Does it really matter what university you get your undergraduate degree at?

[Propofol482]

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Hello all,

I was wondering if it really matter what school you go to, to get your undergraduate? I wanted to go to UT in Austin thinking that it will help me when it comes time to apply to medical school. U of H is just 30 minutes from where I live now and would be a lot more convienent, and cheaper at that. I guess what i'm after is, if I got a undergraduate Biology degree from UH instead of UT would I still have just as good a chance getting into med school, considering my grades and MCAT are up to par?

 

[Neuronix]

Going to a prestigous undergrad does help your application. By far though, it is a minor part of your application, considered much less than things like GPA, MCAT, ECs, etc...

That being said, the difference between UT-Austin and U of H isn't a big enough difference to make me blink about prestige. I doubt people here on the east coast would know the difference, and Texas isn't a place where it's real difficult to get into med school anyways.

I would definately go with where you'll be happier on this one. Just do well wherever you end up. Good luck!

 

[Amy B]

I agree, unless you are talking about one of the top 10-15 schools I really don't think it matters. Great grades, MCAT, EC's and great LORs do matter. So go where you want and don't worry about it.

 

[JohnHolmes]

I think it does affect your application and here is why:

Law schools discount GPAs heavily from many state universities and less competitive institutions. I have no reason to believe med schools behave radically different from this. For whatever factor or percentage of your total application your gpa is worth (10% maybe of total application), your undergraduate institution reflects upon this. If you go to a school where grade inflation is out of control, and the admissions process isn't very competitive that isn't going to help you a whole lot to have a 3.5. If you come from Duke with a 3.5; however, you are in much better shape. That being said, I think becoming a Longhorn may help, but not _significantly_ versus Houston. If you attend a Tier I institution, that is preferable.

IMHO, coming from U.Va. with a high gpa helped me a lot; however, if I had come from Princeton with the same gpa, I would be in even better shape.

Coops

 

[CalBeE]

I agree...because many brand name undergrad schools also have more rigorous curriculum, so that affects how schools look at the applicants' GPA.

I was straight out told by my Emory interviewer that a decent GPA at my school (UCLA) is definitely better than a 4.0 at a state school in Wyoming or something.

NOw, I don't know how schools look at inflated grades at some prestigeous schools though.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Try not caring about this whole process... it will take you much further than you might think.


***Begin Sarcasm***

OMG, what undergrad school name should I tattoo on my ass, OMG, I got a B, are my chances at med school over???

*** Over***

Who cares? Just be yourself, work hard at whatever you do, or whereever you go. And for God's sake pick a school you like, not a school that has a brand name. You'll be much happier for it. ~Sheesh~

 

[jlee9531]

the difference between those two schools isnt gonna matter....

now if you were talking a top 20 school and tier 2 school that would make your application a little bit more appealing obviously.

but in your situation you are just as fine as it is.

 

[NE_Cornhusker1]

those that went to a 'name' school will tell you yes. common sense and those who weren't duped into the 'name' school thing and the hefty tuituion that pften goes along with it will tell you no.

 

[Propofol482]

Thanks for your advice, i'm new to this whole process and just trying to figure out what is most important. I've figured it out now, and putting my head down and charging hard to make this dream a reality.

 

[closertofine]

Originally posted by NE_Cornhusker1
those that went to a 'name' school will tell you yes. common sense and those who weren't duped into the 'name' school thing and the hefty tuituion that pften goes along with it will tell you no.

I agree, I went to a public state school and have gotten several interviews and an acceptance already...although it's true that at one interview I attended, I was definitely in the minority (we had to say out loud which school we'd attended, and most had gone to private, higher-tier schools). So I think if I were in your shoes, I'd go U of H instead of UT-Austin...(especially since, being from the eastern U.S., I don't know the difference in rankings between the two!).

 

[peterockduke]

Originally posted by NE_Cornhusker1
those that went to a 'name' school will tell you yes. common sense and those who weren't duped into the 'name' school thing and the hefty tuituion that pften goes along with it will tell you no.

Damn you're clever. Maybe you just weren't competitive enough to get into the elite ugrads. Plenty of people at top schools have tons of scholarships, fin. aid etc and could go to private good schools or public's for the same price. Just b/c one chooses to be in a more competitive environment doesn't mean they were "duped". But again.. you're obviously a lot more smarter than the tiny number of people at ultra-competitive ugrads.

A lot of schools have the same type of law school forumlas while some don't. A certain school in NC takes kids from Duke who have an ave. sci gpa of 3.2 over the past 10 years. Gee... I wonder how that could be? I just ask admissions officers.. Enough of this.

 

[NE_Cornhusker1]

ohh no! i've offended a dukie. and was that a personal attack there? and thank you for only proving my point.

 

[peterockduke]

You're being insulting for no reason. Don't hate on people who chose to do something you couldn't do. Oops that woudl be my lack of common sense talking again...

Every Dukie is armed with a booklet of accepted stats over the years. The average GPA would generally be between 0.1 - 0.4 points below the school's ave. gpa. The average gpa is usually .25 points below the schools matriculated average. Sorry to disappoint... it matters.

 

[NE_Cornhusker1]

not everyone with the talent and ability to go to a duke or hopkins does-or even bothers to apply for that matter. likewise not everyone at duke or hopkins or the like is any better than a joe average state u grad.

the simple fact of the matter is that a cell is a cell, the wittig reaction is the wittig rxn., and f stills equals ma regardless of where you go to school.

 

[peterockduke]

and then you get a curved gpa.... imagine that... getting curved against your classmate

i've yet to hear any type of rationalization for why these so called sucky elite ugrads have mcat ave. significantly higher than other schools which are suppossed to be just as good...

i don't care about the school... just looking at the mass nerdienss of the population...

 

[NE_Cornhusker1]

Originally posted by peterockduke
sucky elite ugrads

those are your words, not mine. duke and hopkins and others are all fine schools. i'm afraid that some of the people at these schools think just a little too highly of themselves. post a link or something to your compelling mcat data. 😉

 

[Disenchanted 1]

Hey as the saying goes, would you rather be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond!!
I honestly think application is more important, as for the school I think it plays a small role. Perhaps the only thing it tells them is that you didn't slack off in HS and were able to get into the elite school...hmm......or else you dad is a CEO and you own a billion dollars to your name !

 

[lowbudget]

Hey Propofol482,

It doesn't matter. UH is a good school as is UT-Austin. Just remember that you're up against the entire nation when you apply for med school (Yale, Stanford undergrads as well as small unknown liberal arts schools in Wyoming).

So focus on grades and MCATs number 1. Pick hard advance courses and do well in them so you can prove that you can hang with the big boys and girls. And get to know a handful of professors real well (like work with them) so they can stand up for you in the letters.

Then EC's: paramedic is the best one. Volunteer at hospital and clinics are good too. Student organizations potentially can be lame and boring, but it depends.

Then do what you like to do: keep taking music lessons, keep playing sports, keep taking pictures, read books you enjoy, be normal.

Med school considers everything in your application, everywhere from your personal statements, what color your skin, what village you grew up in, even who your mother and father are! So just remember there are things in your control and things outside of your control.

When you consider all of this, the name of school start to mean less and less. There are many smart people from UH and many dumb people at Harvard. Just prove to the Admissions Committee that you're the smart guy from UH.

 

[longlakeboy]

I just don't see how there couldn't be at least a little significance. I'm sorry, this is going to come off as a typical pompous U of M grad, but the number of classes I've had with scrict B-/C+ median curves, against the quality of students at U of M, I just find it hard to believe that my 3.65 isn't going to be viewed a little higher than a 3.65 at U of BFE.

 

[Disenchanted 1]

I just don't see how there couldn't be at least a little significance. I'm sorry, this is going to come off as a typical pompous U of M grad, but the number of classes I've had with scrict B-/C+ median curves, against the quality of students at U of M, I just find it hard to believe that my 3.65 isn't going to be viewed a little higher than a 3.65 at U of BFE

I disagree. Your situation could happen anywhere. I have had profs who have been so extremely challenging and difficult and only less than 10% of the students were able to pull off an A. So I actually completely disagree. It all depends on the profs. A lot f these so called "not ivy league" universities actually have very good profs who themselves come from elite schools. And I am sure that most adcoms know about this trend. The fact is that if a school has enough money and budget they can attract a lot of great profs from elite schools even though the university is not an ivy league. So I would have to say that the contribution of your undergrad institution is rather small !!

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by longlakeboy
I just don't see how there couldn't be at least a little significance. I'm sorry, this is going to come off as a typical pompous U of M grad, but the number of classes I've had with scrict B-/C+ median curves, against the quality of students at U of M, I just find it hard to believe that my 3.65 isn't going to be viewed a little higher than a 3.65 at U of BFE.

it will.

 

[lowbudget]

Yeah, well it will only to the extent that you have nothing else to show for other than the school where you went for undergrad. I think if you're competing for that 200th seat vs. 1st alternate, they'll look at it if all else is equal which is why you need to do the stuff that makes you so unequal that people can't even compare you against another person, especially if you think that you're school for SOME reason is inferior to other schools. I'd rather admit a 3.5, small school, with a publication in NEJM than a 3.7 riding on the undergrad school's reputation for admitting high school kids with high SATs.

At the end of the day, admissions committee want to know 1) will you be a good doctor, 2) will you succeed in med school, 3) will you be a person that they are willing to work with (i.e. are you a slacker who will make your team work harder, or are you a go-getter who hustles). That's all it is.

Everything else (GPA, MCAT, EC, recs, personal statement, reputation) all serve as data points for them to make this assessment. And as much of an educated guess they can make with these data points, sometimes the adcom people are right and sometimes they're wrong. No one has the perfect application. It's just not possible. And even if they do, SO WHAT? It's only 1 person or 2 or 3. There're plenty of spots at a given school and plenty of spots nationwide. And if not, there's always next year. It's about being smart, being smooth and polished and mature. It's about hard work, perseverance, confidence, and many times just plain fu_cking random as_s luck.

 

[reaton]

Why don't you just check with the school's you are wanting to apply to and see what there entry rate into medical is?

I know of two small private "no name" church schools in Texas who have a extremely good rate of getting students into med school.

In fact one of these "no name" had a student who is the only person to graduate with a 4.0 med school gpa at Southwestern.

Do a little personal research. Check with the schools and see for your self.

 

[cornelius]

i think undergrad school probably makes a little difference, but it does depend largely on the individual school...

some places (columbia comes to mind) are pretty heavy on the undergrad pedigree, with a huge proportion of each incoming class being from harvard/yale/princeton and the other ivies.

hopkins seems to emphasize it a lot less - there are lots of people from big-name schools, but there's also a surprisingly high number from small liberal arts colleges and mid-range state schools (myself included).

i think one of the earlier posters gave really good advice with telling you to go where you think you'll be happiest - 4 years of your life is huge, and it's really important that you like where you are. you can make your own experience. while some med schools do count school name more than others, realize that there are definitely top schools that look beyond it. good luck!

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by reaton
Why don't you just check with the school's you are wanting to apply to and see what there entry rate into medical is?

I know of two small private "no name" church schools in Texas who have a extremely good rate of getting students into med school.

In fact one of these "no name" had a student who is the only person to graduate with a 4.0 med school gpa at Southwestern.

Do a little personal research. Check with the schools and see for your self.

perhaps its a function of TX being one of the better states for getting into med school.

 

[exmike]

"At the medical school evaluated in this study (the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine), applicants are initially ranked employing a formula incorporating the undergraduate GPA, an adjustment to that GPA based on the selectivity of the applicant's undergraduate institution, and the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores."

If you guys dont believe it, this is straight from a MCAT study done at MUSC at this link http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/research/bibliography/basco002.htm


To beat a dead horse AGAIN:

YES YOUR SCHOOL MATTERS, BUT IF YOU SCREW UP, IT DOESNT REALLY MATTER ONE BIT!

A top school will get you an extra edge, but it wont get you in by itself. A 4.0 from podunk U still beats a 3.4 from an ivy.