University of Michigan SOM

[Ari Gold]

it's a good percentage, but UMich is an enourmous school and everyone and thier mother is a pre-med at Ann Arbor it seems. Lots of students who get into top med schools all around the country here (yeah, I live on campus during the summers, despite the fact I dont go here), There's a lot of competition for a lot of students here who all have the school as thier first choice. it's not that UofM doesnt want thier own undergrads, it's just that there are a ton of overqualified ones who go here, and the school wans diversity (UofM buzzword) in thier incoming classes. Students from Kalamazoo, Hope, etc, probably have it a slight bit easier...though not much.

I see what your trying to say here. But I wouldn't say "easier" at the smaller schools but its not a big disadvantage for the top candidates. The problem is that one or two at the most get accepted every few years from those schools those that's kind of risky. The UM percentage in getting in UMMS is still higher that those of the colleges you said, especially if you discount the ones without a real shot.

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[akademiks1989]

I don't know where you heard that, but that is completely and entirely false. The grading scale for all of the pre-med courses is static, centered around historical average... so refusing to help someone doesn't help you at all. There's no bell curve.

Anyway, I don't want to change your mind; that's a decision for you to make, not me. I've attended both places, but I have a very biased opinion, so there's no reason for me to argue. I just couldn't let those two points stand.

I’m not trying to badmouth UM-Ann Arbor, and I am sorry for doing that if it came off that way. Many students, who go there, have turned down excellent colleges for full ride scholarships, MANY people. Those at the University of Michigan who denied Yale, Harvard, UPenn, UCLA, and so forth, for U of M are very competitive. You never heard of those types declining their Ivy Leagues for UMD.

Also, UM is a pretty damn good public university…and many students will not stop at a bachelor’s degree. They know the reason they got into UMich is for their academics, and with proper test scores and extracurriculars and a UM degree, they go far in any discipline.

Also, I have not heard from one student (I know UM, my parents had a restaurant in central campus for almost 10 years and I was there almost every day) that said they could get much academic help.

I’m going to try my hardest to make my dreams come true. Thanks everyone for your input, even you Ian. BTW Ian, which campus do you prefer, and did you find any difficulty making good relationships w/ profs?

Also, do LOR’s need to be from a professor. Would a chief head of cardiac surgery suffice, or do you absolutely need LORs from science profs?

As I said earlier, I am sexually infatuated with the University of Michigan. Like seriously, I'm having her babies.

 

[LadyWolverine]

I am a U of M grad, class of 2001. There is a TREMENDOUS number of premeds. But, then again, there is a tremendous number of students overall. It's frickin mind-boggling. I was definitely not prepared for the vastness that is Michigan. It's both good and bad. It certainly teaches you to be independent, to be comfortable being tossed into the mix on your own. You are a number. You will have poor guidance, especially if you are a science major. As a matter of fact, once I declared my major during my junior year, I stopped going to see my faculty advisor because he was so ineffective. Instead, I went to my honors program advisor, who is really only supposed to serve for the first two years, but I found her to be significantly more helpful than my faculty advisor.

I love Michigan with all my heart, but they definitely succeeded in making me feel unimportant. I struggled for a long time to get into medical school, in part due to a lack of guidance from my college. U of M cranks out a lot of top-notch candidates, no doubt. But they also crank out a lot of folks like me. I wish I knew then what I know now...but don't we all.

But seriously, why the F@*% would you choose Dearborn over Ann Arbor??? You might as well go to Ohio State. Who plays in the AAA league when they could be in the majors?

 

[maestro1625]

I see what your trying to say here. But I wouldn't say "easier" at the smaller schools but its not a big disadvantage for the top candidates. The problem is that one or two at the most get accepted every few years from those schools those that's kind of risky. The UM percentage in getting in UMMS is still higher that those of the colleges you said, especially if you discount the ones without a real shot.

I see your point, but as far as the percentages you mention, lets not forget that average/median quality of student at UofM >>> average/median quality of student at any other Michigan school, even the good ones like Albion, Hope, etc.

as for the "top candidates" it's not going to be an issue, but a top student at albion is an average student at Michigan.

 

[dittozip]

my rant was not dumb. this thread is dumb.

1- adcoms willknow in 1 second that you went to dearborn. my college is listed as University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, clearly yours will say Dearborn.

2- they are not the same thing. switch to AA. you up your chances of getting laid by 100000000%.

3- how can you come on here asking about a top 10 med school before you have even taken a single premed class. that is the same level of stupidity as a 3 year old saying they want to be an astronuat. only difference is that we expect such things from a child.

3- thewarehouse is the man. one of the smartest and nicest dudes i know. do take his advise. he has more patiants than i do.

 

[Ari Gold]

I see your point, but as far as the percentages you mention, lets not forget that average/median quality of student at UofM >>> average/median quality of student at any other Michigan school, even the good ones like Albion, Hope, etc.

as for the "top candidates" it's not going to be an issue, but a top student at albion is an average student at Michigan.

First, those are the kids that are attending, not the one's that got accepted...so that doesn't include the one's that turned UMMS down for Harvard, Yale, Stanford..etc. So these aren't the very top of the top necessarily.

The thing is we aren't talking about median or average with Hope, Albion, etc. You have to be the TOP of the class in gpa AND mcat. You need to be number 1 to be considered. At UM-AA, people have a misconception that everyone is smart. Like most large school's you will be surprised at the amount of dumb people there are. There really is a bell curve. A top student at a smaller college would probably still be at the upper half of the curve in UM or any large school. Plus they get the benefit of the doubt. Med schools are very familiar with the curriculum of AA, UC-Berkely, UVA, and all the other premed powerhouse schools that pump out ~250 matriculants per year. So they are more likely to go with that those students then with someone from a lesser known smaller school (ALL things being considered...that was the only difference. before people jump on my back). Sure there are advantages to the smaller schools, but unless you are at or near the very very top it doesn't do much good.

 

[akademiks1989]

my rant was not dumb. this thread is dumb.

1- adcoms willknow in 1 second that you went to dearborn. my college is listed as University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, clearly yours will say Dearborn.

2- they are not the same thing. switch to AA. you up your chances of getting laid by 100000000%.

3- how can you come on here asking about a top 10 med school before you have even taken a single premed class. that is the same level of stupidity as a 3 year old saying they want to be an astronuat. only difference is that we expect such things from a child.

3- thewarehouse is the man. one of the smartest and nicest dudes i know. do take his advise. he has more patiants than i do.

Apparently, other people have found this thread useful except for yourself. And what makes you think I haven't taken a premed class? And btw, there's nothing wrong with knowing what to shoot for before going to college, so get over yourself

 

[floridakppr]

Your undergrad institution is only one (minor) thing on a med school app; extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, MCAT, and personal statement also matter. While one campus might be better than the other, do well on the MCAT and the prestige of your undergrad institution/campus should not be an issue.

 

[Jocomama]

I posted this on another thread. However, to insure the message gets to all those applying to UM, I have copied it here for the benefit of applicants:

If you have a secondary from U of M; fill it out to the best of your ability. Apparently applicants are calling the Admin office more than once, asking questions about filling out the secondary application.
1. They have caller ID
2. Try and figure it out or ask someone here on SDN.
It doesn't look good if you have to call and ask how to complete the application.

I was asked to post this from a friend who was in the Admin office today.

ONLY if you are an applicant with a secondary, and need further clarification, send me a PM. Please do not abuse my PM though, especially if you do not fit into this category.
Thanks

 

[Wahoos]

U of Michigan is a great school. When I was applying, I came down to 2 schools for me, U of Mich and U of Virginia. The financial aid package was the same for me for both schools so that did not factor in my decision. UMich have a strong research reputation, the location was not ideal for me.... as I did not like the winters, the location of the school (far from the main campus, State st., where alot of people hang out), coming out of Umich will allow you to match into what ever field you want as there is a ton of well known professors there. I would also look at other factors when choosing a medical school and not set your mind to one particular school. U of Mich was my number one choice when I was applying for many reasons, however, after interviewing at other schools, I ended up going with UVA because I felt that school to be a better fit for me. You can also look at other things like residency director reputation, and UVA is on par with U of Mich, I liked the weather and location of UVA better, also the people in my class were great and I had a better feel for UVA. I think I am getting off track, but the bottom line is keep you options open and if you don't get into michigan med there is many many other great medical schools out there.

As a U mich undergrad, you have to do very very well to get into the med school. I would get into a lab and start to do some research with people who have pull in the admission committee. Volunteer, and do well in your classes, get involved with clubs..... rock the MCAT. Basically you need to stand out from your peers.... there is a ton of pre meds at michigan and alot of them will be weeded out before the application process. Standing out is alot easier said than done.

But I think it is good that you are looking into these things as a 1st year..... because it is always good to know what you are up against and then you know what needs to be done to get into great medical schools. One of my friends used to tell me that getting into medical school is like War, the more you prepare and know about the enemy = admissions committee, the better your chances will be.

My last advice: Don't go over board with your studies.... you only have one chance to be a college student, so make the most of it. Have fun, go out, make friends, etc... Don't miss out on the normal college experience, or else you will regrat it.

 

[Wahoos]

About small vs big schools for undergrad.... I agree with what ironhead says that if you come from a smaller lesser known school that you need to be the very top of your class and rock the MCAT to get into the very competitive medical schools. The only thing that levels the playing field is the MCAT when comparing schools across the US. I went to a smaller school that did not have a strong pre med reputation, so I knew that I had to rock out the MCAT to be on equal level as other people. One of my good friends at UVA med was from a school that I have never heard of,.... but after the 1st two years of basic science, he was one of the top 3 students in my class with people from harvard, duke, hopkins, yale, MIT, Columbia, etc, etc. So I think smart and hard working people will be smart and hard working where ever you put them..... My advice is to do the best that you can in your enviroment.

If you are a top student at UM Dearborn... you will have many opportunities open to you.

 

[Everglide]

Since everyone is giving you obvious negatives about going to Dearborn campus, I'll give you some positives...

Smaller classes / programs = you getting more attention from professors, advisors, help in classes. Which means down the road when you need a letter of recommendation your life will be easy.

Since you're not in Ann Arbor, you won't have 90 percent of your friends being premed and talking about how they're going to be neurosurgeons when in all reality they have no idea what they're talking about (I go to the honors residential science program at MSU and 90 percent of the people in the classes are "going to be doctors" or "going to be surgeons").

Just do well in your classes, and dominate the MCAT, research, volunteer, etc... it won't matter where you went to school.

 

[hawaii2484]

I have a 4.0 GPA; I volunteer three hours a week in the emergency ward of Central Michigan Community Hospital; I'm taking a full load of biology, chemistry, and math courses; I am in numerous clubs/ honor societies; and I volunteer around the globe during breaks/summer vacations from school. I applied to U of M as a transfer undergrad (before affirmative action was banned - due to the elections). Guess what......U of M didn't accept me. U of M is racist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[maestro1625]

I have a 4.0 GPA; I volunteer three hours a week in the emergency ward of Central Michigan Community Hospital; I'm taking a full load of biology, chemistry, and math courses; I am in numerous clubs/ honor societies; and I volunteer around the globe during breaks/summer vacations from school. I applied to U of M as a transfer undergrad (before affirmative action was banned - due to the elections). Guess what......U of M didn't accept me. U of M is racist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well I applied as a transfer student freshman year with a 3.75 GPA, and guess what... I GOT IN! (and yes, I'm white as a sheet)

you probably had a sorry ACT or were trying to transfer from a less than impressive undergrad... dont blame affirmative action for your problems when plenty of other white/asian students get in every year.

 

[HumbleMD]

I have a 4.0 GPA; I volunteer three hours a week in the emergency ward of Central Michigan Community Hospital; I'm taking a full load of biology, chemistry, and math courses; I am in numerous clubs/ honor societies; and I volunteer around the globe during breaks/summer vacations from school. I applied to U of M as a transfer undergrad (before affirmative action was banned - due to the elections). Guess what......U of M didn't accept me. U of M is racist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe how much misinformation and ridiculousness is flying around on this thread. To the original poster: do heed some of the advice of the other posters that you could probably lower the intensity level a bit. It's absolutely necessary to have goals, etc., but don't forget to give some flexibility to your future plans. For instance, they've gotten rid of the Spanish minor at UM-AA (I myself declared Spanish my first semester at U of M, and now I'm a biochem major - things can definitely change). Also, having a specialty in mind is great, but get through Organic Chemistry, the MCAT, your USMLE's, and clincial rotations first. And nothing against your goals, but I'd have to say the top 2 chosen specialties for people who don't really know what they entail are Pediatric Oncology, and Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (they're a bit cliche for a pre-med). Keep your options open.

For a look at stats of UM to UMMS students, you can look at my MDApps link in my profile.

Although there are many posters trying to tell you that UM-AA is overrated, or that undergrad doesn't matter, I have to disagree. I don't particularly like that it's true but undergrad "prestige" indeed plays a big part. (and don't listen to Maestro - U of M is one of the top 3 or 4 public universities in the nation - and would you really listen to a buck-eye fan?). What you may want to check out is lists of where current prestigious med school matriculants attended undergrad. It's a fairly sobering list sometimes, but a harsh truth indeed (I'm going to say it and am ready to take the heat: people just don't go from MSU undergrad to Harvard Med). At my U of M interview, for instance, there was NO ONE from any Michigan school besides U of M-AA (there was one guy who did science course at GVSU, but he got his start at U Penn). At other interviews (U Penn med school, while we're on the subject), I think I was the ONLY person from a public university (may have been someone from UC Berkeley). Moral of the story is, in some places even the University of Michigan isn't prestigious enough, so if you have your sights set on a top medical school, it's your best bet in Michigan (and a great deal to boot - I thought of it in terms of it having the greatest prestige/dollar).

 

[Ari Gold]

I cannot believe how much misinformation and ridiculousness is flying around on this thread. To the original poster: do heed some of the advice of the other posters that you could probably lower the intensity level a bit. It's absolutely necessary to have goals, etc., but don't forget to give some flexibility to your future plans. For instance, they've gotten rid of the Spanish minor at UM-AA (I myself declared Spanish my first semester at U of M, and now I'm a biochem major - things can definitely change). Also, having a specialty in mind is great, but get through Organic Chemistry, the MCAT, your USMLE's, and clincial rotations first. And nothing against your goals, but I'd have to say the top 2 chosen specialties for people who don't really know what they entail are Pediatric Oncology, and Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (they're a bit cliche for a pre-med). Keep your options open.
For a look at stats of UM to UMMS students, you can look at my MDApps link in my profile.
Although there are many posters trying to tell you that UM-AA is overrated, or that undergrad doesn't matter, I have to disagree. I don't particularly like that it's true but undergrad "prestige" indeed plays a big part. (and don't listen to Maestro - U of M is one of the top 3 or 4 public universities in the nation). What you may want to check out is lists of where current prestigious med school matriculants attended undergrad. It's a fairly sobering list sometimes, but a harsh truth indeed (I'm going to say it and am ready to take the heat: people just don't go from MSU undergrad to Harvard Med). At my U of M interview, for instance, there was NO ONE from any Michigan school besides U of M-AA (there was one guy who did science course at GVSU, but he got his start at U Penn). At other interviews (U Penn med school, while we're on the subject), I think I was the ONLY person from a public university (may have been someone from UC Berkeley). Moral of the story is, in some places even the University of Michigan isn't prestigious enough, so if you have your sights set on a top medical school, it's your best bet in Michigan (and a great deal to boot - I thought of it in terms of it having the greatest prestige/dollar).

PLEASE DONT BRING BACK THIS THREAD. It's dead and useless and the title has name of the school wrong. bad vibes all around.

besides the fact that this thread is almost 4 months old and the OP hasn't been on in about 3.5 months that was good advice. Jealous people need to stop bashing UM. I would add that no other top tier school has a top football team let alone the best one in the country (Duke, Stanford, Harvord? please) The best mix of academics and athletics in the country (from ESPN.com).

 

[Seanses]

If you have a chance to live in A2, you should. I've been here 22 years and I'm almost positively staying for another 4-(death) years more. In other words, it isn't just about the University.

 

[xpinchx]

I'd be wary. Seeing a pre-med (especially a freshman) so dead-set on going to a certain school and going into a very specific subspecialty is pretty frightening. You said medical school class of 2014. Eight years from now. If you're 18 now, you'll be 26 when you get your MD. You have so much time to explore and find yourself. Don't be so narrow-minded, you may find something else that you could find much more fulfilling.

 

[GoSprout24]

PLEASE DONT BRING BACK THIS THREAD. It's dead and useless and the title has name of the school wrong. bad vibes all around.

besides the fact that this thread is almost 4 months old and the OP hasn't been on in about 3.5 months that was good advice. Jealous people need to stop bashing UM. I would add that no other top tier school has a top football team let alone the best one in the country (Duke, Stanford, Harvord? please) The best mix of academics and athletics in the country (from ESPN.com).

Hey now. Stanford went to the Rosebowl... like... 7 years ago. So take THAT!

Haha. Just kidding. I'm at Michigan Med. I love it. And I love our football team.

But come on -- Stanford athletics ROCK! Sears Cup Winner for, like, 8 million years in a row!

Sorry, I know, I'm going on a tangent...

Love,
A Stanford AND Michigan Alum.

 

[GoSprout24]

Actually, Stanford has been the reigning Sears Cup Winner for 12 consecutive years:

http://nacda.cstv.com/sports/directorscup/spec-rel/062906aaa.html

You have a point with the football for sure (man, Stanford really sucks this year. Let's not even go there.)... but overall athletic program? Come on, man... at least a little bit o' credit, please.

 

[Ari Gold]

Hey now. Stanford went to the Rosebowl... like... 7 years ago. So take THAT!

Haha. Just kidding. I'm at Michigan Med. I love it. And I love our football team.

But come on -- Stanford athletics ROCK! Sears Cup Winner for, like, 8 million years in a row!

Sorry, I know, I'm going on a tangent...

Love,
A Stanford AND Michigan Alum.

No intent to diss the director's cup dominance of stanford (michigan is up there every year too tho) much respect. It's just that in the big money sports (football, basketball, throw in hockey) Mich has got it down. Our crew and polo teams leave much to be desired so SU may have us there.

 

[maestro1625]

well since this thead has fully veered off topic.. SI did a very interesting ranking of D1 athletic programs (like the top 100 or something)... Michigan was actually second in the big 10 behind Minnesota (yeah, I looked twice when I saw that too).

 

[GoSprout24]

Michigan for sure has Stanford's number in football and hockey (I'm not even positive Stanford HAS a varsity hockey team...), but I would beg to differ with the basketball call.

Last I knew, Michigan hasn't had a real good men's basketball team since the days of the Fab Four (though you gotta luv the Fab Four)... and although Stanford men's basketball has struggled in the last couple years, we were quite dominant in the Pac-10 and nationally for a number of years recently (all my undergrad years plus more...). And wanna compare the women's basketball teams? Please. Stanford women's basketball is consistently one of the top programs in the country.

Ok, I'm done taking this thread WAY off track.

Bottom line: I have a lot of love and respect for Michigan sports... as I do for Stanford as well.

 

[GoSprout24]

And come to Michigan Med! We rock.

Ok, I'm done.

 

[HamburgerHelper]

And come to Michigan Med! We rock.

Ok, I'm done.

I would love to as Michigan is my top choice. However, that would require getting in and I don't believe that will be happening.