Question re: undergrad school

[BostonEMT]

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I am a 25 year old EMT who will be certified as a paramedic next summer.

In the fall I plan to begin an undergraduate biology or biochemistry degree with the eventual goal of taking the MCAT and applying to medical school. Of course this is a long way off (and life is what happens when you're off making plans), but I had a question about my undergraduate school.

I'm considering going to UMass Boston because it will be virtually free for me, I'm a resident, and at my age my financial aid will be determined by my individual income in the previous year(s), which is roughly $30k. I would be able to finance my entire undergraduate education with very little additional support. I know it's a tier 4, non-competitive school, however, and wonder how this will affect my chances down the road of being admitted to a decent medical school. The prestige of ultra-expensive schools with famous names really doesn't mean a whole lot to me, but I recognize that it might mean a lot to admissions people who might ask me why I didn't apply to a more competitive and prestigious undergrad school.

Also I heard a rumor that MCAT scores or your GPA is handicapped if you go to state/noncompetitive schools. Is this true?

 

[NTF]

As long as it's a 4 year accredited college it doesn't really matter that much to adcoms. What they care about is GPA. A 4.0 from a no-name school beats a 3.4 from a top 10 any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Commit yourself to getting an A in every class that you can, build your ECs & LORs, and you'll be competitive at every school in the country.

The only sense that being at an "elite" school helps is when your GPA isn't so hot. I went to an ivy for 4 years and left with a 3.1ish GPA. I get the feeling that adcoms cut me alittle slack (not much) because of my ugrad institution.

So don't sweat the reputation of your ugrad. As long as they're not community college classes you're fine. Just get the highest GPA you possibly can - manage your time well and don't take on too much at one time.

Good luck!

 

[BostonEMT]

Thanks, nontradfogie. Appreciate the reply.

 

[njbmd]

I am a 25 year old EMT who will be certified as a paramedic next summer.

In the fall I plan to begin an undergraduate biology or biochemistry degree with the eventual goal of taking the MCAT and applying to medical school. Of course this is a long way off (and life is what happens when you're off making plans), but I had a question about my undergraduate school.

I'm considering going to UMass Boston because it will be virtually free for me, I'm a resident, and at my age my financial aid will be determined by my individual income in the previous year(s), which is roughly $30k. I would be able to finance my entire undergraduate education with very little additional support. I know it's a tier 4, non-competitive school, however, and wonder how this will affect my chances down the road of being admitted to a decent medical school. The prestige of ultra-expensive schools with famous names really doesn't mean a whole lot to me, but I recognize that it might mean a lot to admissions people who might ask me why I didn't apply to a more competitive and prestigious undergrad school.

Also I heard a rumor that MCAT scores or your GPA is handicapped if you go to state/noncompetitive schools. Is this true?

Where you attend college/university is not as important as your performance. It is, however, incumbent upon you to make sure that your coursework is of sufficient depth and breadth for you to perform well on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Go to the MCAT website and download the subject lists for Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences. Compare the course topics of any of your undergraduate courses to be sure that you are getting what you need. There are many "less prestigious" colleges/universities that have excellent coursework and many "prestigious" college/universities that do not have solid comprehensive coursework. Make sure that you do not become "hung up" on the "name" of the school that you do not investigate the content of the courses. If you are in doubt about a course, contact the professor/department before you enroll.