Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We looked at both Northwestern and Vanderbilt. I don't know anything about UVA. For pre-med, I think they're both very good. You really can't go wrong. If it makes any difference, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center is next to campus whereas the Northwestern University Hospital is 30 miles away in Chicago. Vandy is a more urban school. NU is more suburban. I think the Vanderbilt campus is much nicer, but NU has the lake. The two schools seem to have similar caliber students, but the vibe at Vanderbilt seemed a lot warmer and friendlier. It definitely felt more social than NU. Both schools are a part of major sports conferences. And they both kind of suck at sports presently.

You should visit of course. Most students will sense what feels right. Nashville is a blue city in a red state and some might find that off-putting. Northwestern is freezing for much of the academic year. And it has a quarterly system, which is not for everyone. Chicago is a great city, but NU is not in Chicago. Evanston is... fine.

DS preferred Vanderbilt and attends there now.

Northwestern hospital is only 12 miles away but it’ll take you at least 30 mins to get there, if that’s what you mean. But it’s not 30 miles away.

When you are a pre-med, you are not in medical school. Why obsess over the location of the medical center? There are hospitals in the area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If medical school is a consideration, probably makes sense to go with the lowest cost option and use difference towards medical school. All three are peers academically so just a fit choice otherwise.

This. I can’t imagine turning down in state UVA for pre-anything.

OMG here the come the UVA boosters again. I will name you many schools to turn down for UVA unless it is only a money question.

1. Any Ivy (yes any, including Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, and Penn).
2. Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, Hopkins, Chicago, and any non Ivy in the top 15.

If and I am emphasize If, the intent is premed, going to an Ivy or any of the top 20 privates is one of the dumbest things you can do when choosing a college. Especially Cornell, Columbia, Chicago and Penn. Beyond stupid.

First, you burn yourself down with trying to get good grades.

Two, your competitors are also going to be very competitive for premed which would make it even tougher.

Three, you are going to pay a lot of additional money over going to an instate public school. Money that can be used for medical school and beyond as you would essentially not be earning much for 10 years or more.

Four, the med school you go to is what matters. No one gives a hoot about what college you went to before the med school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If medical school is a consideration, probably makes sense to go with the lowest cost option and use difference towards medical school. All three are peers academically so just a fit choice otherwise.

This. I can’t imagine turning down in state UVA for pre-anything.

OMG here the come the UVA boosters again. I will name you many schools to turn down for UVA unless it is only a money question.

1. Any Ivy (yes any, including Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, and Penn).
2. Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, Hopkins, Chicago, and any non Ivy in the top 15.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA, if money is remotely an issue. You still have the high price of medical school.

If money is no object, Vanderbilt. As another poster noted, Vanderbilt has a nicer campus, better weather, friendlier students/atmosphere , and an immediately adjacent, world-class medical center.

I would say UVA has the nicer campus, Vandy is much more urban. Weather is the same, and both has the medical center/hospital next to undergrad campus.

Of the three, Northwestern, by far, has the nicest campus.

There is no comparison.

Anonymous wrote:UVA, if money is remotely an issue. You still have the high price of medical school.

If money is no object, Vanderbilt. As another poster noted, Vanderbilt has a nicer campus, better weather, friendlier students/atmosphere , and an immediately adjacent, world-class medical center.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If medical school is a consideration, probably makes sense to go with the lowest cost option and use difference towards medical school. All three are peers academically so just a fit choice otherwise.

This. I can’t imagine turning down in state UVA for pre-anything.

Even Northwestern? Interesting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We looked at both Northwestern and Vanderbilt. I don't know anything about UVA. For pre-med, I think they're both very good. You really can't go wrong. If it makes any difference, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center is next to campus whereas the Northwestern University Hospital is 30 miles away in Chicago. Vandy is a more urban school. NU is more suburban. I think the Vanderbilt campus is much nicer, but NU has the lake. The two schools seem to have similar caliber students, but the vibe at Vanderbilt seemed a lot warmer and friendlier. It definitely felt more social than NU. Both schools are a part of major sports conferences. And they both kind of suck at sports presently.

You should visit of course. Most students will sense what feels right. Nashville is a blue city in a red state and some might find that off-putting. Northwestern is freezing for much of the academic year. And it has a quarterly system, which is not for everyone. Chicago is a great city, but NU is not in Chicago. Evanston is... fine.

DS preferred Vanderbilt and attends there now.

Northwestern hospital is only 12 miles away but it’ll take you at least 30 mins to get there, if that’s what you mean. But it’s not 30 miles away.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If medical school is a consideration, probably makes sense to go with the lowest cost option and use difference towards medical school. All three are peers academically so just a fit choice otherwise.

This. I can’t imagine turning down in state UVA for pre-anything.

OMG here the come the UVA boosters again. I will name you many schools to turn down for UVA unless it is only a money question.

1. Any Ivy (yes any, including Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, and Penn).
2. Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, Hopkins, Chicago, and any non Ivy in the top 15.

+1000. I am a physician and know many: the premed advising and opportunities are much greater at the schools listed than they are at UVA. Average kids (ie GPA 3.6-3.7 at most of those privates) get into med school as long as Mcat is high, and have a much better shot at the top 50 research med schools than coming out of UVA . You have to be a top 10% kid at UVA to have a similar shot. For lower ranked publics top1%.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If medical school is a consideration, probably makes sense to go with the lowest cost option and use difference towards medical school. All three are peers academically so just a fit choice otherwise.

This. I can’t imagine turning down in state UVA for pre-anything.

OMG here the come the UVA boosters again. I will name you many schools to turn down for UVA unless it is only a money question.

1. Any Ivy (yes any, including Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, and Penn).
2. Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, Hopkins, Chicago, and any non Ivy in the top 15.

+1000. I am a physician and know many: the premed advising and opportunities are much greater at the schools listed than they are at UVA. Average kids (ie GPA 3.6-3.7 at most of those privates) get into med school as long as Mcat is high, and have a much better shot at the top 50 research med schools than coming out of UVA . You have to be a top 10% kid at UVA to have a similar shot. For lower ranked publics top1%.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If medical school is a consideration, probably makes sense to go with the lowest cost option and use difference towards medical school. All three are peers academically so just a fit choice otherwise.

This. I can’t imagine turning down in state UVA for pre-anything.

OMG here the come the UVA boosters again. I will name you many schools to turn down for UVA unless it is only a money question.

1. Any Ivy (yes any, including Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, and Penn).
2. Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, Hopkins, Chicago, and any non Ivy in the top 15.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA, if money is remotely an issue. You still have the high price of medical school.

If money is no object, Vanderbilt. As another poster noted, Vanderbilt has a nicer campus, better weather, friendlier students/atmosphere , and an immediately adjacent, world-class medical center.

I would say UVA has the nicer campus, Vandy is much more urban. Weather is the same, and both has the medical center/hospital next to undergrad campus.