<p>You are wrong DunninLA. You are very cool.</p>
<p>Oh No. No sucking up.</p>
<p>Anyways – It’s just surprising how many “feel good” stories there are about being ok with attending “Non-HYPSM/top20 private” universities. </p>
<p>Does that need to be emphasized so much? I understand its purpose – but it seems like we’re somewhat on the verge of trying to extinguish competition. Too Harrison Bergeron for me.</p>
<p>You go with a balance of prestige/opportunities and fit. Whichever works for you best.</p>
<p>Sucking up? If that were the case I’d be doing that with you. Stanford '10 ;-)</p>
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<p>There is a different kind of reasoning that exists. It is to [choose</a> state college](<a href=“Burt Rutan - Wikipedia”>Burt Rutan - Wikipedia) after you get into HYPSM.</p>
<p>It means you did serious homework.</p>
<p>It means you are confident that you can destroy anyone regardless of what their resume states… and you figured this out on your own when you were 12 years old.</p>
<p>Yes it does. Many are not “the greatest”. Stanford will help me achieve what I want to achieve. I think it would’ve been much more difficult had I gone to my state flagship.</p>
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<p>How can you give up so easily? You don’t know it yet, you could even still be a late bloomer.</p>
<p>Don’t give up. The potential is there for everyone. Even 55 year olds that don’t even have a fifth grade education have the potential to turn things around and become the greatest. The jerk in High School who failed all his classes and became a career criminal. At age 42, something could spark him, and he could become the greatest novelist that ever lived.</p>
<p>You need to re-energize yourself and tell yourself that you can do it. Nobody can stop you. You are unstoppable.</p>
<p>I’m glad you edited your post. I can see that cockiness emerging.</p>
<p>You rethought what you wrote and was like “Hell, no… I AM the greatest.”</p>
<p>^Who is this random philosophical ■■■■■? LOL!</p>
<p>“Actually the really cool people go to HYPSM. But you knew that already didn’t you?”</p>
<p>I go to an HYPSM. I’m also pretty lame if I do say so myself.</p>
<p>Just your posts are lame rd31. I’m sure you’re cool as well. (just kidding) ;-)</p>
<p>Yes, who is this GWilliams55zz, a mysterious figure, whose existence was unknown before this day (and is still known only in this discussion) and whose writings bring to mind a latter day Mark Twain or George Orwell?</p>
<p>Alas, I didn’t go to a “Top 20!” university so I’m not so good at, you know, figuring out words ‘n’ stuff. I need a student from a “Top 20!” university to explain it to me by putting it in the form of a Clifford the Big Red Dog story.</p>
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<p>gwilliams55gz’s postings should end the existence of debate about schools on CC, but they won’t. </p>
<p>What he/she said is incredibly insightful and true. I have some of the best education pedigree in the world and had a job working side by side with Ph.D.s from HYP in one of the most vibrant cities in the world. And yet, I was compelled to leave it all by both intuition and an understanding that these “kings of society” were missing the mark. I moved to the middle of nowhere and worked for a signficant period way below my capacity. </p>
<p>In so doing - in that place either completely unknown to everbody ogling over places like New York and the status of credentials, or mocked profusely for its backward ways by those who do know of it, I discovered and collaborated with the people truly pushing the frontiers of human thought and innovation. I have been fortunate enough to be guided by the universe to these people simply because I put statistics aside and followed my inner guidance.</p>
<p>I have no clue what to say to this long heated debate. But to respond to the OP’s original question:</p>
<p>Pre-med is not offered as a nice package that comes with set classes geared towards pre-med. So I cannot say much about the “programs” they have there about pre-med. I would say JHU and WUSTL would be better if you are searching for an undergraduate education that has some type of curriculum already designed that is geared towards the medical field. But honestly, you can attend another university and just major in a different field as long as you have the basic requirements to attend and apply for medical school.</p>
<p>Engineering, on the other hand, has a school dedicated to it (SEAS). While it may not be as renown as MIT and Caltech’s programs, it is good in its own right, but I would say that its prestige cannot stand on its own without the Columbia name attached to it.</p>
<p>In regards to being well-known or prestigious, it is relative to where your environment (where you live, people with whom you associate [above average college connoisseurs on CC], etc…). For example, an average person living in Los Angeles would probably think UCLA or USC is more well-known and prestigious than Princeton, Columbia, Northwestern, etc… only because they have not heard of the latter. We can argue about prestige for schools that we do not even attend for as long as we want, but the main thing is that in the end it depends on what you make out of your experience and time at a university.</p>
<p>BTW, I am a Columbian. xD</p>