Undergrad schools with strong pre-med programs

[fpr85]

I was looking for undergrad schools with the best pre-med programs to get an idea of which one I would like to transfer to.
Although my chances of getting into any of these are extremely slim, here's a list that I managed to find while browsing:

Amherst
Brown
Cal-Berkeley
Carleton
Chicago
Columbia
Cornell
Dartmouth
Davidson
Duke
Emory
Harvard
Haverford
Johns Hopkins
Middlebury
Michigan-Ann Arbor
Northwestern
Notre Dame
Penn
Pomona
Princeton
Stanford
Swarthmore
Texas-Austin
UCLA
UNC
Vanderbilt
Washington University-St Louis
Williams
Wisconsin-Madison
Yale

Feel free to add to this list

Has anyone attended any of these or have any general comments on their opinons? I honestly haven't done too much research except for Haverford College in PA, it looks like a very promising school, biggest problem for me would be the $$

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[FlushingNemo]

If you choose to go to a large public school be aware that when it comes time to getting LORs it can get hairy. Most profs, especially the ones that teach the premed requirements, might not remember you because they have so many students so their letters might not be as personal as you'd like. My brother had a professor who used a form letter where he just filled in your name in the appropriate spots.

 

[fpr85]

If you choose to go to a large public school be aware that when it comes time to getting LORs it can get hairy. Most profs, especially the ones that teach the premed requirements, might not remember you because they have so many students so their letters might not be as personal as you'd like. My brother had a professor who used a form letter where he just filled in your name in the appropriate spots.

Which is why I like Haverford even more so. If I read correctly I believe it has +/- 1,100 students

 

[CH3CH2OH]

my school has forms for letters of rec. the way to get around those is to tell the professor that the schools you're applying to require a separate letter as well. or at least that's what our advisors recommend.
to get to know the professors go to office hours. also, upper div. classes are smaller, so you have a better chance of being remembered

for the record, i don't think that there is such a thing as 'the best pre-med program'. every college offers the premed classes. choose the school that you'd be happy attending and do well

 

[VPDcurt]

for the record, i don't think that there is such a thing as 'the best pre-med program'. every college offers the premed classes. choose the school that you'd be happy attending and do well

I agree - Don't worry too much about "pre-med reputation," whatever that really is anyway. Just find a school that fits you well and enjoy it.

 

[fpr85]

I agree - Don't worry too much about "pre-med reputation," whatever that really is anyway. Just find a school that fits you well and enjoy it.

true, but whether we choose to accept it or not 'reputation' is always going to play a big factor in life. What is your response when you hear "I went to Harvard" compared to "I went to Radford"

Don't get me wrong, I'll be ecstatic if I get into UVA for undergrad.

 

[kash_711]

Baylor University

Represent

 

[VPDcurt]

Reputation matters to a certain degree (e.g. comparing Harvard and Radford). I was talking about schools within a similar range if you will. In other words, UVA is nothing to worry about.

 

[FlushingNemo]

Some more words of warning. Some schools boast that 95% or so of their premeds get into medical school. One reason that the percentage might be so high is that they really weed you out your first year. The number of premed students got cut in half in my class in between freshman and sophomore year. Another might be that your premed advisory committee won't write you a letter if you don't have certain requirements like a certain GPA, MCAT, etc., which is what my school does. Obviously people with higher numbers have a better shot at getting an acceptance.

Just pick a school that you would enjoy being at. And keep the student body in mind. A lot of what you learn is from your fellow students, not just your professors.

 

[Jack_Adam]

So there are actually rankings of "Leading Institutions in Premedical Education." It's from the Gourman Report. They shouldn't be taken at face value since many factors play into one's premedical education, but the purpose of these rankings is to provide a general idea as to the undergraduate schools who have a national reputation for producing students with solid premedical education resulting in high MCAT score averages and high yield rates for medical school acceptance. Here is the list (ranked in order):

Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Cornell, Berkeley, Stanford, Illinois (Urbana), Columbia, UCLA, Michigan, U. Chicago, Notre Dame, Princeton, Wisconsin (Madison), Northwestern, Duke, Brown, MIT, Dartmouth, Penn, Cal Tech, NYU, Washington Univ., Minnesota-Minneapolis, Indiana-Bloomington, Vanderbilt, UCSD, Rice, Georgetown, U of Washington, UNC-Chapel Hill, Iowa-Iowa City, UCDavis, UVA, Tufts, Air Force Academy, Rochester, Brandeis, UCRiverside, Case Western Reserve, UTAustin, UCIRvine, Emory, SUNY-Buffalo, Pitt, Penn State, Michigan State, Tulane, Baylor, and Utah-Salt Lake City.

Those are the Top 50 anyway. Take it as you will! Hope it helps.

 

[45408]

I agree - Don't worry too much about "pre-med reputation," whatever that really is anyway. Just find a school that fits you well and enjoy it.

say no more

 

[boilerbeast]

Xavier University...tiny catholic school outside of cincinnati.

Their Guidebook-thing boasts 95% of their undergrad med school applicants have actually gotten in. Pretty impressive...but I don't know how many undergrads they actually have. Don't go there, but lived there this summer. It's a utopia in the center of the ghetto.

 

[synapse lapse]

I would add Rice (my school) and Williams & Mary....Also, remove Princeton, as they do not accept transfer students at all....

 

[fpr85]

I would add Rice (my school) and Williams & Mary....Also, remove Princeton, as they do not accept transfer students at all....

William & Mary in VA? (not sure if there's more than one)

 

[synapse lapse]

William & Mary in VA? (not sure if there's more than one)

Yes...

 

[ananda4321]

Goucher College in Towson, MD (just north of Baltimore) has an excellent pre-med program, the LOR's are free and the advisor is very helpful and efficient,they're top post bac program offers an MCAT prep course for undergrads as well, there's also essay writting assistance and mock interviews.... it's on the pricey side as a private school, but they give lots of scholarships and aid...

Good luck!

 

[j0ker918]

the "best premed program" is one that offers the basic prereqs and that has opportunities to volunteer, research, shadow, and do some intersting/meaningful extracurriculars. all of these characteristics can be found in any university, even those with no medical school/hospital. just test your interest for medicine and show that you are capable of med school work and that is all anyone can do.

if by "best" you mean "prestigious", then look at ivies and a few of the elite private colleges, because what people mean by "prestigious premed" usually means "prestigious university in general" or "prestigious medical school".

bottom line: VPDcurt has it spot on, go (or remain) where you can get the most out of your circumstances.

 

[Dr. Starostik]

So there are actually rankings of "Leading Institutions in Premedical Education." It's from the Gourman Report. They shouldn't be taken at face value since many factors play into one's premedical education, but the purpose of these rankings is to provide a general idea as to the undergraduate schools who have a national reputation for producing students with solid premedical education resulting in high MCAT score averages and high yield rates for medical school acceptance. Here is the list (ranked in order):

Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Cornell, Berkeley, Stanford, Illinois (Urbana), Columbia, UCLA, Michigan, U. Chicago, Notre Dame, Princeton, Wisconsin (Madison), Northwestern, Duke, Brown, MIT, Dartmouth, Penn, Cal Tech, NYU, Washington Univ., Minnesota-Minneapolis, Indiana-Bloomington, Vanderbilt, UCSD, Rice, Georgetown, U of Washington, UNC-Chapel Hill, Iowa-Iowa City, UCDavis, UVA, Tufts, Air Force Academy, Rochester, Brandeis, UCRiverside, Case Western Reserve, UTAustin, UCIRvine, Emory, SUNY-Buffalo, Pitt, Penn State, Michigan State, Tulane, Baylor, and Utah-Salt Lake City.

Those are the Top 50 anyway. Take it as you will! Hope it helps.

Oh my gosh, I'm shocked. My school is on the list!

 

[aparecida]

If you choose to go to a large public school be aware that when it comes time to getting LORs it can get hairy. Most profs, especially the ones that teach the premed requirements, might not remember you because they have so many students so their letters might not be as personal as you'd like. My brother had a professor who used a form letter where he just filled in your name in the appropriate spots.

This is true but it is also easy to overcome. Sit in the front; ask questions and answer questions posed by the professor; come to the professor's office hours; and do well in the class -- and you will have no problem getting the professor to know and remember you, precisely because so few people choose to do this. I was distinctly worried about getting LORs since I go to the flagship state university, but it hasn't been a problem at all because I did this. You just have to be proactive and make an effort starting from the beginning of class to make sure the professor knows you and your abilities.

Yes, I know of people here who chose to take a year off just because they didn't know any professors well enough to ask for LORs -- but it didn't have to be that way.

 

[Jack_Adam]

Oh my gosh, I'm shocked. My school is on the list!

hehe. What school is that?

 

[WilliamD]

Birmingham-Southern has an excellent pre-med program as well with a more than willing group of professors to do what it takes for you. Its a small school, 1,300 or so, but we have the best pre-med program in Alabama if you want to come here for whatever reason. We accept a good number of transfers as well.

Not that the other schools are bad either .

 

[sockandmittens]

Yale doesn't treat transfers well in terms of housing or socially and doesn't have a great pre-med education. No one will know you to write recs. Sure, it has a great name.. but... go somewhere else.

 

[katec12345]

Note about William and Mary pre-med....we have a program there called the scribe program, which is GREAT clinical experience with a great group of ER doctors in a hospital very close to campus. It's great experience for med school!