<p>I am currently at an extremely prestigious high school ranked one of the top in the nation and we have strong connections with many colleges. The ones I am most interested in are Vanderbilt and Michigan State University. This may sound like a weird combination but I like them for much different reasons.
Vanderbilt is obviously a better school but is that really what to look for in an undergrad? What I often hear is that numbers are everything and I don't want to ruin my chances of getting into one of my top choice medical schools just because I chose to go to a more prestigious school resulting in a slightly lower GPA.<br>
I also want to make sure I have a good college experience while in a pre-medical program. I know no matter where I go it will be difficult for me to have much of a social life but I don't want to literally never be able to do anything besides study.
Besides these points, I loved Vanderbilt including its campus which I thought was amazing and the Medicine, Health, and Society major. Is it better for me to go to Michigan State University (which I also absolutely love) and probably get a much higher GPA or to stick with Vanderbilt?</p>
<p>If you love one more than the other than go for that one. If you love them both equally love the money you save wherever they offer you the best package.</p>
<p>I don’t know which one I would rather go to yet. I like them both fairly equally and for different reasons as I said above. Vanderbilt would give me enough financial aid to have the same price there as MSU, which is in state tuition for me.</p>
<p>What schools attended the graduate school fairs for each last year that you are interested in for med school? Where would you like to go to med school?</p>
<p>I’m not sure yet. As of now I’ve only really put significant thought in Vanderbilt and U of M but those are definitely not the only two I would consider.</p>
<p>Is there a basis for your assumption that you’ll get a “much higher GPA” at MSU in a premed focused program than at “Vanderbilt” or even still more selective universities? And is there a basis for your assumption that the “higher” GPA is the make or break for med school?</p>
<p>My sense is that neither of these assumptions is valid. You’re planning to enter a highly competitive field. The undergraduate curriculum regardless of where you go needs to be heavily focused on lab science, with a strong foundation in high-level chemistry, biology, and (inevitably) math and physics. For such courses you’ll find the work hard, and your peers very competent regardless of which university you choose. The grading is also likely to be critical – after all the courses that matter most are quantitative and it is straightforward for the professor to determine who gets it and who’s struggling.</p>
<p>Then there’s the MCAT and the expectation that you are involved in some lab research.</p>
<p>It’s all a lot of very hard work. So choose the university that prepares you best.</p>
<p>I think his assumptions are pretty good, the peer group will be more competitive at Vandy and GPA means everything when applying to med schools. I do think some med schools do adjust slightly for rigor of schools, but it’s minor and the average GPA at top med schools is in the range of 3.8.</p>
<p>IMO, it’s about what your goals are. If it’s to go to a top med school and be competitive for research jobs or the most sought after specialties, I’d choose Vandy. Top med schools favor top college grads. Some may argue, and certainly some top students from all over do make it into top med schools, but a look at any entering class at Harvard, JHU, UCSF, Stanford and yes, Vandy, will be full of top school names.</p>
<p>On the other hand if you’d be happy with an average med school, Michigan State will be just fine.</p>
<p>So 2college2college youre saying that I’ll have a better chance of getting into a good med school with a slightly lower GPA at Vanderbilt in comparison to slightly higher at MSU?</p>