Chances of Getting into med school from a state college

[Epa06]

Does anyone know what the chances are of getting into med school if you're applying from a state college?

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[12loser12]

1 in 6

 

[ICCONFETTI]

definitely 1 in 1000
slim chance...

obviously joking.

 

[BNSN]

Does anyone know what the chances are of getting into med school if you're applying from a state college?

Poor, just like for everyone else -- including private schoold students.

 

[hb2998]

Double major with high GPA from state school is definitely favored over regular dude from superb school.

You can always stress why you went to state school and how your reason applies to your success in medical school (ie. you learn best with smaller class sizes).

Its more about you did/accomplished, but I can guarantee you that certain schools (Stanford) are just unlikely to interview students from supposedly subpar schools. Why? I don't know, but my theory is that these schools care for research and believe the research exposure you receive at state schools to be inferior (even though you might have done the same exact thing as another in a preferred institution).

my 2 cents 🙄.

 

[NYyanx28]

I go to a SUNY Binghamton (State University of New York) and have done fairly well. Check my mdapps link.

 

[NYyanx28]

Double major with high GPA from state school is definitely favored over regular dude from superb school.

You can always stress why you went to state school and how your reason applies to your success in medical school (ie. you learn best with smaller class sizes).

Its more about you did/accomplished, but I can guarantee you that certain schools (Stanford) are just unlikely to interview students from supposedly subpar schools. Why? I don't know, but my theory is that these schools care for research and believe the research exposure you receive at state schools to be inferior (even though you might have done the same exact thing as another in a preferred institution).

my 2 cents 🙄.

Are you joking?

1.) There is no need to justify choosing a state school over private.
2.) State schools does not necessarily mean smaller class sizes.
3.) Double major from state over single from private? What are you smoking man?

 

[turkleton]

1 in 6

Ah man you guys crack me up.

"Wait a minute... what was all that one in a million talk a minute ago"
~Dumb and Dumber.

 

[chad5871]

I attend my state, public university in Richmond. I have very valid reasons for choosing my school, and I plan on sharing them in my interviews.

First of all, tuition is cheap. I was offered a scholarship for half of my tuition and fees, so my total cost is going to be right around $10k for my entire undergraduate education. A bargain, don't you think?

Secondly, my main interest entering college was Forensic Science. VCU has probably one of the best 5 programs in the country, if not world. We are affiliated with the superb crime lab in Richmond (actually near the medical center) and have staff from the crime lab that teach our students. Also, we were just accredited by FEPAC (some Forensic Education group), and we become only the SECOND institution in the world to have both our undergraduate AND graduate programs in Forensic Science accredited. That's a great accomplishment.

Also, I love the urban environment of the school. I feel I do my best when I'm around a lot of other people - I'm quite a social person, and you never know who you are going to meet or what experiences they might have to share with you. More people = learning from more people.

Our class sizes are generally huge, I have no idea what that other poster is talking about. We have over 30,000 total students here. There are currently three sections of Organic Chemistry II this semester, each one anywhere from 150-300 people, and all are full. Although classes are large, I am in the honors program, which offers honors sections of regular courses (I'm in genetics now), and there are only 20 people in that class.

I have no regrets about my decision to attend VCU. It is a great institution - although you only get out of it what you put in. Sure, you can sail through the classes without learning much - it's not necessarily a difficult school, but I feel that my learning and experiences there have been well worth it. If I had to do it all over again, I would have made the same decision. I am not going to let the fact that I attend a university with little prestige get in the way of attending a prestigious medical school.

I feel that if I can convey this fact to the interviews and admissions committees, then I will probably get more respect than people who have no reasons behind attending some private institution.

 

[UMP]

I didn't know I had to defend myself because I chose UMichigan over a private school... 😕

 

[chad5871]

I didn't know I had to defend myself because I chose UMichigan over a private school... 😕

If this was in response to my post, you really don't have to, but it might not hurt to have thought about your motivations for attending your institution (public or private) in case you are asked this question during an interview.

Has this issue ever come up in anyone's interview?

 

[UMP]

I was answering more to hb2998's post...

 

[UMP]

If this was in response to my post, you really don't have to, but it might not hurt to have thought about your motivations for attending your institution (public or private) in case you are asked this question during an interview.

Has this issue ever come up in anyone's interview?

I think my motivation for attending my institution was: because it's f*ckin' Michigan, the best school in the country 😀

 

[chad5871]

I think my motivation for attending my institution was: because it's f*ckin' Michigan, the best school in the country 😀

Ah, I see. Yeah, Michigan's pretty sweet. My brother was obsessed with it in middle/high school, but decided not to apply there for undergrad because it would have been too freakin' expensive.

 

[Benna]

Huh. I've never even considered that attending a state school for undergrad might diminish my chances of getting in to med school. Okay, so the GPAs from state schools might, in some circumstances, not be equivalent to private. But isn't that what the MCAT is for? An 'A' on a state school transcript might be a 'B' in some private places, but a 32 is a 32 no matter where you started.

Right?

 

[UMP]

but to seriously answer the OP's question, I don't think your school really matters. What matters is how well you do when you are there. And the best schools in the country get the best standardized test takers, who tend to rock the MCAT also, which is a huge part of the game.

 

[UMP]

Ah, I see. Yeah, Michigan's pretty sweet. My brother was obsessed with it in middle/high school, but decided not to apply there for undergrad because it would have been too freakin' expensive.

heh... was it because of the fab five, or the national championship in 97 ?

 

[TMP-SMX]

Ah, I see. Yeah, Michigan's pretty sweet. My brother was obsessed with it in middle/high school, but decided not to apply there for undergrad because it would have been too freakin' expensive.

Is that Aladdin in your avatar? That's pretty sweet.

Oh yeah. And I went to a state university 3 miles from my house and was accepted in November. I'm lauhging all the way to the bank folks with the cheapest tuition in my state. Point is that state vs. private was irrelevant in high school, college, and med school. You take what you can out of your education. While some public high school systems may be atrocious, others are very good and will prepare students for higher education.

 

[chad5871]

I dunno. Back then I wasn't too much into sports. But if I had to think about this logically....

The Fab Five was back in 1992. My brother would have been 9, putting him right at third grade. The National Championship in 1997 - he would have been in eighth grade.

I'm going to go with the Fab Five. That's probably right on the money. Three cheers for logic!

 

[chad5871]

Is that Aladdin in your avatar? That's pretty sweet.

Yup it is. Thanks. Aladdin is the bomb. "Gotta keep one jump ahead of the bread line, one swing ahead of the sword." Ah, the memories.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Yup it is. Thanks. Aladdin is the bomb. "Gotta keep one jump ahead of the bread line, one swing ahead of the sword." Ah, the memories.

I think the Disney version of Aladdin was far better than the original story in The Thousand and One Nights. That's usually the exception with Disney, but whatever.

 

[soeagerun2or]

It makes a huge difference if you're at your state's flagship school versus a satellite school. For instance, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities makes up between 40 and 60% of the entering class for the Unversity of Minnesota whereas Mankato State or Winona State may only have 1 or 2 people per year. So if you're going to your state's "college" then you have a better shot than if you go to a state college.

 

[Epa06]

Just to clear things up, I don't go to my state university, I go to a state college, does that make a difference when applying?

 

[sunnyjohn]

Just to clear things up, I don't go to my state university, I go to a state college, does that make a difference when applying?

No. Getting your undergrad from Podunk State College will not keep you out of medical school.

A crappy GPA, terrible MCAT, terrible LORs, no ECs and no personal/social/interview skills will keep you out of med school.

 

[melissainsd]

Several interviewers have asked me why I chose my undergrad. It didn't seem like a big deal and obviously didn't keep me from getting interviews. I will admit that less people from my school get interviews at top tier schools.

 

[cureious]

I went to my state's school and I am doing fine in the application process. I am sure it is true that if you attend a "more prestigious" university (whether public or private) it may get your application looked at a little bit more closely and the adcoms might be slightly more lenient on GPA. However, it comes down to the individual working their butt off no matter where they are. Also, this is why they have the MCAT, too. As an earlier post noted, a 32 is a 32, irrespective of the undergrad insitution you find yourself at. Bottom Line: I don't think it makes much of a difference. It comes down to individual doing well at their respective school. I haven't been asked on any of my interviews about my school. Just my $.02.

 

[DrZeke]

Double major with high GPA from state school is definitely favored over regular dude from superb school.

You can always stress why you went to state school and how your reason applies to your success in medical school (ie. you learn best with smaller class sizes).

Its more about you did/accomplished, but I can guarantee you that certain schools (Stanford) are just unlikely to interview students from supposedly subpar schools. Why? I don't know, but my theory is that these schools care for research and believe the research exposure you receive at state schools to be inferior (even though you might have done the same exact thing as another in a preferred institution).

my 2 cents 🙄.

Obviously your two cents are worthless.

As someone else stated previously...what kind of crack are you smoking?

 

[hb2998]

I'm glad the original poster clarified his/her question by saying that they attend a state college (not a superb state university). I'm glad you guys read the question and clarification the original poster presented.

I was not comparing state vs private, I was comparing state college vs superb state unversity. Superb = great schools which may not all necessarily be private (ie. UCs in california and other superb state schools. UPenn is for example a great state school, would you really think that I'm going to put down this school.)

I'm merely pointing out that admission committees like schools with a name (tons of state schools with a solid name). I also offered a way to explain why the original poster selected going to a state college. (At my interview at Stanford there wasn't a single student other than myself from a state university. Face it, name of your school matters.)

As for my comment about smaller classes, I go to UCLA (a superb state school), and I've have taken a class with 850 other students (Ethnomusicoly 120A). Similar class at California State school (ie. CSUN=regular state university) has 45 students. Sure, this is a great advantage to going to a smaller state school.

Double major? I am pointing out how a double major will set you apart. I wish I could've done a double major. Most students at superb state schools unfortunately can not double major as the school kick students out who have too many units prior to completion of second major. I met a med student at UCD with 3 degrees from CSUN. No way/Incredibly Difficult to do this at UCLA or other superb state schools.

I know very little about private schools but have had education at all types of state universities, state colleges, community colleges. They all have their own strengths, bring them to light in your interview.

 

[UMP]

I'm glad the original poster clarified his/her question by saying that they attend a state college (not a superb state university). I'm glad you guys read the question and clarification the original poster presented.

I was not comparing state vs private, I was comparing state college vs superb state unversity. Superb = great schools which may not all necessarily be private (ie. UCs in california and other superb state schools. UPenn is for example a great state school, would you really think that I'm going to put down this school.)

I'm merely pointing out that admission committees like schools with a name (tons of state schools with a solid name). I also offered a way to explain why the original poster selected going to a state college. (At my interview at Stanford there wasn't a single student other than myself from a state university. Face it, name of your school matters.)

As for my comment about smaller classes, I go to UCLA (a superb state school), and I've have taken a class with 850 other students (Ethnomusicoly 120A). Similar class at California State school (ie. CSUN=regular state university) has 45 students. Sure, this is a great advantage to going to a smaller state school.

Double major? I am pointing out how a double major will set you apart. I wish I could've done a double major. Most students at superb state schools unfortunately can not double major as the school kick students out who have too many units prior to completion of second major. I met a med student at UCD with 3 degrees from CSUN. No way/Incredibly Difficult to do this at UCLA or other superb state schools.

I know very little about private schools but have had education at all types of state universities, state colleges, community colleges. They all have their own strengths, bring them to light in your interview.

Penn is not a state school...

 

[hb2998]

Penn is not a state school...

Didn't know that. Its just an example. UMichigan.

 

[Meatwad]

Just because you go to a state school with very small classes doesn't mean all, or even a majority, of state schools are similarly small. My Bio and Chem lectures both have about 600 students each, and I go to a state school.

 

[hb2998]

Just because you go to a state school with very small classes doesn't mean all, or even a majority, of state schools are similarly small. My Bio and Chem lectures both have about 600 students each, and I go to a state school.

Not all schools are the same. If it comes up why did you go to X-college over Y-university, well referring back to my own post:

"They all have their own strengths, bring them to light in your interview."

Small class sizes is just a comparison between the two universities I'm quite familiar with. If I had graduated from CSUN, and was asked on an interview a versus question, I would bring that up. You could bring up location, cost, etc.

 

[UMP]

at the umich med school for example...
people who went to school in the state, about 80% of them are from umich... about 15% from some of the small liberal arts colleges, and about 3-5 total from all the other state schools.

at wayne st., you have to be from one of the three major state schools to get in (UMich, MSU, or wayne st.). all the other state schools are almost shut out (western, eastern, central, northern, tech, ferris, grand valley, saginaw valley, etc.)

So more or less, if you don't go to a major state school, you are f'ed

I took some post-bacc classes at one of the smaller state schools, and the classes were smaller, the teachers were more accessible... but the competition was non-existant. All the other kids thought they were pre-med, even though the school sends only about 1-2 students to MD schools every year. And this school has about 30 thousand kids.

I guess if I have a point, it is... if your reason is location, or money, or whatever, not that you didn't have the GPA or SAT scores to get in anywhere better, then you have a shot of prooving yourself on the MCAT. But if Podunk St. College is the best school you got in to because your SAT score was sub-1100 or so, then you shouldn't expect to suddenly score a 30 on your MCAT and get in to an MD school

 

[Disinence2]

Im gonna second the "same as everyone else" responce

 

[jae9970]

i thought state schools usually had bigger class size?😕

 

[8744]

Does anyone know what the chances are of getting into med school if you're applying from a state college?

It is impossible. I know, I've tried. The only way to get into medical school is to attend and Ivy League college or somewhere of similar quality.

 

[da8s0859q]

Much ado about nothing, imo. What you do and how you do is more important than where you do it at.

But that's less true for other things. Your significant other would probably prefer somewhere a bit nicer than the back of a small car or something.