Pre-med rankings

[BigSky998]

If there is already a discussion of this, please reply with the link.

Is there a list of best undergrad universities for pre-med? I know of the general rankings but have not seen one for pre-med specific.

I know some of you hate ranking discussions but I want to be a physician and need the best undergrad degree for a better chance at acceptance to med school. Do med schools care more about pre-med ranking or the general ranking?

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[Benedictus123]

You do not 'need' the best undergrad degree to get into med school. Dump that attitude immediately. Picking where you go to undergrad should depend on way more than ranking alone (and I'm not even sure that exists for what you're talking about, as 'pre-medicine' isn't a major like chemistry or biology).

The general perception of your undergraduate school does seem to have a small effect on admissions, but it's greatly outweighed by factors like GPA and MCAT score, not to mention ECs and LORs. Would someone with a 3.7 from Harvard look better than someone with a 3.7 at Whocares State College? Probably. But if that Harvard kid has a 27 MCAT vs a WSC alum with a 35, all the magic Ivy dust in world won't make him a more competitive applicant.

Bottom line: when you're looking at undergrad schools to go to, definitely consider rigor, but don't only consider it to the exclusion of other things like environment, size, location, culture/diversity (believe it or not going to school with an ethnically and culturally diverse student body can be just as important to your development as a human being as any major or class, ESPECIALLY if you want to be a doctor), price, and most importantly whether or not you'd be happy there.

 

[mcloaf]

It doesn't ****ing matter.

 

[sakabato93]

If there is already a discussion of this, please reply with the link.

Is there a list of best undergrad universities for pre-med? I know of the general rankings but have not seen one for pre-med specific.

I know some of you hate ranking discussions but I want to be a physician and need the best undergrad degree for a better chance at acceptance to med school. Do med schools care more about pre-med ranking or the general ranking?

Go to a school with attributes that you're comfortable with and major in a subject that you are comfortable with. There is no "magic major" that will guarantee entrance in the med school. Do something you'll excel in. Of course, if you don't excel in your pre-med coursework, then you won't get into medical school, but that doesn't mean you have to major in something that involves those subjects (i.e. you don't have to be a bio/chem/physics major).

 

[Mornhavon]

.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

If there is already a discussion of this, please reply with the link.

Is there a list of best undergrad universities for pre-med? I know of the general rankings but have not seen one for pre-med specific.

I know some of you hate ranking discussions but I want to be a physician and need the best undergrad degree for a better chance at acceptance to med school. Do med schools care more about pre-med ranking or the general ranking?

George Washington University is the undisputed best pre-medical school. US Naval Academy and Harvard are tied for #2.

 

[Geebeejay]

If there is already a discussion of this, please reply with the link.

Is there a list of best undergrad universities for pre-med? I know of the general rankings but have not seen one for pre-med specific.

I know some of you hate ranking discussions but I want to be a physician and need the best undergrad degree for a better chance at acceptance to med school. Do med schools care more about pre-med ranking or the general ranking?

It doesn't matter,

and thank god such a list of rankings does not exist....that would just be another useless number for premeds to **** themselves over....

 

[5lippy]

I heard that Cal Poly had the best premed program. Or Cleveland State University.

 

[edgarceballos]

It doesn't ****ing matter.

 

[fourhumours]

Dayum Str8

but seriously, if your sole goal is getting into medical school probably the best course of action is this:

1) get into the best school you can
2)make sure you have only minimal contact with other classmates and those classmates you do have contact with are all pre-med
3) kiss ass to science professors so they can write you recs
4) NEVER GO OUT EVER. seriously why party when you can reread your biochem text book to bump you 95 to a 96??
5) lots and lots of research...so much research you become fluent in mouse
6) volunteer--> with this it is not really important if you learn anything from your experience just make sure it is enough hours that you can embellish and make yourself seem like the second coming of Mother theresa
7) shadow a doctor, but make sure that he knows you have a "knack" for this sort of thing
8) spend 10k on a private MCAT tutor to get that 42 you have always wanted (it is after all the answer to life the universe and everything)
9) read massive amounts on the subtleties of non-verbal communication so you can rock the body language at your interview.

if you follow these 9 steps you will be well on your way to the best medical school possible...where you will immediately find out that school rankings really mean jack-diddly squat, you have no human skills (thus your patients hate you) and you have a warped sense of reality.

but hey, you got into the best medical school you could, so there is that, I guess?

 

[TheGloaming]

Dayum Str8

but seriously, if your sole goal is getting into medical school probably the best course of action is this:

1) get into the best school you can
2)make sure you have only minimal contact with other classmates and those classmates you do have contact with are all pre-med
3) kiss ass to science professors so they can write you recs
4) NEVER GO OUT EVER. seriously why party when you can reread your biochem text book to bump you 95 to a 96??
5) lots and lots of research...so much research you become fluent in mouse
6) volunteer--> with this it is not really important if you learn anything from your experience just make sure it is enough hours that you can embellish and make yourself seem like the second coming of Mother theresa
7) shadow a doctor, but make sure that he knows you have a "knack" for this sort of thing
8) spend 10k on a private MCAT tutor to get that 42 you have always wanted (it is after all the answer to life the universe and everything)
9) read massive amounts on the subtleties of non-verbal communication so you can rock the body language at your interview.

if you follow these 9 steps you will be well on your way to the best medical school possible...where you will immediately find out that school rankings really mean jack-diddly squat, you have no human skills (thus your patients hate you) and you have a warped sense of reality.

but hey, you got into the best medical school you could, so there is that, I guess?

Agreed, as far as number 7 goes, some of you may have trouble finding a doctor to shadow whether they don't respond to your emails or say they are too busy. This is just a test, show up to their clinic anyway to shadow, this shows you're truly committed and have great perseverance......


A general rule to live by: Every time you have fun is another opportunity for a different premed to get ahead of you. Don't let it happen!

 

[DrDestroyMD]

It really doesn't matter. Do well in school and on the MCAT, and no one will care where you went. I would probably recommend the cheapest 4-year option (excluding 2-year JC, 2-year university route) if money is an issue for you. Having UG debt on top of med school debt would be terrible IMO.

 

[sinombre]

I remember reading an op-ed about med-school admissions where a girl who went to Cornell said she got a 29 on her MCAT and was forced to go Caribbean.

I'd say avoid Cornell
They're too busy trying to be Ivy to crack open some books or something

Actually it was a 27 (I remember reading it as well).

Edit: here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/nyregion/23caribbean.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Shouldn't this be in hSDN?

 

[911 Turbo]

Shouldn't this be in hSDN?

Yaah

OP I would just keep repeating 12th grade until you get into Harvard. Med schools like Harvard graduates because they are better in every way and are worth more as human beings.



Just kidding... U can go to your Podunk el cheapo state school and still get into a great med school

 

[Ost3oclast]

It doesn't ****ing matter.

Ding ding. We have a winner.

 

[silas2642]

If there is already a discussion of this, please reply with the link.

Is there a list of best undergrad universities for pre-med? I know of the general rankings but have not seen one for pre-med specific.

I know some of you hate ranking discussions but I want to be a physician and need the best undergrad degree for a better chance at acceptance to med school. Do med schools care more about pre-med ranking or the general ranking?

Go to a school that you can afford and do well there. Try not to go into tons of debt because in the end it doesn't really matter where you go to school.

 

[Lamel]

A lot of you guys are overly harsh on people who ask about rankings. You have to admit it crosses everyone's mind and is always in the back of people's heads. No need to pounce on someone for it.

OP, there aren't really any pre-med rankings because pre-med isn't really a major. Some schools do have good pre-med "programs" due to organized advising, clinical opportunities, and more pre-med based science classes. But nearly every school will provide you with the basics to succeed as pre-med.

 

[Josh7]

A general rule to live by: Every time you have fun is another opportunity for a different premed to get ahead of you. Don't let it happen!

Considering tatooing this to my forearm.

 

[DokterMom]

If there is already a discussion of this, please reply with the link.

Is there a list of best undergrad universities for pre-med? I know of the general rankings but have not seen one for pre-med specific.

I know some of you hate ranking discussions but I want to be a physician and need the best undergrad degree for a better chance at acceptance to med school. Do med schools care more about pre-med ranking or the general ranking?

Go to the school you would choose if you knew right now that Medical School was NOT going to happen, and major in whatever it is you would major in if you knew you would never get in.

Then do you best, take the necessary pre-reqs and go to med school.

 

[leon sandcastle]

go to the school with the hottest girls

 

[Euxox]

This is an ideal perspective but unless you live right next to the school for an extending period of time, the vast majority of information about that school's undergraduate experience will comprise of the two pages from the school website you read and some vague memories if you happened to visit. Even if you attend preview days, you'll likely to be parading around the dorms at most.
In fact, the majority of schools in the same category (tech schools, liberal arts schools, state schools, etc) are have many similar characteristics. There are good teachers and bad teachers at every single institution, just as there will be different groups of people at every dorm. Believe it or not, your experience in college is be defined by your own decisions and not by whatever social/physical environment of your school.
With all this in mind, why not go to a school that provides you with that "small effect" (very debatable, by the way) during med school admissions?

+1

Fit is something that you just don't know until you've completed your first semester. And it tends to be pretty flexible. I go to a school that is notoriously nerdy and studious, but there are still parties every night for those who are interested. The fact that fit is so flexible explains why most decent schools have high retention rates.

Rank is definitely an important thing to consider, just not in the way most people think about it. You shouldn't be doing "rank arithmetic." When you compare schools A and B, you shouldn't be thinking rank 10 always beats rank 15, or rank 15 with a $10,000 scholarship is roughly equal to rank 25 with a $20,000 scholarship. You should treat the difference between high and low rank like most people treat big vs. small student body, liberal arts college vs. university, in state vs. out of state, or public vs. private.

Classes at a highly ranked school will challenge you more and you might learn things in a bit more depth. Highly ranked schools also give you more opportunities to meet and interact with world-renowned professors. Lower ranked schools, meanwhile, will give you a chance to really stand out from the crowd, to take leadership positions in clubs and really take those organizations above and beyond, to focus a little less on classwork and more on other interests that might make you a more well rounded med school applicant (or person in general).

There is no right or wrong answer regarding the importance of school rank. It is a personal preference, just like big vs. small class size, liberal arts college vs. university, in state vs. out of state, public vs. private.