Hey everyone! I’ve been fortunate enough to have gotten accepted into Yale and Penn, and am having difficulty in deciding between the two. I attended Bulldog Saturday and Quaker Days but I got that “gut I-fit-in feeling” at both campuses. I was wondering if someone can offer input about the pre-med programs at both schools, primarily Yale.
If I go to Penn, I would major in Biological Basis of Behavior and minor in Healthcare Service Management (the minor allowing me to take classes at Wharton), and at Yale, I’d major in neuroscience. I know that Penn is well known for its pre-med and medical studies, but am also aware that Yale has a more recognizable name. The neuroscience major at Yale is also relatively new (it would be the second year they’re offering it this coming fall) so I’m hoping to hear opinions on what neuroscience is like there since I received vague information when I visited.
If anyone can provide any input I’d greatly appreciate it! Thanks so much
Application to medical school requires a high GPA in your science and math courses – and that is difficult to achieve at either Yale or UPenn, which is why most freshman entering Yale and UPenn thinking pre-med end up dropping out. Both schools are going to be pretty much the same for pre-med. Two articles to read:
I’ve talked to Pre-Med students at both schools, and this is what I’ve heard. Both Penn and Yale are pretty competitive for Pre-Med (like any school). In my opinion (and I’m saying this as someone who loves Yale), Penn is better for Pre-Med. Here’s why:
I've heard that at Yale, most science classes tend to be larger lecture classes, decreasing the opportunity for discussion. This is directly from Pre-Med students there. I've heard that at Penn, while lower level classes for sciences are lecture based, higher level classes are less so.
Penn has a wider array of research opportunities available. Penn is located right in Philly, so in addition to the med school at Penn (which, I believe, is higher ranked than Yale's med school), you have access to all the other med schools and research opportunities in Philly, which is great because there's more variety. In contrast, there's still space to do research in New Haven, but less so. Also, Penn allow you to have access to resources that are a part of the Med School.
Yale has had some issues with the larger class sizes recently (look on their daily newspaper), which might make it harder to get smaller classes. That being said, it's a minor issue.
My suggestion: Pick either Yale or UPenn – whichever school is your favorite, it really doesn’t matter – and major in humanities. Then, upon graduation, enroll at your local state college pursuing a secondary undergraduate degree and take all your pre-med courses. Once completed, apply to medical school – hopefully with a high GPA in humanities and a high GPA in science courses, which is something med schools LOVE these days, as they are looking for well-rounded candidates – students who have a passion for something other than medicine.
Full Disclosure: My daughter followed the above path and is now “one-quarter of a doctor” finishing up her 1st year at WashU Med School in St. Louis.