The average allopathic GPA for matriculants is around ~3.66 and the average MCAT is around 31. I was just thinking about this today, and I realized that I was taking my stats for granted. Those averages are really high! This means that most people applying to medical school have no more than a few Bs or one or two Cs on their application.
On the other hand, one of my friends, who is obsessed with prestige, was bragging about how he was ready to go to "prestigious schools" and how only the "dumb blondes" ended up in the "lower tier" schools. I just rolled my eyes and explained to him the above stats. Also, numbers aren't everything. I was just taken aback by his blunt and fairly apathetic comment. I mean, that just sounds so immature! And when you think about it, most people on these boards are prestige ****** too. I mean, to some extent, you can't blame them- blame US news and overbearing parents and maybe even peer pressure. But you would think that at this juncture in life, they would care more about what kind of Dr. you are, not where you got your M.D.
I'll admit that this drove me crazy at some point in my undergraduate career, but then I took a step back and realized that it was about "fit" and I did things that I liked to do. Because even if I faked liking things and somehow survived through the torture of having to do it, it would show when it came time to apply, and I would just have wasted my time anyway. Furthermore, even if it didn't show, and I got accepted to some prestigious school where I am paying money up the wazoo, I would never be happy in that environment! I am who I am, and the medical school that accepts me will have to accept me for who I am.
I only wish all pre-meds thought like this.
On the other hand, one of my friends, who is obsessed with prestige, was bragging about how he was ready to go to "prestigious schools" and how only the "dumb blondes" ended up in the "lower tier" schools. I just rolled my eyes and explained to him the above stats. Also, numbers aren't everything. I was just taken aback by his blunt and fairly apathetic comment. I mean, that just sounds so immature! And when you think about it, most people on these boards are prestige ****** too. I mean, to some extent, you can't blame them- blame US news and overbearing parents and maybe even peer pressure. But you would think that at this juncture in life, they would care more about what kind of Dr. you are, not where you got your M.D.
I'll admit that this drove me crazy at some point in my undergraduate career, but then I took a step back and realized that it was about "fit" and I did things that I liked to do. Because even if I faked liking things and somehow survived through the torture of having to do it, it would show when it came time to apply, and I would just have wasted my time anyway. Furthermore, even if it didn't show, and I got accepted to some prestigious school where I am paying money up the wazoo, I would never be happy in that environment! I am who I am, and the medical school that accepts me will have to accept me for who I am.
I only wish all pre-meds thought like this.
