Hi guys! I have a really big confusion that I’ve been thinking about for almost half a semester, and I would really appreciate some honest advice from current or former CUNY students.
I’m currently a LaGuardia Community College student with a 4.0 GPA, and I’m planning to transfer for 2027. My ultimate goal is medical school, and honestly, I’m aiming for top-tier/Ivy League medical schools.
I’m mainly deciding between Hunter College and City College (CCNY).
If I go to CCNY, I’m planning to major in Biomedical Engineering. If I go to Hunter, I would probably pursue Biology/Neuroscience-related studies. Academically, I’m comfortable with both. I’m strong in mathematics and biology, good at memorization, and I enjoy critical thinking, so I don’t think the difficulty of either major would be a major problem for me.
The reason I’m interested in BME at CCNY is that my long-term medical interests are very specific: orthopedic surgery or interventional radiology. I’m interested in implant design, medical devices, imaging, and research, so BME seems like it could connect well with those interests.
However, one thing that concerns me about CCNY is that the pre-health committee letter has been discontinued. From what I understand, students now have to obtain individual recommendation letters themselves. Is this actually a significant disadvantage for someone trying to get into top medical schools, or is it basically not a big deal if you build strong relationships with professors, research mentors, and physicians?
Hunter seems to have a very strong pre-med culture, and I’ve heard that many Hunter students go on to schools such as Columbia, Harvard, Cornell, and NYU Grossman. I’ve also heard that Hunter has very dedicated pre-med students and strong advising/resources.
On the other hand, I’ve heard that Hunter classes can fill very quickly and that the coursework can be extremely rigorous. I’m also concerned about course registration as a transfer student. I won’t be entering through Macaulay Honors College, and because of my circumstances I wasn’t able to attend an honors college earlier. If I transfer with around 26 credits and a 4.0 GPA, are there any honors programs, priority registration opportunities, or other options available to transfer students at Hunter?(I do not think so)
I also really love research. From what I’ve seen, CCNY seems to have a lot of research opportunities because of its science and engineering programs, but I’m not sure how that compares with Hunter in practice.
So, for someone in my situation, which would you choose: Hunter or CCNY?
I would especially appreciate advice from current/former students who have actually gone through the pre-med process at either school. If possible, please explain why you would choose one over the other—especially regarding:
Medical school admissions
Pre-med advising
Research opportunities
Clinical/shadowing opportunities
Recommendation letters
Course registration
GPA protection
Opportunities for leadership
Success of graduates getting into highly ranked medical schools
I’m not looking for someone to simply say “Hunter is better” or “CCNY is better.” I’d really appreciate some detailed, logical advice based on actual experience.
Thank you!
