<p>Hey folks,</p>
<p>Since I know I will be going into graduate school (whether to pursue a PhD or to become a doctor), I wanted to know how much, if any, the chances were to get into a top program, particularly for medical school. I have seen posts about people getting into Harvard Law, Yale Law etc, but what about for medical schools? Let's assume that I've done extremely well and achieved great accolades, scholastically and otherwise, and by all accounts, a perfect candidate for a top tier program. What are my chances with my diploma saying School of General Studies on it?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Lol. As good as going to any other top rated undergrad program. People in acadamia, especially top-flight grad programs know that a Columbia GS education is as rigorous and academically challenging as any other undergraduate college of Columbia. There is no debate with regards to this issue, as GS grads have very very good top tier grad school placement.</p>
<p>GS on your diploma is a complete non-issue, im not going to get into much detail because there is enough information on this forum and on the web to answer this. But I will say that GS carries a stigma because of its humble beginnings, however it has evolved to a full fledged undergraduate school filled with full-time students who pursue a traditional Ivy League education, and also those who wish to study part-time. We have plenty of Alumni here that move on to very prestigious jobs ( think Mckinsey, Citi Group, Morgan Stanley ) and schools ( UPENN, Columbia, Berkeley, Harvard, Yale ) because at the end of the day, everyone ( CC, GS ) is studying under one roof with the same exact professors. Top Ivy Grad schools favor Ivy undergrads, and you are an Ivy Undergrad. Don’t pay attention to the a few freshmen from CC, or SEAS that aim to discredit GS. Some of these kids are just upset. The point of getting into GS in the first place is to get into top Graduate programs and obtain internships/jobs at places that wouldn’t be at all feasible if you were at another institution. Columbia is Columbia is Columbia, whether you are GS, SEAS, or CC elite institution’s ADCOM’s decisions are influenced by your GPA, and test scores ( GMAT, GRE, MCAT, LSE, etc.). Why? Because getting a high GPA at Columbia is hard, and if you can get the grades, and the scores, and be active enough to show leadership, then what is the difference? </p>
<p>If you are now at Columbia, you need to look at the prerequisites needed at other institutions. At any rate, if you are aiming for a Ivy Grad School , Columbia is a top feeder to all of them if you have what I mentioned above.</p>
<p>When you are here, you will know exactly what I am talking about when you take the classes, and network with companies and recruiters on a daily basis.</p>
<p>Standing from another perspective, being at GS is going to help you more than it will hurt you. If you are here at GS, then you must have a great non-traditional story that got you here in the first place. Having this alone would set you apart, completely, from many applicants and will look favorably on your position. Admissions like to admit an “overcoming adversity” applicant rather than the usual “daddy’s boy” who managed to be spoon feed everything while growing up and fortunate enough to only worry about studying. These types students wont admit it, but life was easier for them. Adcoms know this all too well and will create their incoming class accordingly.</p>
<p>Dont get all hung up on acceptance rates. GS is not as hard to get into as CC, but then again, it is not as easy to get into like Barnard. And as more and more people realize that GS is exactly CC in terms of academics, acceptance will eventually get harder as the years go by.</p>
<p>I agree with RandomAdmit’s bit about GS rates going down in the future, but I think it’s also important to acknowledge the money factor as being a major contingency for GS students. This, juxtaposed to CC students and their financial need for the most part being satisfied, will continue to be an issue for most accepted GS students and may affect future acceptance rates. What I mean is perhaps GS acceptance rates may have to be a little higher to compensate for some potential students rejecting an offer due to financial reasons. Those who actually matriculate reflect the “real acceptance rate,” which will always be lower. It is no surprise that on the admission acceptance form there is a reason to decline listed as something along the lines of “received better offer.” Off topic, I know, but still some food for thought.</p>
<p>Medical schools don’t really care about what school you get your undergrad at. If it came down to it between _____ State College vs. Columbia University (whether GS or CC), they’ll favor Columbia. The important things to know are the things you need for medical school, such as:</p>
<ol>
<li>GPA. Your cGPA matters, but whats more important is your sGPA. The average is about 3.4, but most who get accepted are much higher.</li>
<li>MCAT score (equally as important as GPA). Average is about 30-32.</li>
<li>Extracurriculars, ie. volunteering, shadowing, research, wet labs.</li>
</ol>
<p>Oh I just re-read your post again (fail on my part). </p>
<p>If you’re trying to get into TOP TIER medical schools, i.e. Harvard, Hopkins, Yale, Mayo, UCSF, WashU…</p>
<p>at that point it really doesn’t matter if you go to GS. You’re basically looking at 3.8+ GPA’s, 36+ MCAT’s, and exceptional extracurriculars. And even then, you gotta realize these medical schools still might not take you.</p>
<p>For example, Harvard Medical received 5,435 applications in August of 2011, and only accepted 165. Hopkins received about 4,000, and accepted 120. They’re both at 3% admittance rate.</p>
<p>One last thing, sorry lol.</p>
<p>Someone in an earlier post mentioned that adcoms decisions take into account Columbia’s GPA because it’s harder to get a higher GPA. This is somewhat inaccurate in that </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Certain schools are known for grade inflation. I don’t know Columbia’s curve compared to other schools, but its way easier to get a higher GPA than say, Princeton, who is known for grade DEflation.</p></li>
<li><p>It is highly improbable, and basically impossible, but the highest GPA one can get at Columbia is 4.33, if lets say you got straight A+'s lol. I have heard of students breaking the 4.0 mark though. Obviously medical schools won’t take a 4.0+ GPA, so they calculate it themselves through the AMCAS. </p></li>
<li><p>Also, what you major in matters. People say "well pre-meds nowadays major in everything, as long as you do good on MCAT, take required courses, you can major in Art History if you want. Although this is true, med school adcoms look at the classes you take, and while yes, someone who majored in a non-science is more “well-rounded”, the top schools admitted classes are 70% science majors. Lately the trend is doubling or tripling up on sciences in a semester, i.e. Orgo, Physics, and Bio in the same semester (which would suck so bad, but med schools like it if you can do good in all of them in 1 semester). ALSO, you gotta look at what majors are harder at Columbia. You should still major in whatever you want, but realize that the Economics major here is extremely tough compared to other schools, and your GPA might suffer as a result.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Majors don’t make any difference whatsoever in regards to admissions to competitive medical schools. There is, however, a strong relationship between high MCAT scorers and their area of undergrad study. You will find many more bio major 35+ MCATs than you will art history 35+ MCATs. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but it is exceedingly harder without an extensive science background, or at least concentration, to score that well.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies.</p>
<p>This is good to hear. I just wanted to be sure it wasn’t a hindrance in any way, or at least shouldn’t be. I know Columbia is precisely the academic experience I’m looking for based on me as a person, so this is great news.</p>