<p>I just read a few posts off another post entitled "smart kids making stupid college decisions" and I think I'm going to fall into that category. I'm not planning on applying to any Ivies and hardly any big names (U of Chicago & Illinois Wesleyan being the only ones). Am i missing something? I think I'm a little afraid of going to an extremely competitive school with people smarter than me and ruining my chances of med school. Is this irrational? I have a 4.67 W gpa ranked top 2% of my class (I believe 10/820) 31 act and varsity sport etc. I know I'm smart, but I'm scared too. I don't want to be at the bottom of my college class. Is that something I'm going to have to learn to overcome, or do other people feel this way? At this point, I think I'm the only idiot who wouldn't run at the chance at an IVY. Maybe they're not as bad as I think.......i really don't know.</p>
<p>You might as well apply to the Ivies; it doesn't mean you have to go there. Admissions are getting more and more competitive, so there's no guarantee you'll even get in - and if you don't, the decision will be made for you. But if you are admitted, then you CAN handle it, and med schools don't care about your rank so much as your GPA. Most classes don't have the forced curve, so it shouldn't matter <em>if</em> your classmates are smarter than you, as long as you work as hard as you can. If you don't want the challenge of an Ivy League or other top-ranked undergrad, then you're not going to like medical school, where everyone is very smart and hard-working.</p>
<p>That last sentence really made a lot of sense to me...i think i've just gotten too comfortable with the idea that school has always come easy to me. If i really want med school, i'm going to have to work for it no matter what. thanks.</p>
<p>No you are not falling into that category on that thread. That thread is very biased towards prestige and the "OMG, how can you pass up going to HPYM?!?" groups...</p>
<p>The thing is that you need to go to a school that fits you. A place where you can be comfortable, enjoy your time and acheive as much as you can. Focus on finding the place that you love and things will fall into place. From there, hard work is the key.</p>
<p>I will say this, if you choose to go to a lower-ranked school because you feel it is a better fit, then great. If you choose to pass up a higher ranked school with better education, resources, advising, research opportunities, and med school placement rates simply because you're afraid of competing against students just as smart as you, then, yes, you are an idiot. Harvard, Stanford, etc. are full of valedictorians and end up placing 90% of them into med school. I think it would be foolish to pass up a good school simply because it has good students. Personally, I'd rather go to a school with a competitive environment where the students are as serious about medicine as I am than some party school that gets 40% of its applicants into med school</p>
<p>that's not always the case though...there are a lot of "party schools" that even though the students aren't necessarily brilliant, it still focuses on helping each student with their goals including medicine. For Example...University of Toledo is definitely not the best school on earth and its not awful...just avg...and there are more kids (probably a good 3/4) here that party more than study but the placement rate into med school is 75%...opposed to the University of Michigan which has a 60% premed admit rate.</p>
<p>Bigredmed is right...don't go for the name, prestige, any of that crap...go with the place that will make you feel like you will enjoy your 4 yrs to the fullest and at the same time, study hard and do well. Different people like different things, but from anywhere you can succeed with hard work which you will have to do for premed regardless of what school you go to.</p>
<p>Yes, it can be tough to go from being one of the top kids in high school to just one of many at a highly competitive school. On the other hand, I know a boy who went to a school where he got more money offered and was in the honors program, but is planning to transfer after soph. year because he is so disgusted with student body. Yes, he has a 3.98 average and all his profs think he's great, but he has few like minded peers and doesn't feel challenged.</p>
<p>"that's not always the case though...there are a lot of "party schools" that even though the students aren't necessarily brilliant, it still focuses on helping each student with their goals including medicine. For Example...University of Toledo is definitely not the best school on earth and its not awful...just avg...and there are more kids (probably a good 3/4) here that party more than study but the placement rate into med school is 75%...opposed to the University of Michigan which has a 60% premed admit rate."</p>
<p>Any proof of the 75% admit rate as well as any stats (GPA, SAT scores) of the types of students Toledo admits?</p>
<p>Yeah, wow, I need proof of that 75% admit rate, too, because I live in Toledo and the majority of my classmates are attending UT and...that is just very hard to believe.</p>
<p>go to its website and look at it's brochure for premed students...okay so it is for students with a 3.5+ GPA over the past 10 yrs lol...but if you work hard that not necessarily the hardest thing in the world</p>
<p>heres the link: I also asked my pre-health advisor</p>
<p>oh, its actually 78%</p>
<p>lol</p>
<p>The actual stat appears to be nothing like what you described earlier. First, the stat only applies to students with 3.5+ GPA's. I'm not exactly sure how many of these party animals you described earlier are getting that. I like how they make no mention of the overall acceptance rate. Secondly, the 78% figure seems to include not just med school applicants but also dental and vet school applicants. Considering the fact that there were probably a lot more dental school applicants than vet school applicants to skew the figures, I'm willing to bet the overall med school acceptance rate is probably a little lower than the reported number. </p>
<p>None of this discounts what I've said before. At most top schools, the 3.5+ GPA acceptance rate would be over 90%. With few exceptions (MIT, Cornell, etc.), it is easier, not harder, to earn a 3.5 GPA at a top school because of grade inflation. And, of course, it is easier to obtain internships and get research when you go to an elite school. Oh, and there is the superior education.</p>
<p>This is not to say that you have no shot at med school if you don't go to an elite college. But if a student has a chance to do so, he would be foolish not to take the opportunity.</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying oh yea go to UT cause it's awesome at premed and forget everything else. I'm just saying there are a lot of schools out there that do a good job that you just might not see in the top 50 or even 100 of the USnews rankings and such, and if you feel that you like the student body and you think you will be happy at a school, who cares where it is ranked, go to it. </p>
<p>Those stats from UT are obviously for students with a 3.5+, good MCAT (preferably 30+), and most of them are in the honors program. If you are a hard working student, then those 3 things won't be too much to handle provided you work hard lol. </p>
<p>Yea your right norcalguy, sorry about that. But that doesn't all of a sudden destroy my arguement. I live in Toledo, and most of the doctors in this city have come from UT, and I know a TON of kids who go to UT/MCO and do perfectly fine. </p>
<p>and yea, I didn't say party animals are the ones getting into med school. The 25% of the class which is probably in the honors program are the ones who probably get in cause they're all hardworking kids who care about their grades, so don't get me wrong there. </p>
<p>VelaenOscuridad, I too live in Toledo and yea I know what you mean by you can't believe those things about UT...it was hard for me to believe to, haha...but the fact of the matter is that UT, even though by us Toledoans, think its a crappy school...is on the verge of becoming a great university, ESPECIALLY for the science studying kids. The fact they just merged with MCO makes them one of the very few universities in the country that have a medical school, and as I said, they do focus very heavily on helping its kids in the professional studies. Yea nothing is top ranked or anything, but its getting there slowly...very slowly haha...</p>
<p>wow..I can't believe I just defended UT, haha...the thing is when you're in HS, you always think of college in terms of prestige, but once you're actually there, you realize its all about how the college can help you to achieve your fullest potential, not the name. For medicine, UT does that. </p>
<p>this has probably gone way off the main topic, hahaha</p>
<p>Let me just say that there really is no grade inflation in the sciences at top schools. As a rising sophomore at Harvard, I found I had to put in a lot of time and effort to do well in my introductory science classes. </p>
<p>I can't speak for other colleges, since obviously I do not attend them, but tests do not focus on regurgitating information but rather synthesizing everything together and producing an answer. You can know all the information, but one faulty step in logic can cost you a dear amount of points on an exam. My friends and I spent an average of 8 hours on each problem set and 2 days in total studying for each exam this past year. </p>
<p>Can't wait for Orgo! :)</p>
<p>I don't disagree with what you have just said. But it is not terribly relevant to the OP's original post. I agree with choosing a lesser ranked school if you like it more. But that isn't the OP's rationale for choosing schools. I don't agree with choosing a school simply because it has "dumber" students and because you fear being challenged. If that's the case, the OP might as well go to community college. I'm sure he can be at the top of his class then.</p>
<p>yea, hence why i said this has gone way off topic lol...which I apologize for, didn't mean to go way off</p>
<p>ha..good luck with orgo xjayz</p>
<p>I will say this to the OP: It's perfectly normal to be insecure going into college. I had the same anxieties before my first midterm in college and before getting my first semester grade report. I think my goal coming into college was simply to maintain a 3.5 GPA. I have done much better than that. There are few hard workers who are at the bottom of their class because colleges usually only admits students they feel are qualified (ie smart enough) to do the work (with the exception of affirmative action). You will meet people who are uber-smart but those make up a relatively small % of the population. I'm perfectly comfortable with not being in the top 1% of my college class. You should be intelligent enough to do well at whatever school accepts you. Whether you are willing to put in the extra work and time to realize your potential is another matter.</p>
<p>most of the high school students here are horribly mistaken when they think that if you dont go to a top 10 school, you wont be able to be successful. it doesnt matter WHERE you go to school; it matters WHAT you do and HOW you do it.
definitely go to the school that you will be comfortable at; dont be pressured to go to a "name" school, especially if it isnt a FIT for you, your personality, and your criteria you are looking for in a school</p>
<p>Actually, the OP has the opposite problem. He is avoiding prestigous schools simply because they're prestigous. Definitely not something you see every day lol</p>
<p>Go to where you're going to be happy. It's as simple as that. Worry about the "name school" isn't going to matter if you don't want to be there. It just becomes something that eats at you. Find a place to enjoy the combination of education and college life. College life should be some of your best experiences and I don't mean just in the classroom. </p>
<p>If after a few years, you are still interested in Medical school, success in your core classes, a good Mcat score and some practical service experience should get you interviewed. </p>
<p>I have a son who is applying to med schools right now and I asked my doctor's advice on what med schools are looking for. Outside of the obvious grades and scores, they are looking for people with personality and empathy. Medicine is a people business. Finding a school where you can develope your personality is just as important as good grades and a Mcat to die for.</p>
<p>from op, quote: " I think I'm a little afraid of going to an extremely competitive school with people smarter than me and ruining my chances of med school."</p>
<p>Who said they are any smarter than you? If you are interested in an Ivy school and you can arrange to sit in on a class or two, go ahead and do so - you may be suprised to find out that it's not so out of reach (or the other students are all that much "smarter") after all. </p>
<p>But the main thing, like others have already said, is for you to go to a school where you would feel comfortable and one that offers good premed advisement and assistance with opportunities like physican shadowing, volunteering and research. I know the big names have the reputations (and in many regards, rightfully so) but I've also met more than one "Harvard doc" who was no better than "average".</p>