Undergrad school matter?...

[Binky11]

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Hey guys.

Sorry if I'm intruding on your med student board, but I am a high school senior trying to decide on a college in which to get my pre-med degree. My two main choices are Ferris St. and Michigan St.

The reason I ask is because I would like to attend Ferris St., but I don't know if medical schools will look down upon getting my undergrad from a division II school. My high school GPA is a 3.8, so I don't know how that will change with college, and am looking for every advantage I can get. I figured I'd ask on the Allo board, because obviously you guys did something right to get in in the first place.

Thanks a lot!

 

[MSc44]

Hey guys.

Sorry if I'm intruding on your med student board, but I am a high school senior trying to decide on a college in which to get my pre-med degree. My two main choices are Ferris St. and Michigan St.

The reason I ask is because I would like to attend Ferris St., but I don't know if medical schools will look down upon getting my undergrad from a division II school. My high school GPA is a 3.8, so I don't know how that will change with college, and am looking for every advantage I can get. I figured I'd ask on the Allo board, because obviously you guys did something right to get in in the first place.

Thanks a lot!

from what i have seen it does not matter what school you get your degree from, as long as you excell in your chosen area of study including your pre-med classes. If you have a solid GPA and a good MCAT, I have seen people from Small Private collages get into larger state MD schools all the time, such as the SUNY schools here in NY. If your asking if these people are getting into Harvard, Baylor, of Yale.......probably not.....just work hard and do the best you can no matter where you go, and you will succeed no mater where you go to medical school

 

[DoctorFunk]

One thing that I believe to be perhaps more important than the school at which you did your undergrad is your state of residency. Not sure if Ferris St. is in Michigan, but you should consider whether the undergrad schools you are evaluating will allow you to claim residency in a state with its own state medical school, which will help you immensely in gaining admittance.

 

[finch]

Division I versus Division II are athletic rankings- they don't really tell much about the quality of the school. I'm sure that you can get a solid education at either place if you apply yourself. One thing that I have heard on this board (so definitely take it with a grain of salt) is that the Michigan State College of Human Medicine actually discriminates against its own undergraduates, so I guess that could be one argument in favor of Ferris if you're interested in MSU for med school. Ultimately, if you get good grades at either school and do well on the MCAT you shouldn't have too much trouble getting into med school, so go to the school where you will feel most comfortable and be able to do your best work (and that offers you the best financial deal).

 

[beary]

It doesn't matter. Just go somewhere you like and will be successful.

 

[emack]

I went to a tiny little satellite campus of a mediocre medium-sized university. I graduated with what is probably an inflated GPA (due to being in small classes), but took everything I needed to be more than well prepared for the MCAT. Bonus: it was super-easy finding three people from school who knew me and liked me well enough to write excellent reference letters.

This may not be typical, though. I only submitted two med school applications, only went to one interview, and got accepted at one place (and with only 12 or so Canadian schools, it's kind of meaningless to try to distinguish "good" schools-- there's very little that separates the top of the pile from the bottom).

 

[CaptainZero]

I don't know...it seems to me like going to a school with a name helps...maybe its just me but i feel like an admissions officer will say "wow...a 3.9 from michigan state...that's impressive" where as: "a 3.9 from ferris state. Where the f' is ferris state?" It probably is not that significant of a difference, but i think you're better off going to a well recognized school.

 

[UCLA2000]

Hey guys.

Sorry if I'm intruding on your med student board, but I am a high school senior trying to decide on a college in which to get my pre-med degree. My two main choices are Ferris St. and Michigan St.

The reason I ask is because I would like to attend Ferris St., but I don't know if medical schools will look down upon getting my undergrad from a division II school. My high school GPA is a 3.8, so I don't know how that will change with college, and am looking for every advantage I can get. I figured I'd ask on the Allo board, because obviously you guys did something right to get in in the first place.

Thanks a lot!

Undergrad school definately matters. The year that I interviewed at Yale med school I discovered that over 30% of their med school's first year class consisted of people who had gone to either harvard or yale. Coincidence?

 

[cutesuperjo]

As a current student at Wayne, I can tell you that majority of our class attended UofM or MSU. Rumor has it that Wayne is trying to increase it rankings and is putting weight on where you attended undergrad for your overall application. My advice (as a former Spartan), go to MSU. It was the best 4 years of my life AND being a bigger school, you'll probably have many more options with classes you can take. Good luck!

 

[Super Rob]

That depends on why you favor Ferris over Michigain. Without knowing that, we can't tailor our advice to your situation.

In general,

When the reputation difference between two schools is enormous, go with the bigger name (I'm not sure how your schools compare). No matter what you decide to do with yourself after graduation, be it finding a job or applying to medical school, coming from Big Shot U will give you a decisive advantage over those who came from Lesser Known U and Never Heard of U.

My undergrad's social rep preceeded its rep for academics. I am happy that I went there because I had the best advisor, professors who were leaders in their fields, hordes of classmates, and about two hundred departments offering courses to the indecisives like myself. The financial situation was a dream come true. Since I wasn't even planning on going to college in the first place, I had no doubts where I was going to attend. What became my two backup schools each had somewhat better reps but I let money and a gut feeling make the decision. At the time, I had no intention of ever applying to med school.

Fast forward a few years, and I got into my top choice med school, but I was at the top of my undergraduate class and my numbers were high enough to get into anywhere (doesn't mean I could have gotten into anywhere). I looked good on paper, got along well with my interviewers, and was lucky to get accepted.

I was lucky.

While my undergrad wasn't big on grade inflation, it didn't have many students like my current med school classmates. They would have stood out... a lot. My first week here was all of the hard kick in the ass I had hoped for. I'm not in Kansas anymore. These guys are ridiculously brilliant and motivated. They're all around good people, leaders, and winners. They have their hands in all sorts of projects and manage their time well enough to stay in shape and enjoy a social life, on top of being able to tear through this med school stuff. They push me to my limit. I often wonder how much more I would have gotten out of college had I been surrounded by people like this. They really keep me on the ball here and I learn a lot from them. Standards are sky high but options are limitless. This is really a cool place, albeit a very, very competitive place.

So, those are just a few things to think about. It's also a good idea to find out if the college you're interested in has a premed advisor or a track record of getting people into med school. That can make life a lot, lot easier no matter where you attend.

Hope this helps and good luck with your decision!

 

[treasurefull2]

While there are a few exception, as stated above, eg, Harvard and Yale, or maybe state schools, where you complete your undergrad education is a MINIMAL factor, at best.

It is far more important to get a strong GPA regardless of where you get it... WHile I am too tired (it is late and i'm beat) to explain my perspective, medical schools filter out hundreds of applications simply based on numbers, so it is imperative to have a strong GPA to get that interview and get your application seen, the "school" factor doesn't come in to play until the interview or post-interview, IF AT ALL. AND when it is considered, it is a VERY small factor.

Secondly, MCAT is BY FAR the most important determinant, more improtant than extra-c and GPA...

peace and g-luck

 

[Rogue_Leader]

People from the ivy league will say it matters. People from the lower ranked schools will say it doesn't. For my two cents (from a non-ivy school), I say a good GPA (3.6 and higher) matters more than where you go. When I was interviewing at Columbia, the students there were so full of themselves, they told us that reputation of the school matters more than anything else. One intern told my interviewing group that his entire carreer was based upon being well rounded in high school. Because of being a desirable student in HS, he went to an ivy league undergrad, which got him into Hopkins for Med school, which got him into Columbia for residency. You can take from that what you will.

 

[MarzMD]

Doing well at any school you go to, and getting a really good score on the MCAT will open doors for you no matter where you went to in undergrad. Going to a high ranked undergrad will help distinguish you from others with the same stats, and will help explain a lower gpa. Ultimately, I would say go wherever you feel the most comfortable and do your best.

 

[BooMed]

I would pick based on where you will be happiest and which school will be less expensive. You will end up crazy in debt for med school, you don't want to spend $100,000 just for an undergraduate degree.

 

[run4boston]

Hey guys.

Sorry if I'm intruding on your med student board, but I am a high school senior trying to decide on a college in which to get my pre-med degree. My two main choices are Ferris St. and Michigan St.

The reason I ask is because I would like to attend Ferris St., but I don't know if medical schools will look down upon getting my undergrad from a division II school. My high school GPA is a 3.8, so I don't know how that will change with college, and am looking for every advantage I can get. I figured I'd ask on the Allo board, because obviously you guys did something right to get in in the first place.

Thanks a lot!

go where you'll be happy.

 

[ucsb101]

I never thought that Undergrad mattered that much but I think it actually might. My friend graduated from a low-tier UC with a 3.8 and 33 on the MCAT descent extra-carriculars and got only two interviews--> RFU and Drexel. He got into both of them. I asked him what happend and why he didnt get anymore interviews and he said that it was most probably the fact that his school wasnt considered "as competetive" as UCLA or Berkely. I am doing a post bac at RFU and most of the student (75%+) from california are either from UCLA or Berk which are considered to be higher ranked cali schools. I know that you are not from cali but this still might give u some idea of what med schools want as far as undergrad goes. 👍

Hey guys.

Sorry if I'm intruding on your med student board, but I am a high school senior trying to decide on a college in which to get my pre-med degree. My two main choices are Ferris St. and Michigan St.

The reason I ask is because I would like to attend Ferris St., but I don't know if medical schools will look down upon getting my undergrad from a division II school. My high school GPA is a 3.8, so I don't know how that will change with college, and am looking for every advantage I can get. I figured I'd ask on the Allo board, because obviously you guys did something right to get in in the first place.

Thanks a lot!

 

[ucsb101]

I never thought that Undergrad mattered that much but I think it actually might. My friend graduated from a low-tier UC with a 3.8 and 33 on the MCAT descent extra-carriculars and got only two interviews--> RFU and Drexel. He got into both of them. I asked him what happend and why he didnt get anymore interviews and he said that it was most probably the fact that his school wasnt considered "as competetive" as UCLA or Berkely. I am doing a post bac at RFU and most of the student (75%+) from california are either from UCLA or Berk which are considered to be higher ranked cali schools. I know that you are not from cali but this still might give u some idea of what med schools want as far as undergrad goes. 👍

Hey guys.

Sorry if I'm intruding on your med student board, but I am a high school senior trying to decide on a college in which to get my pre-med degree. My two main choices are Ferris St. and Michigan St.

The reason I ask is because I would like to attend Ferris St., but I don't know if medical schools will look down upon getting my undergrad from a division II school. My high school GPA is a 3.8, so I don't know how that will change with college, and am looking for every advantage I can get. I figured I'd ask on the Allo board, because obviously you guys did something right to get in in the first place.

Thanks a lot!

 

[run4boston]

I never thought that Undergrad mattered that much but I think it actually might. My friend graduated from a low-tier UC with a 3.8 and 33 on the MCAT descent extra-carriculars and got only two interviews--> RFU and Drexel. He got into both of them. I asked him what happend and why he didnt get anymore interviews and he said that it was most probably the fact that his school wasnt considered "as competetive" as UCLA or Berkely. I am doing a post bac at RFU and most of the student (75%+) from california are either from UCLA or Berk which are considered to be higher ranked cali schools. I know that you are not from cali but this still might give u some idea of what med schools want as far as undergrad goes. 👍

I know of someone who went to UC Santa Cruz and is now at UCSF. If you shine at your school, you'll get in. I think that's the bottom line.

 

[akinf]

I can tell you it definitly doesn't matter. I go to the University of Manitoba in Canada. Not many people in Canada know of it, so I don't expect those in the states to know of it. However, people from my school consistently gain admission into top US schools and go onto be Rhodes scholars. You essentially learn the same thing in undergrad whereever you go. The only time where school name matters is graduate school. That is how a school gets it's name; it is not from undergrad, not from medical school, not from anything else. It is from the discoveries they make and the amount of research grants they receive. I suggest going where you will do well, make you happy, and ensure you do well on the MCAT and do whatever you can to ensure admission into medical school. I mean think of it this way, I know people who have won some of the biggest scholarships in Canada, go to regular "no name" schools, and get into the top schoosl in Canada, US, and UK. So, marks will always ultimately determine how smart and fit you are for medicine because, there is no such thing as an "easy" university. University requires hard work where ever you attend. Good luck with your decision and rememebr that your school doesn't define you, only you define yourself.

 

[MarzMD]

I can tell you it definitly doesn't matter. I go to the University of Manitoba in Canada. Not many people in Canada know of it, so I don't expect those in the states to know of it. However, people from my school consistently gain admission into top US schools and go onto be Rhodes scholars. You essentially learn the same thing in undergrad whereever you go. The only time where school name matters is graduate school. That is how a school gets it's name; it is not from undergrad, not from medical school, not from anything else. It is from the discoveries they make and the amount of research grants they receive. I suggest going where you will do well, make you happy, and ensure you do well on the MCAT and do whatever you can to ensure admission into medical school. I mean think of it this way, I know people who have won some of the biggest scholarships in Canada, go to regular "no name" schools, and get into the top schoosl in Canada, US, and UK. So, marks will always ultimately determine how smart and fit you are for medicine because, there is no such thing as an "easy" university. University requires hard work where ever you attend. Good luck with your decision and rememebr that your school doesn't define you, only you define yourself.

Someone getting into medical school from a less reputable school is not enough evidence to claim that the broad statement "undergrad instution matters" is false. Im sure there is an equal amount of anecdotal evidence of people who got into a medical school for no distinguishable reason besides undergraduate institution. Going to a well known undergraduate instition does "matter"(as it may have a small bearing on your admision) but is not required.


Again, go where you think you will do the best and have a better experience at because how well you do at your instituation will probably matter a lot more.

 

[rouge et noir]

Yeah, it matters.

But just a little.

First of all, no one can deny that graduates of the top 5 (or even top 10) ranked schools have an advantage over those from "lesser" schools if the GPA is just as good.

After the top 5 ranked schools though, I think things start blurring in and after the top 10 it won't even matter where you went.

Just keep in mind that a B+ from a community college (with good ECs and MCAT of course) won't keep you out of medical school, while a D from Harvard will.

 

[fullefect1]

It matters alot if you want to go to a top ranked medical school. Check out a mdapplicant profile from someone from harvard and then someone who went to a non famous state school undergrad. If they both have similar stats... lets say a 3.6 and a 33 MCAT score.. You will see a huge difference in the schools they get accepted to.

 

[happydays]

Here's what matters:

Killer EC's, close to 4.0 GPA, 35+ MCAT.

If you can obtain the above, it doesn't matter where you go, you're going to get accepted somewhere. But like previous posters said, it will matter between who applicants with the same stats.

 

[pillowhead]

Yeah, it matters.

But just a little.

First of all, no one can deny that graduates of the top 5 (or even top 10) ranked schools have an advantage over those from "lesser" schools if the GPA is just as good.

After the top 5 ranked schools though, I think things start blurring in and after the top 10 it won't even matter where you went.

Just keep in mind that a B+ from a community college (with good ECs and MCAT of course) won't keep you out of medical school, while a D from Harvard will.

This is the most reasonable post here. After having just sat on an admission committee as an M3, I can tell you that it matters a little bit. We had girl from Harvard who had moderately low GPA (3.2ish, can't remember exactly), but no one commented on it. I have a hard time believing someone from Ferris State (no offense to the OP, I'm using it as an example of a random school no one has heard of) would have gotten an interview with that GPA. However, someone from Ferris State would have had no problem getting an interview with a 3.9 GPA. A 4.0 isn't that uncommon, and generally not even commented on either unless the person is from a top ranked school.

Bottom line--unless it's an Ivy (or an Ivy equivalent like MIT, Cal Tech or something), and I'm going to go out on a limb and even say only certain ivy leagues, people don't really care that much. Overall, numbers matter much more. Also, regional biases play a big role. In the south, we equate Duke as practically being ivy league while people in Washington state probably think of it as another random private school. California thinks it's UC schools are absolutely amazing while many of the east coast just see them as another state school.

If you go to the good, solid state school (most states have one, some occasionally have two) or a STRONG private school (random private schools no one has heard of can actually work against you--may seem elitist, somewhere you pay to be coddled), you will have no problems. As someone else pointed out, you're likely to go into big debt just paying for med school so think long and hard before burning through a big chunk of cash for undergrad just for a tiny advantage in the admissions process. If your application is hedging on your undergrad school, then you're a pretty weak candidate in the first place.

 

[nockamura]

Yes, it matters. At least here at Wake it does. There is apparently a list that is used to determine the "competitiveness" of your school. Not sure if it translates into some sort of formula. They said they use Barron's rankings to determine which schools are "most competitive" and that corresponds to a numerical score. Some of the schools are Bryn Mawr, UCSD, Cornell, and about 50 other schools. Probably will give you the edge if you have equal stats with another applicant.

 

[Binky11]

Thanks for everyone that has posted thus far. It has helped immensly, I can assure you.

I have had a 3.8/9 high school G.P.A., and I don't know how that will translate into college, but I'm hopin Ferris St. (which is in Michigan btw🙂) will do the trick. Plus, it'll save me substantial money.

As for medical schools, I know for sure the prestige differs from school to school. Here in Michigan, our state school (i believe..) is Wayne State, so that would probably be my best bet (i assume).

I don't know though, maybe I'm looking too far down the road.. Who knows..

Thanks to all the replied, I appreciate it!

 

[daisyduke]

I think that going to a top undergrad definitely helps but is not critical. It really depends what you personally need for your undergrad education. For those of us who thrive in a educational setting where we are surrounded by other academically driven students and need to be pushed and challenged by an outstanding institution... it makes more sense to choose the ivy or other top tier school. Other students will excel in either a larger state school or smaller institution where they forge their own path.

I applied to med school out of a top tier (non-ivy) institution with a high gpa and slightly above average mcat.... my undergrad insitution was frequently discussed in interviews and I was congratulated on my success in what was considered a challenging university.

Now I am interviewing for residency... and you know what? Interviewers STILL comment on my undergrad and "wow, X University is a great school" "people who come from X University are such strong students" blah blah blah.... and they have NO idea what my gpa was there or anything!

So, I think that attending a top university definitely opens doors... but attending a large state school or smaller private school will not close doors either... you should go where you will excel.

 

[Art]

If you are a resident of the state of Michigan you want to go to the University of Michigan if you plan to go to medical school. U of Michigan had an on line chat and it was mentioned that even though MSU and Michigan are about the same size in terms of classes, U of Michigan sends 5 times as many students to medical school as MSU.

It is absolutely true that just going to any undergraduate school will not guarentee acceptance into medical school. But there must be a reason why Michigan sends 5 times as many students as MSU to medical school.

 

[don juan]

Thanks for everyone that has posted thus far. It has helped immensly, I can assure you.

I have had a 3.8/9 high school G.P.A., and I don't know how that will translate into college, but I'm hopin Ferris St. (which is in Michigan btw🙂) will do the trick. Plus, it'll save me substantial money.

As for medical schools, I know for sure the prestige differs from school to school. Here in Michigan, our state school (i believe..) is Wayne State, so that would probably be my best bet (i assume).

I don't know though, maybe I'm looking too far down the road.. Who knows..

Thanks to all the replied, I appreciate it!

Your gpa in high school doesn't say much about how you will perform in college.

 

[blkprl]

Some of us will completely left out of the game if that is case.
I can bet that that resident will be intoleratant to people from the lower echelons of life.....

Being a student who was capable of attending a top ranked non ivy school but ended up at a small private school due to financial reasons, I would say that the undergrad school does not count that much...

the advice i will give to a HS student is go where your circumstance allows you to attend...study as hard as your circumstances will allow you, do as many ECs as possible and score over 30 on the MCATS.........

People from the ivy league will say it matters. People from the lower ranked schools will say it doesn't. For my two cents (from a non-ivy school), I say a good GPA (3.6 and higher) matters more than where you go. When I was interviewing at Columbia, the students there were so full of themselves, they told us that reputation of the school matters more than anything else. One intern told my interviewing group that his entire carreer was based upon being well rounded in high school. Because of being a desirable student in HS, he went to an ivy league undergrad, which got him into Hopkins for Med school, which got him into Columbia for residency. You can take from that what you will.

 

[blkprl]

I think that going to a top undergrad definitely helps but is not critical. It really depends what you personally need for your undergrad education. For those of us who thrive in a educational setting where we are surrounded by other academically driven students and need to be pushed and challenged by an outstanding institution... it makes more sense to choose the ivy or other top tier school. Other students will excel in either a larger state school or smaller institution where they forge their own path.

I applied to med school out of a top tier (non-ivy) institution with a high gpa and slightly above average mcat.... my undergrad insitution was frequently discussed in interviews and I was congratulated on my success in what was considered a challenging university.

Now I am interviewing for residency... and you know what? Interviewers STILL comment on my undergrad and "wow, X University is a great school" "people who come from X University are such strong students" blah blah blah.... and they have NO idea what my gpa was there or anything!

So, I think that attending a top university definitely opens doors... but attending a large state school or smaller private school will not close doors either... you should go where you will excel.

that is great advice

 

[FDoRoML]

Yeah, I agree with most here... it matters, and it doesn't so much. (wow, that's decisive!)

What they are looking for is "how much did you challenge yourself and how well did you do at it?" So, some will be happy and do well at a smaller school, and others will thrive at a big state-type U.

It depends on what you are majoring in, to some extent. If you want a hard-core science degree... duh, don't go to a liberal arts and education-heavy college (no offense to teachers, but the classes are notoriously easy!). If you want a degree in music or the arts, or even history, go to one of the smaller schools that has a good rep for that major. They will appreciate your motives and your success.

You can also complete a post-bac/masters program afterwards, since many lead right into med school, or just make you look really good! And they'll show that you can also handle science junk, if you choose not to cover that at your undergrad institution.

Me-- I went to a bunch of schools (very long story) and I think I am now the first graduate of my undergrad degree-granting college to go to med school (it's a school that caters to non-traditional/working adults, quite a few have gone on to law school, so it's not like it sucks butt)... didn't hurt that I also have a masters from an Ivy League school (in a biological science), though!

Good luck, and always follow your own interests!! I wish I knew back then that I should be REALLY enjoying what I take as an undergrad... sure, you'll have core classes you have to take which are boring sometimes, but at least choose a major you will enjoy. And don't feel any shame if you go in undeclared-- just be sure to test the waters of maybe 5 different areas you think you might like and decide on a major before your 2nd year.

FDoRoML