How important is your undergrad school for med school acceptance?

[Quanka]

Say you have a hypothetical student who went somewhere like the University of Alabama... What would be this student's chances (if any) of getting into a top medical school if he had a great GPA--let's say 4.00--and assuming his extra curriculars (research, etc.) and MCATs (as in both have the median accepted score) are competitive with the students that are accepted? How would Alabama 4.0 Joe compare with someone like Harvard 3.8 Nate if they were both applying somewhere like Harvard med, Michigan, John Hopkins, Yale, etc. and they both have the same interviewing skills? I know when you're applying somewhere this prestigious it's basically a crap-shoot, but would Nate's chances be significantly higher than Joe's?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted407021]

The school you attended has little bearing on med school admissions. As long as it is a decent university, you're on pretty much the same level as most other applicants, as far as that particular point is concerned.

I can't speak to your hypothetical, aside from that it is oversimplified and unrealistic. Do your best where you are.

 

[Goro]

Ahh, nothing like the old fool's errand, of comparing guy X with 3.X and guy Y with 3.Y and only one variable.

The answer is both will be accepted.

UG schools can serve as feeders for medical schools, so since they're a known quality (like, say, the NYC area UG schools for the NY state medical schools), the applicants are likely to be regarded highly.

Say you have a hypothetical student who went somewhere like the University of Alabama... What would be this student's chances (if any) of getting into a top medical school if he had a great GPA--let's say 4.00--and assuming his extra curriculars (research, etc.) and MCATs (as in both have the median accepted score) are competitive with the students that are accepted? How would Alabama 4.0 Joe compare with someone like Harvard 3.8 Nate if they were both applying somewhere like Harvard med, Michigan, John Hopkins, Yale, etc. and they both have the same interviewing skills? I know when you're applying somewhere this prestigious it's basically a crap-shoot, but would Nate's chances be significantly higher than Joe's?

 

[Cytarabine]

Say you have a hypothetical student who went somewhere like the University of Alabama... What would be this student's chances (if any) of getting into a top medical school if he had a great GPA--let's say 4.00--and assuming his extra curriculars (research, etc.) and MCATs (as in both have the median accepted score) are competitive with the students that are accepted? How would Alabama 4.0 Joe compare with someone like Harvard 3.8 Nate if they were both applying somewhere like Harvard med, Michigan, John Hopkins, Yale, etc. and they both have the same interviewing skills? I know when you're applying somewhere this prestigious it's basically a crap-shoot, but would Nate's chances be significantly higher than Joe's?

A friend of mine (a UA alum, actually) had acceptances to Harvard and Hopkins. So, there's that anecdote

 

[IslandStyle808]

i got a bad feeling this thread is going to be a train wreck waiting to happen....

 

[NickNaylor]

This has been asked a million times already. Did you not take a look at the threads that inevitably popped up as soon as you put the thread title in?

 

[demosthenes102]

Undergrad can matter depending on the rigor of the program, but I doubt it plays a huge factor- it's one of many factors, which is GPA, extracurricular activities, interviewing skills, etc. Geographic location can also play a factor, as some schools are more predisposed to students from a local state or region than others.

I wouldn't worry too much about this.