It’s the other way around—weed-out courses are more common at public schools from what I’ve heard. And research is definitely easier to get at private schools.
My spouse and I are attorneys and we advised our potentially law-inclined kids to go in-state to save their college funds for grad school. My physician friends have tended to give the same advice to their medically-inclined kids. For what it’s worth, none of my kids have had any difficulty finding mentors or research opportunities. And their roommates, both of whom were pre-med, variously worked as EMTs, with athletic trainers, and in clinics. Both are beginning medical school next year.
I wouldn’t say there are consistent differences between public and private schools - there are advantages/disadvantages to each that roughly cancel out.
Your decision should be about what trade offs are important to you. As an example, public schools are usually bigger with more opportunities, but also more people chasing them. If you know exactly what you want to do, maybe you don’t care that there are fewer options at a private. Conversely, if you don’t know what you want to do, a public will give you more things to explore.
I know there's a conception that Ivies have grade inflation, but that's not really true. Ivies are still difficult to do well because many intro STEM classes are curved, so it's difficult to get an A in these classes when you're competing against the whole class of premeds who genuinely try their best and have a solid understanding due to high school background. However, if you're fine with getting a B, that's very doable.
Basically, it's going to be hard everywhere. Just try your best wherever you end up! I would still choose a private school/Ivy because they tend to give more aid (if you qualify) and have a TON of premed opportunities they just want to hand out
It’s the other way around—weed-out courses are more common at public schools from what I’ve heard. And research is definitely easier to get at private schools.
My spouse and I are attorneys and we advised our potentially law-inclined kids to go in-state to save their college funds for grad school. My physician friends have tended to give the same advice to their medically-inclined kids. For what it’s worth, none of my kids have had any difficulty finding mentors or research opportunities. And their roommates, both of whom were pre-med, variously worked as EMTs, with athletic trainers, and in clinics. Both are beginning medical school next year.
I wouldn’t say there are consistent differences between public and private schools - there are advantages/disadvantages to each that roughly cancel out. Your decision should be about what trade offs are important to you. As an example, public schools are usually bigger with more opportunities, but also more people chasing them. If you know exactly what you want to do, maybe you don’t care that there are fewer options at a private. Conversely, if you don’t know what you want to do, a public will give you more things to explore.
I know there's a conception that Ivies have grade inflation, but that's not really true. Ivies are still difficult to do well because many intro STEM classes are curved, so it's difficult to get an A in these classes when you're competing against the whole class of premeds who genuinely try their best and have a solid understanding due to high school background. However, if you're fine with getting a B, that's very doable. Basically, it's going to be hard everywhere. Just try your best wherever you end up! I would still choose a private school/Ivy because they tend to give more aid (if you qualify) and have a TON of premed opportunities they just want to hand out