State school vs. competitive private school

[Futuredoc137]

Hi all,

I am a senior this year and just got my college results back. I am currently choosing between two schools- University of Maryland (scholars program, also my state school) and Carnegie Mellon. Is it better to go to UMD and possibly get a higher GPA, or go to CMU and get a lower GPA, but graduate from a top tier university? Which is more favorable in terms of medical school admissions? My long term goal is to become a doctor, and I don't want to get kicked off the premed track. Does anyone know how Carnegie Mellon is for premed students (is it really tough, are you prepared enough for medical school, are applicants from CMU successful in getting into competitive medical schools)?

Thanks in advance!

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[Gilakend]

Go where you think you can do best and will enjoy. UMD has a med school and I'm sure they will have ample opportunities.

 

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

Go to Maryland! It has a very good medical school and you'd already have your foot in the door by attending undergrad there for 4 years.

 

[el_duderino]

Doesn't really matter in terms of medical school acceptance, and chances are you will end up doing something besides medicine anyway.

I suggest you go to whichever school you feel the most comfortable with and excited by, and major in something that will be useful to you should you decide not to pursue medicine. Your major doesn't really matter for med school either.

 

[thegreengreatdragon]

Med schools don't really look at the school you attend so much as they look at you as an individual. I wouldn't sweat this decision too much. Go where you think the best fit will be. Whichever school you end up attending, work your butt off to get a good GPA, participate meaningfully in a couple of EC's, do some research, do community service, get in some shadowing hours, and kill on the MCAT.
I've met really talented people at med school interviews who went to small liberal arts colleges I've never even heard of, but they were competitive candidates because of the things I just listed, not because of their school.

 

[efle]

College name can matter, in particular for the most competitive med schools, but not nearly as much as a high GPA matters.

Check out the link in my signature about premeds per capita. You'll notice CMU is conspicuously absent. They're a powerhouse for some STEM areas but apparently premed isn't one of them, especially compared to similarly competitive/ranked places like WashU or Rice

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

state school for sure

 

[curbsideconsult]

are you prepared enough for medical school, are applicants from CMU successful in getting into competitive medical schools

No one in undergrad is ever really prepared enough for medical school. No matter where you go, you're going to have to take the same classes for prereqs and they all have to teach pretty much the same stuff. As for the MCAT, again, you're pretty much on your own no matter where you go. Like people above have said, the point is to work hard, get good grades, score well on the MCAT, and do some meaningful clinical/non-clinical work. You should look into each school's pre-health committee and see what the requirements are. Some schools are very lax and some schools (Northeastern comes to mind) make you run the gauntlet.