Pardon my ignorance, but...

[Chieka]

What exactly is meant by bottom, top and middle tier schools? I am a Canadian, and no such distinction is made with our med schools. Most of them are of the same quality. What are the disadvantages of going to a bottom tier school? What type of GPA, MCAT scores are expected from top and bottom tier schools? If a student does undergrad medical education at a lower tier school, how hard is it to do grad medical education at higher tier school?

Enlighten me, please.

Thanks.

C.

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[AegisZero]

Originally posted by Chieka
What exactly is meant by bottom, top and middle tier schools? I am a Canadian, and no such distinction is made with our med schools. Most of them are of the same quality. What are the disadvantages of going to a bottom tier school? What type of GPA, MCAT scores are expected from top and bottom tier schools? If a student does undergrad medical education at a lower tier school, how hard is it to do grad medical education at higher tier school?

Enlighten me, please.

Thanks.

C.

Top tier= top 20 medical schools
Middle tier= next 30 medical schools
Bottom Tier = whatever else

Middle and Bottom have VERY different definitions based on who you ask, and it really is a bad system of ranking that we use (based on US News).

Top schools require around a 3.6/3.7+ and 34/35+ MCAT. It is definitely possible for someone who went to a "low tier" undergrad to goto "higher tier" med.

Its not very PC to talk about Top and bottom tier schools, and I definitely understand this concern. I try not to refer to schools as top tier/middle tier/bottom tier but I still do so ocassionally (bad habit).

The whole tier talk though really is a moot point, because standardized tests can really offset any difference in your school's prestige. That is why I am actually sort of a "fan" (as much as anyone can be) of such tests, because they do equalize everyone.

 

[Chieka]

It is definitely possible for someone who went to a "low tier" undergrad to goto "higher tier" med.

Thanks for the reply, AegisZero. But when I asked about grad and undergrad education, I didn't mean regular undergrad (ex. English, Bio etc. I meant med school undergrad. That is, can a person who gets their M.D. at a lower tier school do further medical education at a higher tier school?

C.

 

[An Yong]

Originally posted by Chieka
Thanks for the reply, AegisZero. But when I asked about grad and undergrad education, I didn't mean regular undergrad (ex. English, Bio etc. I meant med school undergrad. That is, can a person who gets their M.D. at a lower tier school do further medical education at a higher tier school?

C.

 

[AegisZero]

Originally posted by Chieka
Thanks for the reply, AegisZero. But when I asked about grad and undergrad education, I didn't mean regular undergrad (ex. English, Bio etc. I meant med school undergrad. That is, can a person who gets their M.D. at a lower tier school do further medical education at a higher tier school?

C.

I dont understand by what you mean as med school undergrad. But yeah, MD's who goto lower tier schools can definitely get residencies and fellowships at higher tier schools if they have competitive individual credentials.

 

[Chieka]

That's what I meant. Thanks.
C.

 

[Diogenes]

Just to re-iterate, the whole idea of tiers is one that people create in their heads. What one person calls a "top-tier" school may be "middle-tier" to someone else. Also, the "rankings" differ depending on what criteria is being used and what organization or person is doing the ranking. But as said, in general, a person referring to a top-tier school would be thinking of a well-known school with a great reputation that is difficult to get into and generally has very high average GPA and MCAT averages for its incoming students. People referring to a bottom tier school would be referring to a school that gets fewer applicants, or accepts a larger percentage, or has a less-good reputation, or lower average GPA and MCAT averages for its incoming students.