How do I Choose a School for Premed?

[R2ski2]

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So I understand there is no designated "premed school," but I'm wondering which one out of these options is the best one for an undergrad path that will get me to medical school with limited debt but a good chance of acceptance into medical school:

1. Go to an in-state public school: none of the major universities in my home state of Montana is known for sending students to medical school. However, I know that with my academic resume I would most likely be able to get a full ride scholarship for my undergraduate studies. Would it be a good idea to try to get into medical school at a university like this, stay close to home, and take on almost no debt?
2. Go to an in-state private school: there is a small private liberal arts school in my state that (for some reason) has a really high acceptance rate into medical school of 85%. I'd also most likely be able to get great scholarships because it's such a small school that only Montana students go to. The only caveat to this is that it's a Roman Catholic school and I'm not religious at all.. in fact, I'd say I'm leaning towards atheist. Would it be a good idea to go to this religious school (even though I'm not religious), have low debt, stay close to home, and have a good shot at getting into medical school?
3. Apply (and if accepted) go to a competitive out-of-state school: my counselor thinks that I have a shot at applying to some "reach" schools like Dartmouth and the Claremont McKenna Colleges. If I got accepted at schools like these ones, would it be a good idea to go here? Pros: get a great education, most likely access to more resources, and if it's competitive enough I might get good financial aid. Cons: far away from home, could end up being expensive. I also feel like med schools are more likely to accept you if you went to a well-known, competitive undergrad school. Would it be a good idea to go to a competitive out-of-state school?

Which option do you think is best? Please let me know! Thanks so much <3

 

[ArteryStudyPainting]

Stats are stats; it's what you do that matters.

You may want to look into the premed programs to see what they are doing. Ultimately, however, it's what you put into ECs, grades, and the MCAT (among other things). A school can have amazing opportunities, but if you don't want to use them, you can fail.

I went to a state school unknown for sending any students to medical school. And rightfully so: most people thought our premedical program was trash and when asked why they thought this, they basically said, they didn't do anything to help me; they only told me to get good grades, do better in class, get more ECs, and gave me a timeline to get my MCAT done, apply, etc. Do you get the point here? They thought the premedical committee existed to get them in; they will say things that make logical sense. It IS helpful. But it's helpful anywhere you go.

Opportunity's are everywhere. Shadowing, volunteering, etc.

The education for pre-medical doesn't matter as long as you can get good grades and do well on your MCAT, and imo, the prestige of going anywhere fancy is only 5% of the equation to get you looked at by a medical school. They don't care if it's private, and they marginally care if it's more fancy than that.

 

[PapaGuava]

I couldn't agree anymore with @cjohns89 , it ultimately comes down to what you dedicate yourself to doing as a pre-medical student. I went to a private college and it was known more so for is Business and Marine Biology, but you will always find a few professors that are willing to advise pre-medical students. Not only that, but most colleges (if not all 4 year institutions) have a pre-medical committee in order for you to reach out to specific professors right at the beginning of undergrad. However, no one will give you all your opportunities but rather you need to be willing to reach out to volunteering organizations, shadowing, etc. then everything will develop as you branch out.

I'm also a fan of trying to minimizing any debt before going onto graduate/professional school, so if you can get into a decent school without acquiring a large amount of debt (or any), then that is something to highly consider as well.

 

[R2ski2]

Stats are stats; it's what you do that matters.

You may want to look into the premed programs to see what they are doing. Ultimately, however, it's what you put into ECs, grades, and the MCAT (among other things). A school can have amazing opportunities, but if you don't want to use them, you can fail.

I went to a state school unknown for sending any students to medical school. And rightfully so: most people thought our premedical program was trash and when asked why they thought this, they basically said, they didn't do anything to help me; they only told me to get good grades, do better in class, get more ECs, and gave me a timeline to get my MCAT done, apply, etc. Do you get the point here? They thought the premedical committee existed to get them in; they will say things that make logical sense. It IS helpful. But it's helpful anywhere you go.

Opportunity's are everywhere. Shadowing, volunteering, etc.

The education for pre-medical doesn't matter as long as you can get good grades and do well on your MCAT, and imo, the prestige of going anywhere fancy is only 5% of the equation to get you looked at by a medical school. They don't care if it's private, and they marginally care if it's more fancy than that.

Thank you so much for your response! I just wasn't sure how important prestige is when applying to medical school. So is part of what you're saying is to research the schools and see what they available in terms of shadowing/internships/volunteering? I would say I'm fairly independent and can take the initiative when I need to, but I know I will definitely need some guidance when it comes to how to set myself up as a potential premed.

 

[R2ski2]

you will always find a few professors that are willing to advise pre-medical students. Not only that, but most colleges (if not all 4 year institutions) have a pre-medical committee in order for you to reach out to specific professors right at the beginning of undergrad.

Thanks for your reply, PapaGuava! I think my biggest concern about going to college in my hometown is that its reputation has dropped significantly over the last 15 years; I'm talking about a 30% decrease in just the number of people who apply because it has such a bad reputation both for campus safety and quality of education. Especially since it is a school focused around the humanities like history and literature, I've never heard anyone talk about their biology program as much (except their wildlife bio, which is amazing but I'm not interested in!).
My parents also think that it would be a good idea to keep debt to a minimum, as we're under the assumption that med school is very expensive. This actually brings up the question: how common is it for premeds to get scholarships for medical school? Is it fairly cutthroat or does that just entirely depend on how competitive of a med school you're applying to?

 

[PapaGuava]

@JR_ski2
Yes there is scholarships for medical school (both DO and MD), but I'm not sure if it would cover majority of your tuition or anything. Some of the schools I've interviewed at had varying amount of money rewards for scholarships. Most of the students would use these scholarships to cover books, some fees, etc.

In regards to that school you spoke on, I understand that it is a big deal if you feel you would not enjoy attending a certain institution. If you don't enjoy where you go to school, it can hinder your whole experience. That was part of the reason why I chose to go to a smaller private university instead of a big state school in my city.

 

[R2ski2]

@JR_ski2
Yes there is scholarships for medical school (both DO and MD), but I'm not sure if it would cover majority of your tuition or anything. Some of the schools I've interviewed at had varying amount of money rewards for scholarships. Most of the students would use these scholarships to cover books, some fees, etc.

In regards to that school you spoke on, I understand that it is a big deal if you feel you would not enjoy attending a certain institution. If you don't enjoy where you go to school, it can hinder your whole experience. That was part of the reason why I chose to go to a smaller private university instead of a big state school in my city.

Thanks for your advice. The whole thing about applying to college just seems like a big mystery to me. I'm just trying to figure it all out, so I appreciate your advice!
For some reach schools, I'm thinking of applying to Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, UNC Chapel Hill, or WashU, but I just can't decide which one! My family doesn't have the funds to just apply everywhere willy-nilly. I guess I have to decide soon, because it's already application season!

 

[PapaGuava]

@JR_ski2

Day at a time! Keep us posted on your progress, and good luck with everything!

 

[el_duderino]

Save your money and go to your state school.

There are a lot of fields where it's absolutely worth it to go to a big-name school: law, engineering, political science, journalism. Medicine isn't one of them.

 

[DokterMom]

Thanks for your advice. The whole thing about applying to college just seems like a big mystery to me. I'm just trying to figure it all out, so I appreciate your advice!
For some reach schools, I'm thinking of applying to Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, UNC Chapel Hill, or WashU, but I just can't decide which one! My family doesn't have the funds to just apply everywhere willy-nilly. I guess I have to decide soon, because it's already application season!

Do include Cornell because they're big on geographic diversity and (last I checked) are need-blind in admissions. They are known to be grade-deflating though...

 

[R2ski2]

Do include Cornell because they're big on geographic diversity and (last I checked) are need-blind in admissions. They are known to be grade-deflating though...

Nice, I'll look into that more! Grade deflating isn't such a great thing though.. yikes. Do you know much about any of the other reach schools I listed? Any input is greatly appreciated🙂.

 

[Doc_Ock]

Unless you're shooting for Harvard med school it won't matter.

 

[jonak]

Also something for me, if I get a full ride at D'youville (small college in buffalo,ny) should I go there or a state school? I would prefer to go to a state school as it's bigger and better academic wise, but if it really doesn't matter where I go for undergrad it might be considered. This is because I can save quite a bit more, as med school is expensive enough xD.

 

[PapaGuava]

Also something for me, if I get a full ride at D'youville (small college in buffalo,ny) should I go there or a state school? I would prefer to go to a state school as it's bigger and better academic wise, but if it really doesn't matter where I go for undergrad it might be considered. This is because I can save quite a bit more, as med school is expensive enough xD.

As long as you think you would be a successful student there, it shouldn’t be a problem at all. Not having debt is a big deal.

 

[jonak]

As long as you think you would be a successful student there, it shouldn’t be a problem at all. Not having debt is a big deal.

I just don't want to look bad as their average grades and everything are pretty low, but if debt is actually such a big deal it might be worth as I could probably come out on the top of my class.

 

[PapaGuava]

I just don't want to look bad as their average grades and everything are pretty low, but if debt is actually such a big deal it might be worth as I could probably come out on the top of my class.

I'm just saying weigh the factors because just going to a state school doesn't guarantee you anything. However, you also have to enjoy where you're going, so if you would be happier at the state school, then there is no problem with that. In my case, I attended a smaller private university in my city because of smaller professor:student ratios in the classroom which allowed me to get involved in research, lab mentoring, and I also have no debt after my time there. Now, my school wasn't very known for pre-med unlike the nearby big state school, but we had a committee and the resources. Now many of my peers and I are en route to medical school or other professional programs. So if you are pro-active student, you'll be fine wherever you decide to attend undergrad.

 

[ArteryStudyPainting]

Consider this:

If you remain pre-medical, then the school has marginal impact on what you, as a person trying for medical school, needs to accomplish on your own, all the while enjoying your time at your institution. And the more money you spend does not equal higher quality, per studies and experiments.

If you don't remain pre-medical, which is common for people to fail in their goals on this track, you may want to be at:
1) The cheapest option
2.) Where you like it the most

There's a trend here lmao.

(Also, my comment about you failing or people failing is not supposed to upset you; I hope you use that energy to yell at me in four years when you say, "I did it, and I used your negativity as ammo to do it"). That would make me feel happy.

 

[SilverSnow]

Out of that list brown University would most likely be the best choice. It’s a great pre med school and it’s one of the few schools that meet 100% of need.

 

[Obnoxious Dad]

As a resident of Montana you have a great opportunity to go to med school in Seattle or Spokane. If you want to go to one of those schools, the worst thing to do is to go to some "reach" school and get a GPA below 3.5. You want to make straight As in college. Going to Cornell or Brown isn't going to help.

Your high school guidance counselor probably thinks that medical school admissions offices carefully sift through transcripts and adjust them to account for grade inflation and admissions competitiveness at various colleges. Well, that is just not the case. Some med school admissions offices are looking at more than 10,000 applications every year. They don't have the time or the inclination to make those adjustments.

The natural course for you is to go to Montana or Montana State. The admissions committees at Seattle and Spokane won't hold that against you. The key here is for you to get As in college. You do that by blowing off advance placement exams, starting with the normal freshman chemistry and biology sequnces, not taking honors courses and avoiding the skiing/partying scene in Bozeman or Missoula.