You know what I would regret? Not being able to do what I love for the rest of my life because I really wanted to go to a school that almost derailed that dream (I kid you not). Listen, I'm not trying to be a jackass to you and I'm not trying to dissuade you from doing whatever it is you want to do with your life but since you posted a question I'm going to answer it in the most honest and blunt way possible so I apologize beforehand.
The first question you should ask yourself is "how sure am I about medicine?" If you're sure, than know these simple facts about getting into med school.
1. GPA matters
2. MCAT matters
3. Research and internships matter only to the extent that you've done them
4. Your college name doesn't matter much
With regard to the UofC:
1. Biggest obstacle because you're going to work twice as hard for a worse grade due to competition and therefore your GPA suffers. You want to have the highest GPA possible applying. Also, Berkley is no slouch either in academic circles so going there doesn't make you less of a scholar. And yes, I do know you're going to need to work hard regardless of where you go but you'll need to work unnecessarily harder at the UofC.
2. This is pretty much a self study thing so it doesn't really matter where you go. But the impression I got about the UofC basic sciences is that they really don't do a good job teaching it, but whatever.
3. As long as you do SOME research SOMEWHERE you're good. Adcoms don't care that you didn't get published or what famous person you worked for. As long as you did it you're good. Publications are obviously a plus.
4. As I mentioned Berkley's name is just as well regarded without the social lameness of the school. So just because it's not ranked in the "top 10" doesn't mean it's less of a school.
The next question should be "what am I looking for in my college experience and does my personality fit the school?"
If you're fairly anti social and would rather seclude yourself in your room reading a book or discussing Plato, as you mentioned, you may like the UofC. There's nothing to do in the South Side with no real bars or places to hang out for college kids, taking a bus downtown takes forever, and the weather is just going to really really suck. I can't stress this hard enough. It's SUPER depressing in the winter. Personality is probably pretty key here. I didn't like it cause my personality clashed with the "weirdness" of the school that so many people embraced. I didn't like hanging out "philosophizing" about the meaning of life or why a couch is called a couch (serious story). I'd rather be out working out, playing sports and being active. I'm not adverse to intellectual discourse but not all day every day. Anyway, my point is you won't have a normal college experience in UofC. But if you don't care about that kind of stuff than disregard everything I just said.
Was my experience there completely ****ty? No, but I actually had to go out of my way to have a good experience ... nothing that could be found in the school environment. And the friends I made there will be my close friends forever. But other than that I really have nothing good to say about the school itself. Who knows maybe the culture has changed since I was there.
Thank you
so much for this post. Seriously. No, SERIOUSLY, this isn't sarcastic. I cannot thank you enough, because this is exactly what I wanted and needed to hear. You definitely did not come off as a jackass, and I really appreciate how blunt and honest you were.
I think you bring up some really good points--about the unnecessary work as well as the depressing-as-hell winters. I do think that my personality fits UChicago, but I would also fit Berkeley just fine, and as you said, I don't think I would forgive myself if I lost my dream job because I was naive and idealistic enough to choose my dream college over it. I visited, and I don't think the culture has changed at all; people are still crazy eccentric and proud of it. My personality would fit in, but at the same time, I still want the college experience, and UCB would definitely give me more of that then the intellectual/academic orgy that UChicago has. Of course, I would have loved to indulge in something like that, but at the same time, my practicality won't let me forget that, hey, I need to support myself in the future, and my undergrad is a crucial step in that.
I think I had this ideal vision of UChicago that I'm having a hard time letting go: that it'll allow me to explore myself/figure myself out/discover who I am. And I think the practicality of Berkeley wouldn't let me do that to the same insane degree. So right now, I'm trying to decide how much, like you stated, I really want to be a physician. I feel like this might be a little too early to make such a concrete decision, but at the same time, I don't want to blow 120,000 bucks of my parents money just to "keep my options open," (i.e. attend UChicago).
Anyhoo, in lieu of my massive type!rant, I just wanted to thank you again. I think I simply needed a honest summary of what UChicago would have been like for my med school chances in comparison to Berkeley, and you definitely gave me that.
🙂
