Help me pick a college for premed: Loyola vs UIUC vs UMichigan

[21debark]

Hi everyone,

I am interested in pursuing medicine as a career. As a high school senior, I am trying to pick a college for premed track. Which of these colleges will increase my likelihood in getting accepted into a medical school?

-Loyola University, Chicago, IL
-University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL
-University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

All schools have pros and cons - like size of school (Loyola is smaller), and the tuition (UM is expensive), but I am not sure how the education is in these institutions.

Any help will be appreciated!

Thank you,

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[RespectTheChemistry]

All of them are excellent.

The particular undergraduate institution doesn't really make you more or less likely to get accepted to med schools.

I would certainly encourage you to think about lifestyle. Make sure you are deciding on a place where you'll be happy for 4 years because 4 years is a significant chunk of time. I'm from Illinois and had friends from high school who went to UIUC. I remember them mentioning that, especially in the early years when your classes are in all different buildings/departments, that the buildings are really far away from each other and getting from place to place takes up a huge amount of time there. Something to think about.

A con of UMich is the cost, as you mention, which is not to be taken lightly, especially given compounding interest.

I will be honest and tell you my sole reason for choosing the college I did was that it was what I could afford, so in a lot of ways my decision was easier. Ultimately, it's a big decision that's up to you, but I wouldn't base your decision based off eventual med school acceptance, especially given that they are all quality institutions that will give you a good education and won't, on their own, increase your odds of medical school acceptance.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Obnoxious Dad]

Here's the freshman class profile at Michigan:
Workbook: FY_Profile (umich.edu)
Here's the freshman class profile at Illinois:
Freshman Class Profile, Illinois Undergraduate Admissions
Here's the freshman class profile at Loyola Chicago
Loyola at a Glance | Freshman Class Profile | Loyola University Chicago Freshman Class Profile: Loyola University Chicago (luc.edu)

I assume you are an Illinois resident. If you want to go to medical school and will have to pay out of state tuition at Ann Arbor, I would avoid Michigan. Yes, Ann Arbor is a nice college town. However, the admissions data at Michigan are stratospheric and you will have to compete against stellar students for grades. When you apply to medical school, admissions officers aren't going to cut you any slack because you have a degree from Michigan.

Unfortunately, Champaign may be the dreariest college town in the Big 10. U of I is, however, well regarded in the life sciences. You should be able to find research opportunities on the U of I campus.

Loyola, as I'm sure you know, is beautiful and it has its own medical school. If you have the brain power to get into Michigan as a nonresident, you should be able to get high grades at Loyola. If you get aid that reduces your tuition to U of I levels, Loyola might be a good choice.

 

[Banco]

Well look at cost, location, and general happiness/fit first.

For pre-med you need to do well GPA wise no matter where you go. Big flagship state universities have more resources for research/extracurriculars, but also have more competition because there are more pre-meds in general. Michigan is a fantastic school with an amazing medical system - but then again you'll have to compete with students that have on average with higher stats. School prestige does matter to some extent, but it won't make up for bad grades. On the other hand if you go to a prestigious school and do really well, you reap the benefits. So you have to assess how strong you are academically.

U of Illinois is probably the best compromise for you cost and resource wise but again, we don't know your motivations/goals/financial situation.

 

[TabbyTuxy]

Also consider that Ann Arbor has a very competitive housing market with surprisingly high rent for the city's size. There are sizeable income disparities at UM undergrad, and many students (most OOSers) come from affluent backgrounds with no problem paying huge prices for apartments near campus. If cost is a concern, you may consider how renting in your last 2 or 3 years of college could impact your quality of life. Many students have to live in older houses with a large group.

However, quality of education at UM is excellent. There is significant competition for hospital volunteering, etc. as many students are premed. Research opportunities abound.

Note that while UM med school is better ranked than Illinois or Loyola, going to undergrad at UM likely won't boost your chances of admission since you'd still be out of state.

Essentially, UM is very fun and I think is the highest caliber education on your list -- but I am not convinced it's worth the price tag. Especially if you will carry your debt to med school too. Go where you will have a good quality of life at a good price and don't look back.

 

[candbgirl]

Sometimes at this point, it’s just a gut feeling of which school to select? Have you visited all three campuses? Which one can you see yourself being happy at. UIUC overwhelms me because of the size. I can’t imagine trying to get around, especially the first few semesters. Michigan is huge too and expensive. And Loyola is flat out beautiful sitting right on the lake. And you can get a great education there too. But it’s lots more than UIUC.
So we are back to how you feel, how comfortable you feel on each campus , will you be happy , where do you see yourself being successful and which school will help you get to the next level of your dream?
Good luck as you choose.

 

[21debark]

All of them are excellent.

The particular undergraduate institution doesn't really make you more or less likely to get accepted to med schools.

I would certainly encourage you to think about lifestyle. Make sure you are deciding on a place where you'll be happy for 4 years because 4 years is a significant chunk of time. I'm from Illinois and had friends from high school who went to UIUC. I remember them mentioning that, especially in the early years when your classes are in all different buildings/departments, that the buildings are really far away from each other and getting from place to place takes up a huge amount of time there. Something to think about.

A con of UMich is the cost, as you mention, which is not to be taken lightly, especially given compounding interest.

I will be honest and tell you my sole reason for choosing the college I did was that it was what I could afford, so in a lot of ways my decision was easier. Ultimately, it's a big decision that's up to you, but I wouldn't base your decision based off eventual med school acceptance, especially given that they are all quality institutions that will give you a good education and won't, on their own, increase your odds of medical school acceptance.

Best of luck to you!

Thank you for your input! I will take that into consideration when making my decision.

 

[21debark]

Hi everyone,

I am interested in pursuing medicine as a career. As a high school senior, I am trying to pick a college for premed track. Which of these colleges will increase my likelihood in getting accepted into a medical school?

-Loyola University, Chicago, IL
-University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL
-University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

All schools have pros and cons - like size of school (Loyola is smaller), and the tuition (UM is expensive), but I am not sure how the education is in these institutions.

Any help will be appreciated!

All of them are excellent.

The particular undergraduate institution doesn't really make you more or less likely to get accepted to med schools.

I would certainly encourage you to think about lifestyle. Make sure you are deciding on a place where you'll be happy for 4 years because 4 years is a significant chunk of time. I'm from Illinois and had friends from high school who went to UIUC. I remember them mentioning that, especially in the early years when your classes are in all different buildings/departments, that the buildings are really far away from each other and getting from place to place takes up a huge amount of time there. Something to think about.

A con of UMich is the cost, as you mention, which is not to be taken lightly, especially given compounding interest.

I will be honest and tell you my sole reason for choosing the college I did was that it was what I could afford, so in a lot of ways my decision was easier. Ultimately, it's a big decision that's up to you, but I wouldn't base your decision based off eventual med school acceptance, especially given that they are all quality institutions that will give you a good education and won't, on their own, increase your odds of medical school acceptance.

Best of luck to you!

Thank you for your input! I will take that into consideration when making my decision.

 

[21debark]

Sometimes at this point, it’s just a gut feeling of which school to select? Have you visited all three campuses? Which one can you see yourself being happy at. UIUC overwhelms me because of the size. I can’t imagine trying to get around, especially the first few semesters. Michigan is huge too and expensive. And Loyola is flat out beautiful sitting right on the lake. And you can get a great education there too. But it’s lots more than UIUC.
So we are back to how you feel, how comfortable you feel on each campus , will you be happy , where do you see yourself being successful and which school will help you get to the next level of your dream?
Good luck as you choose.

Thank you for your input! I will take that into consideration when making my decision.

 

[21debark]

Also consider that Ann Arbor has a very competitive housing market with surprisingly high rent for the city's size. There are sizeable income disparities at UM undergrad, and many students (most OOSers) come from affluent backgrounds with no problem paying huge prices for apartments near campus. If cost is a concern, you may consider how renting in your last 2 or 3 years of college could impact your quality of life. Many students have to live in older houses with a large group.

However, quality of education at UM is excellent. There is significant competition for hospital volunteering, etc. as many students are premed. Research opportunities abound.

Note that while UM med school is better ranked than Illinois or Loyola, going to undergrad at UM likely won't boost your chances of admission since you'd still be out of state.

Essentially, UM is very fun and I think is the highest caliber education on your list -- but I am not convinced it's worth the price tag. Especially if you will carry your debt to med school too. Go where you will have a good quality of life at a good price and don't look back.

Thank you for your input! I will take that into consideration when making my decision.