Would medical schools care what undergraduate school i went to?

[waitwat]

Hey!!

Will i have more chances to get into a medical school if i go to famous schools like UCLA or UC Berkely for undergraduate studies compared to if i go to UC merced?

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[BlueElmo]

Hey!!

Will i have more chances to get into a medical school if i go to famous schools like UCLA or UC Berkely for undergraduate studies compared to if i go to UC merced?

Yes. But obviously, places like UCLA and Berkeley are tougher to excel in than in places like UC Merced.

 

[Raigon]

Yes. But obviously, places like UCLA and Berkeley are tougher to excel in than in places like UC Merced.

There are great schools that inflate your grades like mad though. *Cough* Harvard *Cough*

 

[BlueElmo]

There are great schools that inflate your grades like mad though. *Cough* Harvard *Cough*

UCLA and Berkeley especially are known for deflating grades, you know.

 

[VisionaryTics]

I don't think that grade inflation/deflation has a huge effect.

I go to a top 20 school with a large amount of grade deflation, and I think we put 85-90% of applicants into med school with an average GPA around 3.4 (3.3 sGPA), which is a good deal lower than the national average for matriculants.

So, pick where you want to go. Medical schools know that certain schools deflate grades and some inflate them, and they will appreciate someone who challenges themselves over someone who tries to be big fish in a little pond.

 

[ChiDO]

I don't think that grade inflation/deflation has a huge effect.

I go to a top 20 school with a large amount of grade deflation, and I think we put 85-90% of applicants into med school with an average GPA around 3.4 (3.3 sGPA), which is a good deal lower than the national average for matriculants.

So, pick where you want to go. Medical schools know that certain schools deflate grades and some inflate them, and they will appreciate someone who challenges themselves over someone who tries to be big fish in a little pond.

I would say this statement is very false. I know many friends who went to small liberal arts schools and they're pre-med classes weeded out many students and at the end they had like 30-40 kids applying to medical school (class size of like 500). I believe all of those applied got into a med school.

You are far better off going to a unknown school, getting a 3.9+ gpa, 30+ mcat then going to harvard and getting a 3.2 gpa.

 

[VisionaryTics]

I would say this statement is very false. I know many friends who went to small liberal arts schools and they're pre-med classes weeded out many students and at the end they had like 30-40 kids applying to medical school (class size of like 500). I believe all of those applied got into a med school.

You are far better off going to a unknown school, getting a 3.9+ gpa, 30+ mcat then going to harvard and getting a 3.2 gpa.

Haha, don't use Harvard for an example of grade deflation. I think 70% of the grades there are A- or higher.

I'm coming out of a top 20 university with a 3.45 GPA (pretty low by any measure) having gone through significant grade deflation and a pretty nasty weeding out process, and I'm having a great deal of success so far.

Remember, a better school is going to give your better access to research, volunteer and clinical opportunities, stronger pre-med coursework that will prepare better for the MCAT and such.

 

[caseofthemndays]

I went to a UC, and I found on the career center website somewhere that the average GPA of someone coming from my school and getting into US MD is like 3.5, and nationwide its 3.6. BTW, there was super grade deflation. The classes were curved to make the average a low C.

 

[aggie08]

This question has been answered ad nauseam in these forums. Search around.

 

[JJMrK]

Haha, don't use Harvard for an example of grade deflation. I think 70% of the grades there are A- or higher.

I'm coming out of a top 20 university with a 3.45 GPA (pretty low by any measure) having gone through significant grade deflation and a pretty nasty weeding out process, and I'm having a great deal of success so far.

Remember, a better school is going to give your better access to research, volunteer and clinical opportunities, stronger pre-med coursework that will prepare better for the MCAT and such.

You can get these anywhere. The only thing a "better" school gets you is the name, which may or may not be significant.

I don't think that grade inflation/deflation has a huge effect.

I go to a top 20 school with a large amount of grade deflation, and I think we put 85-90% of applicants into med school with an average GPA around 3.4 (3.3 sGPA), which is a good deal lower than the national average for matriculants.

So, pick where you want to go. Medical schools know that certain schools deflate grades and some inflate them, and they will appreciate someone who challenges themselves over someone who tries to be big fish in a little pond.

Does you school select who it allows to apply through a committee letter?

 

[VisionaryTics]

You can get these anywhere. The only thing a "better" school gets you is the name, which may or may not be significant.



Does you school select who it allows to apply through a committee letter?

1. If you're saying the research facilities at Johns Hopkins or MIT are no better than Carlton College (a very good small college) or that a demanding courseload with many advanced biology and chemistry courses with cutting edge labs is just as good prep as the basic pre-med reqs with some 50 year old lab equipment, you are flat out wrong. A big selling point for many top schools is the network of opportunities that the reputation affords.

People pay $50,000 a year for a reason. A top school will send you places. Stop bullsh*tting yourself that it doesn't matter. It's a crutch.

2. No, as long as you get all your AMCAS stuff into them by August 15th, they will write you a committee letter. The selection comes through the weeding out process of getting into a top school and succeeding in the pre-med reqs.

 

[aggie08]

People pay $50,000 a year for a reason. A top school will send you places. Stop bullsh*tting yourself that it doesn't matter. It's a crutch.

Whoa, now.

I can't wait until LizzyM comes in here to answer this (as she has 3 million other times when this question was asked). People should use the search feature.

Basically, does the name of your school matter? Simply - yes, a little. It comes after GPA, MCAT, ECs, interviews, etc. If two identical applicants are being decided between for the last spot, then your UG school MIGHT be the deciding factor on who gets in.

So....they basically don't care what the name of your college is.

Sorry you think this is a crutch, visionarytics, you're wrong. Maybe you are bitter because you spent a ton of money on your UG or maybe someone has misinformed you, but look around and see that even people from dinky colleges will go to great med schools if they have stellar numbers and EC.

 

[dru2002]

1. If you're saying the research facilities at Johns Hopkins or MIT are no better than Carlton College (a very good small college) or that a demanding courseload with many advanced biology and chemistry courses with cutting edge labs is just as good prep as the basic pre-med reqs with some 50 year old lab equipment, you are flat out wrong.

I agree to a certain extent but the blanket statement about better research facilities doesn't hold water when you start talking large public universities (think Big Ten schools) the statement seems less true. I can assure you the equipment at large public research universities is on par with Harvard and the likes with regards to Bio and Chem labs. Now if we start talking some really cutting edge equipment you might have a point but it is likely that these large public research universities have some things the elite don't have just like the elite have some things these large public universities don't have.

So yes, of course, name matters to some degree, but not for lack of facilities.

Full disclosure I go to a Big Ten school so I may be biased.

 

[aggie08]

I agree to a certain extent but the blanket statement about better research facilities doesn't hold water when you start talking large public universities (think Big Ten schools) the statement seems less true. I can assure you the equipment at large public research universities is on par with Harvard and the likes with regards to Bio and Chem labs. Now if we start talking some really cutting edge equipment you might have a point but it is likely that these large public research universities have some things the elite don't have just like the elite have some things these large public universities don't have.

So yes, of course, name matters to some degree, but not for lack of facilities.

Full disclosure I go to a Big Ten school so I may be biased.

Whichever side of this debate one may be on, they aren't going to be handing over these cutting-edge materials and machines to UGs in Chem Lab.

 

[dru2002]

Whichever side of this debate one may be on, they aren't going to be handing over these cutting-edge materials and machines to UGs in Chem Lab.

Agreed.

 

[imer]

...

 

[ensuii]

UCLA and Berkeley especially are known for deflating grades, you know.

I'll attest.

 

[Obnoxious Dad]

Your undergraduate college might matter and it might not. I recently had a heart to heart talk with an admissions administrator and she told me that the admissions committee at her medical school was simply incapable of normalizing undergraduate gpas for the rigor of the undergraduate college, major and course load. This is incredibly stupid but there it is.

Furthermore it's not really in the interest of med schools to adjust for undergrad rigor because the imbeciles at US Noise and World Distort use unadjusted gpas of matriculants as one their criteria to assess medical schools. Medical schools are unfortunately conscious of their rankings.

I think the dumbest thing that a pre-med can do is to go to a really tough out-of-state undergraduate college. They will get no help from their state medical school.

 

[aggie08]

Your undergraduate college might matter and it might not. I recently had a heart to heart talk with an admissions administrator and she told me that the admissions committee at her medical school was simply incapable of normalizing undergraduate gpas for the rigor of the undergraduate college, major and course load. This is incredibly stupid but there it is.

Furthermore it's not really in the interest of med schools to adjust for undergrad rigor because the imbeciles at US Noise and World Distort use unadjusted gpas of matriculants as one their criteria to assess medical schools. Medical schools are unfortunately conscious of their rankings.

I think the dumbest thing that a pre-med can do is to go to a really tough out-of-state undergraduate college. They will get no help from their state medical school.

Agree, 100%. Not because they won't get help from their state medical school (you can still apply as in-state after going to college oos), but because they'll be wasting a lot of money (assuming no scholarships) and be gaining no advantage. Maybe even hurting themselves if they are somewhere where it's harder to get out with a high GPA.

However, that's why the MCAT is required - to put everyone on the same playing field since GPA can't.

 

[orthomyxo]

Whoa, now.

I can't wait until LizzyM comes in here to answer this (as she has 3 million other times when this question was asked). People should use the search feature.

Basically, does the name of your school matter? Simply - yes, a little. It comes after GPA, MCAT, ECs, interviews, etc. If two identical applicants are being decided between for the last spot, then your UG school MIGHT be the deciding factor on who gets in.

So....they basically don't care what the name of your college is.

Sorry you think this is a crutch, visionarytics, you're wrong. Maybe you are bitter because you spent a ton of money on your UG or maybe someone has misinformed you, but look around and see that even people from dinky colleges will go to great med schools if they have stellar numbers and EC.

Exactly. My school is ridiculously small, but it has been around for almost 200 years and people from here get into great med schools.

 

[sr9]

Honestly, I wouldn't choose an undergrad based on whether it could help you get into medical school. If you're in high school, you can't be 100% sure that you'll want to apply to med school - that's at LEAST four years down the road. Go to the school you like best and which best fits your financial circumstances, one that you'll be happy at regardless of whether or not you choose to go into medicine

 

[slowbutsteady]

Whoa, now.

I can't wait until LizzyM comes in here to answer this (as she has 3 million other times when this question was asked). People should use the search feature.

Basically, does the name of your school matter? Simply - yes, a little. It comes after GPA, MCAT, ECs, interviews, etc. If two identical applicants are being decided between for the last spot, then your UG school MIGHT be the deciding factor on who gets in.

So....they basically don't care what the name of your college is.

Sorry you think this is a crutch, visionarytics, you're wrong. Maybe you are bitter because you spent a ton of money on your UG or maybe someone has misinformed you, but look around and see that even people from dinky colleges will go to great med schools if they have stellar numbers and EC.

As I recall, LizzyM has consistently stated that undergrad DOES matter in med school admissions and that Ivy League grads have an advantage.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

I agree to a certain extent but the blanket statement about better research facilities doesn't hold water when you start talking large public universities (think Big Ten schools) the statement seems less true. I can assure you the equipment at large public research universities is on par with Harvard and the likes with regards to Bio and Chem labs. Now if we start talking some really cutting edge equipment you might have a point but it is likely that these large public research universities have some things the elite don't have just like the elite have some things these large public universities don't have.

So yes, of course, name matters to some degree, but not for lack of facilities.

Full disclosure I go to a Big Ten school so I may be biased.

i am rather sure that is not the case.

 

[johncalvin]

i am rather sure that is not the case.

I think this has to be taken on a case-by-case basis. It all depends. Biotech equipment, for example, is probably as good as anywhere in public universities along the pharmaceutical/biotech corridors in California and central NJ (like Rutgers).

Companies recruit from such programs, and in turn donate a lot of equipment and services. I know a Cali biotech firm that donates kits, etc., and even does free sequencing for certain undergraduate courses/labs.

Many of the faculty at such places are often Ivy-trained, living in CA or NY/NJ for geographic reasons. Not to mention state-supported funding, and an opportunity to be the "big fish" in a small pond.

The biggest problems with such large universities is that one can become a number if you're not careful. Research is also often tiered, where an undergrad spends a majority of their time planning with grad students or post-docs rather than the PI.

If you're a non-science major where alum networks and "brand name" carries weight, then perhaps you're out of luck.

EDIT: I also think comparing *any* school to Harvard in terms of resources is a one-sided game. Comparing Urbana Champaign's engineering resources to Carnegie Mellon (and even MIT, save robotics) is a fair match, I'd think. How about lifesciences at Berkley? In general: UNC-Chapel Hill? Michigan? Rutgers? Even UNH has a stellar microbiology program, perhaps even better than Cornell's.

All my opinion, of course.

 

[randombetch]

i am rather sure that is not the case.

Yeah I'm with bleargh with this one.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

just to be clear, i'm talking about research labs, not teaching labs. i find it extremely unlikely that any given large public university can match the kind of resources hahvahd can swing.

 

[IHeartSleep]

I look down all these available student hosts for various schools I'm interviewing at (all top 25) and they largely come from well known schools. Ivy Leagues, Stanford, Wash U, Duke, JHU, Berk/UCLA and other similar schools and maybe a handful from non-well known schools.

While interviewing, same thing happens. In a group of ten, there will be 6-8 from well-known schools, and 2-4 from less well known. But maybe it just reflects the applicant pool.

 

[johncalvin]

just to be clear, i'm talking about research labs, not teaching labs. i find it extremely unlikely that any given large public university can match the kind of resources hahvahd can swing.

As I posted earlier, comparing any school--even another Ivy--to hahvahd is daunting lol. Compared to other schools, though I dunno. I mean look at a school like Columbia--their campus is so damn small you possible couldn't have the breath of resources you'd need to find interesting research.

Having said that, the depth of their particular research may be excellent, who knows?

 

[Superman MD]

My community college actually had arguably the toughest chem dept in southern cali. . .too bad most adcoms do not know that. It probably had some of the nicest chem and bio labs for undergrads to learn in. . .even smaller schools have nice things to offer and a great environment to learn , but it is always overshadowed by reputation. I'm glad I go to a pretty reputable school now though

 

[JFK90787]

As someone who went to a small school, it gets annoying when nobody outside of my state has ever heard of my college, and half the people in the state confuse it with a larger local school that has a similar name. I have a complex about it, and I sure as hell don't own any hoodies from my UG school since nobody knows it exists anyway.

 

[dru2002]

just to be clear, i'm talking about research labs, not teaching labs. i find it extremely unlikely that any given large public university can match the kind of resources hahvahd can swing.

And I was referencing teaching labs. Thanks for reading my post in context.

I just reread my post and I didn't make it clear I was talking teaching labs.

 

[bannie22]

^
facilities are VERY different at different schools.

private schools like harvard have lots of funding and even at course labs you get lots of better equipment.

at my school we get to dissect human brains in 3rd year UG... around 4-5 students to a brain. you cant get this at many other schools...

the quality of ur UG institution plays a huge role in how much you are exposed to...

 

[RandomAttending]

UG school matters but only if you make it past screenings.

Even if you go to Harvard, a 3.0 won't get you past most screeners. Once two applicants are compared side by side with similar stats, then where you went to school matters.

My 2 cents.

 

[MaryLennox]

I look down all these available student hosts for various schools I'm interviewing at (all top 25) and they largely come from well known schools. Ivy Leagues, Stanford, Wash U, Duke, JHU, Berk/UCLA and other similar schools and maybe a handful from non-well known schools.

While interviewing, same thing happens. In a group of ten, there will be 6-8 from well-known schools, and 2-4 from less well known. But maybe it just reflects the applicant pool.

yes, i definitely think this is the case.

i am a pseudo-nontrad/ mind-changer/ whatever you want to call me. i went to a state school with 20k+ students and i would die of shock if i met another applicant from there, just because all the kids who wanna be premeds go to the other state school or one of the private universities in the state. but i've gotten 3 interviews so far so i don't think its holding me back TOO much. to be fair, though, i am going grad school and postbac at a more med/premed friendly school and had a premed committee. so that surely gave me a boost.

i think these threads are particularly amusing because i don't think people ever take the advice . . . but we give it anyway. i keep seeing the same things over and over and i think they are true, which are:
- if your goal is a top 20 med school, then go to a big name school but
- if your goal is to get into any US med school, go to an affordable college and kick ass. if you have the stats you'll get in somewhere, and you wont have massive UG debt.

of course, if mom and dad are paying for it, why not go live it up at Yale or Harvard?

 

[wcbcruzer]

Hey!!

Will i have more chances to get into a medical school if i go to famous schools like UCLA or UC Berkely for undergraduate studies compared to if i go to UC merced?

If you can, try to get into the best undergrad college. The name does make a difference; both for med school and jobs. UCLA is more competitive and it's a bit depressing, especially if you're used to always doing good. Go to a school you can see yourself living around. That's the most important thing imo. In the end, if you really want to be a doctor, you'll get into med school no matter where you attended undergrad.

 

[wcbcruzer]

Hey!!

Will i have more chances to get into a medical school if i go to famous schools like UCLA or UC Berkely for undergraduate studies compared to if i go to UC merced?

If you can, try to get into the best undergrad college. The name does make a difference; both for med school and jobs. UCLA is more competitive and it's a bit depressing, especially if you're used to always doing good. Go to a school you can see yourself living around. That's the most important thing imo. In the end, if you really want to be a doctor, you'll get into med school no matter where you attended undergrad.

 

[neuro raqs]

You are far better off going to a unknown school, getting a 3.9+ gpa, 30+ mcat then going to harvard and getting a 3.2 gpa.

Why go into a school like Harvard expecting to come out with a 3.2? If the person considering a school like UCLA or Berkeley is capable with coming out with a 3.5+ why wouldn't they go there? A solid GPA from on of those more famous schools does hold a lot of weight, and a good number of people are able to graduate with that

 

[Mike7704]

Everyone's own school is known for grade deflation...

 

[dyy199x]

In the end, if you really want to be a doctor, you'll get into med school no matter where you attended undergrad.

enough said.

 

[efle]

the necromancy is rampant this evening

 

[f4reignbeauty]

@IHeartSleep I'd have to agree. For a large majority of my interviews, except for maybe 1 or 2, the group of interviewees came from well-known institutions. It did not mean that I was less qualified than my counterparts because I went to a small state school, but that fact was hard to ignore.