If your undergrad school doesn't matter...

[whoispittsnogle]

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So from my reading here the consensus seems to be that where you go for undergrad doesn't really affect your acceptance to medical school. However, this morning I was looking at the applicant profiles and looked up who was accepted to schools such as Cornell, Stanford, Yale, etc. Almost everyone who was accepted came from a very prestigious undergrad school, a very large portion of them being Ivies.

I'm getting a little nervous since I go to a smaller state school in New York. I know people say where you go doesn't matter but then why are those accepted into very good medical schools all coming from very prestigious undergrad schools?

of course it matters a little, but if you get a 3.9 or so at a subpar undergrad and have good mcat scores you'll be fine.
of course you can't expect to eff with the big boys from harvard who have 3.7-3.9 with same mcat scores as you...they are gonna get the upperhand.

 

[jackieMD2007]

I would think the larger, public state schools, i.e:
The Universities of California (Berkeley, LA, SB, SD, SC)
would be considered middle of the road, not Ivy obviously but still fine for undergrad.

UCSB got ranked #16 for public universities.
Ah, the University of Casual Sex and Beer. Strong work.

 

[chitowndr]

second point: to an extent, that's the way it should be. People are a lot more familiar with what it takes to get X GPA from an ivy compared to an X GPA from a state school... the number is better characterized. The sword can cut both ways though. You can be at a top school with outrageous grade inflation (stanford) or at a school with notorious grade deflation (UChicago).

You have to be kidding me about Stanford... The curve at Stanford makes it nearly impossible to get A's in science classes (15% get an A or A-) (35% in the B range) (45% in the C range) (5% D or fail)... thats grade inflation???

 

[BozoSparky]

It matters.

 

[RRT2MD]

So from my reading here the consensus seems to be that where you go for undergrad doesn't really affect your acceptance to medical school. However, this morning I was looking at the applicant profiles and looked up who was accepted to schools such as Cornell, Stanford, Yale, etc. Almost everyone who was accepted came from a very prestigious undergrad school, a very large portion of them being Ivies.

I'm getting a little nervous since I go to a smaller state school in New York. I know people say where you go doesn't matter but then why are those accepted into very good medical schools all coming from very prestigious undergrad schools?

One of my 'trusted' advisors is my brother.

My bro attended a LARGE state school for his BA/BS suma and then recieved his PhD from Brown. He is now on staff at another Ivy Uni in MA.

I am a non-trad, 32 w/ a BA in sociology from a state school, so I'm going to need to go back for my sciences before the MCAT.

So the advice I got was to get those classes at a Univ that has terminal degrees in all those areas: bio, chem, and physics.

He told me that adcoms DO look at where one went for their bcmp. They will never come out and say this but look at acceptences at US allopathic schools. How many of them are from colleges/Univ that don't confir terminal degrees? Not many.

Dr. Brother also tells me even an idiot can go to an Ivy school. One's SAT/MCAT numbers don't indicate if one can be a good phsician. My Father, an MD from Wake Forest, seconds this opinion.

At my work I've seen so many PGYs from Ivy who I would'nt let near my gold fish!!!

 

[snobored18]

One of my 'trusted' advisors is my brother.

My bro attended a LARGE state school for his BA/BS suma and then recieved his PhD from Brown. He is now on staff at another Ivy Uni in MA.

I am a non-trad, 32 w/ a BA in sociology from a state school, so I'm going to need to go back for my sciences before the MCAT.

So the advice I got was to get those classes at a Univ that has terminal degrees in all those areas: bio, chem, and physics.

He told me that adcoms DO look at where one went for their bcmp. They will never come out and say this but look at acceptences at US allopathic schools. How many of them are from colleges/Univ that don't confir terminal degrees? Not many.

Dr. Brother also tells me even an idiot can go to an Ivy school. One's SAT/MCAT numbers don't indicate if one can be a good phsician. My Father, an MD from Wake Forest, seconds this opinion.

At my work I've seen so many PGYs from Ivy who I would'nt let near my gold fish!!!

I'm ussually not this blunt...but you are a completely wrong...none of the top national liberal arts colleges grant "terminal" degrees...its part of the philosophy of an LAC to focus on undergraduate education. Tons of people coming out of these schools are very successful making it into graduate and professional programs...and they aren't just getting in, they are heading to top programs. My class at Mayo is about an even split...half are from large schools like Berkeley, Duke and Notre Dame...they other half hail from schools like St. Olaf, Lawrence, Carleton etc. And it isn't just the case at Mayo...at Iowa's second visit places like Amherst, Macalester, Grinnell, St. Thomas etc. all had pretty good representation. Those are two top 30 medical schools that seem to take a fair number of people who didn't go to schools that confer "terminal degress". So you are completely wrong when it comes to liberal arts colleges...they offer a top notch education, and I think that in many ways a smaller school has advantages, such as the lack of teaching assistants, small faculty to student ratios (ie profs get to know you and write good letters) and I could continue.

 

[Dr Durden]

UCSB got ranked #16 for public universities.
Ah, the University of Casual Sex and Beer. Strong work.

Just to let you know, I'm going to have to borrow that for use on some friends from high school. We need more comments like these in AA and undergrad prestige battles.

 

[Sekiray]

don't quote me on this
but a person I knew from UCSF, who's brother or father worked at the UC DAVIS adcom said that they do it by point system.
For example, a GPA over 3.7 is 3pts
mcat over 35 and above is 3 pts
great PS is 3pts
each good publication is a pt
great letters of rec is 1 pt each and after you accumulate a certain amount of pts, then you are granted an interview.
He said schools like Harvard,Cal,yale,+ other ivies and good named schools get 3-4pts added, where as some schools get 0-2 pts.
So I think it does matter depending on the school