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[evennotodd]

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[GoSpursGo]

No. Though objectively your sGPA is going to be on the low end for those programs, regardless of trend.

But objectively speaking, most people don't go to T20s, and it isn't really that important in the long run as just getting in somewhere.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

You once wrote

I transferred to a T20 (for a variety of reasons), and that adjustment has been rough since I didn’t realize just how much of my happiness comes from a social life (which I naively thought would be easier when I was back to living on campus) rather than academic validation/reaching my ambitions.

... so why do you want to attend a T20 medical school? How is your social life now? What feedback did your prehealth advisors give you? Hoiw much are your parents' approval contributing to your preferences on medical schools to attend or what you have to do to get into medical school?

 

[LelouchLamperouge]

Short answer is no. Your GPA doesn't make you DOA for the T20 programs. Without an MCAT to pair with your GPA, there's no way to really give you any realistic advice. Also, the interest that you seem to be describing sounds like it can be found at many institutions outside of the "T20s". What do you mean when you say that?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The reason I’m asking about T20s is that I’m interested in the cross between academics/research and medicine to be able to help people at a larger scale beyond one patient at a time and academic centers, particularly T20 schools are largely where that happens. So it’s about the opportunities that being at a medical school/center like that could provide both in medical school and beyond rather than about the ranking.

As pointed out, T20s are not unique here. Most US medical schools support the research, teaching, and service missions. Given the current federal funding challenge, the brand-name schools are also under immense financial constraints that have impeded all three missions too. (At least these are the cases that get the attention of the higher education press.)

Just saying the silent part: your privilege is flaming/evident, by how you misinform yourself about what happens in academic medicine. Innovation is happening broadly in schools you might not think of. Those graduating from the other 140 schools are making impacts just fine. Which brings up this interesting response:

All the pressure comes from me, my parents don’t care whether I go to medical school or which one I go to (MD or DO). In fact, my father who is a physician encouraged me to pick any other field besides medicine because of the direction it is heading. Nothing else really sticks out in the way that medicine does at least right now.

How have you addressed your father's concerns? He knows you better than us anonymous forum people, but he may also be conflict-averse to signal you may not find medicine as fulfilling as you dream it to be.

When I spoke the my prehealth advisor, he thought that I could land an MD school if I used my MCAT to compensate for poor grades. Though he did say that since I transferred in, med schools wouldn’t view my as favorably as someone who had been at a competitive undergrad for all 4 years.

This advice is from a T20 prehealth advising office??? That is clearly not true on face value.

Read this article about receiving prehealth advising at a T20... it sounds like you are not taking advantage of the resources of a T20 even though you say that's what you want from a medical school.

Dr. Varnel Antoine: Navigating the Challenges on the Path to Medicine | Student Doctor Network | SDN

Abstract: Dr. Varnel Antoine, the 2025 Advisor of the Year (Private Institution), talks about his career journey and role as a urologist. A urologist and

www.studentdoctor.net

Maybe you are not receptive to subtle signs that others who know you do not share your optimism about becoming a physician. What about doctors you have shadowed or talked to?

Let me dispel some of these myths you have:
1) By transferring to a "better" T20 school, you are now compared against "better" students and the opportunities/advising/support they have received to construct a desirable application (see the article above). It doesn't matter if they dreamt about being doctors since they started walking as babies; many who attend T20 schools switch to being premed their junior years.

2) We are big proponents of "journey traveled," and you get no bonus points for deciding to level up in your education. You get no bonus points for overloading your course schedule. You get no slack for not doing as well in classes so you can study for the MCAT or do more community or clinical exposure. Adcoms don't care if you did clinical experience abroad, especially the T20s. An A in biochemistry at a small liberal arts college has the same value as an A in biochemistry at a HYPSM-level university.

3) If you want a career where you feel fulfilled caring for one patient at a time, why don't you become a dentist? Physical therapist? Social worker? Patient navigator? Athletic trainer? How about your mom commenting on becoming a pharmacist? What have you done to show me how effective you have been "caring" for one patient at a time in a non-physician role?

 

[GoSpursGo]

That makes sense. Thanks!

I’m well aware that chasing (or achieving) prestige doesn’t bring happiness or fulfillment on its own, and that fulfillment comes from what you do/opportunities rather than a name.

The reason I’m asking about T20s is that I’m interested in the cross between academics/research and medicine to be able to help people at a larger scale beyond one patient at a time and academic centers, particularly T20 schools are largely where that happens. So it’s about the opportunities that being at a medical school/center like that could provide both in medical school and beyond rather than about the ranking.

Just want to be realistic about the position my grades are putting me in with respect to being in a position/school where I can meet or work toward my career goals/“dreams”.

Understood. But most applicants would want the same opportunities that you are describing, and there are more qualified applicants than seats at brand-name schools. Objectively speaking, your sGPA is on the low side. It is possible that you could significantly outperform that GPA on your MCAT, but until you have that score in hand I would not take it for granted--again, many applicants with GPAs below the median for their target schools "plan" to make up for it on the MCAT but not everyone can achieve that outcome.

If you really mean that you want to be able to help people at a larger scale beyond one patient at a time, then as someone who has spent some time at "ivory tower" institutions I actually disagree that T20 schools are particularly well equipped to meet that goal. They're doing a lot of cool NIH-funded basic science research, and they may have innovative clinical trials that can benefit the individual patients that have access to enroll on those trials, but this doesn't mean that they have any special reach into their community that other academic centers have. As @Mr.Smile12 points out, all academic centers are charged with creating programs that can support improving health outcomes on a larger scale, and in fact some state schools in particular have a mission to make their results generalizable throughout the state that private institutions do not have. So while there is nothing wrong with wanting to go to a "brand name" institution if you can get in, you don't need to attend a T20 in order to achieve your stated goal of helping people on a larger scale.