Help! University of Minnesota vs University of Dallas (tiny catholic school, not UTD) for Pre-med

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I was accepted into both schools, and I’m conflicted with which one to choose.
They are both the same cost-wise due to the scholarship I received at UD, so now I just need to choose which one would be better for Pre-med.
For context, I’m a student in Minnesota with a 3.9w gpa and 31 act.

UMN is very large, the campus is very spread out, and it may be more difficult to make connections with other students and professors. However, it is well-known, and likely has many opportunities. Another factor to note is that UMN feels “safe” to me since it’s close to home and there would be little to no English classes, which reassures me because I struggle with writing.

UD is a TINY catholic school with an undergrad pop. of 1,400. It’s known for its core curriculum that focuses on the foundations of western civilization, the classics, and theology etc. etc… Which actually sounds pretty interesting but not exactly what I’ve envisioned for myself in the past. I think I could like it though.
What really draws me to UD is the Pre-med program, which has a pre-med acceptance rate into med schools of 86%!!! It sounds too good to be true so I wonder if there’s a catch. I’ve heard that the pre-med program is difficult since you have to do the core, science, and math.

Which one should I choose? Would UD give me a huge advantage? Or is it too small?
I would appreciate any input!

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If the school has a premed committee that writes committee letters, it may effectively screen out weaker premeds from applying, resulting in a higher admission rate. This can be a positive in that premeds unlikely to get into medical school can pivot to something else earlier rather than wasting time and money applying to medical schools. But some such premeds want to apply anyway, but are effectively pre-rejected by the premed committee.

Check if University of Dallas has such a premed committee.

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U of Dallas is not unknown.

You clearly applied for a reason.

Take pre med out - can happen from anywhere and you’re likely to pivot off.

Which do you prefer? Go there.

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University of Dallas does use Health Profession Committee Letter. This HP committee effectively acts as a pre-screening process for professional school applications by selectively offering or withholding a letter from applicants.

This means the success rate for its pre-med student is artificially manipulated by the school.

I would remove pre-med from your consideration. (A major national study found that only 16% of freshmen premeds actually complete all the pre-reqs needed to apply to med school.) Would you be happy to be student at this school if you weren’t a pre-med ?

It appears UD requires all pre-meds to major in biology. UM-TC offers 30+ majors which generally fulfill med school pre-reqs.

So, going to UD won’t give any special advantage for getting into med school. Getting into med school is entirely dependent on the student and their motivation and abilities.

Other considerations–
Also as UD is Catholic college, are you Ok with having daily reminders of Christianity (crucifixes in classroom, religious services on campus, etc) and the requirement for taking at least 2 non-elective religion/theology classes? UD is run by the Cistercian Sisters which follows the Rules of St Benedict and is among the more conservation orders. I would look through the Student Handbook for the college to see if the Conduct Code-- which starts on p. 42–that students must adhere to is something you can live with.

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THIS! Many premeds change their minds along the way. If you are at U D, will there be the ability to switch gears easily? It doesn’t sound like it has as many choices.

UMN sounds like the better choice to me. And it’s closer to your family which might be nice for when you need a break from college for a day or two!

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University of Dallas is not the “typical” (Jesuit) Catholic school where almost anyone can feel comfortable. Their “great books” as well as their clubs and activities are narrowly focused. From my understanding, discourse is civil but you aren’t going to find a lot of students that don’t fit the model of strongly and unwaveringly Catholic and conservative (although their enrollment information doesn’t support this). It’s also on the list of the top LGBTQ UNfriendly campuses.

IMO, if you truly want to be a doctor, you should be studying, living and learning around a diverse group of people at a school that is not teaching from strictly a Catholic viewpoint. (Again, this isn’t the typical Jesuit or Lutheran college)

Also, compare their club offerings to UMNs. Are you really going to be happy for 4 years with club offerings that seem to be only a step above those offered at the local senior citizens center or church?

If you were comparing another very small, religious school to UD, I would perhaps tell you that you could get a good education at either. But UMN, an R1 school with outstanding, diverse educational and social opportunities, will no doubt better prepare you for the “real world” of medicine than UD.

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UMN’s Biology, Society and Environment is an excellent major in the CLA for someone considering med school.

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University of Dallas is not a Jesuit college….at all.

The Jesuit colleges are a whole different discussion. This school…isn’t one of them.

Agree…a premed needs a broader exposure to a more varied group of people. I vote for Minnesota.

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Yes! BSE is what I plan to major in if I go there.

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You’re right, I’m not sure I would want to go to this school if I wasn’t pre-med.
I’m catholic so I’d be ok, but I see what you mean. Btw, UD isn’t run by the Sisters anymore! But I am fine with all the rules they have in the handbook.

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I would choose UMN and offer a couple points for consideration.

My kid went to a HUGE school to study animal science. I was sure he would get lost, but I’ve learned you can look for ways to make a big school small, perhaps with an honor program, clubs, or living-learning communities. My kid joined the animal science living-learning community which included a first year seminar. In addition to meeting a whole bunch of like minded kids right off and having housing very close to where his science classes were located, the seminar provided opportunities to learn about other opportunities in his major.

He went a week early to participate in a Biology orientation, which provided an opportunity for early move in and several peer panels about life at the U and in the College of Natural Sciences. He showed up at office hours to really engage with professors who were totally psyched to offer assistance - and research opportunities - in his first year. He worked on a short term project with one professor and after attending a research forum and asking questions of upperclass students presenting about their work, he was asked by another professor to work in her lab. The advising for his pre-vet major is also strong and there is an active student services center with tutoring and the like.

In addition to this stuff, he played in his residential area’s volleyball tournaments and joined the climbing team/club so he has met kids with other majors.

As a parent, I find the school to be very well run. I mean, it’s huge, but they’ve got systems for everything and communication is great.

So I think even a huge R-1 state school like UMN has social and academic opportunities if you look for them. I looked and there are a number of living-learning communities including Biology and lots of clubs! There is also a program in the College of Biological Sciences called the Nature of Life Series, which is designed to -among other things- foster connections in the College of Behavioral Sciences and UMN as a whole. If you decide pre-med and biology is not for you? Well a big school like UMN has lots of other stuff to study.

In contrast, it seems that the other university you are thinking about is quite small and is located in a different region of the country, which you may or may not like. In addition, the college itself is very conservative and described as not terribly diverse, at least in thought. Maybe they are your people, but if you are not sure, they may not be and you may feel isolated. Because it’s a very small school, they will have a lot less experience running pretty much everything and they have less of everything: fewer student support resources, fewer clubs, fewer research opportunities (if any). Also, while they’ve offered you a bunch of merit, they may have minimum GPA requirements to maintain that merit and a weed out mentality, which puts your merit at risk.

Generally I like to see kids get out of state and explore a different region of the country. If this was UT Austin, I’d feel differently, but given your choices, UMN has the most to offer at the best price.

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Hmm, I see. I was under the impression that UD would offer a higher quality of education due to its small size, but I see that may not be the case at all. My worry with UMN is that I’d get “lost in the crowd”.

I agree however with your argument about UD having a narrow catholic viewpoint, I’ve always wanted to go to a school where I could find diverse people and perspectives. As a catholic myself, I find it funny that catholics are often said to be/are unwelcoming towards people who are different, it goes completely against catholic teachings!

However just curious, I’m wondering where your info about UD is from and if you’ve been there? I’ve also seen from other forums online that UD is very conservative, but my cousins went there, and they said that there were some “long skirts” but that not everyone was like that.

Nevertheless I think you’ve convinced me to lean on the UMN side. I’m not sure what other options I’d like in UD, and I want to avoid english as much as possible!

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I really appreciate you sharing your son’s experience. By the way, I applied to the biology learning-living community (and others) when I applied for housing! I’m not sure if I’ll get in though because I think CBS undergrads are given priority for that, and I was accepted into CLA, where I’d most likely major in Biology, Society and Environment.

I also would’ve liked to go to another state. Alas, I’m the oldest sibling and my parents know very little about universities in the US, so it’s been hard finding and choosing universities.

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WOW, BSE looks interesting! Are you ok with the College of Liberal Arts second language requirement?

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I love learning languages!!! I know French (I went to a french immersion + got a 5 on the AP french test) and Spanish already, and I want to learn another language !

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I vote for Minnesota. The major looks great and I am impressed with the variety of opportunities that graduates have pursued.

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Why? You seem to write quite well.

This is where National Student Exchange comes in! NSE allows you to do up to 2 semesters of exchange at any of the other ~200 participating schools across the US and Canada. You pay no more than whatever tuition you are paying already, and credits transfer seamlessly. Some really cool schools participate National Student Exchange - Campuses / Location

In addition, UMN runs tons of study-abroad programs

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Thank you, I love reading, and I do like writing, but essays are just so difficult for me. I’ve never been able to write a good essay. Maybe I’m just scared of essays and it’s all in my head, but I feel like I struggle with transitioning between ideas.

The NSE program sounds amazing! I will definitely take advantage of it in college!

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Essay writing is like any other skill; it depends on good teaching and practice. It’s normal to feel awkward and insecure as you go through the stages of learning. Struggling over writing essays is not a sign that you are not cut out for it, it’s a sign that you are still learning.

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Med schools require 2 semesters of writing classes as part of their pre-reqs. (More med schools require writing than require biochem or genetics.)

Typically this is freshman comp (which nearly every college requires anyway) plus one additional that satisfies your college’s upper level writing requirement. One D took technical writing; the other took writing for mathematics (required for all math majors and was basically a one-on-one seminar twice a month where she wrote about math topics.)

While a small number of med schools specifically require a UL English class, most don’t. Your second writing class can be any course that has a significant amount of writing as part of the coursework. UMN’s Writing Center will have a list of courses that are considered “writing intensive.” You may be able to take a history or literature class, a philosophy class, a history of art or architecture class, an ethnic or gender studies class….or some other subject material that appeals to you.

I used to teach college writing skills. It’s easier to write if you have something to talk about that you find interesting.

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