how important is undergrad school when applying

[danesh23]

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I would like to know how the admissions committees take undergrad schools into consideration when they look at applicants. I go to UCLA which is the 16th best school in the entire world. So lets say there is an applicant from Boston Univesity which is 87th on the list with the same GPA, MCAT, etc.... do u think they take the undergrad school more into consideration cuz its harder?

 

[CTSballer11]

I would like to know how the admissions committees take undergrad schools into consideration when they look at applicants. I go to UCLA which is the 16th best school in the entire world. So lets say there is an applicant from Boston Univesity which is 87th on the list with the same GPA, MCAT, etc.... do u think they take the undergrad school more into consideration cuz its harder?

You will both get interviews. After that your social skillsetc, come into play. This can make or break you. The boston kid may be smooth and you may not be, who knows. Do a search, this topic has been beaten to death. IMHO, no one can tell you how much it will affect you.

 

[jon stewart]

I would like to know how the admissions committees take undergrad schools into consideration when they look at applicants. I go to UCLA which is the 16th best school in the entire world. So lets say there is an applicant from Boston Univesity which is 87th on the list with the same GPA, MCAT, etc.... do u think they take the undergrad school more into consideration cuz its harder?

ohhh crap, not another one of these..... 😱 😱

well, i went and did a search, read through the thread, and you will get a better idea.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=221631&highlight=gpa

 

[drmota]

I would like to know how the admissions committees take undergrad schools into consideration when they look at applicants. I go to UCLA which is the 16th best school in the entire world. So lets say there is an applicant from Boston Univesity which is 87th on the list with the same GPA, MCAT, etc.... do u think they take the undergrad school more into consideration cuz its harder?

someone's about to yell at you...i'm gonna get outta here. peace.
-mota

 

[willthatsall]

How is UCLA the 16th best school in the entire world? I thought it was a place for people who couldn't get into Berkeley. 😕

 

[jbrice1639]

How is UCLA the 16th best school in the entire world? I thought it was a place for people who couldn't get into Berkeley. 😕

because people in Los Angeles think that IS the entire world...and UCLA has to be at least the 16th best school in Los Angeles...

 

[danesh23]

because people in Los Angeles think that IS the entire world...and UCLA has to be at least the 16th best school in Los Angeles...

http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2004/top500(1-100).htm

 

[jbrice1639]

well, i guess that showed us then...suppose you should probably print that out and send it in with your amcas... 🙄

 

[calcrew14]

I would like to know how the admissions committees take undergrad schools into consideration when they look at applicants. I go to UCLA which is the 16th best school in the entire world. So lets say there is an applicant from Boston Univesity which is 87th on the list with the same GPA, MCAT, etc.... do u think they take the undergrad school more into consideration cuz its harder?

I don't know about rankings and comparison among schools. Definitely, there are places where UCLA does count a lot. If you have to ask this question, I bet that you are lucky to hear this reply from me. Now DUCK!

 

[derf]

How is UCLA the 16th best school in the entire world? I thought it was a place for people who couldn't get into Berkeley. 😕

hmmm, i know of 4 people that got into berkeley and rejected by UCLA last Spring. UCLA actually has a lower acceptance rate for freshman I think*

 

[danesh23]

well, i guess that showed us then...suppose you should probably print that out and send it in with your amcas... 🙄

lol....im applying to 52 schools....i am going in with the thought that school doesnt matter.... and u guys put me in my place....thanx

 

[TheMightyAngus]

How is UCLA the 16th best school in the entire world? I thought it was a place for people who couldn't get into Berkeley. 😕

A lot of kids from the Bay Area want to leave and choose UCLA, UCSD, and UCSB over Berkeley. Since Berkeley is a public school, it's not too hard to get in if you're in state so it's reputation is a little bit inflated everywhere but California.

 

[willthatsall]

I was joking about the Berkeley comment, of course. But that list of schools is kind of strange. I would say it's definitely not the list that med schools think of when looking at undergrad quality.

 

[calcrew14]

I don't know about rankings and comparison among schools. Definitely, there are places where UCLA does count a lot. If you have to ask this question, I bet that you are lucky to hear this reply from me. Now DUCK!

Or stand up taller the way competent trolls do.

UCLA has been coming from behind to make it a very close race now. Every year, an old highschool sends about equal numbers of her students to each school, about 15 each. The traffics of only one acceptance for applications to both school are about the same on both sides of the freeways. I believe that about 35 students from Berkeley matriculate at Davis Geffen School every year. That is almost the same as the number from UCLA undergrad (50?) So freeze, everyone.

Correct me.

 

[KifsterDDS]

I went to the University of Virginia for my undergrad which is frequently neck-and-neck with UC Berkeley as the top public university in the country.

Despite the fact I was a complete goof-off in high school, I had no trouble getting into UVA because I was much better than the average high school student.

When I got to UVA, however, and didn't change my work habits, I found myself finishing with a GPA well below 3.0. Despite having DAT (Dental Admissions Test) scores in the 97th percentile, I was rejected from dental school TWICE until I finished my masters degree from another top-notch public school with a high GPA. (I got into this masters program because my father happened to be close friends with the chair of the biology department, and needless to say, some serious strings were pulled to get me in....probationarily at first).

Some of my dental school classmates who got in right out of college went to **** schools like JMU, VCU, and Old Dominion, finishing with GPAs around 3.4 to 3.6 and DATs less than mine. They'd have been hammered at UVA and Berkeley.

While there was no excuse for me finishing with a sub 3.0 GPA at UVA, it was certainly easier for me to do it there than at schools like JMU and VCU, who accept the kinds of average high school students against whom I had no difficulty competing back in high school. The thing about UVA and UC Berkeley and other top-tier public schools is that they are great financial deals that attract students who are truly ivy-league material but don't wish to pay ivy-league tuitions. Those are the kinds of students against whom you compete at UVA and Berkeley.

So the answer to your questions is this: yes, medical (and dental) schools say that they consider your undergrad institution, but nowhere near as much as they should.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

I was joking about the Berkeley comment, of course. But that list of schools is kind of strange. I would say it's definitely not the list that med schools think of when looking at undergrad quality.

You'd be surprised. All the UC's have good reputations. UCSD was just labeled as hottest for science by US news. UCSB has a great location on the coast that attracts a lot of big name profs, as does UCSD. UCSC is kinda allusive because they don't have grades, but maybe that's changed now. It's hard to turn down the UC's moneywise if your from Cali.

 

[willthatsall]

You'd be surprised. All the UC's have good reputations. UCSD was just labeled as hottest for science by US news. UCSB has a great location on the coast that attracts a lot of big name profs, as does UCSD. UCSC is kinda allusive because they don't have grades, but maybe that's changed now. It's hard to turn down the UC's moneywise if your from Cali.

What I mean is that some really good schools were missing off the list. Duke was in the 30's.

 

[Mardi-Bob]

http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2004/top500(1-100).htm

I can't believe people believe anything they find on the internet. If that were a true ranking(which it is obviously not) then it wouldn't resemble a pile of crap. 1st point. The source of this CRAP is a university in Shanghai, China. enough said.
2nd point. Why is UTSW Medical school listed if you are concerned with an UNDERGRADUATE RANKING? Simply b/c it isn't that simple.
3rd point. What are the basis for the rankings. Do you believe something from a non-reputable source just because they say it is so?
4th point. UCLA IS NOT RANK 16 UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD. I'm not saying that it isn't a fine instituion, which it is. However, I am saying this............... THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER aka Stoner Land is sure as hell not ranked higher then Vanderbilt, UTSW Medical, Brown, and Rice just to name a few.

Finally, stop posting crap. I once believed that I could read these forums and learn something, but with a FEW exceptions, I purely read SDN to laugh at all the stupid people that post. This may be going overboard, but seriously if you don't have something smart to say then don't say anything at all.(yes I am being a smart ass 😛)

 

[ChuckRock]

Didn't this whole reputation of undergrad thread die like a week ago? The turnover rate of these threads has to approaching some kind of record.

 

[Centinel]

I was joking about the Berkeley comment, of course. But that list of schools is kind of strange. I would say it's definitely not the list that med schools think of when looking at undergrad quality.

The list that the OP is referring to discusses some generalized world ranking of the University, not of the undergraduate component of the institution. Look at the criteria: Score on Alumni Score on Award Score on HiCi Score on N&S Score on SCI Score on Size.

These are not traits that define a quality undergraduate institution. As such, I am pretty confident that, of the (probably few) ADCOMS who have heard of this list, zero care about it.

 

[SpeedRacer]

http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2004/top500(1-100).htm

CR@P!!! why oh WHY did i turn down tokyo u.

 

[willthatsall]

I can't believe people believe anything they find on the internet. If that were a true ranking(which it is obviously not) then it wouldn't resemble a pile of crap. 1st point. The source of this CRAP is a university in Shanghai, China. enough said.
2nd point. Why is UTSW Medical school listed if you are concerned with an UNDERGRADUATE RANKING? Simply b/c it isn't that simple.
3rd point. What are the basis for the rankings. Do you believe something from a non-reputable source just because they say it is so?
4th point. UCLA IS NOT RANK 16 UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD. I'm not saying that it isn't a fine instituion, which it is. However, I am saying this............... THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER aka Stoner Land is sure as hell not ranked higher then Vanderbilt, UTSW Medical, Brown, and Rice just to name a few.

Finally, stop posting crap. I once believed that I could read these forums and learn something, but with a FEW exceptions, I purely read SDN to laugh at all the stupid people that post. This may be going overboard, but seriously if you don't have something smart to say then don't say anything at all.(yes I am being a smart ass 😛)

Haha, that is what I was trying to say, but you said it much more effectively and with more cited instances of idiocy. Basically, it's a ******ed list that doesn't have anything to do with what med schools think about undergrads.

 

[medhacker]

The opinion of one of the allopathic medical schools:

"The School of Medicine accepts students from the full range of post-secondary institutions. The more selective the school, the more rigorous will be the academic program and the more opportunity a student will have to participate in scholarly and other extracurricular activities. These are important considerations to an admissions committee, but they are not the only considerations. The opportunity to attend a highly selective college or university is not available to all students. Excellence, regardless of the setting, will be considered favorably."

 

[riceman04]

I would like to know how the admissions committees take undergrad schools into consideration when they look at applicants. I go to UCLA which is the 16th best school in the entire world. So lets say there is an applicant from Boston Univesity which is 87th on the list with the same GPA, MCAT, etc.... do u think they take the undergrad school more into consideration cuz its harder?

Where did you get that ranking from. Obviously not US News and World Report.


You do not know if UCLA is more difficult than BU. And dont make that assumption based on rankings!

Ok so what I said above was before I went to the website you provided. ARE YOU KIDDING! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.......jokes.....jokes........jokes......UCLA....HAHAHAHAHAHAHA....
Not to make any fuss but I went to Rice and it was hard as hell to get good grades in upper level science classes. Then after I graduated and moved back to LA I took Chem153A-C (yes that's right, biochem...the classes were a joke to me) at UCLA and got A's very very easily.

Now, UCLA will most likely beat the owls (my alma mater) in the upcoming football game, but definitely not in rankings.

 

[benelswick]

common sense says.....

UCLA is a great school if you do well there then your performance will stand on its own with universities across the country. If you do poorly then nobody cares, and a thousand shades of gray for the in betweens. You could get any opinion...from f*ck UCLA to your garanteed admission and most of them will be just blind guessing by your colleagues. Good Luck! --Ben.

 

[synapse lapse]

This list is hilarious

 

[unfrozencaveman]

Brown graduates will be remiss to know they went from 82 to a dismal 86 in the 2005 rankings, and the University of Utah is closing in fast.

 

[pagemmapants]

How is UCLA the 16th best school in the entire world? I thought it was a place for people who couldn't get into Berkeley. 😕

GYAHAHAHA!
I should be offended, but in my case it's "a place that was far more generous with the $$$ than Berkeley". . . but close!
Bruin for life?
NAH.

 

[Centinel]

The opinion of one of the allopathic medical schools:

"The School of Medicine accepts students from the full range of post-secondary institutions. The more selective the school, the more rigorous will be the academic program and the more opportunity a student will have to participate in scholarly and other extracurricular activities. These are important considerations to an admissions committee, but they are not the only considerations. The opportunity to attend a highly selective college or university is not available to all students. Excellence, regardless of the setting, will be considered favorably."

Yeah, umm, the list that the OP is citing doesn't treat the difficulty of the undergraduate institution. Only the US News ranking list does this.

 

[CTSballer11]

The opinion of one of the allopathic medical schools:

"The School of Medicine accepts students from the full range of post-secondary institutions. The more selective the school, the more rigorous will be the academic program and the more opportunity a student will have to participate in scholarly and other extracurricular activities. These are important considerations to an admissions committee, but they are not the only considerations. The opportunity to attend a highly selective college or university is not available to all students. Excellence, regardless of the setting, will be considered favorably."

There you go.

 

[riceman04]

You'd be surprised. All the UC's have good reputations. UCSD was just labeled as hottest for science by US news. UCSB has a great location on the coast that attracts a lot of big name profs, as does UCSD. UCSC is kinda allusive because they don't have grades, but maybe that's changed now. It's hard to turn down the UC's moneywise if your from Cali.

I did!

 

[juiceman311]

That list was a crock, see avater for further details.

 

[Chrissy]

whoa i swear someone sits back and chuckles everytime they start a thread about undergrad schools...

to the OP:

This is a pretty hot topic here mainly because everybody who thinks their school is hard....thinks their school is hard. the bottom line (as it has been debated ad nauseum) is that undergrad school can have some influence on an adcom, but how much and it what way is unknown...therefore, it is not something you should consider or count on when applying.

UCLA is a good school. With all due respect however, that ranking you mentioned really doesn't quantify anything. Despite that, adcoms know which schools are more difficult than others. The main reason that school doesn't matter is because credentials for accepted students across the board (from varying undergrads) are pretty stable PLUS the fact that although a student at a top school may find it difficult, there are plenty of kids at every top school who do not and have near 4.0's and high 30 MCATS.....I think where the school might make a difference (and again, this is not really something to consider) is if you are a borderline or average applicant....then, they might take the entire context of your application into consideration....for example if a student from UPenn has a 3.4 GPA, 36 MCAT, 2 publications, good EC's.....this person might look better than the state school applicant who had a 3.7, 30 MCAT and was a hospital volunteer.....but honestly, thats very tough to tell and since there is no formula for things like this...it need not be considered. I think the undergrad game is a balance dilemma....if you are very bright go anywhere and do well anywhere....if you're not as confident and you cannot present yourself as a competitive (national averages) applicant than your undergrad school is not likely to give you the edge you need in the end. concentrate on doing well by medical school standards will go much further.