@1600mPenn Sorry I’ve taken so long to reply. Yes I got into the honors program at UConn, will that make a big difference?
Also for anyone else who is still interested, a couple factors have changed. In addition to getting into honors at UConn, I got a scholarship as well, essentially making it $10,000 cheaper a year. However, many friends and family have been suggesting Illinois for its generally higher ranking, better distance from home (4.5 hour drive instead of 11), and the fact that it seems graduate schools have a higher demand for students from Illinois. Looking at the statistics, it seems they’re right. Additionally, Jewish life seems much better at Illinois. Assuming the $10,000 would be payed with student loans, is it still worth it to go to UConn?
The deadline for my decision is coming up soon, and I’m still torn. Thanks again for any help offered.
If you’re looking at premed, choose UConn, because 1° Honors = big difference for premeds (priority registration makes a huge difference; you’ll have research opportunities that non honors students don’t have = must have for med school; honors students tend to have better grades in their honors classes hence higher GPA, more comfortable learning environment overall) + 2° Cheaper (you DO NOT want 40K of debt before going to med school).
Finally, med schools will make ZERO distinction between UIUC and UConn. Both are their state’s flagship university. What will matter is the combination of GPA/science GPA + MCAT score + research experience.
@MYOS1634 Thanks for the reply.
I’m thinking, though, that I might go for some kind of computer science degree as well as medicine to end up with a career in something like bioinformatics. Not definite, just thinking about the possibilities. But if so, would being in honors matter for undergrad and the distinction between UI and UC matter for a different type of grad school?