<p>I recently got accepted my college's honor program and am wondering just how difficult it is to earn and maintain a 4.0?</p>
<p>Also, if i were to end up in the 3.5-3.7 GPA or 3.7-3.9 {with average but good MCATs}would I still have a shot at good med schools like Harvard and Stanford, or would cs's be my only option?</p>
<p>Of course, i would have research from 4 years[doing a special program]
AND ec's[planning on rushing an academic sorority] when i apply to med school
*btw majoring in neuroscience at UCLA</p>
<p>I always think those who got into Harvard, Stanford, JHU Medical schools are “inhuman” as regard to their achievements in 3 or 4 years. It is not just the GPA and MCAT scores.</p>
<p>I think 3.5 -3.7 may be on the low side for these schools unless you are an URM, or your ECs are astonishing. Also, just an average but good MCAT score is likely not enough. It is not easy to get into any California Medical School IMHO.</p>
<p>But I am just a lowly premed right now, what would I know?! In other words, I am just a “trainee” on this forum, unlike those experienced hands like BRM, BDM, NCG, Shades_Children, and a couple of others whose screen names I can not remember on top of my head now. If you are lucky, one of them may give you a more authoritive answer.</p>
<p>No one really has a “good” shot unless you are a URM with high stats. MCAT and GPA will only get you in the door. The other facets of your application needs to be top notch (not merely ‘average’ or ‘good’) in order for you to have a decent chance at a top med school (and by decent I mean a 15-20% chance, meaning you get into 1 out of the 6 or 7 top schools you apply to).</p>
<p>I learned from this site not long ago that, unlike the college admission cycle, not all hispanic are considered as URM, only those whose ancesters were from Puerto Rico and Mexico. Are you one of these?</p>
<p>Why is that important to get to Harvard and such?
D. is junior in Honors Zoology major with 2 minors, on sorority board, declined to be a pres. because of time constraints, working for Chem. prof, volunteering, shadowing, research lab. Her total GPA=4.0 so far. She is at state school and has no inspiration to apply to Harvard / Stanford / JH. However, I keep seeing posts by people who have such a goal. Besides if you consider ROAD, is there any other reason? Isn’t it any US Med. School just great?</p>
<p>This is not true. Back in the 70s and 80s, the definition of URM by AAMCAS was Mexican, Blacks, Native American and Puerto Ricans Mainland ( Puerto Ricans living in the island and attending undergrad there were not considered minorities ). However, in the last decade the more general term Hispanic was introduced to the URM definition.</p>
<p>In short, all hispanics living in the US are considered minorities regardless of their specific nationalities.</p>
<p>I am always somewhat amused by people who argue against someone’s desire to attend a top notch school. I wonder what their reasons really are.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP, just because your D “has no inspiration” to apply to Harvard/Stanford/JH, that does not make her “wiser” nor more “righteous” than anyone else. It is a matter of personal ambition, drive and preference. That’s all. Your question is rather ridiculous.</p>
<p>Why is that important to live in Coral Gables vs to live in Hialeah? Why is that important for someone to become and engineer and not a plumber? Why is that important for some people to live in the US and not in Haiti? </p>
<p>Someone could argue that some people are not interested in striving to be “the best” and they are content with being “mediocre”. It is all relative. I am sure you do not want to hear that, do you?</p>
<p>MyOpinion,
I have asked question that you did not have any attempt to answer, so why are you responding to me with answering other’s people’s questions. I am confused.</p>
<p>Silverturtle,
Do you mean that Harvard Med. schools and such are much harder academically? Any other considerations for not being equal. I have tried to talk to D who will be applying in 1 year, but I cannot constract my arguments. I do not want her to waste her time if there is no real reason. That is why I am always interested why people apply to Harvard Med. school.</p>
<p>Probably has to deal with available resources (name, research, affiliated hospitals with MGH/BI, etc). I wouldn’t say Harvard is academically harder. However, there application pool is pretty self selective and most that apply probably are the top of their class and have some chance.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP,
My post was very self explanatory. </p>
<p>Perhaps you need to ask your D why she is not interested in considering some of the best schools in the country to further her education, rather than to build an argument with her as of to why she “should”. It is a matter of preference based on specific personal reasons. I am sure she has hers.</p>
<p>ASMAJ
Some schools are definitely academically harder than others. I do not know if Harvard is more than Hopkins or Duke, but the teaching, faculty expectations of their students, research and the specific curriculum will make a school more academically challenging than another. Then again, individual students will be able to reach their full potential in some environments and not in others.</p>
<p>MyOpinion,
D does not like extremely competitive environment and that is her priamry concern. She feels that it might affect normal social relationships when people stop trusting each other. Would be interesting to hear from people who actually went to the very top Med. Schools. So far I just heard from few from U of Mich, that it is very competitive even in UG. I would like her to apply to the top schools, but I do not want to steer her in a wrong direction.</p>
<p>D has obviously no idea about the med school environment. everything i have ever heard from adcoms, doctors, and med students is about how NOT competitive it is in med school. even the professors help you out. they want you to succeed. youve made it; now you have to be the best and everyone and every resource is made available to you. there is no steering wrong when it comes to promoting the best.</p>
<p>redrower,
Thanks, very nice comment, I have never heard this before. I assume you including very top schools also. D probably still end up going to state Med. School, since you got to be genius to get to tops or have saved half a world from aids or be URM, but she might apply maybe to U of Mich. just to see what happen.
Good luck to everybody!</p>
<p>MiamiDAP,
I would strongly urge you and her to reconsider!! from what i’ve seen, she has great grades. im not sure if i caught her mcat around here but im sure thats well above average too. theres something unique about everyone, and you never know what theyre looking for. everyone always talks about the outliers…D could be the outlier at harvard in this class that they accept!! and honestly, as a student applying right now, i cant tell you how great it feels that my parents are cheerleading for me. i know theyre biased, but it still gives you hope and makes you visualize the end goal. she has nothing to lose by applying to a top school. everyone needs a dream. and she is so close to it with her GPA, help her find something unique about her that will make them go WOW. and push for it. cause if you dont, you will regret not doing it. this is the leg of the race…after this, shes totally on her own.
bottomline: dont be afraid of statistics; thats all they are, statistics. if you have the credentials and you believe you have something unique to offer, go for it</p>
<p>There are some people that just don’t want to go to a Ivy league school so don’t bash out on MiamiDAP’s daughter. I means seriously, I bet you that a UM med school graduate can get just as good as a job as a Harvard med graduate. It seems like you guys rely on ranking way too much, RANKING MEANS NOTHING.
Harvard, Duke, JHU, UM, Washington U, Upenn. They are all neck to neck.
Also you guys make getting into Harvard med like a prize to be won (oh Why wouldn’t you want to go to Harvard?
MiamiDAP:Why is that important to get to Harvard and such?
MyOpinion: “Your question is rather ridiculous.”)
I mean seriously MyOpinion, all of the threads you started were pretty much about ranking, no wonder why your against MiamiDAP. I’m pretty sure that MiamiDAP’s daughter is going to be much more successful than you are going to be in life.
Its not the med school you attend, it’s how well you do in it. Getting into Harvard Med and getting bad grades doesn’t make you better than going to Vanderbilt Med and have stellar academic and overall performance.
Look at Sanjay Gupta, he is a great surgeon that graduated from UM and he has became one of the most successful neurosurgeon being a CNN reporter and a professor along with chief at Emory. Where did he graduate? oh wait UM not Harvard (and this happened way before he was even considered for surgeon general). Not to mention that the current surgeon general doesn’t have a MD degree from Harvard
Med school is not a prize to be won, but more of a fit, If MiamiDAP’s daughter doesn’t want to go to Harvard, don’t bash MiamiDAP, MiamiDAP is a great parent I think, why? its because MiamiDAP is allowing her daughter to choose which ever school she wants to go to. In my opinion parents should only support their children in their decision, not force them to.
I hope your daughter gets into UM MiamiDAP. Best of luck.</p>