Who Turned Down HPME For an Ivy League?

jcr182
Thu, 26 Apr 2007 23:06:24 +0000

dunno if this thread is still active, but I personally turned down top ivies (including princeton) for HPME and have not regretted it. The truth is, although princeton is undoubtedly a better school, northwestern is not that far behind. The academics, student body, opportunities, etc. are top notch. And as an HPME, you at not locked into rigid pre-med track; on the contrary, you have considerably more freedom than a regular premed. I have many friends who are regular premeds and i feel that I have so much more options/freedom than them. HPMEs are required to take the pre med classes (chemistry, biology, physics, and math (although most hpmes have the option of never taking math again with a 5 on the Calc BC exam). But aside from that, we can do ANYTHING we want. If you feel that you love literature, then be an english major. If you are passionate about politics/policy and want to be the next secretary of health or director of WHO, then major in economics/political science/international relations. Northwestern’s academic depts are strong enough so that you can emerge as a leader in any field. Because you don’t have to pad your resume for med school, you are free to spend your summers anyway you like. Many students are interested in research–undergraduate research will help you get into Northwestern’s MD/PHD program, which gives preference to HPME applicants

The most important point I want to leave is that HPME does not simply give you an undergraduate experience with less stress-- it puts you ahead of the game in a fulfilling medical career. For example, while normal premeds are hauling ass to have an opportunity for a MD degree, you could be preparing yourself for a MD/PhD, MD/MBA, MD/JD… (if you are interested in having multiple degrees). You could be exploring different interests and passions that you did not know you had before. It’s true that Northwestern is not as good as Princeton, Yale, or Harvard. But you have to think about it this way – do you want a good but stressful/limited undergraduate experience at Princeton, or an amazing/flexible undergraduate experience at Northwestern, which is only a little bit behind?