Help with College Research, Junior in HS

[R2ski2]

Hi, I'm from Montana and am interested in a career in the medical field. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for good pre-med schools in the PNW, but also including California? I would like to stay on the West Coast, but if you have any East Coast schools you're dying to recommend, let me know too!
I've really been considering University of Washington as a top-choice school, but I've heard some bad aspects on attending as an undergrad. If you have any info on UW, please comment.
Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[A Nonie Meus]

University of Washington is an excellent school, but one thing you might want to ask yourself beforehand is: are you a very independent learner that can thrive in large, auditorium-style classes. Or do you tend to do better in small groups where you’ll get more access to the professors?

Eventually in med school school everyone needs to develop independent learning skills, but for some of the pre-med coursework it can be tough to be in these larger courses where the professors set a high curve and only allow a handful of students (out of like 200) get an A. This is a reality for a lot of larger undergrad universities. Whereas, in your smaller schools it may be a little less cut-throat. Either way, getting that A is essential for medical school admission. In smaller classes you’ll also have more access to the professor which is crucial for getting letters of recommendation.

So do your homework OP. Ask around. Ask your science teachers in hs what they think. Reach out to current students at the schools your looking at. Read the premed forums here and keep asking questions. Good luck!!

Oh, one other thing. You absolutely do not need to major in pre-med, or even science to get into medical school. I was a political science and music major. You just need to take the right courses. So test the waters in college and enjoy life.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

Great points above at finding letter writers at a big college -- but also, the big colleges will have clubs and leadership opportunities and research you can get involved in to get those letters (just like medium sized colleges). I would not go anywhere too small as it can be hard to apply to med school from a college no one has heard of, and your 4.0 there will carry less weight than a 4.0 at the biggest school in the state. When looking at colleges, just pick somewhere you want to live, make sure it offers the classes you want to take, and consider the extracurriciular opportunities on campus you might take advantage of. You can get into med school somewhere no matter where you do undergrad, but IMO medium or large, and public instead of private universities will serve you better.

 

[Toutie]

Great points above at finding letter writers at a big college -- but also, the big colleges will have clubs and leadership opportunities and research you can get involved in to get those letters (just like medium sized colleges). I would not go anywhere too small as it can be hard to apply to med school from a college no one has heard of, and your 4.0 there will carry less weight than a 4.0 at the biggest school in the state. When looking at colleges, just pick somewhere you want to live, make sure it offers the classes you want to take, and consider the extracurriciular opportunities on campus you might take advantage of. You can get into med school somewhere no matter where you do undergrad, but IMO medium or large, and public instead of private universities will serve you better.

Not true at all. I know someone who went to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. Ever heard of it? Unless you live in SoCal, probably not....even many in SoCal may not have heard of it. It's a small Christian liberal arts school, enrollment of about 1,300. He had a 38MCAT and a GPA in the high 3's. He had interviews at several top 20 schools...including some top 5's. He is currently attending Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Where you go is not nearly as important as how well you do.

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

Not true at all. I know someone who went to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. Ever heard of it? Unless you live in SoCal, probably not....even many in SoCal may not have heard of it. It's a small Christian liberal arts school, enrollment of about 1,300. He had a 38MCAT and a GPA in the high 3's. He had interviews at several top 20 schools...including some top 5's. He is currently attending Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Where you go is not nearly as important as how well you do.

This is true, being in the 99th percentile can get you into any school with the right EC's. However, being in the 70-80th percentile MCAT ranges with a high 3's GPA from a school without a reputation can make applying more difficult than being from a well known school. If you know you really want to go to a program that takes a lot of people from that state or from an undergrad campus it is nearby, going there will generally serve you better than going elsewhere.

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

Chart attached.
Private med schools appear to take UG selectivity into account as a factor the highest importance
Public med schools take state residency into account of the highest importance
This is the major difference in selection factors between public and private schools
There is no standard definition, formula, or process across medical schools as to what selectivity is or how medical schools use it.
Therefore trying to say anything other than it is taken into account is futile
There is no scenario where "if two equal students one from Harvard and one from State U..."
From my experience, I will say that premeds give this factor way, way more weight than the schools do

View attachment 225455

Bringing this in from another forum. Where you do UG is important to some med schools, not to others. If you google 'does it matter where you do your undergrad for med school sdn' you will find the original thread as well.

 

[R2ski2]

University of Washington is an excellent school, but one thing you might want to ask yourself beforehand is: are you a very independent learner that can thrive in large, auditorium-style classes. Or do you tend to do better in small groups where you’ll get more access to the professors?

Eventually in med school school everyone needs to develop independent learning skills, but for some of the pre-med coursework it can be tough to be in these larger courses where the professors set a high curve and only allow a handful of students (out of like 200) get an A. This is a reality for a lot of larger undergrad universities. Whereas, in your smaller schools it may be a little less cut-throat. Either way, getting that A is essential for medical school admission. In smaller classes you’ll also have more access to the professor which is crucial for getting letters of recommendation.

So do your homework OP. Ask around. Ask your science teachers in hs what they think. Reach out to current students at the schools your looking at. Read the premed forums here and keep asking questions. Good luck!!

Oh, one other thing. You absolutely do not need to major in pre-med, or even science to get into medical school. I was a political science and music major. You just need to take the right courses. So test the waters in college and enjoy life.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

A Nonie Meus: You've made a really good point. I have heard that it is hard to get to know your professor at UW because it is such a large school. I would say that I'm a relatively independent learner that doesn't need much teacher help, but when I do, I am more than willing to put myself out there and ask. When you mentioned smaller schools, this is also where I'm having a hard time. There is a college in MT (Carroll College) that has <1500 students, yet 85% of applicants get accepted into medical school. I just don't know how I would want to balance that... should I forfeit the potential research opportunities, extracurriculars, and fun things that are available at UW by attending Carroll College or forfeit the availability of professors, one-one-one attention, and support (and good grades!) at Carroll College by attending somewhere like UW? Ah! They weren't wrong when they said high school would be a confusing time! Thanks for all your help.

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

A Nonie Meus: You've made a really good point. I have heard that it is hard to get to know your professor at UW because it is such a large school. I would say that I'm a relatively independent learner that doesn't need much teacher help, but when I do, I am more than willing to put myself out there and ask. When you mentioned smaller schools, this is also where I'm having a hard time. There is a college in MT (Carroll College) that has <1500 students, yet 85% of applicants get accepted into medical school. I just don't know how I would want to balance that... should I forfeit the potential research opportunities, extracurriculars, and fun things that are available at UW by attending Carroll College or forfeit the availability of professors, one-one-one attention, and support (and good grades!) at Carroll College by attending somewhere like UW? Ah! They weren't wrong when they said high school would be a confusing time! Thanks for all your help.

Those are 2 totally different programs you're comparing, makes it tough to pick.. I don't think I would focus a ton on the 85% acceptance rate. It can come from the school's size, and individual attention but it can also come from other factors about those individuals.. Example - are many of those students from rural areas and applying to programs that are mission-based where they are more likely to get in than through the admissions process at larger med schools w/ different focuses? Are those students from a higher SES and able to shadow or volunteer more instead of working and having that hit their GPA too? Are those students at Carroll College in the first place because they got full tuition scholarhips because they rocked the ACT (so perhaps did they start as better students than some at UW but UW on its own would have high standards_..

 

[R2ski2]

Those are 2 totally different programs you're comparing, makes it tough to pick.. I don't think I would focus a ton on the 85% acceptance rate. It can come from the school's size, and individual attention but it can also come from other factors about those individuals.. Example - are many of those students from rural areas and applying to programs that are mission-based where they are more likely to get in than through the admissions process at larger med schools w/ different focuses? Are those students from a higher SES and able to shadow or volunteer more instead of working and having that hit their GPA too? Are those students at Carroll College in the first place because they got full tuition scholarhips because they rocked the ACT (so perhaps did they start as better students than some at UW but UW on its own would have high standards_..

You're right, I guess there are a lot of factors to consider. I'll look into it more but I guess at this point I'm more leaning towards UW, even though it will probably be more expensive overall (even with scholarships). Do you know of any other good colleges in Seattle or in the PNW?