Is MCAT Score Influenced by University?

[VaStudent529]

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Hello SDN! I've hovered over this site for quite a while in the past several months and finally decided to make an account. I have to say, seeing some posts over 7-10 years old with students who were once anxious pre-meds and now attending physicians is quite encouraging. This community is very supportive in it's efforts to provide students valuable information and tips!

Back on topic: I was curious as to whether where you attend your undergrad influences your MCAT score. I know the obvious that more competitive schools tend to have higher MCAT scores because they have more motivated, generally brighter students. However, is this the only factor in why they have higher MCAT scores? Does the quality of the undergrad institution put a student at an advantage/disadvantage in terms of receiving the maximum score possible or is it negligible?

Let's take a student as a model; we'll call him John Dorian in the study. John could take two possible paths, go to UC Berkeley or go to University of Kentucky (Cheaper). If he went to UCB, would his MCAT be higher than if he went to UK generally speaking? Or would it be negligible to the point where it'd be better off to attend the cheaper uni, get a higher gpa, and not suffer on the MCAT.

If anyone was curious: I'm a HS senior right now pondering universities for a pre-med track; the above two colleges aren't my top choices, but it's a similar situation if anyone wants to weight in.
Stats:
5.23GPA (3.99 UW)
Rank: 2/366
ACT: 30...

 

[eteshoe]

Hey there,

I cannot objectively think that where you attend college will play as much influence into your MCAT score (definitely your GPA but that's another story). I personally attended a 'top-tier' university over the cheaper state college I got into for a couple of reasons. That being said, the tougher curriculum just made me pick up better studying habits which then translated into me studying more 'effectively' for the MCAT and thus getting a higher score. However, if I chose the cheaper school, knowing my personality - I still would have put together the appropriate study plan and scored similarly on the exam. That is if I went into college thinking medicine was the path I was going to take (I personally didn't consider medicine until I was a Junior).

Overall, you have an idea of the competitive score ranges for most med schools. Pick whatever college that will give you a solid foundation and have fun. Work hard, study hard, play hard - with the proper preparation, the specific college won't matter as long as you take your MCAT prep serious.

 

[VaStudent529]

Hey there,

I cannot objectively think that where you attend college will play as much influence into your MCAT score (definitely your GPA but that's another story). I personally attended a 'top-tier' university over the cheaper state college I got into for a couple of reasons. That being said, the tougher curriculum just made me pick up better studying habits which then translated into me studying more 'effectively' for the MCAT and thus getting a higher score. However, if I chose the cheaper school, knowing my personality - I still would have put together the appropriate study plan and scored similarly on the exam. That is if I went into college thinking medicine was the path I was going to take (I personally didn't consider medicine until I was a Junior).

Overall, you have an idea of the competitive score ranges for most med schools. Pick whatever college that will give you a solid foundation and have fun. Work hard, study hard, play hard - with the proper preparation, the specific college won't matter as long as you take your MCAT prep serious.

Thank you for your input! I definitely plan to take MCAT prep seriously as standardized testing is one of my weaker points. Truthfully, I'm in a similar situation as you once were, having to decide between the cheaper state school (full ride), where I'm confident I can maintain a high GPA and pursue clinical experience/research (school is R1 institute and has a hospital walking distance from Campus) and a more "top-tier" university where the competition is rougher and accordingly so, maintaining a high GPA (Also an R1 institution and has a hospital near campus).

On a side note, when would you personally recommend a student begin MCAT prep and when to take the MCAT itself?

 

[aldol16]

In my opinion, it does. But maybe not for the reasons you think. And I'm only talking about Ivy League, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, etc. quality - it's not a linear trend that increases as school ranking increases. First, these schools tend to emphasize understanding principles and concepts at a very fundamental level as opposed to memorization. That is immensely helpful on the new MCAT, which emphasizes critical analysis and problem-solving. Second, at these schools, you're surrounded by a huge proportion of bright, motivated people just like yourself whose success does push you to succeed. It's not really competitive as much as getting pulled along by the crowd.

 

[eteshoe]

Thank you for your input! I definitely plan to take MCAT prep seriously as standardized testing is one of my weaker points. Truthfully, I'm in a similar situation as you once were, having to decide between the cheaper state school (full ride), where I'm confident I can maintain a high GPA and pursue clinical experience/research (school is R1 institute and has a hospital walking distance from Campus) and a more "top-tier" university where the competition is rougher and accordingly so, maintaining a high GPA (Also an R1 institution and has a hospital near campus).

On a side note, when would you personally recommend a student begin MCAT prep and when to take the MCAT itself?

I should also add that I was awarded a pretty substantial scholarship to the school I ultimately picked for UG, which definitely helped with the decision.

To answer your question: it really depends on when you plan on starting med school. I'm an advocate for students taking at least a gap year (though that may not always be necessary). In that case studying a bit (like an hr or so a day) during your senior year or a more dedicated study regiment during your spring semester of your senior year may be sufficient (barring no complications in your understanding of the subject matter) for application June/July following graduation. If you plan on attending straight after UG, shift the time table back by a year. I usually don't recommend this since almost always during your Junior year, you'll be taking a bulk of your tough classes and it can be hectic. But to each his/her own - and it can be done.

Personally, I was about 4 yrs out of UG by the time I was applying which I think really helped my situation. More than anything, take learning the fundamentals of all your science classes seriously - the connections that you make between different subjects will be quite helpful when it comes to MCAT studying (again my opinion). Good luck with your decision