College Choices

[barsoum.michael]

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I've been told by one of my friends in medical school that it is best to go to a easier school before med school to get as high as a GPA as possible for medical school. The school that is easy is a good school. What is your opinion on this statement?

 

[Yazo]

Yeah, I don't think your undergraduate school matters that much. It will give you a leg up if it's widely known (something like Harvard). What you'll obviously want to avoid is community colleges.

 

[barsoum.michael]

It's a private university. @Yazo

 

[Apoplexy__]

It's a private university. @Yazo

To echo what Yazo said, I always say: Top 25, brand name school > Easiest possible school >>> All other schools.

 

[barsoum.michael]

@kirbymiester what do you mean?

 

[AlteredScale]

@kirbymiester what do you mean?

Choose Yale, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Columbia if you are given that opportunity. Basically any if the top tier colleges. Name sake does help somewhat for med school if you do well.

If those opportunities aren't available, then go to the school that will be the easiest for you to get a good GPA. Be wary though that some med schools will notice a school that thoroughly inflates their grades (gives As to those who earned Bs...)

 

[onceawolverine]

I've been told by one of my friends in medical school that it is best to go to a easier school before med school to get as high as a GPA as possible for medical school. The school that is easy is a good school. What is your opinion on this statement?

Frankly, I disagree with this. I think everyone will have different opinions on this, so take mine for what it's worth... I do not think you should select an undergraduate institution based on whether you think you'll have an easier time there or not. You should pick a school that will challenge you, push you, and ultimately mold you into the kind of candidate that medical schools will salivate over. For me, that was my state's public school. With the research opportunities, over-abundance of campus extra-curricular opportunities, challenging science coursework, and tremendous professors/mentors, I decided that it was absolutely the right fit for me. I could have gone to an "easier school," but I also could have gone to a "harder school." But I thought that this one would provide me with the most impetus to evolve, both as a student and as an individual. I suggest you pick a school based on similar criteria, not percentage/distribution of 4.0's.

 

[barsoum.michael]

See the thing is I live around big hospitals that I can do research in and shadow so I have those opportunities available to me regardless of where I go.

Frankly, I disagree with this. I think everyone will have different opinions on this, so take mine for what it's worth... I do not think you should select an undergraduate institution based on whether you think you'll have an easier time there or not. You should pick a school that will challenge you, push you, and ultimately mold you into the kind of candidate that medical schools will salivate over. For me, that was my state's public school. With the research opportunities, over-abundance of campus extra-curricular opportunities, challenging science coursework, and tremendous professors/mentors, I decided that it was absolutely the right fit for me. I could have gone to an "easier school," but I also could have gone to a "harder school." But I thought that this one would provide me with the most impetus to evolve, both as a student and as an individual. I suggest you pick a school based on similar criteria, not percentage/distribution of 4.0's.

 

[barsoum.michael]

The ranking of the school is actually better than the other schools I'm thinking about.

Choose Yale, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Columbia if you are given that opportunity. Basically any if the top tier colleges. Name sake does help somewhat for med school if you do well.

If those opportunities aren't available, then go to the school that will be the easiest for you to get a good GPA. Be wary though that some med schools will notice a school that thoroughly inflates their grades (gives As to those who earned Bs...)

 

[onceawolverine]

See the thing is I live around big hospitals that I can do research in and shadow so I have those opportunities available to me regardless of where I go.

If research is something you want to pursue seriously, then you should go to a research institution. An institution that pulls in gobs of grant money. An institution with profs who see enough grant/stipend for their research that they wouldn't mind throwing you a bone.

The ranking of the school is actually better than the other schools I'm thinking about.

So you're saying that the "easy" school is also "ranked" higher than the other schools you're considering? That makes little sense to me, or almost anyone you talk to, I'm sure. But, as I've stated before, consider your interests carefully (all of them, not just your interest in a good gpa) before settling on an institution at which you'll spend the next four years of your life.

 

[AlteredScale]

The ranking of the school is actually better than the other schools I'm thinking about.

If it's not Harvard , Yale or some other famous top tier then go the one that is easier, regardless of its own ranking.