I'd be willing to be that the difference between the top students at Northwestern, and the top students at UF is virtually indistinguishable in terms of intellect. Does Northwestern get a few more students of this caliber...probably. But many of these top students choose UF, Miami, and many other less prestigious schools over places like Northwestern each year for a variety of reasons. Finances, location, family, and personal preferances steer many applicants to UF and similar schools all the time. I think it is interesting that the average GPA at UF is at the same level and even higher than at some of the elite schools. The only difference in terms of the students that they take, in terms of quantifiable attributes is MCAT score. So, one test taken on one day is the only thing that really says that Northwestern students, on average, are better. Some students study for this test for 3 or 4 weeks, others for 6 months to a year, and anywhere in between. Some take the test within days or weeks of finishing up the testable pre-reqs, and others take the test years later. I think that's pretty shaky grounds to say that one group of students is much better than another. In reality, with the exception of a few outliers, trying to differentiate between the scholastic potential of US Allopathic med students is splitting hairs.
Does Northwestern get more students with a ton of research experience and higher MCAT scores? Yes. This only makes sense, considering that those students who have ambitions of going to places like Northwestern are the ones who are going to put forth the effort to achieve the necessary requirements. (Why spend the extra months pursuing research publications and an extra 3 or 4 points on the MCAT, if you can get into UF...your top choice...without doing so? I'm not saying such reasoning applies to all students, but you'd probably be surprised how many it does apply to.) But this says nothing of the quality of education you will receive at either of the schools.
