Does name of Undergrad matter for application? YES - read this story!

[brke2]

I had to share this because there are many threads about this. Naturally, people that go to name brand undergrads believe it matters and the ones that don't go to the big name schools say that it doesn't matter where you complete your undergraduate education. My good friend and I (unintentionally) found that the name of your undergrad definitely matters when it comes to how medical schools approach applicants.

FYI - I am not saying this is right and that one is better than the other. I am just sharing some facts.

So me and my friend both have almost identical applications. This was not intentional - we are just both interested in the same things and some of this even freaks us out because our apps were so similar. We both had EXACTLY 3.8 cGPA and 3.9 sGPA. We both had a 34Q on the MCAT with identical distribution. We both started an organization together that we spent a lot of time with. We were both tutors in the same subjects and we were both TA's for two semesters in O-Chem. We both had zero research experience. We were both EMTs for the same amount of time *2 years*. We both had five letters of rec's from our professors and medical directors of the companies we worked for. Our LORs were very similar because every one of our writers asked us to write our own letters and have them endorse it. They must have changed a few things Im sure but not too much because we had great relationships with all of them. We were both heavily involved with sports our whole lives and we grew up in the same town. We both also started a Rock band in high school that we talked about in either our PS or secondaries. We both had our PS professionally edited and peer reviewed. With all that said - the only difference we had in our applications was that one went to a California State School and one went to UC Berkeley.

You want to know the outcome? We both applied to almost the same schools, about 30 all together. Our applications were in about the same time - maybe about a one week difference. We completed our secondaries within one or two days of receiving it. Out of the 30 schools we applied to, the UC Berkeley student received 14 interviews while the Cal State school student received 2 interviews. Out of the 14 interviews, the UC Berkeley student received 8 acceptances, 2 rejections and 4 waitlists. Out of the 2 interviews, the Cal State school student received one acceptance and one waitlist. We both got in so thats great but that is just horrible. I feel that every significant variable was controlled so that shows the influence of your schools name.

I know this is a sample size of two but this I think is pretty solid evidence. Also, as far as the interview goes - you can see that we are pretty similar individuals so I dont think that made a big difference ... but even still the amount of interview offers for the UC Berkeley student vs Cal State is pretty bad.

edit: i am one hundred percent not a troll. i dont know why this post would make it seem like i am a troll - just didnt want to use my account name.

second edit: since i cant reply to every thread that says "im angry for doing poorly" - I AM the Cal student ... I had 8 acceptances .. I had a great application cycle and I am not frustrated or angry.

third edit: some people are really into tearing apart the LOR situation I originally posted. Not that I am saying I lied (whyyyyyyy would I do that, on the internet??) - lets assume that did not even happen. Does it change things that much??

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[docelh]

every week. on schedule. no mas, por favor.

Use search.

 

[Dr McSexy]

 

[LuciusVorenus]

Maybe we're getting tro-lolo-lled

www.trololololololololololo.com

 

[brke2]

every week. on schedule. no mas, por favor.

Use search.

you got to read the post buddy. I wasn't asking a question.

 

[docelh]

you got to read the post buddy. I wasn't asking a question.

Oh, a story. You're sharing. My bad.

Just curious, was the difference solely on western US schools (i.e., UC)? Did you see this disparity in East Coast/South/ Midwest schools as well?

 

[brke2]

Oh, a story. You're sharing. My bad.

its cool

 

[brke2]

kill yourself

i am so confused! I swear I have no idea why people are getting mad. do you guys think I am lying? Or is it because this issue is always raised and people fight about it?

 

[Dr McSexy]

Or is it because this issue is always raised and people fight about it?

Yes.

 

[docelh]

i am so confused! I swear I have no idea why people are getting mad. do you guys think I am lying? Or is it because this issue is always raised and people fight about it?

Don't mind him. He's drunk and angry over being waitlisted at four schools (another thread).

 

[LuciusVorenus]

i am so confused! I swear I have no idea why people are getting mad. do you guys think I am lying? Or is it because this issue is always raised and people fight about it?

You hit the proverbial nail on its large proverbial head.

 

[Slowpoke]

is this a riddle?

the answer is: one of you is unlike the other. (you are em)

just sayin'

 

[bobsmith]

Even if you're not a troll, I still don't think you've even shown anything meaningful here anyway.

I mean, I think most people would agree with you that with all else being equal (which, even given the scenario you generated, is still absurdly unlikely), school name matters. The commonly debated issue on this site isn't whether school name matters, it's how much it matters relative to other parts of the application (i.e., does a 3.7 from Cal get a bump over the 3.8 from Cal State, etc). And I think that debate will continue on regardless of how many anecdotes people have

 

[Neocortex]

"ceteris paribus"

thats the term you were looking for.

I would like to say that medicine is the best career move definetly. But if you have to study for 4 years prior to medicine, the best major is philosophy. This discipline allows you to immerse yourself in the widest range of puzzels reality poses for us. Thus, anyone with serious intelligence and drive to comprehend reality would study this discipline. In my view, there are too many number crunchers out there. I too am a number cruncher, i can solve plenty of problems, but i praise myself for studying philosophy so that i can attack our toughest problems head on. I mean what is life, if you can't examine it thorougly (Socrates)?

 

[bullpup777]

Even if you're not a troll, I still don't think you've even shown anything meaningful here anyway.

I mean, I think most people would agree with you that with all else being equal (which, even given the scenario you generated, is still absurdly unlikely), school name matters. The commonly debated issue on this site isn't whether school name matters, it's how much it matters relative to other parts of the application (i.e., does a 3.7 from Cal get a bump over the 3.8 from Cal State, etc). And I think that debate will continue on regardless of how many anecdotes people have

Look, I went to MIT, and spent several semesters at other allegedly quality undergraduate institutions. There was no comparison. There is no way a 3.8 from MIT is the same as a 3.8 from Eastern Podunk State. You can screech all you want, but you know it's true. The classes at MIT are harder, and the people your grades are curved against are smarter. I assume the admissions committees realize this.

 

[docelh]

"ceteris paribus"

In my view, there are too many number crunchers out there. I too am a number cruncher, i can solve plenty of problems, but i praise myself for studying philosophy so that i can attack our toughest problems head on. I mean what is life, if you can't examine it thorougly (Socrates)?

There was no comparison.

Let's just agree that everyone thinks their school should be as worthy as or more than the other guy's school.

 

[Dr McSexy]

Look, I went to MIT, and spent several semesters at other allegedly quality undergraduate institutions. There was no comparison. There is no way a 3.8 from MIT is the same as a 3.8 from Eastern Podunk State. You can screech all you want, but you know it's true. The classes at MIT are harder, and the people your grades are curved against are smarter. I assume the admissions committees realize this.

*sound of one-hand clapping*

 

[Neocortex]

Oh yea. And once you get to medicine. The best specialty is the one that has to do with the brain. But you gotta be smart to be a neurologist, neuroscientist, neurosurgeon, ect. Why you ask? Because the brain is the most complex organ in the universe. It has so many levels of operation.

But on top of that. If you smart people haven't figured out yet. Our whole world is going to change because of brain science. In the next 10 to 30 years, we will be able to augment our brain in ways unimaginable right now. This will change the world and mankind. More importantly, it will lead to scientific progress that is unthinkable. In addition to this, we will be able to create machines that simulate the brain. Machines that can even process information much faster than our brain. This will alter the world drastically. Keyword: Sigularity, or Transhumanism if your interested and haven;t already figured this out.

 

[docelh]

Does that mean the curve is going to get harder? ****.

 

[bobsmith]

Look, I went to MIT, and spent several semesters at other allegedly quality undergraduate institutions. There was no comparison. There is no way a 3.8 from MIT is the same as a 3.8 from Eastern Podunk State. You can screech all you want, but you know it's true. The classes at MIT are harder, and the people your grades are curved against are smarter. I assume the admissions committees realize this.

Sorry, I guess my post wasn't clear.

I agree with you that not all 3.8s are created equal, but I can see how you could have interpreted my post as saying that.

My point was just that while most people would agree that all 3.8s aren't the same, you'll never find a consensus about precisely what lower GPA from MIT equals a higher GPA from "podunk" state.

 

[bullpup777]

*sound of one-hand clapping*

No clapping required of any kind. Audible or silent. God knows I have my own problems. I still don't see how you can think that GPAs from every kind of school are fungible. The admissions committees would have to be really stupid.

 

[Dr McSexy]

"ceteris paribus"

thats the term you were looking for.

I would like to say that medicine is the best career move definetly. But if you have to study for 4 years prior to medicine, the best major is philosophy. This discipline allows you to immerse yourself in the widest range of puzzels reality poses for us. Thus, anyone with serious intelligence and drive to comprehend reality would study this discipline. In my view, there are too many number crunchers out there. I too am a number cruncher, i can solve plenty of problems, but i praise myself for studying philosophy so that i can attack our toughest problems head on. I mean what is life, if you can't examine it thorougly (Socrates)?

Oh yea. And once you get to medicine. The best specialty is the one that has to do with the brain. But you gotta be smart to be a neurologist, neuroscientist, neurosurgeon, ect. Why you ask? Because the brain is the most complex organ in the universe. It has so many levels of operation.

But on top of that. If you smart people haven't figured out yet. Our whole world is going to change because of brain science. In the next 10 to 30 years, we will be able to augment our brain in ways unimaginable right now. This will change the world and mankind. More importantly, it will lead to scientific progress that is unthinkable. In addition to this, we will be able to create machines that simulate the brain. Machines that can even process information much faster than our brain. This will alter the world drastically. Keyword: Sigularity, or Transhumanism if your interested and haven;t already figured this out.

You went on this tirade during your interviews and in your PS didn't you?

I can understand why you've been waitlisted.

 

[Neocortex]

You went on this tirade during your interviews and in your PS didn't you?

I can understand why you've been waitlisted.

It's not my fault i see things before they happen

 

[Dr McSexy]

No clapping required of any kind. Audible or silent. God knows I have my own problems. I still don't see how you can think that GPAs from every kind of school are fungible. The admissions committees would have to be really stupid.

Never said I did.

I just don't like your attitude.

 

[bullpup777]

Never said I did.

I just don't like your attitude.

OK then, that's cool.

 

[JJMrK]

There are still significant areas where your application might be different from your "friend's," including the personal statement, secondary essays, and the content of the letters of recommendation.

Still, not many people dispute that the exact same application from two very different schools will be treated differently. The more common question is: "Will a hard school make up for my 3.0 GPA?".

 

[richse]

I had to share this because there are many threads about this. Naturally, people that go to name brand undergrads believe it matters and the ones that don't go to the big name schools say that it doesn't matter where you complete your undergraduate education. My good friend and I (unintentionally) found that the name of your undergrad definitely matters when it comes to how medical schools approach applicants.

FYI - I am not saying this is right and that one is better than the other. I am just sharing some facts.

So me and my friend both have almost identical applications. This was not intentional - we are just both interested in the same things and some of this even freaks us out because our apps were so similar. We both had EXACTLY 3.8 cGPA and 3.9 sGPA. We both had a 34Q on the MCAT with identical distribution. We both started an organization together that we spent a lot of time with. We were both tutors in the same subjects and we were both TA's for two semesters in O-Chem. We both had zero research experience. We were both EMTs for the same amount of time *2 years*. We both had five letters of rec's from our professors and medical directors of the companies we worked for. Our LORs were very similar because every one of our writers asked us to write our own letters and have them endorse it. They must have changed a few things Im sure but not too much because we had great relationships with all of them. We were both heavily involved with sports our whole lives and we grew up in the same town. We both also started a Rock band in high school that we talked about in either our PS or secondaries. We both had our PS professionally edited and peer reviewed. With all that said - the only difference we had in our applications was that one went to a California State School and one went to UC Berkeley.

You want to know the outcome? We both applied to almost the same schools, about 30 all together. Our applications were in about the same time - maybe about a one week difference. We completed our secondaries within one or two days of receiving it. Out of the 30 schools we applied to, the UC Berkeley student received 14 interviews while the Cal State school student received 2 interviews. Out of the 14 interviews, the UC Berkeley student received 8 acceptances, 2 rejections and 4 waitlists. Out of the 2 interviews, the Cal State school student received one acceptance and one waitlist. We both got in so thats great but that is just horrible. I feel that every significant variable was controlled so that shows the influence of your schools name.

I know this is a sample size of two but this I think is pretty solid evidence. Also, as far as the interview goes - you can see that we are pretty similar individuals so I dont think that made a big difference ... but even still the amount of interview offers for the UC Berkeley student vs Cal State is pretty bad.

edit: i am one hundred percent not a troll. i dont know why this post would make it seem like i am a troll - just didnt want to use my account name.

MY BS meter is sounding the alarm. I don't believe for a second that all of your LOR writers asked you both to write your own letters. Obviously your profs were different so we would have to assume at least 6 or 7 writers all wanted these prefab letters. I guess anything is possible but I would start playing the lottery and watch out for lightning if that really happened. Secondly, you would have us assume that you both wrote near identical letters to each writer. Either they were the most generic letters possible or they weren't as similar as you would have us believe. I know my LORs included some specific interactions between myself and the writer. Then again, I didn't write them so maybe generic is what you were looking for. Lastly, do you really mean to say that both of your PSs were the same because you started a band in high school? Unless you both talked about the same motivations to become clinicians and mirrored every other aspect and writing style then there should be plenty info to differentiate the two essays. I think I have spent too much time.

For anyone who still thinks this could have been true, I would offer another explanation. Maybe the guy who got more interviews turned in his app slightly earlier that his friend and the adcoms just tossed the second app when it sounded too familiar.

 

[flip26]

MY BS meter is sounding the alarm. I don't believe for a second that all of your LOR writers asked you both to write your own letters.

Being asked to write your own letter is pretty rare. It happens, but not very often.

OP is a troll who took one bridge too far in concocting his perfect troll post.

 

[ApoK]

Being asked to write your own letter is pretty rare. It happens, but not very often.

OP is a troll who took one bridge too far in concocting his perfect troll post.

As much as I hate to agree, this is definitely bogus. 10 LOR's self-written? Give me an effing break.

For the record, a 3.8 at Berkeley means more than a 3.8 at a Cali State school. Berkeley has relatively deflated grades. Adcoms will know this for at least Berkeley since so many damn applicants come out of there (literally one at all 14 of my interviews!).

 

[slowbutsteady]

i am so confused! I swear I have no idea why people are getting mad. do you guys think I am lying? Or is it because this issue is always raised and people fight about it?

People get mad because there is NOTHING they can do about where they went to college, and it frustrates them to hear that it matters so much.

So they call you a troll or a liar because that makes them feel better.

I totally believe your story and my own story is similar.

So, the only people who like/believe you are Ivy and other top school grads. Those people love the story!!

EDIT: And I agree with the posters who said that the better, more interesting, stories are those in which the top school grad with LOWER stats does better than no-name school with HIGH stats. I am also an example of that phenomenon.

 

[flip26]

As much as I hate to agree, this is definitely bogus. 10 LOR's self-written? Give me an effing break.

For the record, a 3.8 at Berkeley means more than a 3.8 at a Cali State school. Berkeley has relatively deflated grades. Adcoms will know this for at least Berkeley since so many damn applicants come out of there (literally one at all 14 of my interviews!).

Agreed. The 2 applicants were not equal in this regard alone, sufficient in and of itself to result in different outcomes as described in the troll post.

 

[justinbaily]

No clapping required of any kind. Audible or silent. God knows I have my own problems. I still don't see how you can think that GPAs from every kind of school are fungible. The admissions committees would have to be really stupid.

Which is why the good people at the AAMC have developed a wonderful standardized test to prove to admissions committees that your MIT education is so far superior to the one that us state-school kids receive at Eastern Podunk State, where our system of learning is based almost entirely on oral tradition.

 

[trep14]

Call me a skeptic, but I have a very hard time believing this story. While it certainly is possible that you guys have the exact same stats, I just have a hard time believing that even though you and your friend have the same interests, you guys were involved in the exact same activities for the exact same amount of time. Also, as the posters above mentioned, the LORs situation sounds very fishy. I mean, your story is possible, its just that there is like a one in a billion chance of all those things being the exact same on your application. Like the poster mentioned above, have you tried playing the lottery lately?

 

[Tatastrophy]

It's not my fault i see things before they happen

then you should have seen the WL coming

 

[austinap]

I had to share this because there are many threads about this. Naturally, people that go to name brand undergrads believe it matters and the ones that don't go to the big name schools say that it doesn't matter where you complete your undergraduate education. My good friend and I (unintentionally) found that the name of your undergrad definitely matters when it comes to how medical schools approach applicants.

FYI - I am not saying this is right and that one is better than the other. I am just sharing some facts.

So me and my friend both have almost identical applications. This was not intentional - we are just both interested in the same things and some of this even freaks us out because our apps were so similar. We both had EXACTLY 3.8 cGPA and 3.9 sGPA. We both had a 34Q on the MCAT with identical distribution. We both started an organization together that we spent a lot of time with. We were both tutors in the same subjects and we were both TA's for two semesters in O-Chem. We both had zero research experience. We were both EMTs for the same amount of time *2 years*. We both had five letters of rec's from our professors and medical directors of the companies we worked for. Our LORs were very similar because every one of our writers asked us to write our own letters and have them endorse it. They must have changed a few things Im sure but not too much because we had great relationships with all of them. We were both heavily involved with sports our whole lives and we grew up in the same town. We both also started a Rock band in high school that we talked about in either our PS or secondaries. We both had our PS professionally edited and peer reviewed. With all that said - the only difference we had in our applications was that one went to a California State School and one went to UC Berkeley.

You want to know the outcome? We both applied to almost the same schools, about 30 all together. Our applications were in about the same time - maybe about a one week difference. We completed our secondaries within one or two days of receiving it. Out of the 30 schools we applied to, the UC Berkeley student received 14 interviews while the Cal State school student received 2 interviews. Out of the 14 interviews, the UC Berkeley student received 8 acceptances, 2 rejections and 4 waitlists. Out of the 2 interviews, the Cal State school student received one acceptance and one waitlist. We both got in so thats great but that is just horrible. I feel that every significant variable was controlled so that shows the influence of your schools name.

I know this is a sample size of two but this I think is pretty solid evidence. Also, as far as the interview goes - you can see that we are pretty similar individuals so I dont think that made a big difference ... but even still the amount of interview offers for the UC Berkeley student vs Cal State is pretty bad.

edit: i am one hundred percent not a troll. i dont know why this post would make it seem like i am a troll - just didnt want to use my account name.

Three comments, one that you pointed out yourself.

1. n=2, you can't derive any statistics from this.
2. You're making the assumption that a GPAs are directly comparable across schools. Cal is known for its insanely tough grading, and coming out of there with a 3.9 sGPA is almost miraculous. Because of its size and its name, many adcoms are familiar with this.
3. "Very similar" doesn't mean the same - you can use "very similar" wording in an LOR, and one can still be amazing while the other only "good".

You're also forgetting that because the two of you are so similar, you're competing for the exact same demographic at all of these schools. While unfortunate for the Cal State guy, if you're the exact same on paper except one of you has "Berkeley" on their transcripts while the other has "Cal State", of course they're going to pick the Berkeley guy. Most med schools actively try to keep an interesting class (some more than others), so there's little chance they'd interview two students that are twins on paper.

 

[brke2]

People get mad because there is NOTHING they can do about where they went to college, and it frustrates them to hear that it matters so much.

So they call you a troll or a liar because that makes them feel better.

I totally believe your story and my own story is similar.

So, the only people who like/believe you are Ivy and other top school grads. Those people love the story!!

EDIT: And I agree with the posters who said that the better, more interesting, stories are those in which the top school grad with LOWER stats does better than no-name school with HIGH stats. I am also an example of that phenomenon.

That is generally the trend that I have seen. It makes sense that you defend your own school. And for the LOR situation - I didnt think it was that uncommon. A lot of my friends were asked to write their own.

I am willing to bet a lot of money that the people that got so "flamed" at my post attend or attended a no-name school. So naturally you want to believe to the death that the name of your school does not matter much.

And one more thing ... I am the one that went to Cal and I will be the first to admit that my Cal state friend is a lot smarter than me. Things come a lot more naturally to him and he understands difficult concepts with ease. So in the end - what really matters is your education and how your undergrad prepares you for med school and I think his school did a better job. Cal makes you jump through these unnecessary hoops to get your A. You need to be a lot more hard working to survive at Cal - not necessarily smarter.

Ok - now lets continue calling me a troll instead of having a real discussion. That is what the internet is for anyways!

 

[flip26]

That is generally the trend that I have seen. It makes sense that you defend your own school. And for the LOR situation - I didnt think it was that uncommon. A lot of my friends were asked to write their own.

I am willing to bet a lot of money that the people that got so "flamed" at my post attend or attended a no-name school. So naturally you want to believe to the death that the name of your school does not matter much.

And one more thing ... I am the one that went to Cal and I will be the first to admit that my Cal state friend is a lot smarter than me. Things come a lot more naturally to him and he understands difficult concepts with ease. So in the end - what really matters is your education and how your undergrad prepares you for med school and I think his school did a better job. Cal makes you jump through these unnecessary hoops to get your A. You need to be a lot more hard working to survive at Cal - not necessarily smarter.

Ok - now lets continue calling me a troll instead of having a real discussion. That is what the internet is for anyways!

Still sticking with the bullspit story about all your LORs being written by you and your pal?

 

[brke2]

Still sticking with the bullspit story about all your LORs being written by you and your pal?

Yes - I am. And lets assume that is not true. Let us assume that we didnt write it. Let us assume we had no input. Does that change things that much? Lets focus on the issue here. If you think I am lying close the thread.

Am I right that most of you guys that are so mad and resort to name calling go to a no-name school? Because you understand how that would call into question your angry remarks, right?

 

[richse]

That is generally the trend that I have seen. It makes sense that you defend your own school. And for the LOR situation - I didnt think it was that uncommon. A lot of my friends were asked to write their own.

I am willing to bet a lot of money that the people that got so "flamed" at my post attend or attended a no-name school. So naturally you want to believe to the death that the name of your school does not matter much.

And one more thing ... I am the one that went to Cal and I will be the first to admit that my Cal state friend is a lot smarter than me. Things come a lot more naturally to him and he understands difficult concepts with ease. So in the end - what really matters is your education and how your undergrad prepares you for med school and I think his school did a better job. Cal makes you jump through these unnecessary hoops to get your A. You need to be a lot more hard working to survive at Cal - not necessarily smarter.

Ok - now lets continue calling me a troll instead of having a real discussion. That is what the internet is for anyways!

You seem to think that people are attacking your story because they don't agree that school name matters or they don't want to believe school name matters. This is not the case. I completely agree with you that school name can influence admissions decisions. Nevertheless, you are still a troll for the simple reason that your story is full of BS. As I pointed out earlier, the LORs portion is obviously a lie to help make your story more convincing. Since you lied about that there is no reason to believe the other aspects of your story. You point out that you had friends who were asked to write LORs. I agree that some LOR writers do that. What I refuse to believe is that all of your LOR writers and your friend's LOR writers (especially the professors) asked you guys to write the letters.

Once again, since you seem to have trouble separating these two concepts. I do not disagree with your overall assertion about school name. I simply think it was incredibly lame and childish that you felt the need to invent/embellish a story this much to try to convince people of your point. If there was even a hair of truth to your story maybe these traits came out in your application and that contributed to why you did so poorly during the cycle.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Yes - I am. And lets assume that is not true. Let us assume that we didnt write it. Let us assume we had no input. Does that change things that much? Lets focus on the issue here. If you think I am lying close the thread.

Am I right that most of you guys that are so mad and resort to name calling go to a no-name school? Because you understand how that would call into question your angry remarks, right?

i went to a pretty good school and i want to smack you upside the head.

 

[brke2]

You seem to think that people are attacking your story because they don't agree that school name matters or they don't want to believe school name matters. This is not the case. I completely agree with you that school name can influence admissions decisions. Nevertheless, you are still a troll for the simple reason that your story is full of BS. As I pointed out earlier, the LORs portion is obviously a lie to help make your story more convincing. Since you lied about that there is no reason to believe the other aspects of your story. You point out that you had friends who were asked to write LORs. I agree that some LOR writers do that. What I refuse to believe is that all of your LOR writers and your friends LOR writers (especially the professors) asked you guys to write the letters. Once again, since you seem to have separating these two concepts. I do not disagree with your overall assertion about school name. I simply think it was incredibly lame and childish that you felt the need to invent/embellish a story this much to try to convince people of your point. If there was even a hair of truth to your story maybe these traits came out in your application and that contributed to why you did so poorly during the cycle.

Im pretty sure reading is a pre-req for med school. I clearly said that I am the one that went to Cal. I got 8 acceptances this cycle buddy. I am not angry or frustrated about how I did. Why would I lie and make up this story on the internet. It is so funny how whenever you "SDN" regulars see stories like this you try to kill the thread and call the OPs a troll because you might not want to believe the reality of it. I am almost a hundred percent sure now that you guys go to a no-name school. Not that those schools suck but I believe that is why you guys are so mad. From all the posts, only about 3 people have contributed to the discussion aimed by my original post. Everyone else is I guess angry about the reality of it - I dont know.

 

[cpants]

Going to a big name school can help you get into medical schools, that's for sure. Will never make up for a GPA < 3.0, however.

Should you try to go to a big name school if you want to do medicine? I would argue, no. I would recommend to my high school friends to go to the best state school in your state and kick ass. They almost all have relationships with the state medical school, and you should get in there, no problem. Furthermore it is easier to do well at these schools. Looking back, I see that it's a much better investment than paying double for your undergrad education just so you have a better chance to pay double for your MD. I went to a big name undergrad BTW, and now I'm at my state medical school. Unlike other careers, you won't make more in medicine by having a sterling pedigree. Just get your education as cheaply as possible.

 

[schrizto]

Yes - I am. And lets assume that is not true. Let us assume that we didnt write it. Let us assume we had no input. Does that change things that much? Lets focus on the issue here. If you think I am lying close the thread.

If you renege on statements made in your original post and want us to assume a bunch of things we might as well assume this is all BS.

Your story is purely anecdotal. It doesn't prove much, nor is it some sort of stunning truth to deliver to the ignorant masses as you're treating it to be.

 

[brke2]

Going to a big name school can help you get into medical schools, that's for sure. Will never make up for a GPA < 3.0, however.

Should you try to go to a big name school if you want to do medicine? I would argue, no. I would recommend to my high school friends to go to the best state school in your state and kick ass. They almost all have relationships with the state medical school, and you should get in there, no problem. Furthermore it is easier to do well at these schools. Looking back, I see that it's a much better investment than paying double for your undergrad education just so you have a better chance to pay double for your MD. I went to a big name undergrad BTW, and now I'm at my state medical school. Unlike other careers, you won't make more in medicine by having a sterling pedigree. Just get your education as cheaply as possible.

i totally agree

 

[richse]

Im pretty sure reading is a pre-req for med school. I clearly said that I am the one that went to Cal. I got 8 acceptances this cycle buddy. I am not angry or frustrated about how I did. Why would I lie and make up this story on the internet. It is so funny how whenever you "SDN" regulars see stories like this you try to kill the thread and call the OPs a troll because you might not want to believe the reality of it. I am almost a hundred percent sure now that you guys go to a no-name school. Not that those schools suck but I believe that is why you guys are so mad. From all the posts, only about 3 people have contributed to the discussion aimed by my original post. Everyone else is I guess angry about the reality of it - I dont know.

Did you even read my post and you are asking me about reading comprehension? I said that I agree with you 100% about name recognition for good schools. Let me REPEAT, I agree 100% about that point. That DOES NOT change the fact that your story is, at least in part, based on lies.

 

[flip26]

You seem to think that people are attacking your story because they don't agree that school name matters or they don't want to believe school name matters. This is not the case. I completely agree with you that school name can influence admissions decisions. Nevertheless, you are still a troll for the simple reason that your story is full of BS. As I pointed out earlier, the LORs portion is obviously a lie to help make your story more convincing. Since you lied about that there is no reason to believe the other aspects of your story. You point out that you had friends who were asked to write LORs. I agree that some LOR writers do that. What I refuse to believe is that all of your LOR writers and your friend's LOR writers (especially the professors) asked you guys to write the letters.

Once again, since you seem to have trouble separating these two concepts. I do not disagree with your overall assertion about school name. I simply think it was incredibly lame and childish that you felt the need to invent/embellish a story this much to try to convince people of your point. If there was even a hair of truth to your story maybe these traits came out in your application and that contributed to why you did so poorly during the cycle.

Excellent post!

OP embellished with the LOR bullspit to make it an airtight "everything is equal except the school" premise.

Therefore, OP, I reject your entire post as embellished bullspit.

 

[circulus vitios]

The prerequisites are a means of filtering out the idiots. Getting an A in gen chem/o chem/calc/bio/physics, regardless of how difficult they are at State U vs MIT, should be a sufficient predictor of success in medical school. It's medical school, after all - not graduate school in chem/math/bio/physics.

 

[dingyibvs]

You don't need to read the story to know the story's point is true. Just look at MDapps. I've gone through hundreds of them and you can see a definite trend of favoritism for big name schools. That's not to say they don't deserve it, but it makes a difference and it makes a significant difference.

 

[brke2]

Did you even read my post and you are asking me about reading comprehension? I said that I agree with you 100% about name recognition for good schools. Let me REPEAT, I agree 100% about that point. That DOES NOT change the fact that your story is, at least in part, based on lies.

i said you didnt read my post because you said "i did poorly this cycle"

 

[missbones]

Some clarifying questions:

Did you both have the same major?

Did you both take the same amount of time to complete your uGrad degree?

Did the 2 schools which interviewed the Cal State attendee also interview and/or accept the Berkeley applicant?

Are you both of the same gender?

And just for kicks:

Which one of you is more attractive?