Ivy League

[bryante77]

Does going to an Ivy league for undergrad increase your chances of getting into medical school?

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[fizzle]

Does going to an Ivy league for undergrad increase your chances of getting into medical school?

Nope.

 

[FlowLimited]

Oh boy, here we go again.

 

[Decicco]

No. It may help a little bit in getting into an ivy league medical school, however.

 

[RubyRed]

I think a better question would be: does going to a top ranked, competitive university increase your chances? The general theme is that you need to do well regardless of where you go to undergrad. Would a 3.8 from top school be viewed more favorably than a 3.8 from a less rigorous school? Sure. However at the end of the day, it’s not the grades or school name that you should be benefiting from, it’s the quality of opportunities afforded to you at top schools (research, extra curricular activities) and the rigor of the instruction that lower tier schools may not be able to consistently produce that will increase your chances of becoming a better medical student in the future.

 

[majestic red]

I think that going to a top-ranked undergrad can improve your chances, but only if you do well. UMich, for example, gives automatic interview invites to high-stat applications from "elite" schools, and I really think that getting one of these automatic invites improved my chances for acceptance because I was able to interview on their very first interview day without having to wait for them to review my file and invite me manually.

 

[mmmcdowe]

I personally would recommend limiting your choices to one of the top 200 or so schools. You want a school that has had a decent number of pre-meds, because this increases the chances of an admissions committee knowing something about the opportunities available at your school. It also increases your chances of getting good advising from a pre-med office. I am a member of the faction that believes that prestige is not a significant factor in the admissions process. Having gone to a public school that isn't even ranked in the Top 100, I have interviewed at a number of the Top 20, 10, and 5 schools. I personally believe that your own merits outweigh the name of your school significantly. This is not to say that I believe a 3.5 is the same as one school than another. Admissions committees often have "experts" on a given school, or look at statistics like the average GPA and MCAT score of pre-meds in past years. Thus, a 3.5 at Princeton might be more impressive than a 3.5 at John Doe public school, simply because the average GPA and MCAT score at Princeton is a 3.5/33, and a 3.5/28 at John Doe. Clearly, it was harder to earn a 3.5 and 33 at Princeton than a 3.5 and 33 at John Doe (though, the equal MCAT scores would somewhat minimize this). Suffice it to say that a 3.5 and 28 at Harvard isn't going to beat out a 3.8 and 31 at John Doe, all other things being equal. This being said, I feel that opportunities at the more prestigious undergrad schools outside of academics are excellent. However, I feel that any big public school like OSU, ASU, etc will have similar opportunities by virtue of their sheer size. Any school that made it in the top 200 should have enough of everything for you to succeed if you are good enough. If you are good enough at one place, you are good enough anywhere, so long as you aren't handicapped.

 

[LizzyM]

As a population those who graduate from an Ivy League schools have drive, determination to be identified as excellent, excellent HS grades and test scores (which are correlated with overall book smarts), and have worked hard enough and behaved well enough to earn a diploma. I would suspect that proportionally, they are more likely that the population of all college graduates in a given year to have parents who attended an Ivy League institution and as a group they have a higher median family income than all college graduates nationwide.

I suspect that having the book-smarts and/or family connections and/or family money to be admitted to an Ivy League school and the work ethic and self-control to avoid being kicked out of one might be indicative of the characteristics that will make it likely to be admitted to a medical school.

So it is not going to an Ivy League that makes it more likely to get into med school but that going says something about your book-smarts and other characteristics. A group of applicants who choose Stanford and Duke over Havard & Princeton may have an equal chace of getting into med school as those who go to Ivy League schools.

That said, there is something to be said about "fit". Not every excellent high school senior who has what it takes to go on to medical school can or should go to an Ivy League school. Some are better suited for smaller schools, bigger schools, schools outside of the northeastern US, etc. Hundreds of colleges send graduates to medical school each year. One particular athletic league does not have a monopoly on admissions.

Furthermore, just matriculating at an Ivy will not get you in. If you have lackluster grades at an Ivy, minimal exposure to medicine, poorly written essays, or an otherwise weak application, you will not get in.

 

[mmmcdowe]

As a population those who graduate from an Ivy League schools have drive, determination to be identified as excellent, excellent HS grades and test scores (which are correlated with overall book smarts), and have worked hard enough and behaved well enough to earn a diploma. I would suspect that proportionally, they are more likely that the population of all college graduates in a given year to have parents who attended an Ivy League institution and as a group they have a higher median family income than all college graduates nationwide.

I suspect that having the book-smarts and/or family connections and/or family money to be admitted to an Ivy League school and the work ethic and self-control to avoid being kicked out of one might be indicative of the characteristics that will make it likely to be admitted to a medical school.

So it is not going to an Ivy League that makes it more likely to get into med school but that going says something about your book-smarts and other characteristics. A group of applicants who choose Stanford and Duke over Havard & Princeton may have an equal chace of getting into med school as those who go to Ivy League schools.

That said, there is something to be said about "fit". Not every excellent high school senior who has what it takes to go on to medical school can or should go to an Ivy League school. Some are better suited for smaller schools, bigger schools, schools outside of the northeastern US, etc. Hundreds of colleges send graduates to medical school each year. One particular athletic league does not have a monopoly on admissions.

Furthermore, just matriculating at an Ivy will not get you in. If you have lackluster grades at an Ivy, minimal exposure to medicine, poorly written essays, or an otherwise weak application, you will not get in.

Absolutely, Ivy League students are some of the brightest kids in their academic year. It is only natural that more of them would get into medical schools than on average, because more of them are exceptionally gifted. Take those kids, through them into another less prestigous school, and they'll still make it.

 

[slowbutsteady]

yup.

 

[Brodiewankenobi]

:troll:

 

[CalBear2009]

I go to a top public school, and I feel that because of that, I am better prepared for the rigor that is med school. You sink or swim here, there is no hand holding, no sucking on the teet. I feel like Ivys do not help students prepare for the real world, and that the earlier you learn, the better equipped you will be.

 

[slowbutsteady]

I go to a top public school, and I feel that because of that, I am better prepared for the rigor that is med school. You sink or swim here, there is no hand holding, no sucking on the teet. I feel like Ivys do not help students prepare for the real world, and that the earlier you learn, the better equipped you will be.

On what could you possibly be basing this comment about Ivy League students' preparation for the "real world?" If this is an example of your grasp of the scientific method -- specifically, drawing conclusions based on empirical data -- you do not belong in medical school.

Do you actually believe that students who have excelled to the point of being accepted to Ivy League schools, and then excelled enough IN college to be competitive in the med school app process, do not understand academic RIGOR?

there are about a zillion threads out there on this topic, and your comment may, just may, be the most ridiculous I have read, this cycle or last.

 

[nu2004]

I feel like Ivys do not help students prepare for the real world

And your basis for this is... ?

LizzyM's post was pretty much the definitive one in this thread (and on this topic, for crying out loud). Please, think twice before insulting vast swaths of schools and students that aren't you. It's the same sort of ugliness that gives rise to the pointless "state school" ridicule that infects so many at those private schools.

 

[slowbutsteady]

and your basis for this is... ?

LizzyM's post was pretty much the definitive one in this thread (and on this topic, for crying out loud). Please, think twice before insulting vast swaths of schools and students that aren't you. It's the same sort of ugliness that gives rise to the pointless "state school" ridicule that infects so many at those private schools.

qft.

 

[Med Addict]

Does going to an Ivy league for undergrad increase your chances of getting into medical school?

I have yet to see a medical school website list undergraduate prestige as a criteria that is considered for applicants, so that should answer your question.

 

[slowbutsteady]

I have yet to see a medical school website list undergraduate prestige as a criteria that is considered for applicants, so that should answer your question.

First, it is not the "prestige" that med schools value. It is the quality of the students and the quality of the education they receive that attracts adcoms to top undergrad students.

Second, it has been acknowledged by adcoms, on SDN and elsewhere, that SOME med schools give .2 or .3 boost to GPAs for grads of some very top colleges.

Facts.

If you were an adcom faced with 13,000 apps, wouldn't you use whatever means at your disposal to predict which students will succeed? I GUARANTEE that any Ivy or other top school grad with a 3.4 and 32 MCAT WILL excel in med school. You just cannot say that about all undergrad schools.

 

[NotAndrew]

Going to Yale might help when it comes time to apply to Yale's medical school, but don't expect the admissions committee at SUNY Downstate to loose their minds because you went to an ivy league.

If you were an adcom faced with 13,000 apps, wouldn't you use whatever means at your disposal to predict which students will succeed? I GUARANTEE that any Ivy or other top school grad with a 3.4 and 32 MCAT WILL excel in med school. You just cannot say that about all undergrad schools.

Riiiiiiiight because no one has every been accepted into an ivy league school because of who his parents are.

 

[CalBear2009]

I'm not talking about academic rigor. I'm talking about the idea it top public schools, you must simply fight and work harder to do the things you want to do, and push for your dreams. No ridiculously late drop deadlines, no grade inflation, no advisors that lead you every single baby step along the way. Its great that many people at Ivys have the luxury of these accommodations, but there is nobody to baby you though the real world. I have many friends at Ivys and top private institutions that tell me about these things every time we get together. All I am saying is that the earlier that you have the experience of getting thrown to the wolves, the more prepared you will be able to deal with your medical career in the future.

 

[RubyRed]

I'm not talking about academic rigor. I’m talking about the idea it top public schools, you must simply fight and work harder to do the things you want to do, and push for your dreams. No ridiculously late drop deadlines, no grade inflation, no advisors that lead you every single baby step along the way.

This is not related to how you perform as a student. I'm not even going to get into your comment about late deadlines etc. because that does not exist at my school (top 10) and really highlights your lack of understanding/bitterness(?) about elite schools. I get thrown to your fabled “wolves” everyday in my classes because I am surrounded by some of the best students in the US. Also, it’s great to have advisors to recommend paths/courses so you make the best decisions. That is not babying, that is being intelligent about your future and maximizing your options, options that you may not realize existed without an advisor's help.

 

[CalBear2009]

Don't get me wrong. I am not bitter towards Ivy schools (I did not apply to any private chool as an undergrad). Perhaps my understanding is off, but all of my understanding comes from firends who attend those institutions. And from what I can gather, that is how I feel.
I guess I just get irked when Ivy students assume that they are with the brightest and smartest kids in the nation becuase of the school. There are many of other students who are just (if not more) qualified to attend, but who do not have the connections or monetary resources to be part of the institution.
And though I will admit that lots of Ivy students have competed hard to get into thier school, once in, it is made eaiser for students to succeed.

 

[huskerdye]

Don't get me wrong. I am not bitter towards Ivy schools (I did not apply to any private chool as an undergrad). Perhaps my understanding is off, but all of my understanding comes from firends who attend those institutions. And from what I can gather, that is how I feel.
I guess I just get irked when Ivy students assume that they are with the brightest and smartest kids in the nation becuase of the school. There are many of other students who are just (if not more) qualified to attend, but who do not have the connections or monetary resources to be part of the institution.
And though I will admit that lots of Ivy students have competed hard to get into thier school, once in, it is made eaiser for students to succeed.

I'd suggest you go take a look at Harvard's new financial aid policies, students who can pass the test and show academic ability are most likely paying less than a state University.

 

[SiR99]

Don't get me wrong. I am not bitter towards Ivy schools (I did not apply to any private chool as an undergrad). Perhaps my understanding is off, but all of my understanding comes from firends who attend those institutions. And from what I can gather, that is how I feel.
I guess I just get irked when Ivy students assume that they are with the brightest and smartest kids in the nation becuase of the school. There are many of other students who are just (if not more) qualified to attend, but who do not have the connections or monetary resources to be part of the institution.
And though I will admit that lots of Ivy students have competed hard to get into thier school, once in, it is made eaiser for students to succeed.

Dont waste your time trying to explain anything, I understand what you mean, but others will always fight what you have to say.

Anyways, going to an Ivy school can only help you, and CANNOT hurt you.

First off, there is grade inflation, NO ONES parents want to pay all that money for their child to go to a school where they will only get poor grades, so the school sets their averages higher.

Now for all those people who say "well the kids at these schools are all A students and they all should earn high grades"

I respond with, "Well the kids at Cal, University of Virgina and UCLA are also A students and there is NO grade inflation at these schools, these A students are left competing with each other for their grades ... now does it make sense to say that people at IVY are all smart and deserve good grades when their public counterparts do not have that luxury?"

Second, the school is going to have good research opportunities

Third, the school has a good name which people recognize

So you see, if you have the money you should definately go to a Ivy school.

And for people who say that if you dont have enough money, they pay for everything ... well that may be true for a selected few, but there ARE people who make just enough to not be considered for enough financial aid, but they dont make enough to pay to attend these schools,

**so your argument is for a select few!!!, so stop using it

 

[dancinqt5013]

Going to a school with a wide range of opportunities and higher academic rigor will obviously give you a leg up, but it won't be because of name. If you get a 3.5 at a school with tons of research and volunteering opportunities and high academic standards and, coincidentally, a well heard of name, you will probably have a better chance at getting into med school than the kid with a 3.7 from his huge, let's just say, mediocre state school. But it will be because he probably learned more at the school with higher academic rigor and more opportunities and was better prepared for his MCAT and had more experience.

The thing about the ivy league schools is that most of them are pretty well known for inflation. It's hell to get into them (unless you have legacy or something else) but once you're in, it's fairly easy going. You do get some pretty great experience and a huge number of connections once you graduate, but in terms of being prepared for med school, that is up to you, not the school. Obviously, if you go to a more challenging school, you will be better prepared for med school, but that doesn't automatically mean ivy league.

And here's a little statistic for you: when I was applying to colleges, I applied to Cornell, and a few small liberal arts colleges (just to name a few). Cornell published that 75% of their students applying to medical school get it. Well, that's more than half, so that's fairly high. But one of the liberal arts colleges I applied to and got a huge scholarship for had a 98% acceptance rate into medical schools, and the list of schools these kids were accepted to was filled with the best. Proof right there that simply going to an ivy league school isn't enough.

 

[PromisingCapita]

I don't know what it is about UC Berk in particular, but all the "public schools are the best in the world" snobbishness comes from people from UC Berk. People from UCLA are always pretty chill, they have no jealousies about Caltech. People from UNC Chapel Hill might be rivals with Duke, but they hardly make as many pompous statements. It might have something to do with UC Berk kids thinking they are Harvard because of their #1 public ranking.

 

[slowbutsteady]

Going to Yale might help when it comes time to apply to Yale's medical school, but don't expect the admissions committee at SUNY Downstate to loose their minds because you went to an ivy league.

Riiiiiiiight because no one has every been accepted into an ivy league school because of who his parents are.

Keep telling yourself that. Actually, Yale admissions office recently published statistics that fewer than 15% of each class has a family member who went to Yale and the numbers (GPA and SATs) for those students are actually HIGHER than the average for the non-legacy students.

But if it makes you feel better, keep telling yourself that all the Ivy League kids are there because of connections.

Whatever gets you through the night.

 

[scarletgirl777]

I go to a top public school, and I feel that because of that, I am better prepared for the rigor that is med school. You sink or swim here, there is no hand holding, no sucking on the teet. I feel like Ivys do not help students prepare for the real world, and that the earlier you learn, the better equipped you will be.

"Top public" schools do not have a monopoloy on a lack of hand holding--you really don't know what you're talking about. That is all I have to add to this conversation.

 

[scarletgirl777]

I don't know what it is about UC Berk in particular, but all the "public schools are the best in the world" snobbishness comes from people from UC Berk. People from UCLA are always pretty chill, they have no jealousies about Caltech. People from UNC Chapel Hill might be rivals with Duke, but they hardly make as many pompous statements. It might have something to do with UC Berk kids thinking they are Harvard because of their #1 public ranking.

Gross generalizations are a terrible thing. On the other hand, a disproportionate number of people who have made disparaging comments about my undergrad to my face within the first 10 minutes of meeting me (!) have been Berkeley grads/students. And now I really am done.

 

[funkydrmonkey]

I don't know what it is about UC Berk in particular, but all the "public schools are the best in the world" snobbishness comes from people from UC Berk. People from UCLA are always pretty chill, they have no jealousies about Caltech. People from UNC Chapel Hill might be rivals with Duke, but they hardly make as many pompous statements. It might have something to do with UC Berk kids thinking they are Harvard because of their #1 public ranking.

That is cuz we are too busy making fun of USC

 

[MDman87]

To the OP: yes

 

[megamega]

Keep telling yourself that. Actually, Yale admissions office recently published statistics that fewer than 15% of each class has a family member who went to Yale and the numbers (GPA and SATs) for those students are actually HIGHER than the average for the non-legacy students.

But if it makes you feel better, keep telling yourself that all the Ivy League kids are there because of connections.

Whatever gets you through the night.

15%??? Thats 1 out of every 7 students!!! So, you're saying that yale DOESN'T accept a lot of students with connections?

 

[slowbutsteady]

15%??? Thats 1 out of every 7 students!!! So, you're saying that yale DOESN'T accept a lot of students with connections?

not saying it's a lot or a little. did you miss the part about how the legacy students are AS qualified or MORE qualified than the other students?

and, BTW, ALL schools have a legacy policy, including state schools. UVA, for example, has a stronger legacy policy than any Ivy League school. Not even close. and UMich -- the ONLY people from my high school who got into Michigan were legacies. This is NOT limited to the Ivy League by any means.

It is a false argument to criticize Ivies for legacy policies when it is not a unique quality of Ivy colleges.

and of course, there is a strong preference for IN STATE students who have worse credentials than out of state applicants. Does that mean you are some how looked down upon at a state school if you are from the state? ridiculous.

Oh, and if you are from a state that has a small population, you're in!! From Wyoming and a B+ average -- you're going to Harvard!!!

this whole argument is silly.

 

[megamega]

not saying it's a lot or a little. did you miss the part about how the legacy students are AS qualified or MORE qualified than the other students?

Of course you would be extremely qualified if you're parents were able to completely plan your future for you and educate you on what you have to do in order to be successful early on. In that case you wouldn't have to worry about planning for your self, you could just do what they recommend and become that qualified person. I'm just saying that 15% is a lot of people with connections.

 

[WannaBePreMed]

People from Berkeley deserve more credit. I don't go to Berkeley so don't flame me.

 

[slowbutsteady]

Of course you would be extremely qualified if you're parents were able to completely plan your future for you and educate you on what you have to do in order to be successful early on. In that case you wouldn't have to worry about planning for your self, you could just do what they recommend and become that qualified person. I'm just saying that 15% is a lot of people with connections.

BUT THIS IS NOT UNIQUE TO IVY LEAGUE SCHOOLS!!!! so it is silly to criticize them for it when ALL schools do it.

What is so hard to understand about that?

Quote from Yale President Levin:

"It's important to understand that being a legacy does not guarantee admission to Yale College. But the pool of legacy applicants is substantially stronger than the average of the rest of the pool. The grades and test scores of the legacies we admit are higher than the average of the rest of the admitted class, and the legacies that matriculate achieve higher grades at Yale than non-legacy students with the same high school grades and test scores."

So perhaps it is actually MORE difficult to get accepted as a legacy if you are competing against a more qualified pool.


I am sure the presidents of UVA, Berkeley, Michigan, UNC, etc, would say about the same thing.

I don't know why this bother me so much. It is the illogical and uninformed nature of the arguments that makes them so vexing. (and the Ivy-envy is pretty annoying too.)

I'm done.

 

[scarletgirl777]

People from Berkeley deserve more credit. I don't go to Berkeley so don't flame me.

I think that people from Berkeley get a lot of credit. It's very well known all over the country, particularly in the sciences. Lots of people from out of state try to get into Berkeley every year and would be psyched to go there.

 

[shindotp]

Don't get me wrong. I am not bitter towards Ivy schools (I did not apply to any private chool as an undergrad). Perhaps my understanding is off, but all of my understanding comes from firends who attend those institutions. And from what I can gather, that is how I feel.
I guess I just get irked when Ivy students assume that they are with the brightest and smartest kids in the nation becuase of the school. There are many of other students who are just (if not more) qualified to attend, but who do not have the connections or monetary resources to be part of the institution.
And though I will admit that lots of Ivy students have competed hard to get into thier school, once in, it is made eaiser for students to succeed.

You don't need connections nor monetary resources to get into Ivy league schools. I'm at one. I had neither.

And I bet I'm paying a lot less for my private school than you do for Cal.

 

[shindotp]

BUT THIS IS NOT UNIQUE TO IVY LEAGUE SCHOOLS!!!! so it is silly to criticize them for it when ALL schools do it.

What is so hard to understand about that?

Quote from Yale President Levin:

"It's important to understand that being a legacy does not guarantee admission to Yale College. But the pool of legacy applicants is substantially stronger than the average of the rest of the pool. The grades and test scores of the legacies we admit are higher than the average of the rest of the admitted class, and the legacies that matriculate achieve higher grades at Yale than non-legacy students with the same high school grades and test scores."

So perhaps it is actually MORE difficult to get accepted as a legacy if you are competing against a more qualified pool.


I am sure the presidents of UVA, Berkeley, Michigan, UNC, etc, would say about the same thing.

I don't know why this bother me so much. It is the illogical and uninformed nature of the arguments that makes them so vexing. (and the Ivy-envy is pretty annoying too.)

I'm done.

Okay that's taking it a little bit too far. It's definitely a PLUS to be a legacy student

 

[Beloved]

Okay so pps been talking about grade inflation, but at Princeton starting from 2004 there has definitely been a grade *DE*flation policy in place. Maybe there used to be inflation back in the day, but there are definite quotas on how many people can receive an A in the class, and this is regulated by each major department.

Another thing is that legacy students make up about 10% of each class... the way people are talking about it here it's like it's the majority! But I can only speak for Princeton, I don't know about other Ivys.

I do hate how some Ivy kids feel like they are entitled to things. I've been there, and I've seen it. However, I feel like that depends more on your background and how you are raised - not whether you went to a certain school. However, this select group of upper class, stereotypically snotty rich kids are more likely to attend Ivys. However, when you actually get to live on campus and know people on campus, the majority of us are normal people, who hate how those other kids act. I guess it's a very visible minority that forms and lives up to that stereotype.

But I have definitely been told at a number of my interviews that going to Princeton "helped" my application - 95% of our Premeds get into medical school (although the majority of them get in on the first try, not everyone does - there are reapplicants that get in the next time around).

 

[Lukkie]

People from UCLA are always pretty chill, they have no jealousies about Caltech. .

cal tech was my #1 choice... rejected... i hate cal tech! almost as much as pre-meds

 

[megamega]

I don't know anything about grade inflation or grade deflation, but at my university, which isn't Ivy league, all the classes are curved and the average is always set to a 2.7. Are Ivy League schools average set higher than this or not curved?

 

[iambic]

I'm not talking about academic rigor. I'm talking about the idea it top public schools, you must simply fight and work harder to do the things you want to do, and push for your dreams. No ridiculously late drop deadlines, no grade inflation, no advisors that lead you every single baby step along the way. Its great that many people at Ivys have the luxury of these accommodations, but there is nobody to baby you though the real world. I have many friends at Ivys and top private institutions that tell me about these things every time we get together. All I am saying is that the earlier that you have the experience of getting thrown to the wolves, the more prepared you will be able to deal with your medical career in the future.

Generally my experience at an Ivy has been that grade inflation and extensions are more rampant in liberal arts courses where the nature of the material being graded is obviously more subjective (this is not only unique to the Ivies though). In science classes? Give me a break. You're still graded on a curve and people are cutthroat. These top schools do still attract the best and brightest students so if you can earn good grades among a pool of equally if not more gifted students I am sure it's a reflection of your work ethic and intelligence more than the luxuries provided to you by the school.

 

[iambic]

I don't know what it is about UC Berk in particular, but all the "public schools are the best in the world" snobbishness comes from people from UC Berk. People from UCLA are always pretty chill, they have no jealousies about Caltech. People from UNC Chapel Hill might be rivals with Duke, but they hardly make as many pompous statements. It might have something to do with UC Berk kids thinking they are Harvard because of their #1 public ranking.

I noticed they also like to set themselves apart from the UC system without realizing that without these other "lower-tiered" schools there would be no basis for their ranking or arrogance.

 

[Laocoon]

I don't know anything about grade inflation or grade deflation, but at my university, which isn't Ivy league, all the classes are curved and the average is always set to a 2.7. Are Ivy League schools average set higher than this or not curved?

At Cornell most curves are set to a 2.7/3.0 (B- to B). No Ivy League school inflates grades in science courses.

Most students aren't overtly cutthroat but there's a tacit competitiveness in most classes that grade on a curve. The aptitude and work ethic of the kids in my classes seem to be clustered around around the top, in stark contrast to what I've seen at my state's flagship, UIUC. E.G. I'm friends with these two girls taking orgo at UIUC, one of whom has a 24 ACT and the other a 35. The girl with the 35 turned down offers from Ivy League schools and the girl with the 24 is barely literate.

The diverse spectrum of intelligence at public schools is the main difference from top-ranked universities. I think some medical schools take this into consideration and view Ivy League undergrads as pre-vetted, safer admits for having already passed through a stringent admissions filter. Others probably don't give a ****.

It's also disingenuous to suggest that all liberal arts classes are inflated. In my experience, it's a quite a big deal to get an A in classics or philosophy.

 

[redlight]

Does going to an Ivy league for undergrad increase your chances of getting into medical school?

well if we just look at numbers, i think the answer is a resounding yes.

i think the average acceptance rate for med schools is around 44% but the ivies boast 70%+ with most in the 80s and 90s.

that said, you still have to perform. i think a 3.4 cgpa and a 33+ gives you a great shot at getting in if you do the standard things (apply early, broadly, volunteer, and i guess add some unique things.. im not really sure HOW these people do it..)

 

[aveeno420]

CalBear2009: Please stop, you're embarrassing the entire Bear nation.

 

[Beloved]

At Cornell most curves are set to a 2.7/3.0 (B- to B). No Ivy League school inflates grades in science courses.

Most students aren't overtly cutthroat but there's a tacit competitiveness in most classes that grade on a curve. The aptitude and work ethic of the kids in my classes seem to be clustered around around the top, in stark contrast to what I've seen at my state's flagship....

The diverse spectrum of intelligence at public schools is the main difference from top-ranked universities. I think some medical schools take this into consideration and view Ivy League undergrads as pre-vetted, safer admits for having already passed through a stringent admissions filter. Others probably don't give a ****.

It's also disingenuous to suggest that all liberal arts classes are inflated. In my experience, it's a quite a big deal to get an A in classics or philosophy.

I totally agree with that. In addition, at Princeton, almost all classes are graded on a curve (except for a few upper level seminar classes). For science classes, average is also set to 2.7-3.0. I even know of physics classe where the average is a C+.

And although I met many brilliant people at Princeton, a lot of the smartest kids I know went to University of Maryland for undergrad since they got $$$ at our state school. Now they're all doing PhD work at really prestigious programs. As long as you got what it takes, you'll make it. I guess there's just a few more kids at Ivys who med schools think they "got what it takes" since they've already been through one rigorous admissions process.

 

[SiR99]

There is really no argument for people who say that there is no grade inflation at these schools or other top private schools. Someone a while back posted the average gpa's from public and private schools and the average gpa for private ones is ALOT higher.

Grade inflation is not arguable, its a fact.

Also when a school has grade inflation, and then deflates their grades, that just puts them back to a normal grading distribution or maybe even higher then a normal one but still lower then their previous grade inflation.

 

[megamega]

There is really no argument for people who say that there is no grade inflation at these schools or other top private schools. Someone a while back posted the average gpa's from public and private schools and the average gpa for private ones is ALOT higher.

Grade inflation is not arguable, its a fact.

Also when a school has grade inflation, and then deflates their grades, that just puts them back to a normal grading distribution or maybe even higher then a normal one but still lower then their previous grade inflation.

A 3.0 average sounds pretty inflated (its a whole 0.3 more than other schools).

 

[Laocoon]

A 3.0 average sounds pretty inflated (its a whole 0.3 more than other schools).

Well don't get your panties in a bunch because core pre-med classes like orgo are set at 2.7 and some engr/physics classes are set at 2.3