Does it matter where I study pre-med

[yazen09]

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I will be attending SMU to pursue a degree in Biology. Overall, it is a great school but there known more for the Business school and Law school. Would I have any advantages over a student studying pre-med at UTD? Do the people at med schools look for applicants who went to better schools or do they just look at GPA and MCAT scores.

 

[CodeBlu]

I will be attending SMU to pursue a degree in Biology. Overall, it is a great school but there known more for the Business school and Law school. Would I have any advantages over a student studying pre-med at UTD? Do the people at med schools look for applicants who went to better schools or do they just look at GPA and MCAT scores.

Doesn't matter where you do your stuff. Not really. Some schools like maybe 5 out of 120 care. I think you're fine going to SMU. Just make sure you do as well as possible and get a high GPA.

 

[dodobird1]

Would say that if you don't go to a prestigious private school and you want to get into a top 20, then you have more pressure to do well on your MCAT. If you don't trust me look at a good number of SDNers or MDApps, not 100% representative but have seen that trend.

 

[Pietrantonio]

I will be attending SMU to pursue a degree in Biology. Overall, it is a great school but there known more for the Business school and Law school. Would I have any advantages over a student studying pre-med at UTD? Do the people at med schools look for applicants who went to better schools or do they just look at GPA and MCAT scores.

Your best bet is to research the Medical Schools you are potentially interested in applying to and read through their admission requirements. But, based on your question, you should be alright. Just remember to give it your all and then some! 🙂

 

[SeminoleVesicle]

Would say that if you don't go to a prestigious private school and you want to get into a top 20, then you have more pressure to do well on your MCAT. If you don't trust me look at a good number of SDNers or MDApps, not 100% representative but have seen that trend.

I agree with this. I would also suggest that if you plan on eventually attending your state school(s) for medical school, you might consider staying in-state for your undergraduate college choice. As long as you don't graduate from a CC, it really doesn't matter which school you attend.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

Just as long as the school is not considered for-profit you should not worry about where you go for undergrad. Honestly there are schools that are not even in the top100 that do just fine.

Just focus on your GPA, EC's, and the related and you should be fine.

 

[Kangaroo Paw]

Just as long as the school is not considered for-profit you should not worry about where you go for undergrad. Honestly there are schools that are not even in the top100 that do just fine.

Just focus on your GPA, EC's, and the related and you should be fine.

Just want to say, MeowMeowCAT, LOVE your sig--that was literally the best example of a gunner ever. Like, ever.

 

[Onres]

Would say that if you don't go to a prestigious private school and you want to get into a top 20, then you have more pressure to do well on your MCAT. If you don't trust me look at a good number of SDNers or MDApps, not 100% representative but have seen that trend.

It doesn't matter.

 

[Doctor246853]

I will be attending SMU to pursue a degree in Biology. Overall, it is a great school but there known more for the Business school and Law school. Would I have any advantages over a student studying pre-med at UTD? Do the people at med schools look for applicants who went to better schools or do they just look at GPA and MCAT scores.

No.

 

[dodobird1]

It doesn't matter.

Don't mean to offend but there is a big difference between getting an interview and getting accepted. I think it doesn't really matter where you go in terms of getting an interview but when a school looks for diversity in their class and you go to a large state school where tons of people have 35+ MCATs then it's more competitive. Some might find this hard to believe but there's more high MCAT scores at giant state schools then a lot of the top private schools. If you've scored well then you'd probably know that you didn't need to go to a top ranked school to get a high score.

 

[paul411]

Merely attending a prestigious university will not help you application. If you used the opportunities available at a prestigious university (like research) to get impressive ECs, then you will have done your application some good.

Keep in mind that a lot of large state schools (like UT Austin; I don't know much about UTD) offer excellent opportunities for pre-meds.

In the end your GPA, MCAT, ECs, Personal Statement and interviews are the main factors for med school admissions.