Is pre-med at UChicago a bad idea?

[Anonymous]

If Chicago is a quarter system, can't students take 3 classes a semester Freshman year and then 3 over the summer? Or do most Freshman take 4 classes each trimester and no summer courses? Seems like 3 classes a trimester makes sense?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This site placed Chicago a solid 34th nationally by medical school placement:

https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/from-pre-med-to-md-understanding-the-pathways-to-medical-school/

If you are not committed to the idea of Chicago, then you may benefit from exploring even higher ranked colleges.

Wow. You really are braindead.

That is a ranking table showing the % of undergrads who attend medical school. It’s not a ranking of medical school admissions success and placement, which is the useful data.

Since it appears that the implications of per capita analyses are beyond your ken, I believe you would benefit from assistance in interpreting any statistical information you may encounter, ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This site placed Chicago a solid 34th nationally by medical school placement:

https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/from-pre-med-to-md-understanding-the-pathways-to-medical-school/

If you are not committed to the idea of Chicago, then you may benefit from exploring even higher ranked colleges.

Wow. You really are braindead.

That is a ranking table showing the % of undergrads who attend medical school. It’s not a ranking of medical school admissions success and placement, which is the useful data.

Since it appears that the implications of per capita analyses are beyond your ken, I believe you would benefit from assistance in interpreting any statistical information you may encounter, ever.

It's not per capita. It says that nowhere on the website. The data is simply ranks schools based on (# of grads to med school / # of graduates) * 100.

Before you make these condescending and patronizing statements, at least double-check that you're correct. So embarrassing to be this loud and wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want the best combination of education, experience, and med school success attend a top SLAC.

Which LACS would be best for pre-med, science major, opportunities to learn closely with professors, and access to opportunities for medicine field-related internships?

Look into Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin, Hamilton, Haverford, Swarthmore, Pomona, Grinnell, Wofford, Davidson, Wellesley, Barnard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Premed is a grind anywhere. Emory, WashU, JHU, Penn, Case Western, Vandy, all grinds for premed.

Chicago has grade inflation now. It's not what it used to be.

Chicago definitely does not have grade inflation. Agree that pre-med is a grind at top schools, but I think the quarter system makes it even more challenging.

There have been multiple posts On UChicago and "grade deflation" lately what is going on? While the quarter system does make the pace harder, the grades at UChicago are most certainly NOT DEFLATED compared to peer schools. Are they "inflated"? Not to the extent of Harvard/Brown which have medians around 3.9 nor Duke and Dartmouth where 3.9 is around top third, 3.80-3.84 around average. But Chicago is indeed inflated compared to 30 years ago. All schools are. Every single one. In fact some of the classic toxic schools (JHU, CMU), have shifted medians to the right more than peers to try and overcome some of the reputation.

Uchicago has median graduating gpa around 3.7, roughly the same as UVA and the three "deflated" ivies Princeton Penn and Cornell. UChcago curves the typical freshman premed courses to a B/B+ with Cs being rare. Upper-level stem courses have B+/A- medians.

Med school AOs know the differences in grading. They get data from the undergrad schools and they track applicant data themselves. Also, they're quite aware of the differences in peer group: a median GPA from UChicago, whatever it is, is far more impressive than a top-quarter GPA from a T50. And, a 3.7 from Chicago is indeed more impressive than a 3.7 from UVA, two schools with similar medians yet different student intellectual ability averages.

Med schools also use the MCAT and have access to MCAT tier data from different undergrads. UChicago and other ivy+ typically have average -GPA students earning an mcat of 515-517 while UVA is roughly 505 for the average-GPA undergrad.

I don't know about Duke but Dartmouth doesn't have inflation to the extent you describe.

UVA is a harder admit from many private high schools than Chicago is. Not to beat a dead horse but you need a 3.5 for Chicago and a 3.85+ for UVA from the school my child attends. Chicago is not assembling a student body of solely academic powerhouses in 2026. Yes, there are strong academic kids who still attend but a decent percentage of kids who are not because this private school crowd is their bread and butter.

DP at our private in state, UChicago ED is harder than UVA EA (requires higher GPA, more rigor, higher SAT), but UChicago ED is also easier than all ivies but Cornell.
Neighbor's D is at a top-5 boarding school and showed me their data: UChicago ED is indeed an easier admit than UVA EA, though notably UVA is OOS for almost all applicants. Though UVA is relatively difficult, every ivy is harder than UVA(OOS) at that boarding school when you look at the data with the hooked students removed, which the school provides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't worry about grade inflation/deflation for med school applications. I talked to someone that used to be on admissions committee for a top med school and he said they are how the various schools grade, and they take that into consideration.

The trimester system for premed is really challenging, I will say that.

Do the premeds have more fun at Brown? Or UMd? Or ASU? I don't know.

I spoke with someone at a top med school admissions committee and I asked if RPI (infamous for extreme grade deflation) got a boost and if Brown got a boost. They said Brown gets a boost in their system while RPI does not. So to me it seems to be more about the prestige in the eyes of the admissions committee than the grading practices.

Yeah? School name and who told you this? Bc it is all made up

I have also read this in a few places, that there are tiers and the top one gets a slight bump. I don't recall the cut-off but basically Ivies/Ivy+. It was different sources, but I can't claim to know for sure. My kid's premed advising also says its true.

100% there are tiers. I used to serve on a T5 med admissions committee and have kept in the loop. Kid's ivy premed advising is a different institution and they say the same thing. They have a top ranked medical school themselves. They send data of the overall undergrad GPA distribution plus that for different schools (Engineering is lower) plus the distribution of MCAT scores related to GPA. Most of it is available for the undergrads. As an ivy they are "Tier 1" and get a small boost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Primary concerns are 1) grade deflation = lower GPA for med school apps and 2) grind culture and so much busy work = no time left for meaningful pre-med internships. We watched a "Day in the life of a UChicago student" video on Youtube. The girl who made it described her workload in details and said she has 7 hours of homework a day on average in additional to going to classes, office hours, clubs and ECs on campus. She's not evening STEM/Engineering or Comp Sci!. How is that sustainable?

DD (junior) is curious about UChicago because she likes their essay prompt Qs which makes her think it's a campus full of "her kind of people". She's not deterred by the reputation of challenging academics (she has a history of excelling when things get more challenging). However, she is not what you would call a recluse nerd, she has lots of friends, is very social and active now in high school and manages to work year-round at a part-time job with coworkers she is friendly with. She says her ideal college will have top teaching, challenging academics, good for pre-med but also has lots of campus traditions, events and activities (non-Greek, Harry Potter Quidditch type). The latter part doesn't sound like UChicago to me, am I right?

It is a great idea. It is a top school with an affiliated medical school, best of both worlds. Absolutely go if your student gets in unhooked with submitted scores 1480+ (no extra time, not super-scored). They will have a great chance to be top half from a top undergrad(boost) and makes MD acceptance to at least one medical school in the US around 95% likely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't worry about grade inflation/deflation for med school applications. I talked to someone that used to be on admissions committee for a top med school and he said they are how the various schools grade, and they take that into consideration.

The trimester system for premed is really challenging, I will say that.

Do the premeds have more fun at Brown? Or UMd? Or ASU? I don't know.

I spoke with someone at a top med school admissions committee and I asked if RPI (infamous for extreme grade deflation) got a boost and if Brown got a boost. They said Brown gets a boost in their system while RPI does not. So to me it seems to be more about the prestige in the eyes of the admissions committee than the grading practices.

Yeah? School name and who told you this? Bc it is all made up

I have also read this in a few places, that there are tiers and the top one gets a slight bump. I don't recall the cut-off but basically Ivies/Ivy+. It was different sources, but I can't claim to know for sure. My kid's premed advising also says its true.

100% there are tiers. I used to serve on a T5 med admissions committee and have kept in the loop. Kid's ivy premed advising is a different institution and they say the same thing. They have a top ranked medical school themselves. They send data of the overall undergrad GPA distribution plus that for different schools (Engineering is lower) plus the distribution of MCAT scores related to GPA. Most of it is available for the undergrads. As an ivy they are "Tier 1" and get a small boost.

Glad to hear and didn’t think their premed advisor would be planting that seed if untrue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want the best combination of education, experience, and med school success attend a top SLAC.

Which LACS would be best for pre-med, science major, opportunities to learn closely with professors, and access to opportunities for medicine field-related internships?

I'd have her look at Carleton.

Why Carleton?

What about Wellesley? Bowdoin? Vassar? Barnard? Richmond? There are many good schools for premed.

I gave one suggestion of a school I know that is good for premed and seemed a good match based on OP’s description. I figured others would add their own recommendations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She says her ideal college will have top teaching, challenging academics, good for pre-med but also has lots of campus traditions, events and activities (non-Greek, Harry Potter Quidditch type). The latter part doesn't sound like UChicago to me, am I right?

I think Chicago is exactly Harry Potter Quidditch type.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Chicago is a quarter system, can't students take 3 classes a semester Freshman year and then 3 over the summer? Or do most Freshman take 4 classes each trimester and no summer courses? Seems like 3 classes a trimester makes sense?

Most take four classes each of the three quarters and do not take classes during the summer. The way the core curriculum is set up you have to take certain classes in sequence, many are three quarters long. Same is true for many of the STEM classes—certainly all the pre-med foundational classes.

[Anonymous]

Most students do not take summer classes. My daughter took three or four classes per quarter and was still able to complete a minor. Many students double major, and some even have room to triple major, depending on the course requirements for their primary major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Premed is a grind anywhere. Emory, WashU, JHU, Penn, Case Western, Vandy, all grinds for premed.

Chicago has grade inflation now. It's not what it used to be.

DC is premed at large SEC school, and the grind does not seem too unmanageable. Will graduate with high GPA with time to work in clinical settings, do some job shadowing, and attend sporting events.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Premed is a grind anywhere. Emory, WashU, JHU, Penn, Case Western, Vandy, all grinds for premed.

Chicago has grade inflation now. It's not what it used to be.

DC is premed at large SEC school, and the grind does not seem too unmanageable. Will graduate with high GPA with time to work in clinical settings, do some job shadowing, and attend sporting events.

And Chicago and ivy kids have time for clinical hours, research, volunteering and fun as well. Some consider the courses grindy (to get above the median B+), others it comes easier.
If yours does not have research in addition to the clinical hours it is a ding against them at all T100 MD programs in the US these days.
Be careful not to brag on lack of grind too soon, yours could have an uphill battle.
From a big SEC school they need a good MCAT (512+) score to show their 3.9+ is valid. If they have below a 3.85, that is not considered high from SEC, and it is not likely they will have success. SEC has tons of inflation too and is not getting a tier boost.

[Anonymous]

SEC publics that have data for the past couple of years:
-54% of grades are A-/A, 10%C
-62% of grades are A-/A, 4% C
-49% of grades A-/A, 11%C
-30% of grades are A-/A, 15% C (engineering program within an SEC)

Overall GPA medians 3.65-3.8.

SEC has plenty of inflation, on average more than UVA despite the average student equivalent to the bottom 1/4 of UVA