<p>If you are the sort whose confidence gets shattered easily you probably don’t belong in medicine. I think the cost of med school is a valid reason to consider public for undergrad, but I also think many people thrive at Ivy’s and their ilk, and graduate with fine GPAs (thanks to a fair amount of grade inflation). My dh husband majored in biology and physics way back when and got his PhD in biophysics. He’s not an MD, but is now teaching/doing research at a Med School. If I remember correctly he once told me one reason people apply to highly competitive MD/PhD programs is because they fund the med school, but they get frustrated by how few students actually stick with the research once they get their MDs. The med school forums here could probably tell you more about that.</p>