Is Stanford Good For Pre Med

I little bit about me, I am considering Stanford along with a near Top 50 med school BS/MD program, and right now I’m leaning towards stanford because I want to explore a little during my undergrad (mostly because I am not 100% medicine as a high schooler). That being said, I would like to see if Stanford still had a good premed program (if such a thing truly exists), and I’d appreciate all y’alls input.

what is pre-med at Stanford like

Hey so, with the wave of pre frosh posts, I wanted to know what the premed life is like at Stanford.

More specifically if it helps,

1. how is the advising and are they helpful/available?
2. Is it hard to remain premed?
3. What is the culture like and what do other people think about premed students?
4. Are premed related clubs or activities (research/shadowing) competitive?
5. In your experience, does the Stanford name carry any weight in applications?
6. What is some advice you’d give to a pre frosh whose thinking premed
7. Any other thing that comes to mind

That might be alot, so feel free to answer however you want.

I little bit about me, I am considering Stanford along with a near Top 50 med school BS/MD program, and right now I’m leaning towards stanford because I want to explore a little during my undergrad (mostly because I am not 100% medicine as a high schooler). That being said, I would like to see if Stanford still had a good premed program (if such a thing truly exists), and I’d appreciate all y’alls input.

Stanford or Harvard?

I am currently a senior and I had applied for various colleges including Stanford and Harvard. I recently found out that both colleges accepted me, and I can’t decide between the two. (I am planning to major in pre-med) Which one do I pick?

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3 answers

Congratulations on your acceptance! I do not know much about Harvard, but I can tell you that Stanford does not have a pre med program for undergraduates. This gives you the freedom to explore other academic interests before applying to medical school. Both schools are highly reputable (obviously) and so no matter which you pick, you’ll get a great education. Consider the locations of the schools. They are on opposite sides of the US and have different climates and cultures. Also consider the academic environment. Seems a bit paradoxical, but once you get in, Stanford is relatively not competitive. Both schools have beautiful architecture if that is your thing. Hope this gives you a few things to think about to ease your decision.

Also look into cost of living and post graduate opportunities

Hi! Sorry this isn’t answering your question, but it’s super impressive that you got into these extremely competitive schools. My dream school is Stanford, and I also want to major in pre-med, and I was just wondering what you did to make you stand out to these schools? I’m currently a sophomore, and am super nervous that simply good grades and the EC’s I have now won’t help me get into an Ivy, or Stanford.

Just to note at the start: most colleges are not going to have ‘pre-med’ as an actual major. It’s more of a track where you take a specific set of courses that will set you up for medical school applications (usually including specific sequences of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and other sciences). Your actual major can be anything—a lot of pre-med students major in bio or chem, I’ve known students who majored in English or history, but still took the required sequences, and then went to medical school after that.

But mainly like @abigail said—the biggest differences between Stanford and Harvard are going to be non-academic, because both are top-notch schools academically. Where would you rather live, near Boston or in the Bay Area? There are big cultural differences (and climate differences) between those two places, and it’s likely you’ll find that you prefer one to the other. Try to talk to current students too if you have the chance. That might be hard with everything happening in the world right now, but getting a sense of what student culture is like at these places might give you a better sense of where you’ll fit in.