MIT versus UChicago versus Notre Dame- help!

[bailey42]

I apologize if there is already a thread like this one--it's been a while since I've been on here! Anyway...

I've recently been accepted to MIT, UChicago, and Notre Dame. I have known I want to be a doctor my entire life, and acceptance into a great medical school is extremely important to me. I know Notre Dame has a great pre-med program, but it's so hard to turn down UChicago and MIT. The only issue I have with these great schools is the notorious grade deflation that goes on there. Plus, UChicago doesn't have the best med school acceptance rate (I believe it hovers around 70%). The research opportunities at these schools, though, may make up for what I would potentially be lacking in UG GPA. I was wondering if any of y'all have any advice to give on this subject? I can see myself at all of these schools, but want to make sure I make the best possible premed decision. Thanks or any and all input 🙂

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[MegaProjectile]

I apologize if there is already a thread like this one--it's been a while since I've been on here! Anyway...

I've recently been accepted to MIT, UChicago, and Notre Dame. I have known I want to be a doctor my entire life, and acceptance into a great medical school is extremely important to me. I know Notre Dame has a great pre-med program, but it's so hard to turn down UChicago and MIT. The only issue I have with these great schools is the notorious grade deflation that goes on there. Plus, UChicago doesn't have the best med school acceptance rate (I believe it hovers around 70%). The research opportunities at these schools, though, may make up for what I would potentially be lacking in UG GPA. I was wondering if any of y'all have any advice to give on this subject? I can see myself at all of these schools, but want to make sure I make the best possible premed decision. Thanks or any and all input 🙂

Think carefully about that bolded statement. Med schools won't care if you graduated from MIT with a 3.4 GPA. They want good numbers ie above a 3.6 to be competitive. An applicant with a 3.6 GPA/32 MCAT from MIT/UChicago can get a bump over an applicant with the same numbers from some state school. But you have to meet a certain threshold.....

Also research won't replace abysmal grades. It's just icing on the cake on an already competitive application.

Bottomline, I'm not advocating choosing a school based on their grading policies but don't count on the prestige of your institution to save one's poor academic performance. Be ready to work hard.

 

[bailey42]

Think carefully about that bolded statement. Med schools won't care if you graduated from MIT with a 3.4 GPA. They want good numbers ie above a 3.6 to be competitive. An applicant with a 3.6 GPA/32 MCAT from MIT/UChicago can get a bump over an applicant with the same numbers from some state school. But you have to meet a certain threshold....

This is what is worrying me most. I know that med schools really don't care about where you do UG, and that the numbers are most important, but at the same time I do really love these schools. It will be a very tough decision to make. I mean, I plan on working hard at college wherever I end up. I just don't know at what point is it worth killing myself over my GPA at a place like MIT...

Or I could just go to my local state school on a full scholarship. It's always a back-up plan (even though I unfortunately really can't see myself at my state school--as great of an option as it would be) :/

 

[Mac Blade]

I was accepted at U of C and turned it down to pursue DI athletics at a large state school which is top 5 in my sport. Some days, I really regret not going to Chicago when I'm bored out of my mind in "tough" weed-out classes. I'd suggest going to either MIT or U of C. I have no doubt that I could have done well at Chicago, and I was not an MIT caliber applicant. You'll surely do fine if you chose the tougher road.

 

[indianjatt]

I'd go with MIT. I mean, when are you ever going to get the chance to go to MIT again.... It's just so high caliber that it'd be too difficult to pass it up, imo.
Plus, the opportunities are endlesss. I just can't see you passing it up, but then again, your GPA does matter. However, I'm quite sure that medical schools know the notorious standards of MIT.

 

[n3xa]

I felt safer walking around MIT's campus at night.

I've never been to ND.

 

[TriagePreMed]

I would only go to MIT if my goal was to do Engineering, Math, or Physics. Otherwise, I'd pick Chicago since it's still in the top 10.

 

[bailey42]

Thanks so much for the help everyone 🙂 Hopefully all turns out well.

 

[getdown]

As an UofC alum, I would suggest against going there. Yeah, you're going to have to work hard wherever you go but I felt they go out of their way to make things difficult for you. I also felt many of their science and upper level bio classes were more heavily geared for students planning on pursuing PhDs and not taught in a way that would be helpful to med students. You'll be reading tons of papers and thinking of ways to design experiments/test hypotheses unless of course you like that kind of stuff.

At the end it pretty much boils down to this: what is your end goal? If med school is your end goal ... go to a school that will maximize that opportunity. Once in a lifetime opportunity means nothing when you're holding a bunch of rejection letters. I can say this as I went through the app process twice. Of course this hinges on the fact that you're absolutely sure you're future is an MD otherwise these schools will increase opportunity in other fields, just not the medical field.

 

[NickNaylor]

Pick whatever school you get better vibes from. In all likelihood, you'll do fine regardless wherever you go.

If that's inconclusive, pick whichever is cheapest. I assure you you will appreciate graduating with minimal debt, because even if you're a genius you're going to have to go into more debt for medical school, if only because of living expenses.

If you can't pick that way, go to MIT. My experience has shown me on the interview trail that name absolutely has an influence, and the opportunities available to you there are world class.

 

[blh53]

If you've ever been to Notre Dame on a football Saturday then you would have already made your decision. Nothing like it in the world.

 

[Lil Mick]

I've met quite a few students at top medical schools or MD/PhD programs from MIT. Many students thoroughly enjoyed the research and the courses there (great if you want to do a dual degree program with medical school), and several were able to play varsity sports in college (not sure if that's your thing or not). A 3.5 from MIT with semesters of research, a good MCAT score, and letters of recommendation is not the same as a 3.5 at other schools, especially if you are looking at schools with quite a few MIT alums attending.

I turned down several top schools for a full scholarship to a less-rigorous school, and most of my courses were unbearably boring and rudimentary, as many of my classmates in the sciences and mathematics did not understand concepts in our courses. In retrospect, I think I should have gone to a harder school, as this would have prepared me to study for some of my medical school courses and given me the opportunity to discuss science without having to be a second teacher in my courses...

 

[bailey42]

If you've ever been to Notre Dame on a football Saturday then you would have already made your decision. Nothing like it in the world.

I'd love to see this 😀 Definitely one of the reasons I applied!

I've met quite a few students at top medical schools or MD/PhD programs from MIT. Many students thoroughly enjoyed the research and the courses there (great if you want to do a dual degree program with medical school), and several were able to play varsity sports in college (not sure if that's your thing or not).

I am hoping to apply to MD/PhD programs (as of now, at least). I'm planning on majoring in physics as an undergrad 😱 but we shall see if I end up changing my mind. For sure one of the pros of MIT. Again I'll just have to figure out what I think about the whole GPA situation. You are all very helpful, thanks again!

 

[IrishCalini]

I'll be graduating Notre Dame this May, so keep in mind that my experience may be a bit biased, and I can't compare it to MIT or UChicago fully since I did not attend those schools...

Looking back on my four years at ND, I can confidently say that I could not have made a better decision on where to go for my premed undergrad education. Their med school acceptance rate is top-notch (80-85% consistently year after year), the facilities are brand-new (which trust me, makes classes and labs easier), we have our own pre-med office and team which help you in the app process from day 1... Not to mention what with two regional hospitals near by (St. Joe's and Memorial) and a huge university emphasis on service (we even have our own service center - Center for Social Concerns), you will never be short of opportunities that look great on med school apps.

One fact also about ND that is VASTLY overlooked is the ease of double majoring, adding/dropping a major, adding/dropping a minor, even TRIPLE majoring. Take me for example, I'm SCPP (which is our science college's pre-med major) but then I'm also a vocal performance music major! Yeah...try pulling that off at any other college. So if you have other interests outside of medicine (which med schools totally dig by the way...), you don't have to choose! You can do both, which trust me, MANY people take advantage of.

And those my friend, are merely the academic reasons that I chose and love ND for pre-med...

Like I said, I may be biased, but this has been my own experience and I loved every minute of it. PM me if you have any other Qs about ND as you make this important decision

 

[dohlo]

MIT Graduate's Perspective:

I remember talking to a sophomore my freshman year when I told him I wanted to do Med School, and he looked at me and said "Why the F@#$ you come here? For that??" With that said, it is tough to pull of a good GPA at MIT, with class averages on tests often falling in the 40s and 50s. But they start you out with Pass/Fail first semester so you can get used to the system, and Med schools never see what you actually got. As far as grades, if you choose your major and classes smartly, and work hard in classes even though everyone may call them "easy" you should do fine. Physics is a beast and should not be taken lightly, although it is definitely possible. Also although MIT is thought of as Math/Science/Eng, there are great programs outside of these majors, and you have the ability to cross register at Harvard and Wellesley, so that is something to keep in mind.

There are also tons of research opportunities available, and you can probably find your way onto a publication before you graduate if you want. If you want to take a year of before applying, it is almost guaranteed you will get a good research job while you do that too.

Anyway, although its a hard school, and getting the grades are tough, I wouldn't trade a 3.9 at ND for my *ahem* lower gpa at MIT. Again I am biased, but I think MIT has provided a ton of opportunities academically, athletically, and networkly (this a word?). Plus whenever you tell people you go to MIT they look at you differently. I may be speaking from my high horse atop a pedestal, bit MIT is in a league of its own. GO THERE!

 

[Neuronix]

The research opportunities at these schools, though, may make up for what I would potentially be lacking in UG GPA.

A patently false statement imo. A 3.5 GPA is ok, but less than that is getting into dangerous territory. A 3.5 is very hard to achieve at those programs, especially in physics.

Full scholarship to the state school is what I would do imo. The last thing you need to do is start accumulating debt now.

 

[deleted357625]

MIT= Hot Chicks

 

[indya]

MIT= Hot Chicks

i'm aware that whenever MIT girls are mentioned this pic of MIT girls comes up, but still, I think it deserves another go:

 

[MilkmanAl]

A patently false statement imo. A 3.5 GPA is ok, but less than that is getting into dangerous territory. A 3.5 is very hard to achieve at those programs, especially in physics.

Full scholarship to the state school is what I would do imo. The last thing you need to do is start accumulating debt now.

Amen.

i'm aware that whenever MIT girls are mentioned this pic of MIT girls comes up, but still, I think it deserves another go:

Oh my God, you poor MIT bastards...

 

[Galenos]

Hey Indiya,

just love that bra-less chick on the right 😍

 

[WEF]

I would go where I was most comfortable. For me, it would be ND. I almost went to University of Chicago and in retrospect, I can tell that I made the right choice in not going there. I didn't particularly care for the area, and coupled with the grade deflation and other personal factor UC just isn't right for me. MIT is a great school. Most of the guys I know that go there (and simultaneously try to not be nerds) tend to meet up with girls from Boston College or any of the other colleges in the Boston area. Boston can be a lot of fun, but is also estremely expensive. In my experience, I would argue that MIT probably has the best opportunities out there, of any college. Some of the labs the have there are just incredible.
But for the best college experience I would go with ND. IMHO you should save the MITs of the world for grad school.

 

[bailey42]

You guys are all awesome thanks for the advice! As of now I'm leaning toward ND/MIT over U of C just based on location and quality of life, but we shall see. I found out I'm a candidate for an honors-type program at ND which is enticing, but I won't make up my mind for sure until I spend some more time at both schools visiting. Again I appreciate all the replies 😀

 

[MossPoh]

My friends that went to UChicago were almost all universely miserable when they were there, but are tremendously proud of their school.

My friends from Notre Dame seemed fairly happy with the school. I'm not sure about the whole premeds getting in thing because I think when you reach application time, the people who don't stand a chance are discouraged from applying. I went to big state schools and everyone I knew who was applying got in and they have way of manipulating the statistics. As far as the double and triple major thing....I always thought that was easy regardless of what school you went to. I was a German Lit. and Information Sciences and Technology major with focuses in usability engineering and linguistics but wrote a thesis on PACS implementation....It really wasn't that hard. I just signed up for the classes and got some papers signed.

All I know about MIT comes from my friend that does some recruitment for Apple. "How do you tell if someone went to MIT during an interview? Don't worry, they'll be sure to tell you...again and again and again"

There is one for every school with it, but still.

Really, since money seems like no object with these 3 outstanding schools, it comes down to where you feel you'd be happiest.

If you enjoy college sports and the cameraderie involved, then Notre Dame is a great choice. They are a well rounded school overall. As a benefit, you can pretty much find their gear in any mall in the US.

If the thought of sports makes you cringe and you have a passion for economics, political science, and rock solid sciences then UChicago. Liking Chicago also helps.

MIT is obviously science and engineering and being in that area.

Truthfully, if it were me then I'd look long and hard at finances and which one would leave me in the smallest hole. Your own drive makes up for any perceived weakness at whatever school you may attend.

 

[phltz]

Well MIT clearly has the best school ring.

 

[dohlo]

You guys are all awesome thanks for the advice! As of now I'm leaning toward ND/MIT over U of C just based on location and quality of life, but we shall see. I found out I'm a candidate for an honors-type program at ND which is enticing, but I won't make up my mind for sure until I spend some more time at both schools visiting. Again I appreciate all the replies 😀

yea, definitely go to MIT's campus preview weekend.


Quote:
i'm aware that whenever MIT girls are mentioned this pic of MIT girls comes up, but still, I think it deserves another go:

Although that pic is somewhat representative, there happen to be many neighboring schools such as BU, Wellesley, Simmons, etc, and co-mingling is a common occurrence.

 

[Seahawk]

MIT would be awesome! Especially if you want to do something with science/math.

Keep in mind though they will look at people from no name school x the same as they will look at MIT grad x. Guess who will have had the easier road to the high GPA.

But I'm sure you will do fine either way. Best of luck.

 

[phltz]

As an MIT alum, my advice is to go there if you are serious about being a world-class scientist. If you see yourself ultimately specializing in Dermatology, having a lucrative practice in the suburbs, and living the good life, go somewhere else. If you want to push the boundaries of medicine, develop new treatments, and break new ground, go to MIT. Things may have changed a bit in the years since I was there, but MIT is not set up to get you into med school. It's set up to make you an excellent scientist. Med school requirements dictate the intro chemistry/biology curricula at many colleges. The chemists and biologists dictate them at MIT. Med schools typically require two semesters of introductory general chemistry. MIT crams introductory general chemistry into one semester. This means that to satisfy med school requirements, you'll need to take introductory chemistry and then continue on in the chemistry curriculum. Med schools typically require your intro level science classes include labs. These classes do not include labs at MIT. This means that to satisfy med school requirements, you need to take some serious, no-foolin'-around labs. So it won't be easy at MIT. What's the upside? You will be surrounded by brilliant minds. If you want to do so, you can easily arrange to be taught by nobel laureates. It is amazingly easy to get involved in world-class, cutting edge scientific research. You will talk to students from other schools who are having trouble with the MCAT and be completely mystified that they're still struggling with the kiddie level basics. MIT is the special forces of scientific training. It's often grueling and exhausting, but if you make it through, you will be a stone-cold bad-ass. Does this sound terrible and ****ty to you, or does it sound wonderful? Figure that out, and you'll know if this is the right school for you.

 

[Kodiak10]

Congrats on the early acceptance to MIT! It's a huge honor and very exciting!

I'm a recent MIT grad and would highly recommend choosing to go there 🙂 Yes, it is very challenging at times but there is an incredible support network and amazing opportunities. If you were accepted, you are obviously talented enough to succeed there.

I know many people who were pre-med at MIT. MOST people stayed pre-med and were accepted at top medical schools. Some people pursued other paths because they found other things that interested them more (there is ALOT else out there that I for one was not aware of in high school). Some decided their GPA was not high enough, but the great thing about graduating with an MIT degree is all the doors it opens. MIT has a great alumni network, recruiting, job fairs, etc. The MIT name carries a lot of weight and will stay with you the rest of your life.

My advice if you are concerned about your GPA is just don't bite off more than you can chew in undergrad. Some people are double majors, play on sports teams, run clubs, and take part in 20 hours of research/wk etc ALL at once. Other people single major and focus on just a couple activities, and thus are able to maintain a high GPA. Doing the latter will not hurt you during the medical school admissions process. In my experience, schools look for quality over quantity...assuming that you have atleast some clinical exposure and have in some way demonstrated a desire to help others.

I would disagree with other users who say the name doesn't matter that much. I think the school name REALLY makes a difference. Look at the undergrads where medical students at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford went...they are dominated by top 10 schools. Most of my MIT friends currently in med school say its a breeze (albeit a different learning style) compared to MIT...and med schools know this. If you can make it through MIT, you can almost certainly make it through med school.

As other users have said, there are tons of great opportunities at MIT:
-student groups focused on community volunteering/involvement
-lots of other student groups for leadership experience
-programs to study or do volunteer/development work abroad
- undergrad research program called UROP. You can get paid or receive academic credit (basically an easy A!) for doing research in top labs...and research looks great to med schools
-easy access to top Boston hospitals (both shadowing and volunteering)
-a really supportive and helpful pre-med office (they hold tons of sessions to guide you through the application process, set you up with a pre-med advisor, organize and distribute your rec letters, edit your essays, etc)


Also - MIT exams will make preparing for and taking the MCAT relatively easy 🙂

I switched to pre-MD-PhD very late (senior year), took a couple years off, and have been very successful being accepted to several top MD-PhD programs this application cycle. I believe having been at MIT was a huge factor in the strength of my application.

Feel free to message me if you have any other questions/concerns and good luck making your decision!

 

[deleted357625]

i'm aware that whenever MIT girls are mentioned this pic of MIT girls comes up, but still, I think it deserves another go:

I think i puked a little in my mouth 😱

 

[PantherPride]

I have also been accepted to UChicago and Notre Dame (Didn't apply to MIT), and I've been told by many that UChi is not a good idea for pre-med due to its difficulty. Right now I'm waiting for Stanford to reply with my decision, and if I don't go there I will likely attend Notre Dame

 

[bailey42]

Ahhh thanks for the help guys! I was just starting to really lean towards MIT, when something else through it all out of whack--I found out yesterday that I am a finalist for an 8 year B.S/MD I applied to! It doesn't mean I will necessarily get into the program (they only take 10 out of the 50 finalists), but it's making me rethink everything. Plus, now I have to learn how to prepare to interview for medical school 😛. Craziness. Thank you all so much for the help and I will certainly be posting another thread on how to be successful at an interview for an 8 year program!

 

[NickNaylor]

Ahhh thanks for the help guys! I was just starting to really lean towards MIT, when something else through it all out of whack--I found out yesterday that I am a finalist for an 8 year B.S/MD I applied to! It doesn't mean I will necessarily get into the program (they only take 10 out of the 50 finalists), but it's making me rethink everything. Plus, now I have to learn how to prepare to interview for medical school 😛. Craziness. Thank you all so much for the help and I will certainly be posting another thread on how to be successful at an interview for an 8 year program!

Wow, I definitely wouldn't pass up MIT for a a combined program. But good luck.

 

[bailey42]

Thank you. I don't know if I necessarily will...it's just something else to think about. I have some time to weigh everything though.

 

[bailey42]

Thanks so much for the thoughtful response, I appreciate it 🙂

I definitely agree that I'll get a great education at any of these schools. I guess my biggest concern is the GPA thing with MIT/UChicago, but in the end my choice will depend on the "fits" of these schools. For example, personality-wise I can 100% see myself at MIT, but am terrified that I will realize sophomore year that I am killing myself to break a 3.0 and will be pretty screwed for medical school. In the end, I know I'll make the right decision, but for now its still up in the air. I just need to keep telling myself how fortunate I am to have these great choices. Time for lots of traveling and visiting! Thanks for all the help!