If you want to get into medical school, go to the easiest undergrad possible!

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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failure481

failure481

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So here's my advice for all future premeds: go to the easiest undergrad possible. I bought into the lie that going to some prestigious school would actually help me in securing a medical school acceptance. I went to some prestigious school loaded with scholarships and got horrible grades. I didn't leave, because I was loaded with scholarships going in and didn't want to give them up. I eventually lost them all as my grades dropped further down. I graduated with a 3 point nothing and now have no idea what I'm going to do with my life. Meanwhile, my friend from high school went to some college most people have never heard of and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. He's already been accepted into medical school and somehow got waived from taking his MCAT due to his inflated and excellent grades at his no name school. I had way higher grades/SAT scores than this guy in high school and actually have a very high MCAT score, but due to my low GPA I'll never set foot in a medical school and probably shuffle through low end jobs the rest of my life. Don't let this happen to you!
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Depends on how well you perform at said prestigious school. If you do well, you're golden. If not, well, you either have to take steps to fix that or choose something else to do.
 
Yeah "retakes and DO" is always an option, but the point is it could have been a lot easier for me financially, emotionally, and taken a lot less time if I had just gone to an easier school instead of buying into this prestigious school idea.
 
Lol I'm not trolling. This is actually a true and very sad story (for me).
 
Goro said:
Trolls these days....how the mighty have fallen.

Even just a few years ago, trolls were trolls! Trolling meant something! You had to work to be a troll!
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Yes I'm not going to say the specific program, but his program waived the MCAT for admission.
 
failure481 said:
somehow got waived from taking his MCAT due to his inflated and excellent grades at his no name school.
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Runner500 said:
I questioned the validity of the story, this confirming my suspicions.

Is that's even possible?
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Yes there are some 'Premed Scholar' programs that do this. Once you get in the program you have a seat for MD as long as you are able to maintain GPA. Ill be applying for it my junior year at my transfer school. I was told I still have to sit for it but the results would not matter. Also 6 year MD/BA programs.
 
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They may be "no name" to the OP, but they are well known the to med schools.

Then again, OP's friend might have simply lied to him.


ProspectiveKidd said:
Yes there are some 'Premed Scholar' programs that do this. Ill be applying for it my junior year at my transfer school. Also 6 year MD/BA programs.
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failure481 said:
Lol I'm not trolling. This is actually a true and very sad story (for me).
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Enjoy your Weepies.

Btw, "tough, prestigious, grade deflating school" is a popular euphemism for "didn't have my sheit together".

Goro said:
Trolls these days....how the mighty have fallen.

Even just a few years ago, trolls were trolls! Trolling meant something! You had to work to be a troll!
Click to expand...
All hail streampaw. What is banned cannot be banned.
 
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@Goro it wasn't one of those premed scholar programs or MD/BA programs
 
Haha ok fine don't take my advice, but I'm telling you that I went to a top 10 school and my friend went to weenie hut juniors state university and now he's in medical school and I'm not.
 
Hey guys, for the sake of me not having an aneurysm discussion and exchange of information, let's assume that OP isn't a troll and is trying to convey advice based off of anecdotal experience. What do we think the appropriate way to respond to this is? Evidence and statistics!
 
Yes like I said I know that's an option, but I'm just saying that now I have to go back to school with hardly any money left, after being emotionally drained by many sleepless nights to get a 3 point nothing GPA and it's going to take me at least a year or two to bring my GPA up just for a low chance of getting into a DO school when I could have done what my friend did instead and have been a happy med school student right now.
 
Goro said:
They may be "no name" to the OP, but they are well known the to med schools.
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Seriously. Any school with a 6 or 7 year BS/MD program is certainly not no-name. Though I think OP's friend went to a pre-med factory (like Haverford or Tufts) and that's why OP hasn't heard of them.

failure481 said:
I went to a top 10 school and my friend went to weenie hut juniors state university and now he's in medical school
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Alright, not gunna lie, this made me lol.
 
It wasn't a BS/MD program and it was much less prestigious and way more no name those you just mentioned.
 
Yes it is convoluted. That's why the best way to describe it is as "super weenie hut juniors state university"
 
failure481 said:
Yes like I said I know that's an option, but I'm just saying that now I have to go back to school with hardly any money left, after being emotionally drained by many sleepless nights to get a 3 point nothing GPA and it's going to take me at least a year or two to bring my GPA up just for a low chance of getting into a DO school when I could have done what my friend did instead and have been a happy med school student right now.
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Your future career is not set in stone when you graduate. If you really want to become a physician then you can still do so, even if it takes you some extra years to reach your goal. There is nothing wrong with taking longer to get there. Just off the top of my head, I can think of several options:
  • Get a medically-related job, which shows your interest in the field. While doing that, take/retake science classes as a part-time student to slowly bring your GPA up.
  • Get a job in whatever field your degree is in. Work and save up money until you have enough to return to classes full-time for a post-bac.
  • Move to Texas and use the academic fresh start to redo your BS degree (only works for Texas medical schools).
  • Join the military for a while, then go back to school with GI bill benefits. Adcoms love military experience.
It's only over when you decide that the continued effort to reach med school is no longer worth the reward of finally becoming a physician. Good luck.
 
I know that some institutions have a "you can get into our law school without taking the LSAT if you had a GPA of x.xx and SAT or ACT score of x or x" program, but only for students of their institution. Is there anything out there for medical schools? I've never heard of it but maybe somewhere is trying it? Is that the kind of thing you are talking about?
 
I know it's not over, but the road to get there just got a lot harder because I didn't go to WaymorenonameU like my friend did. It's going to cost me more time and money, which are both things that matter a lot to me. Also, yes @ifnotnowwren it was something like that.
 
Lucca said:
Why do premeds go to Princeton, srsly just find a different career, so many more doors open to you.
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Not really....

There's a reason why medicine as a career is so competitive.

Also clearly OP (if not a troll) went to either UChicago or JHU (probably the latter). That's just asking for it haha
 
md-2020 said:
Not really....

There's a reason why medicine as a career is so competitive.

Also clearly OP (if not a troll) went to either UChicago or JHU (probably the latter). That's just asking for it haha
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OP is so definitely a troll I'd bet my kidney on it. And you're right, if it was Princeton he would have pulled the whole "top 5" uni thing or better yet "top 2".

/obligatoryGeneralAdviceForPosterityPleaseDontBanMeWedge

I was joking about the Princeton premed comment though. My advice to all high schoolers is still to go to the best school that you can afford (whatever that means for you, if you are thinking about medicine try to minimize debt but it will differ for people with different goals). It pays to have resources and instant credibility. You can get that at some state universities and you can get more of it at HYPSM either way it's a valuable thing to have. Good professors, small class sizes, an involved administration - things people should look for to succeed and learn. Going to the "easiest" school will just short sell you an education if it doesn't also provide a stimulating environment, ditto for only taking the least challenging courses. Maybe it will be harder for you to go to medical school but the difference between grades at two schools is hardly ever as dramatic as people like the OP (who are real and not trolls) make it out to be - provided the "weaker" school does not print their diplomas on the back of box tops. At the end of the day, the only person living in your head is you and I'd rather the person in my head be a little more curious, sharp and sculpted.
 
idontwatchgreysanatomy said:
link please
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Google.

Edit: just a couple more recent posts on Streampaw's blog. Apparently he/she/it thinks they're gonna strike it rich by making dumb apps now. Why yes, I would love to call a stranger (which I can't do BC there aren't any users)!
 
OP , I am sorry you are not getting the response that you wished for. Whether you are a troll or not, I agree with what you said. I have experienced the same ; but it took me few years to gain an acceptance due to bad choices earlier on in my life. But, do not be dejected, focus on your goal. Live in the present and aim high for the future.
 
ifnotnowwren said:
I know that some institutions have a "you can get into our law school without taking the LSAT if you had a GPA of x.xx and SAT or ACT score of x or x" program, but only for students of their institution. Is there anything out there for medical schools? I've never heard of it but maybe somewhere is trying it? Is that the kind of thing you are talking about?
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U of Toledo has a fairly competitive program that gives early acceptance without an MCAT. Everyone can apply junior year if you have the prereqs.
 
Lucca said:
I was joking about the Princeton premed comment though. My advice to all high schoolers is still to go to the best school that you can afford (whatever that means for you, if you are thinking about medicine try to minimize debt but it will differ for people with different goals). It pays to have resources and instant credibility. You can get that at some state universities and you can get more of it at HYPSM either way it's a valuable thing to have. Good professors, small class sizes, an involved administration - things people should look for to succeed and learn. Going to the "easiest" school will just short sell you an education if it doesn't also provide a stimulating environment, ditto for only taking the least challenging courses. Maybe it will be harder for you to go to medical school but the difference between grades at two schools is hardly ever as dramatic as people like the OP (who are real and not trolls) make it out to be - provided the "weaker" school does not print their diplomas on the back of box tops. At the end of the day, the only person living in your head is you and I'd rather the person in my head be a little more curious, sharp and sculpted.
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The only thig I partially disagree with in your statement is the 'small class size' thing. Sometimes these types of classes are beneficial but often do not allow for the engagement of some students who are less collaborative, due to a lack of opposing or similar viewpoints which keep them in the ZPD.
 
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I don't really know why you guys are calling this a troll, etc.

Are you really denying the fact that undergrads are vastly different in terms of competitiveness?

If one student would perform way differently at different tiers of undergrads it follows that at a certain point, he/she is negatively impacting or even destroying his/her medical school chances since admissions care so much about GPA.
 
AirplaneFruit said:
I don't really know why you guys are calling this a troll, etc.

Are you really denying the fact that undergrads are vastly different in terms of competitiveness?

If one student would perform way differently at different tiers of undergrads it follows that at a certain point, he/she is negatively impacting or even destroying his/her medical school chances since admissions care so much about GPA.
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In any event, a 3.0 at anywhere probably wont correlate to a 4.0 elsewhere. There are more factors to consider than just the UG institution which the OP seems to be relying on rather than taking responsibility.
 
md-2020 said:
Google.

Edit: just a couple more recent posts on Streampaw's blog. Apparently he/she/it thinks they're gonna strike it rich by making dumb apps now. Why yes, I would love to call a stranger (which I can't do BC there aren't any users)!
Click to expand...

Thanks. Apparently she goes to my school? I wish I knew who it was, these blog posts are gold.
 
Yeah I'm seriously not trolling, so you would lose that bet @Lucca. Also, there are some really easy universities out there. I'd say the one my friend went to is comparable to a CC and the CCs I've been to are ridiculously easy.
 
failure481 said:
Yeah I'm seriously not trolling, so you would lose that bet @Lucca. Also, there are some really easy universities out there. I'd say the one my friend went to is comparable to a CC and the CCs I've been to are ridiculously easy.
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Provide the name of the institution. I'm a bit curious too.
 
J Senpai said:
Have you seen her blog? UG level abnormal psych classes should use it as a case study.
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"My motivation hero is Bill Gates. All those BILLions he has!" - streampaw's blog

OP you need a motivation hero.
 
I'm not even going to read any of the butt-hurt... I mean offended repliers.

Yes, everyone should save themselves some stress by going to the easiest which tends to be also the cheapest school they can.
 
Lol so essentially you're advising everyone to take the easy route in life? Yeah sure getting a 4.0 can be easier at lower ranked schools, but I'd much rather work and push myself at top-tier universities... At least for me, I'd always rather be the big fish in a pond full of big fish than a big fish in a pond full of small fish.

In the end, all that extra effort in your classes only adds to your learning and understanding, and will most likely end up helping you out on the MCAT as opposed to getting an A in a class where you barely tried and didn't understand some things, but neither did anyone else in the class so it was fine not to and still get an A.
 
Sounds like your friend made the smart choice on where to attend school. Yes I would agree that competitiveness does vary at institutions, but the bottom line is GPA matters no matter where you go. So retake some classes or do a post bac and get that GPA up. It will be a time consuming and costly road, but it will be worth it.
 
BundleofWiz said:
OP , I am sorry you are not getting the response that you wished for. Whether you are a troll or not, I agree with what you said. I have experienced the same ; but it took me few years to gain an acceptance due to bad choices earlier on in my life. But, do not be dejected, focus on your goal. Live in the present and aim high for the future.
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+1
 
OP, I'm sorry you are stressed about an uncertain future. I, however, still say that anyone who gets into a top school should go.

Pre-med school rankings are kind of like med school rankings- the top schools will give you a big boost when applying to med school (the fewer pre-meds your school produces, the bigger the boost). Outside of that top range, it's just important to find where you fit best and can best succeed.

Most people from my top school can be confident applying if they have above a 3.25ish science GPA and ~30 MCAT. There were at least 2 people last year who got in with both 2.9-3.0 gpas and sub-31 MCATs. At schools like NYMC where everyone with lower gpas apply, I would say at least half the sub-3.35 sGPA people come from top schools. Top school students with lower gpas fare pretty well in this process. Your situation doesn't sound great because you have probably had many sub-3.0 semesters. But that doesn't change the fact that top schools do offer large financial perks, great resources, and do set you up well for getting into med school. My only complaint is that I come from a state with high public med school stats and I wish my gpa were better so I could have gotten in there (but I've been interviewing at schools where my gpa is far below the median so I can't complain too much)

You can't really blame the school for everything. The uncertainty is really sucky, but try not to let the stress get to you and focus on what you can do to improve yourself. But from my personal experience, advising people to not go to top schools is bad advice. Good luck with your journey from here on out!
 
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