

 

[Thewonderer]

If you want to maximize your chances of getting in.... then

if you have very good research experience, consider Hopkins and UChicago.

if you have very good GPA/MCAT, consider Vandy, Hopkins, and Penn.

and if you don't think that you stand out in the above categories, then consider Cornell (Cornell just tends to interview and accept people who are slightly different).

 

[mluk]

bump

 

[Bikini Princess]

if you have very good research experience, consider Hopkins and UChicago.

if you have very good GPA/MCAT, consider Vandy, Hopkins, and Penn.

and if you don't think that you stand out in the above categories, then consider Cornell (Cornell just tends to interview and accept people who are slightly different).[/QB][/QUOTE]

Actually, you'd be surprised. Often schools which have high matriculant gpa's will be more interested in a low gpa applicant, since this applicant won't affect the average much.

Conversely, low-gpa schools often pass up out-of-state applicants with a low gpa, since they are trying to balance out all the in-state applicants who had sub-optimal gpas...so they may not be so keen on out-of-state applicants with gpa's comparable to theirs. Strange but often true.

 

[TommyGunn04]

I agree with moo. I really dislike Hopkins, and wish I hadn't wasted the application fee since I knew I wouldn't want to spend 4 years on their campus. I also hated Vanderbilt's "anal retentiveness," especially in the curriculum, so I didn't bother applying there. But I absolutely LOVED Cornell and Penn! Cornell is located in what is arguably the nicest part of Manhattan, and Penn has one of the coolest curriculums in the country! Plus, Philly is a pretty cool place to live.

 

[The Philosopher]

Man, Cornell is just beautiful.

But if you ask me, go with Penn. That place is gettin bigger and better every single year, even if the polls don't show it.

Great school to attend.

 

[Shammy]

IMHO, There is nothing "anally retentive" about Vanderbilt or its curriculum. The school is known to be one of the most laid back and student-friendly places in the country. The curriculum is undoubtedly traditional, but that's a small price to pay when you consider the average board scores and placements coming out of Vandy every year. The Faculty must be doing something right, and the social scene is top notch for a med school environment. Great place to be overall.