Undergraduate Reputation

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

cloudmurder1

Average Student
7+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2015
Messages
222
Reaction score
151
.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
You should transfer to a community college immediately
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Members don't see this ad :)
Jokes aside, I'm confused about your question. Are you at a top 10 or aren't you?
 
You should transfer to a community college immediately
Come on man, I'm just trying to see whether top publics are looked on more favorably than non-top publics. I'm believe that nobody has asked this in particular before.
 
The above is SDN's amazing way of saying, "You good, brah. Let it be."
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
So I know this question of whether your undergraduate school's reputation matters has been asked a million times over, but oftentimes it is asked by someone who admits that they go to a very low-tier public school. I go to one of the top public schools in the nation that is known by many schools to be a difficult school. Will this let adcoms take my school seriously? I'm particularly curious about adcoms from top-tier med schools. Chide me if you will for asking about the "top-tier" but I'm just trying to seek information about this. If my goal is to go to one of these med schools, am I doing myself a disservice by staying at the school I'm at? There is ample opportunity for research and extracurriculars at my school, which I have taken up greatly, and I've kept a 4.o so far. I truly don't want to transfer, but will I be fighting an uphill battle by not doing so?

Also FWIW, my school has sent some students to top-tier med schools throughout the past but not as many as, of course, top 10 undergraduate schools. I hope me saving money to go here wasn't the wrong choice over more "highly-ranked" undergrads

Yeah I dont understand what your concern is. You go to a "top public school", so what like Berkley?.. Why is this a concern? Yes UG institution plays a role in your overall application, along with EVERYTHING else in your application. It's a relatively small factor and if you have a 4.0 and lots of research and EC's, which you say you have. And besides, you go to a top school right? I'm so confused..
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
Come on man, I'm just trying to see whether top publics are looked on more favorably than non-top publics. I'm believe that nobody has asked this in particular before.
No one is going to be able to generalize as to how hundreds of different adcoms evaluate your undergrad school. Yes, reputation matters to a degree, but there's no way to quantify its importance or to say what "counts" as a top school in the minds of different committee members.
 
Yeah I dont understand what your concern is. You go to a "top public school", so what like Berkley?.. Why is this a concern? Yes UG institution plays a role in your overall application, along with EVERYTHING else in your application. It's a relatively small factor and if you have a 4.0 and lots of research and EC's, which you say you have. And besides, you go to a top school right? I'm so confused..
It is a top public school. A school that I really like and think very highly of, but a school that may be less valued by adcoms than a top private (e.g. Duke, JHU).
 
yeah berkley is public. duh
 
It is a top public school. A school that I really like and think very highly of, but a school that may be less valued by adcoms than a top private (e.g. Duke, JHU).
Man get out of here with that. It's nonsense. Schools like UVA, UMich, UCLA, Cal are all top undergrads. If you don't get into a 'top' med school then it's on you--not your undergrad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
I wish this was my biggest problem right now.
I'm going to go reflect on my life.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Members don't see this ad :)
Man get out of here with that. It's nonsense. Schools like UVA, UMich, UCLA, Cal are all top undergrads. If you don't get into a 'top' med school then it's on you--not your undergrad.
Glad to see this is the case, and glad to know that I'm the one who controls most of this process regardless of the tier of school I apply to. Thanks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I found this to be a good thread:http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/schools-gpa-reputation.1060329/

Also, transferring is a pretty big decision to make on the assumption that you might not maintain a 4.0...
I'm not saying I'd transfer to dodge difficulty. I think the difficulty of my school is appropriate. I'm saying that hypothetically, I'd transfer for better name recognition, but I have since come to realize that from the time I made this thread, my school's name recognition won't hold me back that much
 
For medicine, I don't really think it matters that much. Just get a good GPA wherever you are.

Now if you are talking about fields like finance/consulting, then yeah it's an absolutely huge difference.
 
Sometimes I drop the H-bomb. How meta a humblebrag is that? It's a subdued brag about bragging, cuz you know... it's concealing the Harvard provenance unless you are an initiate, yet it's a reference to hydrogen bombs which are so powerful.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Sometimes I drop the H-bomb. How meta a humblebrag is that? It's a subdued brag about bragging, cuz you know... it's concealing the Harvard provenance unless you are an initiate, yet it's a reference to hydrogen bombs which are so powerful.
What?
 
US News has a list for top public schools, which for the top 10 are

University of California—Berkeley
University of California—Los Angeles
University of Virginia
University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill
College of William and Mary
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of California—San Diego
University of California—Davis
University of California—Santa Barbara

Saying "top 10 public" is odd though, because the list spans such a massive range. If you're talking about being at Cal then you'll probably get as much of a reputation bump as JHU would, whereas UCSB is a quality school but not one that's nationally known for academic excellence.

As it's been said a million times already though, getting a very high GPA matters a lot more than school rep. And certainly don't transfer just to attach a famous name to your application.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
US News has a list for top public schools, which for the top 10 are

University of California—Berkeley
University of California—Los Angeles
University of Virginia
University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill
College of William and Mary
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of California—San Diego
University of California—Davis
University of California—Santa Barbara

Saying "top 10 public" is odd though, because the list spans such a massive range. If you're talking about being at Cal then you'll probably get as much of a reputation bump as JHU would, whereas UCSB is a quality school but not one that's nationally known for academic excellence.

As it's been said a million times already though, getting a very high GPA matters a lot more than school rep. And certainly don't transfer just to attach a famous name to your application.
I know of the list. That's why I said it didn't matter lol. It's a ridiculous list for freshmen and high schoolers
 
I know of the list. That's why I said it didn't matter lol. It's a ridiculous list for freshmen and high schoolers
Its kind of like saying I go to a top 10 school with a campus designated as a national arboretum lol. (Disclaimer: I went to a small lesser-known liberal arts school)
 
Its kind of like saying I go to a top 10 school with a campus designated as a national arboretum lol. (Disclaimer: I went to a small lesser-known liberal arts school)
I go to a top 10 URM school
 
Your individual achievements are far more important. I went to my state school for undergrad because it was cheap. I did well there and got into a "prestigious" med school. Focus on yourself... publish research, get a job, keep up the grades, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Just throwing this in here. I went to an unranked public school and got into top 20 med school...

Also, I have no idea what OP's problem is.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
ASU - > Columbia -> NSG
Merit outways all other factors. Our top pick applicants include folk from top medical schools and low tier ones, because it is the individual we care about. Where ever you go, be a rockstar and you'll be fine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
I went to a "top 80" undergrad whose only national reputation is due to the much more well-reputed medical school that shares the name but isn't affiliated with the university. I was able to get interviews at excellent institutions and am currently at a top 10 on a full-tuition scholarship. Your school isn't going to "make adcoms take you more seriously." I don't even know what that means. If you're a strong applicant and do well, you will have no problem getting into a medical school regardless of your undergrad institution.

It just doesn't matter that much.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Many schools are feeders to medical schools. If your school is one such, then Adcoms know it, its reputation, and the quality of its students.



So I know this question of whether your undergraduate school's reputation matters has been asked a million times over, but oftentimes it is asked by someone who admits that they go to a very low-tier public school. I go to one of the top public schools in the nation that is known by many schools to be a difficult school. Will this let adcoms take my school seriously? I'm particularly curious about adcoms from top-tier med schools. Chide me if you will for asking about the "top-tier" but I'm just trying to seek information about this. If my goal is to go to one of these med schools, am I doing myself a disservice by staying at the school I'm at? There is ample opportunity for research and extracurriculars at my school, which I have taken up greatly, and I've kept a 4.o so far. I truly don't want to transfer, but will I be fighting an uphill battle by not doing so?

Also FWIW, my school has sent some students to top-tier med schools throughout the past but not as many as, of course, top 10 undergraduate schools. I hope me saving money to go here wasn't the wrong choice over more "highly-ranked" undergrads
 
Top