UIUC Full Ride vs Medical School
Hey, so my brother has two really good options for college that he is struggling with. His end goal is to become an anesthesiologist/speciality doctor.
Option 1: UIUC Full Ride + Stipend
He got a full ride into UIUC for chemical engineering. He would be on a pre med track.
Pros:
Possibility to get into MD
Big school, lots of clubs/organizations
Really close to home
Program isn’t condensed into 6 years (easier workload)
Way more diverse student body
Cons:
8 year program
MCAT
Worried about lots of competition for opportunities
Might get into DO school anyway after 2 extra years
Pre med requirements (shadowing, volunteering, clinical hours)
Worried about doing engineering classes + Pre Med (possibly too much workload)
Option 2: LECOM Elmira 2+4
He got into a 6 year medical school program that is DO.
Pros:
Guaranteed admission to medical school
No MCAT
Shorter Time
Cons:
More content in shorter time frame
Less opportunities, smaller school
Many students only focus on studying as there isn’t much to do on campus/Elmira
Far from home (very far)
Worried about less time to do volunteering/shadowing required for residency
Non diverse student body (we are non white)
I’d lean toward Urbana. My brother is pretty quiet and introverted. He has a small group of friends but a lot of the time he prefers to stay home and study. Because of that, I think Urbana would be really good for him in terms of personal growth. Being in a bigger environment would push him to meet new people, get involved in clubs, and just come out of his shell more. Overall, I think he’d have a much better college experience there compared to Elmira.
The two-year difference is definitely significant, but I don’t think it outweighs everything else. I’d rather he spend eight years actually enjoying college and growing as a person than do six straight years of intense work in a smaller place with fewer opportunities.
There’s always a chance he ends up going the DO route either way, but at Urbana he at least has the opportunity to go for MD, which avoids that “what if” later on. And if he does end up choosing DO regardless, he still gets a way better overall experience and actually enjoys his time.
What do you guys think? And if anyone is a former/current Urbana/LECOM student your advice would be great on how you enjoyed your experience!
Thanks