Purdue University versus Valparaiso University

[Nicholle]

I am wondering which school had a better science program, Purdue University or Valparaiso University. Which one would provide me with a greater chance to get into medical school? The reason which I want to know is that I'm thinking of transferring schools.

Thank you.

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[GoodmanBrown]

I am wondering which school had a better science program, Purdue University or Valparaiso University. Which one would provide me with a greater chance to get into medical school? The reason which I want to know is that I'm thinking of transferring schools.

Thank you.

Hi Nicholle,

Either school is fine. Both are good schools with good reputations. The best school therefore, is the one that you will be happiest at and can do the best at. So, go to the one where you can 1) Get good grades, 2) Do extra curriculars which will give you more experience with medicine.

If you can do those things at either, go to the cheapest school, because the route to being a doctor gets more expensive every year.

 

[bannie22]

I've only heard of Purdue😀

 

[GraceEuphoria]

I'm a hoosier, so my two cents would be to go with Valpo. While the program at Purdue is fairly strong and very research oriented (which is a plus if you're looking at potentially MD/PhD), the school is SO big. I'm not saying it's impossible to get accepted out of a big school (obviously it occurs all the time), but I graduated from a small school and almost EVERYONE i know that applied got in on the first go around, whereas my friend from Purdue reported back to me that very few people she graduated with didn't have to reapply. Procuring strong LORs and all that is just easier with smaller classes where you can more easily get to know your profs. Again, it's possible, but from my perspective (having also attended a large state school at one point), it takes much more effort to really make yourself stand out. Then again, I think getting the grades is easier at a big school where you're almost guaranteed a curve. Lots of factors to consider...that's all assuming Valpo is as small as I remember from my college researching days though!

 

[DoctorDude]

Hi! I go to Purdue, majoring in health science. I can tell you Purdue is a great school with many, many resources (so doing well in your classes should not be difficult provided you have the drive to do so).

That being said, the above poster is correct in saying that Purdue is BIG. It has been difficult for me to establish close relationships with my professors. It's taken me until junior year to take a science lecture with less than 150 people in the class. However, research opportunities are very ample at Purdue and if you get into a professor's lab, you will undoubtedly have a great source for an excellent LOR.

I would also add that Purdue is generally held in higher regard than Valpo, but the difference isn't very significant.

Let me know if you have any other questions about Purdue.

 

[GraceEuphoria]

Hi! I go to Purdue, majoring in health science. I can tell you Purdue is a great school with many, many resources (so doing well in your classes should not be difficult provided you have the drive to do so).

That being said, the above poster is correct in saying that Purdue is BIG. It has been difficult for me to establish close relationships with my professors. It's taken me until junior year to take a science lecture with less than 150 people in the class. However, research opportunities are very ample at Purdue and if you get into a professor's lab, you will undoubtedly have a great source for an excellent LOR.

I would also add that Purdue is generally held in higher regard than Valpo, but the difference isn't very significant.

Let me know if you have any other questions about Purdue.

Thanks for being mature enough to agree with me instead of being defensive and jumping my case like so often happens around here haha. I mean I didn't say anything about the football team so that might have something to do with it!

But in all seriousness...I had a friend who was able to get in a professor's lab and ended up with a LOR out of it. So it's definitely possible. For me, though, I would not prefer that route given that I am not a huge research person. Now she's got a job at Vanderbilt and working on entering a PhD program though, so I guess it worked out for her! Basically, just go with where you're happy but make sure to make the most of it and not get lost in a big sea of students if you go the big school route.

 

[Ativanigans]

Doesnt purdue have a pretty strong engineering program?

Either way, all things being equal, go with name recognition. The only thing I know about valpo is that they get a beat down from Duke every year