Does undergraduate school matter?

[Nuerosurgeon09]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi, I am a high school senior. I was just wondering, does it matter where I go to College for my udergrad, when I want to get into top medical schools like Harvard, Penn, Duke and so forth. I have an average Gpa of 3.5 with the hardest courses like AP calc Bc and AP Physics B. I have an average ACT score of 28 and I have good community service hours and etc. Now I am just waiting to be accepted/rejected/ waitlisted from colleges. All I want to know is whether, I should go to a really good college like Harvard or go to a reasonable college like Rollins, University of Tampa, and then go to an excellent medical school. What should I do? Btw, I am an international student. I really want to be a doctor. What am I to do? Please someone, anyone guide me. Thank you and have a nice day. 🙂

 

[DrYoda]

Your undergrad matters minimally for med school admissions.

 

[schrizto]

Pick the best college you can get into that is a good fit at a reasonable price. A college like Harvard is out of reach with those stats anyway.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

I have an average Gpa of 3.5 with the hardest courses like AP calc Bc and AP Physics B. I have an average ACT score of 28 and I have good community service hours and etc. Now I am just waiting to be accepted/rejected/ waitlisted from colleges. All I want to know is whether, I should go to a really good college like Harvard or go to a reasonable college like Rollins, University of Tampa, and then go to an excellent medical school.

I don't want to be a jerk here, but the odds of getting into harvard with a 3.5 and a 28 ACT are not great...

 

[EddieL]

Hi, I am a high school senior. I was just wondering, does it matter where I go to College for my udergrad, when I want to get into top medical schools like Harvard, Penn, Duke and so forth. I have an average Gpa of 3.5 with the hardest courses like AP calc Bc and AP Physics B. I have an average ACT score of 28 and I have good community service hours and etc. Now I am just waiting to be accepted/rejected/ waitlisted from colleges. All I want to know is whether, I should go to a really good college like Harvard or go to a reasonable college like Rollins, University of Tampa, and then go to an excellent medical school. What should I do? Btw, I am an international student. I really want to be a doctor. What am I to do? Please someone, anyone guide me. Thank you and have a nice day. 🙂

I'd personally recommend going to whatever college you think you would enjoy being at the most. Make sure you check out the pre-med program, are the classes huge, do you have research opportunities, how is the advising, etc?

I don't want to be a jerk here, but the odds of getting into harvard with a 3.5 and a 28 ACT are not great...

This. No offense OP, but you probably are not going to be able to get into a ivy league university.

 

[Nuerosurgeon09]

Umm... Actually I have a 33 ACT not a 28 ACT. MY GPA though is actually 3.58, according to my counselor. And this GPA is only for my junior and senior year, because my I studied outside the US in my freshman and sophomore year. I know my GPA is low but the point is I need to know whether it is better for me to get into an extremely competitive college or it is better for me to go to a college where I can manage to get a 4.0 GPA and also work hard at getting a good MCAT score, as I already took an MCAT practice test and I did pretty well, as I actually got a 31 as a high school student. So I am just would like to know what would be my best bet at getting into a top medical school.

 

[MilkmanAl]

The college you go to is largely irrelevant for med school admissions. Go to a school where you can cruise to a 4.0.

 

[tennisball80]

As an international student, one of the key points to demonstrate to Harvard is that you have a culturally diverse background.

Make sure you pull off a high GPA in your junior and senior year. And then, apply to Harvard.

Also, don't forget to do more ECs. Make sure you have many leadership positions and community service hours.

Good luck.

 

[Nuerosurgeon09]

Hi, I have reasons as to why I did poorly in the first semester of my senior year. I had a pretty good GPA in my junior year. I had a 3.8 ( Unwieghted) However, during senior year, I fell really ill. I had terrible and high fever, that I was in the hospital a few days, at the same time I also had hypoglycemia. On top of it all, it was senior year, and I had taken the Hardest courses possible throughout my entire high school career. So because of that I did badly. To be honest. I actually had 3 b's (as in one B+ and 2 B's ) and 2 A's and 1 c , which was in AP calculus BC, where I did not take AP Calculus AB the previous year, but in the summer. ( yes my summer was full of studying.) So, yes, I had a difficult first semester. I did well or okay in most of my classes, except for AP calculus BC and English Honors. ( Which I struggled as I learnt english as a third language.)

So, that is about it.

 

[Flex]

You got a 31 on the MCAT in High School? I got to call BS on this one. You took O-Chem, G-Chem, Bio, and Physics all in High School and managed to study for the MCAT? Not likely.

 

[schrizto]

As an international student, one of the key points to demonstrate to Harvard is that you have a culturally diverse background.

Make sure you pull off a high GPA in your junior and senior year. And then, apply to Harvard.

Also, don't forget to do more ECs. Make sure you have many leadership positions and community service hours.

Good luck.

Being international is a disadvantage applying to selective schools like Harvard. If you're not a U.S. citizen, they will put you in the international pool and it is even more competitive than the general applicant pool, so you'd probably need to demonstrate more then just cultural diversity.

 

[tennisball80]

Being international is a disadvantage applying to selective schools like Harvard. If you're not a U.S. citizen, they will put you in the international pool and it is even more competitive than the general applicant pool, so you'd probably need to demonstrate more then just cultural diversity.

I agree.

Are you doing any unique ECs OP?

 

[tennisball80]

You got a 31 on the MCAT in High School? I got to call BS on this one. You took O-Chem, G-Chem, Bio, and Physics all in High School and managed to study for the MCAT? Not likely.

It's possible. I just got my USMLE test back. I've got 282 in my freshman year of college.

 

[Nuerosurgeon09]

I actually took a practice test lol. I did not actually sit for it. But I took like a mock test of the MCAT. BTW, I did learn some parts of organic chem. I love chemistry and I learnt more of it on my own spare time. You see when I am passionate and deidcated to something, I often pursue it ferverently, and sometimes, I may tend to neglect some of my other duties. Thanks everyone who has replied.🙂

 

[orthomyxo]

I don't want to be a jerk here, but the odds of getting into harvard with a 3.5 and a 28 ACT are not great...

Yea...also not trying to be a jerk, but your chances are essentially zero.

 

[orthomyxo]

It's possible. I just got my USMLE test back. I've got 282 in my freshman year of college.

I call super BS on this one. Way to toot your own horn buddy.

 

[wr8487]

I call super BS on this one. Way to toot your own horn buddy.

I think he was being sarcastic...

 

[Mopp22]

I actually took a practice test lol. I did not actually sit for it. But I took like a mock test of the MCAT. BTW, I did learn some parts of organic chem. I love chemistry and I learnt more of it on my own spare time. You see when I am passionate and deidcated to something, I often pursue it ferverently, and sometimes, I may tend to neglect some of my other duties. Thanks everyone who has replied.🙂

Where did you get the practice test?

 

[ElegantWeapon]

It's possible. I just got my USMLE test back. I've got 282 in my freshman year of college.

👍👍👍👍

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Umm... Actually I have a 33 ACT not a 28 ACT.

Then why did you say 28 in your prior post?

 

[EddieL]

Then why did you say 28 in your prior post?

Even if it is a 33 and not a 28, Harvard is ranked the best college in the world. They want a 4.0 and some incredible EC's. I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but I'm just being honest. Your chances aren't too hot.

Frankly though, it doesn't really matter. If you go to any school and manage to get a 4.0 and a good MCAT score (which shouldn't be a problem for you if you're acing the MCAT in high school), with some ECs, you won't have an issue getting into a decent med school.

By the way, have you considered any BS/MD programs?

 

[avatarftw]

I recommend going to a reasonably-priced, mid-tier college to save on tuition costs. Medical schools, in general, most likely don't care where you went for undergrad. (to a certain extent, of course)

Regarding the top colleges you listed, I agree with the other posters and don't think that you have a good chance. That may be a blessing in disguise since you can go to a "lesser" college and rock that GPA.

Hi, I am a high school senior. I was just wondering, does it matter where I go to College for my udergrad, when I want to get into top medical schools like Harvard, Penn, Duke and so forth. I have an average Gpa of 3.5 with the hardest courses like AP calc Bc and AP Physics B. I have an average ACT score of 28 and I have good community service hours and etc. Now I am just waiting to be accepted/rejected/ waitlisted from colleges. All I want to know is whether, I should go to a really good college like Harvard or go to a reasonable college like Rollins, University of Tampa, and then go to an excellent medical school. What should I do? Btw, I am an international student. I really want to be a doctor. What am I to do? Please someone, anyone guide me. Thank you and have a nice day. 🙂

 

[schrizto]

Where did you get the practice test?

Places like Kaplan sometimes hold mock tests for free.

Then why did you say 28 in your prior post?

Yeah, sounds fishy here.

 

[nisarg2010]

Its pretty ovbious that your lying about your 33 ACT and 31 MCAT. If your not lying about your ACT, then why say 28 in the first place? Also there is no way your could get an MCAT of 31. Even with your "new" stats of 33ACT and 3.58 GPA, your not going to Ivy. I would suggest going to the collge that's willing to give you the most money.

PS Try to tell the truth when your asking for help.

 

[Nuerosurgeon09]

Okay, I first of all did not say the truth about my GPA and ACT is because I want to see what responses that I would get. I never intended to lie. I wanted to see whether I would get a response such as that it would be better to get into any undergrad. I know i should not have lied. But the 33 is the true ACT. Now I know. BTW, I would never have gone to Harvard. I just want to get into a reasonably good college and do well there and then get into Harvard medical school. All I just wanted to know is whether medical schools place a strong emphasis on undergrad and if so, that I would probably transfer to a better school when I am in my sophomore year.

 

[Nuerosurgeon09]

As for the MCAT scores, I took a KAplan MCAT practice test recently, after all my college applications.

 

[RySerr21]

Okay, I first of all did not say the truth about my GPA and ACT is because I want to see what responses that I would get. I never intended to lie. I wanted to see whether I would get a response such as that it would be better to get into any undergrad. I know i should not have lied. But the 33 is the true ACT. Now I know. BTW, I would never have gone to Harvard. I just want to get into a reasonably good college and do well there and then get into Harvard medical school. All I just wanted to know is whether medical schools place a strong emphasis on undergrad and if so, that I would probably transfer to a better school when I am in my sophomore year.

seriosly your undergraduate school doesnt matter. Go wherever you will be happiest and will perform the best (the two go hand in hand). Getting in to harvard med school is no easier than getting in to harvard undergrad. Probably harder. Thats a fine goal to have, but you may also wont to broaden your scope of schools. Youve got lots of time so dont stress it, just enjoy high school and enjoy college and itll all fall in to place.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Okay, I first of all did not say the truth about my GPA and ACT is because I want to see what responses that I would get. I never intended to lie. I wanted to see whether I would get a response such as that it would be better to get into any undergrad. I know i should not have lied. But the 33 is the true ACT. Now I know. BTW, I would never have gone to Harvard. I just want to get into a reasonably good college and do well there and then get into Harvard medical school. All I just wanted to know is whether medical schools place a strong emphasis on undergrad and if so, that I would probably transfer to a better school when I am in my sophomore year.

You have tainted your account with misdirection. Next time, just throw out a hypothetical rather than pretending you have stats, even worse ones, that you don't actually have. What was your break down on the MCAT sections?

 

[schrizto]

Okay, I first of all did not say the truth about my GPA and ACT is because I want to see what responses that I would get. I never intended to lie. I wanted to see whether I would get a response such as that it would be better to get into any undergrad. I know i should not have lied. But the 33 is the true ACT. Now I know. BTW, I would never have gone to Harvard. I just want to get into a reasonably good college and do well there and then get into Harvard medical school. All I just wanted to know is whether medical schools place a strong emphasis on undergrad and if so, that I would probably transfer to a better school when I am in my sophomore year.

Yeah right. As if anyone would say they got a lower score than they actually did on an online forum, where being humble doesn't get you as many points as IRL. And based on your other posts, if you're telling everyone you know you will get an "incredibly high USMLE score" you've got an inflated ego.

 

[nisarg2010]

Yeah right. As if anyone would say they got a lower score than they actually did on an online forum, where being humble doesn't get you as many points as IRL. And based on your other posts, if you're telling everyone you know you will get an "incredibly high USMLE score" you've got an inflated ego.

I agree

 

[Nuerosurgeon09]

Okay I said I made a mistake. What is the problem. I am trying to get answers here no criticism for my mistake. If I needed criticism I would not have came here.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Okay I said I made a mistake. What is the problem. I am trying to get answers here no criticism for my mistake. If I needed criticism I would not have came here.

What was your MCAT breakdown?

 

[Nuerosurgeon09]

What was your MCAT breakdown?

I have 11 for Physical science, and 10 for the verbal and biological science. Yes I know some people might think that I am BSing but that is their problem. I took a while back, after all the college application stuff, just to see whether I can cope with Pre-med. that is all.

 

[orthomyxo]

Okay I said I made a mistake. What is the problem. I am trying to get answers here no criticism for my mistake. If I needed criticism I would not have came here.

Dude, this is SDN. You clearly have no idea what you're getting yourself into. SDN is like the mafia; nobody ever leaves alive.

I have 11 for Physical science, and 10 for the verbal and biological science. Yes I know some people might think that I am BSing but that is their problem. I took a while back, after all the college application stuff, just to see whether I can cope with Pre-med. that is all.

I'm sorry, but that is bull. There's no way a high school student scored a 31 MCAT without even taking half the classes that offer the material that is tested.

 

[schrizto]

LOL this is pathetic. I just got a pm full of expletives from this kid. Classy.

 

[orthomyxo]

LOL this is pathetic. I just got a pm full of expletives from this kid. Classy.

Lucky, I want one too!!!

 

[Nuerosurgeon09]

I am not a kid and I do not have to take half of the classes in college in order to ace the MCAT. So are you saying that 7th Graders who participate in the DUKE TIP program and do way better in the SAT than many 12th graders are lying since they did not take any high school classes or are not even in high school.

 

[orthomyxo]

I am not a kid and I do not have to take half of the classes in college in order to ace the MCAT. So are you saying that 7th Graders who participate in the DUKE TIP program and do way better in the SAT than many 12th graders are lying since they did not take any high school classes or are not even in high school.

LMAO! That is the worst argument, and those SAT programs are a joke. Johns Hopkins invited me to take the SAT in sixth grade...whoopee....The SAT is a joke compared to any type of professional school admissions test.

I don't care if "you're not a kid." I still find it extremely hard to believe that any high school student scored a 31 MCAT. BTW, your lying about the ACT score, and your alleged message full of swears doesn't exactly help your case.

P.S. Hate to be a grammar nazi, but since you claim to be some super genious prodigy, I will; you spelled "neurosurgeon" incorrectly

 

[Nuerosurgeon09]

I do not care if you think that I am lying. All I want is that if you do not have anything productive or helpful to say please do not say it. BTW, why do you care what I got on my MCAT practice test. Is it hurting you that some high school kid got a good score. Could it be that you yourself did not do well, which is why you chose pharmacy ( This might not be true I am just making an assumption)

 

[orthomyxo]

I do not care if you think that I am lying. All I want is that if you do not have anything productive or helpful to say please do not say it. BTW, why do you care what I got on my MCAT practice test. Is it hurting you that some high school kid got a good score. Could it be that you yourself did not do well, which is why you chose pharmacy ( This might not be true I am just making an assumption)

HAHA OH SNAP! I guess I've been figured out guys. Damn that MCAT!!! Without it this world would have no pharmacists!! This just keeps getting better and better.

I could care less about what you got, but it's pretty funny that you flaunt it on an anonymous forum.

 

[Nuerosurgeon09]

I am not flaunting any thing. I am new, I will admit that so I am just saying what is the truth. I just get annoyed when I see that people actually reply so negatively. This is way different than College Confidential.

 

[schrizto]

I am not a kid and I do not have to take half of the classes in college in order to ace the MCAT. So are you saying that 7th Graders who participate in the DUKE TIP program and do way better in the SAT than many 12th graders are lying since they did not take any high school classes or are not even in high school.

Yes, I think you're a kid, based on the things you write and because you don't seem to realize how you're coming across to people. First of all, it doesn't get you anywhere to curse people off if you're mad at them, and secondly, develop a thicker skin to criticism.

I also have no idea where you got your analogy from. I participated in CTY in 7th grade and did better than the "average" 12th grader, so it's not like I'm unfamiliar with it. 😀 However, the SAT is much like an IQ test where the background knowledge needed is minimal; the same cannot be said of the MCAT. The test takers for the MCAT as a whole are also smarter than the takers of the SAT.

btw, I don't think you should be so quick to say you "aced" the MCAT when you took a Kaplan mock test, not the real thing.

 

[schrizto]

I am not flaunting any thing. I am new, I will admit that so I am just saying what is the truth. I just get annoyed when I see that people actually reply so negatively. This is way different than College Confidential.

Well, CC and SDN do have different cultures and may respond negatively to different things. Having been a member of both, I'd say you would have gotten a similar response asking for chances at Harvard with those stats. Keep in mind that on CC most members are other high school students or parents, most of the college students don't choose to stick around.

 

[EddieL]

I do not care if you think that I am lying. All I want is that if you do not have anything productive or helpful to say please do not say it. BTW, why do you care what I got on my MCAT practice test. Is it hurting you that some high school kid got a good score. Could it be that you yourself did not do well, which is why you chose pharmacy ( This might not be true I am just making an assumption)

You know, your insult might be logical if the member you criticized wasn't in a 0-6 program... he'll never have to touch a P/MCAT.

In case you don't see it OP, these are some of the reasons members are getting annoyed with you:

1.) members have answered your question multiple times; school doesn't really matter. Regardless, you still insist on answers. I don't know what you want for us to tell you. "Apply to Harvard, you'll get in no problem with your imaginary statistics!" I mean, really?

2.) you just belittled pharmacy. Everyone in pharmacy is med school drop outs? Yeah, I'm sure.

3.) you persistently stated you attained a 31 on the MCAT (a test designed for students nearing graduation from undergrad). You either took a watered down test or lied like you did with the ACT. But instead of admitting you lied about it, you say you were right, comparing the SAT to the MCAT. Wonder how this could annoy someone spending maybe 5 hours a day studying for the MCAT after years of difficult science classes?

 

[orthomyxo]

You know, your insult might be logical if the member you criticized wasn't in a 0-6 program... he'll never have to touch a P/MCAT.

In case you don't see it OP, these are some of the reasons members are getting annoyed with you:

1.) members have answered your question multiple times; school doesn't really matter. Regardless, you still insist on answers. I don't know what you want for us to tell you. "Apply to Harvard, you'll get in no problem with your imaginary statistics!" I mean, really?

2.) you just belittled pharmacy. Everyone in pharmacy is med school drop outs? Yeah, I'm sure.

3.) you persistently stated you attained a 31 on the MCAT (a test designed for students nearing graduation from undergrad). You either took a watered down test or lied like you did with the ACT. But instead of admitting you lied about it, you say you were right, comparing the SAT to the MCAT. Wonder how this could annoy someone spending maybe 5 hours a day studying for the MCAT after years of difficult science classes?

This times 1,000,000.

 

[Nuerosurgeon09]

Okay, First of all I did not even say that Pharmacy is not a good field. I only said that to a particular user who kept saying that me getting a 31 on an MCAT practice test is bull or BS. So, I said that I would assume that he/she might have had a bad experience with the MCAT. That is a reasonable conjecture. Second of all, I did not say that I want to get into Harvard at all. In fact I have been accepted to various schools like UNC Chapel Hill, UF, UMiami and U Michigan Ann Harbor, and these are all great schools, I just said Harvard as an example. And I did say thank you to those who did give great replies. I appreciate them. As for my MCAT's I did take them and I did as I told and I am sorry if I seemed to gurt those people who actually spend years studying the subjects and hours studying for the MCAT's I never meant to discourage them. Bottom line is that I guess I should never tell the truth. Fine if that is the case, I would not mention it. But FYI, please I do not appreciate you telling and writing stuff that I never said. As for Chops369 you are just a pain in the neck. There is a difference between criticism and construtive criticism, where by I have been receiving the former on my thread. So as for you EddieL, you just mis interpreted what I wrote.

 

[Depakote]

The OP's question appears to have been addressed as much as it's going to be.

closing.