<p>Hi.
I am applying to both UPenn and UChicago and am wondering which one has better programs in anthropology and history of science. I want to go on to a top med school and am wondering which university would prepare me better. Thanks</p>
<p>Penn’s anthropology is world-renowned, and has one of the finest anthropology museums in the world on campus. As in, literally a 7 minute walk from the freshman quad. It is curated by Penn staff and occasionally students; the girl who won a Rhodes scholarship this year curated her own exhibit there.</p>
<p>Chicago’s is also incredibly good. Recall that Indiana Jones was based on a U. Chicago professor of anthropology and archeology. Chicago has also produced a number of very influential anthropologists over the years.</p>
<p>I know absolutely nothing about the history of science. It’s probably pretty good at both institutions.</p>
<p>Pre-med program is great here, we get lots of students into basically every top med school every year. From what I’ve heard, U Chicago is the same.</p>
<p>I guess it boils down to location and the vibe at each school, since they’re basically the same on every level. Penn is marginally more selective than Chicago, and is preferred by the majority cross-admits to both institutions.</p>
<p>muerte is right, they’re both strong in both areas, and both have perfectly good pre-med programs. In many ways, they are similar institutions, but they have very different vibes, so you might want to check both out in person if you have the opportunity to decide between them.</p>
<p>In addition to anthropology, both colleges have special social-science-about-medicine programs. You should look at the respective course catalogs to get a sense of them. My impression is that Penn’s is somewhat more student-friendly and popular. Chicago also has a strong Core Curriculum, so that if you are a non-science major pre-med, you don’t have a lot of flexibility your first three years, what with meeting your Core requirements, meeting your major requirements, and meeting the pre-med requirements. That’s tough if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want to do. Penn’s general education requirements are much looser, so you have more ability to experiment in your first two years. But Chicago is a great place – you really couldn’t go wrong with either.</p>