Factors in Picking the right Pre Med School

[Anthony558]

What type of college should i pick to increase my chances of getting into medical school and be most beneficial?

+Should i go for the one of the top 10 schools and have to worry about huge student loans

+Or top 50 college and not have as much debt.

+Or go to a state college have very little to no debt.

++Is there even a good possibility of getting into med school when coming from a state school or is it not very attractive

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[HH Holmes]

Like it's been said a bunch of times in this forum -- where you go to undergrad has no effect on where you go to medical school or how successful you will become. Adcoms care about what you did while you were in college, not where you went.

Go somewhere that you like, where you can afford and where you'll be happy.

Good luck

 

[Anthony558]

so would it be better to go to a top 50 school vs a top 5 school, since you would most likely fall into a higher class rank percentile

 

[HH Holmes]

so would it be better to go to a top 50 school vs a top 5 school, since you would most likely fall into a higher class rank percentile

See my previous post.

EDIT: And to elaborate more, that may not always be the case. Don't rely on rankings to choose your school. Do your research, visit, talk to current students etc. Don't let some website with numbers tell you where to go to school -- that's just absurd.

 

[vanillabear55]

See my previous post.

EDIT: And to elaborate more, that may not always be the case. Don't rely on rankings to choose your school. Do your research, visit, talk to current students etc. Don't let some website with numbers tell you where to go to school -- that's just absurd.

agreed.

go where you can see yourself being happy, where you can minimize your debt, and where you may have some access to opportunities (ie..maybe the undergrad has a med school affiliated with a hospital or something)

going to a state school will absolutely NOT negatively impact your chances. my only gripe with state schools was I didn't like large classes and I thought it might be hard to get to know professors on a personal basis...for LORs and such.

so yeah, you have to weigh a bunch of factors, but absolutely do not write off state schools!

good luck!

 

[HH Holmes]

going to a state school will absolutely NOT negatively impact your chances. my only gripe with state schools was I didn't like large classes and I thought it might be hard to get to know professors on a personal basis...for LORs and such.

The only caveat to this, is that many state schools are introducing honors programs and honors colleges. These are geared toward students who want a state school price but with smaller classes, better research opportunities and other perks like possible scholarships and certain living preferences. "Honors" won't do much on an application, but you will be in smaller classes which may lead to a closer relationship to a professor = LOR, research, connections etc.

 

[NickNaylor]

Go somewhere that minimizes your debt. I'll be graduating from my undergrad with $7k in total debt. When I look at people graduating with $150k or even $200k and then going on to med school from there, I can't do anything but feel sorry for them.

As long as you aren't going to give up quality of education for a cheaper school (which you most likely won't in most cases), go where it's cheapest. Then when you apply to med school you can go wherever you want and take on debt if you choose.

 

[Barcu]

agreed.

go where you can see yourself being happy, where you can minimize your debt, and where you may have some access to opportunities (ie..maybe the undergrad has a med school affiliated with a hospital or something)

going to a state school will absolutely NOT negatively impact your chances. my only gripe with state schools was I didn't like large classes and I thought it might be hard to get to know professors on a personal basis...for LORs and such.

I disagree. At least my state school was different. I was in lectures with up to 400 people, but very few actually utilized the professor's office hours. As long as you don't go right before the test, there are plenty of opportunities to get to know professors. They can also help you get into labs, which tend to be more plentiful at large state schools (can be competitive but most people I knew who wanted to do research could do it).

State schools also have a diversity of students and activities. It's harder because you have to find your own opportunities in many cases. You can go through school without much guidance. But with some new programs (like honors programs) you can get a small school feel at large universities and still have the opportunities of a large school.

Oh, and they're (usually) cheaper. That's probably the best reason.

 

[bucks2010]

By all means, minimize your debt. Any state school will give you the resources you need to do well in school and rock the MCAT if you study hard. I went to a state school (graduating Saturday, actually) and don't regret it. There may have been more opportunities had I chosen a more expensive school, but if you make the most of the resources that a large state school offers, you should have no problem building an excellent application to medical school.

Btw class rank means nothing in med school admissions.

 

[vanillabear55]

I disagree. At least my state school was different. I was in lectures with up to 400 people, but very few actually utilized the professor's office hours. As long as you don't go right before the test, there are plenty of opportunities to get to know professors. They can also help you get into labs, which tend to be more plentiful at large state schools (can be competitive but most people I knew who wanted to do research could do it).

State schools also have a diversity of students and activities. It's harder because you have to find your own opportunities in many cases. You can go through school without much guidance. But with some new programs (like honors programs) you can get a small school feel at large universities and still have the opportunities of a large school.

Oh, and they're (usually) cheaper. That's probably the best reason.

I didn't say you couldn't, I said I thought it would be harder..... If a teacher is running 400 scantrons through a machine, rather than hand grading 30-40 free response tests- it makes it harder to stand out and be remembered.

Another reason I didn't like my state school was that they tripled freshman in a room built for two...two desks...two closets...two dressers. I didn't think I could deal with that.

 

[Mahliah]

The cheapest one

 

[Anthony558]

Im curious what state schools did you go to and what did you do there for extras like research and such to help you pursue your medical career

 

[NickNaylor]

Im curious what state schools did you go to and what did you do there for extras like research and such to help you pursue your medical career

State schools aren't black holes where no one does research or anything of academic value. Any decent sized school will have these opportunities.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Actually, chances are they'll have more opportunities than most smaller private schools, assuming you're at one of the main schools in your state. Government funding is a wonderful thing.

 

[LaxGoaliePharm]

From what I understand, It's most important that you choose a school where you can learn the material and succeed academically, especially since having a good GPA is usually a necessity to get into med school.

If that means going to a state school, you'll save yourself some money.

 

[fahimaz7]

It doesn't matter where you go. Pick a state school and do well.

 

[Anthony558]

I live in Massachusetts would it still be a good idea to go to a state school because we don't have any that are good. The best is UMASS and that's not even good for state schools.

 

[HH Holmes]

I live in Massachusetts would it still be a good idea to go to a state school because we don't have any that are good. The best is UMASS and that's not even good for state schools.

UMass Amherst is fine, albeit a large school, it's still a solid place to go. Just study hard.