So I was talking to this resident...

[Mr_Virgo]

Hey guys,

I was talking to this guy I met the other day who had just finished medical school in the Caribbean...

He said he finished high school straight A's and enough AP credits to graduate undergrad in two years. He said that in undergrad he received a high GPA and got a 30 on his MCAT.

I started asking him whether the "name" of the undergraduate institution matters, and he said that it does matter greatly.

In my last post I asked a similar question and was told that it didn't really matter and that going to the school that you would get the highest grades in is best.

Here's a link to my last post: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...-less-expensive-school.1046352/#post-14724373

Anyway, I just wanted to post this here and hear what you guys had to say because now I'm very confused. I was pretty much set on going to North Park (mentioned in my previous post) but now after my conversation with this man I am not so sure.

Please let me know what you guys think,
Virgo

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[Nave]

Hey buddy,
The general consensus on SDN is that it doesn't matter were you go for undergrad. I am sure many others will tell you the same thing.

 

[MerickManual]

He went to the Caribbean? You should have told him where that where he went to medical school mattered... *snaps fingers with pizazz and sass*

In all seriousness it doesn't matter.

 

[Medstart108]

It doesn't matter, maybe slightly, but its usually to compensate for tougher marking rather than school prestige.

 

[Sophocles]

I guess I'll be the anomaly. From my experience it matters a lot, although people might not willingly share this information. If you want a great education that's cheap then you should go to the library, but if you want to rub shoulders with the right people, then go somewhere with prestige.

It does seem that the general consensus on SDN is that undergrad doesn't matter but I completely disagree. It matters quite a bit. I went on quite a few interviews and was always surrounded by top schools and even in medical school I'm surrounded by top schools. n=1, I know but I'm just sharing my opinion. There's a reason why some schools continue to produce a large amount of Nobel Prize winners or have a niche in a particular field and to say that this pedigree won't influence the students there is not realistic.

Everyone also needs to do a cost-benefit analysis because this will change how much it should matter in your decisions. If an Ivy gives you a lot of money then I would go there but I wouldn't go for a debt of 100k. What environment are you looking for? Stanford, Columbia, MIT and Yale are completely different schools. Perhaps Bard College will better suite you.

In the end, I think it's naive to say that it doesn't matter but how much it should factor into your decision can only be answered by you and what you are hoping to get out of it.

 

[Sophocles]

I just skimmed your last post and let me chime in a little on that. First, I don't know how much of the prestige will be different from Loyola and the other school. I don't think it's enough to even consider when making this decision. I think that the difference in tuition is not that big of a deal if Loyola is offering something: more research opportunities, a more diverse type of program and majors, extracurricular activities that will help you stand out. The Honor's thing, I don't think will hold much weight. Where can you do more? If you stated UChicago versus the other school or Loyola then I would say pay the extra for UChicago but I don't think that's the case here

 

[xroc]

Hey guys,

I was talking to this guy I met the other day who had just finished medical school in the Caribbean...

He said he finished high school straight A's and enough AP credits to graduate undergrad in two years. He said that in undergrad he received a high GPA and got a 30 on his MCAT.

I started asking him whether the "name" of the undergraduate institution matters, and he said that it does matter greatly.

In my last post I asked a similar question and was told that it didn't really matter and that going to the school that you would get the highest grades in is best.

Here's a link to my last post: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...-less-expensive-school.1046352/#post-14724373

Anyway, I just wanted to post this here and hear what you guys had to say because now I'm very confused. I was pretty much set on going to North Park (mentioned in my previous post) but now after my conversation with this man I am not so sure.

Please let me know what you guys think,
Virgo

Not sure why someone who is apparently this "smart," who finished undergrad early with a high GPA and good MCAT would go to a Caribbean school to begin with, but that alone would make me start questioning any other claim that he would make ...

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

If this resident graduated college at the age of ~20 and directly applied to medical school, it's likely that his non-academic activities and/or application strategy were lacking. If he had applied with those numbers, solid activities, and a normal personality, he should have been competitive at MD or DO schools.

Bottom line: he didn't go to Carib because of his undergrad institution

 

[QuizzicalApe]

Hey guys,

I was talking to this guy I met the other day who had just finished medical school in the Caribbean...

He said he finished high school straight A's and enough AP credits to graduate undergrad in two years. He said that in undergrad he received a high GPA and got a 30 on his MCAT.

I started asking him whether the "name" of the undergraduate institution matters, and he said that it does matter greatly.

In my last post I asked a similar question and was told that it didn't really matter and that going to the school that you would get the highest grades in is best.

Here's a link to my last post: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...-less-expensive-school.1046352/#post-14724373

Anyway, I just wanted to post this here and hear what you guys had to say because now I'm very confused. I was pretty much set on going to North Park (mentioned in my previous post) but now after my conversation with this man I am not so sure.

Please let me know what you guys think,
Virgo

If he went to a caribbean medical school, there was something wrong with his application and it wasn't the reputation of his undergraduate institution.

 

[aspirantmed]

I guess I'll be the anomaly. From my experience it matters a lot, although people might not willingly share this information. If you want a great education that's cheap then you should go to the library, but if you want to rub shoulders with the right people, then go somewhere with prestige.

It does seem that the general consensus on SDN is that undergrad doesn't matter but I completely disagree. It matters quite a bit. I went on quite a few interviews and was always surrounded by top schools and even in medical school I'm surrounded by top schools. n=1, I know but I'm just sharing my opinion. There's a reason why some schools continue to produce a large amount of Nobel Prize winners or have a niche in a particular field and to say that this pedigree won't influence the students there is not realistic.

Everyone also needs to do a cost-benefit analysis because this will change how much it should matter in your decisions. If an Ivy gives you a lot of money then I would go there but I wouldn't go for a debt of 100k. What environment are you looking for? Stanford, Columbia, MIT and Yale are completely different schools. Perhaps Bard College will better suite you.

In the end, I think it's naive to say that it doesn't matter but how much it should factor into your decision can only be answered by you and what you are hoping to get out of it.

That's probably because, in general, more academically talented students tend to attend better schools. At the same time, a talented student who attends a lower-ranked school (maybe for financial or geographic reasons) but does well there will do just fine. On the interview trail, there were definitely days when I interviewed with a cohort of almost all Ivy Leaguers, but other times when I was from the only nationally-ranked research university - it varies a lot.

 

[Sophocles]

That's probably because, in general, more academically talented students tend to attend better schools. At the same time, a talented student who attends a lower-ranked school (maybe for financial or geographic reasons) but does well there will do just fine. On the interview trail, there were definitely days when I interviewed with a cohort of almost all Ivy Leaguers, but other times when I was from the only nationally-ranked research university - it varies a lot.

However you wish to explain it, it doesn't change the outcome. I've heard adcoms say they would never admit a person bc they went to a particular school. Everyone has had different experiences and this subject has been debated way too many times on here

 

[BigRedBeta]

Really agree with those suggesting there were other issues with that guy's application.

The red flags start with graduating in two years...it's simply not enough time to build a CV that competes with someone who has four years at one institution. Based on the timing of the application cycle, that guy was starting his app in the summer after his first year of undergrad. You simply cannot build the leadership experiences in one year that are favorable to med school admission.

It is an absolute must that you remember this is a competition, and that deviation from the sort of "standard" path may have significant penalties (in this case not getting admitted to med school). If you follow the typical path then things like where you go to school don't matter as much. This is not to say you should view med school admission as a series of boxes to be checked off, just that there are certain things that are expected - grades, MCAT, service, involvement, leadership, medical experience, and personality. Anything that limits your chances to fulfill those broad categories (and there are thousands of ways to manage those), will make your path much more difficult.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey guys,

I was talking to this guy I met the other day who had just finished medical school in the Caribbean...

He said he finished high school straight A's and enough AP credits to graduate undergrad in two years. He said that in undergrad he received a high GPA and got a 30 on his MCAT.

I started asking him whether the "name" of the undergraduate institution matters, and he said that it does matter greatly.

In my last post I asked a similar question and was told that it didn't really matter and that going to the school that you would get the highest grades in is best.

Here's a link to my last post: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...-less-expensive-school.1046352/#post-14724373

Anyway, I just wanted to post this here and hear what you guys had to say because now I'm very confused. I was pretty much set on going to North Park (mentioned in my previous post) but now after my conversation with this man I am not so sure.

Please let me know what you guys think,
Virgo

As mentioned above, the guy in such a rush to finish college and go to an offshore med school is very possibly the most poorly thought out person you might find to take career advice from. I think doing the exact opposite of everything this person says or does would put you in a much better career position.

 

[bluevirgo]

I'm pretty much thinking the same thing as everyone else. After looking at your previous post, I think that it really doesn't matter where you go, as long as you are well rounded (having clinical/healthcare/research experience.. not necessarily all three, Im personally not a big fan of research.. I don't think I'm going to do any in undergrad... although my school is a large research institution ..), anyway.. and if you are in good standing as far as MCAT and GPA go, you should be fine.. there's no 100% for-sure formula for getting into medical school.. ... AND AHH, I'm a Virgo TOO!!

 

[QofQuimica]

He went to the Caribbean? You should have told him where that where he went to medical school mattered... *snaps fingers with pizazz and sass*

In all seriousness it doesn't matter.

Not sure why someone who is apparently this "smart," who finished undergrad early with a high GPA and good MCAT would go to a Caribbean school to begin with, but that alone would make me start questioning any other claim that he would make ...

As mentioned above, the guy in such a rush to finish college and go to an offshore med school is very possibly the most poorly thought out person you might find to take career advice from. I think doing the exact opposite of everything this person says or does would put you in a much better career position.

Agree with all of the above.

OP, med school is mega expensive. Go to the cheapest college you can get into, bust your butt, and do well. School name may matter to some small degree, but it matters infinitely less than your school performance does. How well you do in school, prepare for the MCAT, etc is totally dependent on your own effort and is not at all dependent on your school. You can also spend summers or semesters at other institutions doing research and other ECs that may not be available at your home institution if necessary.

It's often hard for those of you in your teens and twenties to appreciate what a hit your lifestyle will take in your 30s and 40s if you're saddled with excessive six figure debt. Ten years from now, you won't care where you went to college or even medical school, but you will greatly care about the fact that you can't afford to live the way you want and/or provide for your family if you have one the way you want.