<p>If you're going pre-med, or are planning on going to graduate school of some kind, then what schools have you applied to other than Cornell? I'm starting to wonder if Cornell is the best school for me after all.... I don't want to be one of those losers that takes the easy way out (like a valedictorian who never took AP's that were offered), but I also want to be accepted into a good medical school.</p>
<p>What should I do? Should I go to Cornell and hope that the C's I plan on getting will offset the fact that I went to an IVY school? Or should I attend SUNY Geneseo, get A's, and hope that I can still be accpeted into an accredited Medical School?</p>
<p>Anyone having this same problem?
Is it better to struggle at Cornell, or excel at a SUNY/State school?</p>
<p>If you don't have the work ethic or the intelligence to do moderately well at Cornell, chances are that you won't be dominating in the SUNY schools.</p>
<p>A 4.0 from a Suny does not translate into a 2.0 at Cornell. First of all, the average GPA at Cornell is around a 3.4. 1 std. dev is probably around 0.4, meaning almost no one has a 2.0 GPA at Cornell. Secondly, Cornell students do just fine. I see a ton of Cornellians interviewing at the top med schools just as I see a ton of kids from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc. Going to a top school didn't seem to hurt them.</p>
<p>The advantages of Cornell premed are:
1. Really good premed advising
2. Shadowing programs that'll set you up w/ physicians to shadow (so you don't have to cold call doctors on your own)
3. Better academic environment, competitive but not cutthroat, very much like the academic environment in med school
4. The name-people say it doesn't matter but I say it does matter; it's not the most important thing on your application but it can break a tie
5. Really good committee letters; the premed committee does not screen and tries to write positive letters for everyone, highlighting each person's personal strengths; the committee letter allows you to bypass med schools' LOR requirements
6. A lot of good research going on as Cornell is a top research institution</p>
<p>I've interviewed at 11 medical schools including many in the Northeast:</p>
<h1>of people I've met from SUNY Geneseo: 0</h1>
<h1>of people I've met from all of the SUNY's combined: maybe 1-3</h1>
<h1>of people I've met from Cornell: 3 out of the 10 kids in my interview group at Columbia were from Cornell. 5 out of the 20 kids in my Penn interview group were from Cornell. Met a guy I knew from Cornell at my UCLA interview just last Friday (we were actually planning to be roommates after graduation). That's 9 Cornell students from just 3 interviews. Heck, I talked with a first year med student at Northwestern who came from Cornell. They liked him so much they accepted him without an interview (he was supposed to fly out during the infamous 2/14 snow day in 2007 but obviously couldn't because of the weather so NU was willing to give his app full consideration w/o the required interview).</h1>
<p>As someone who attended a SUNY school for one year and then came to Cornell.....I feel compelled to recommend coming to a school like Cornell. In my opinion, the level of academics just don't compare. I took general bio and chemistry at my SUNY and found when studying for the MCAT that my background in both areas wasn't as strong as physics and orgo (classes I took at Cornell). I had to postpone taking my MCAT for a year because of this.</p>
<p>I've spoken to people who used to sit on admissions committees at the med schools I'm interested in and I was told that they do take into account where you went to school....so they will look kindly on a B from Cornell.</p>
<p>I agree with Norcalguy....the pre-med advising here is 2nd to none. At my old school...pre-med advising was nearly non-existent. Cornell is also able to provide many opportunities that smaller SUNYs can't.</p>
<p>Also..don't forget that the MCAT plays a big role in admissions. If you have a 4.0 from a SUNY but a 25 on the MCAT....that won't look so good.</p>
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Also..don't forget that the MCAT plays a big role in admissions. If you have a 4.0 from a SUNY but a 25 on the MCAT....that won't look so good.
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<p>Seriously. Cornellians pwn the MCAT. Over 70 out of the 200 Cornell senior applicants last year (greater than 1/3) scored a 35+.</p>
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Seriously. Cornellians pwn the MCAT. Over 70 out of the 200 Cornell senior applicants last year (greater than 1/3) scored a 35+.
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<p>I was being a tad glib in my first comment above, though the general point stands. A B+ average at Cornell will be looked just as favorably as straight A's somewhere much less competitive etc. One of the MCAT's role is to identify grade inflation. A point of contention to some around here, though your quote helps solidify the truthfulness of this. C's at Cornell will get you nothing. No matter they are from Cornell.</p>
<p>I am having the same exact problem. I want to go to med school as well and am stuck on where to obtain my undergraduate degree. I love Cornell and it's awesome to brag about how I go to an Ivy. However, I also applied to UVA and University of Maryland. Any suggestions on where I should go?</p>
<p>I would take a look at each school's med school acceptance rates/pre-med advising programs. For students with a 3.4 or higher Cornell has an 85% acceptance rate (although they've been telling me this since 2005...I'm sure the numbers change).</p>
<p>Yes...you should go where you want to go....but med school admissions is a crap shoot these days...so every little edge you can get....take it.</p>
<p>UVa and UMD are excellent schools, and I don't believe any grad school would consider Cornell to be far superior to them (unlike the Cornell-SUNY diffential posted above); thus, a 3.5 at Cornell is not likely to recieve a 'wow factor' over a 3.5 from UVa.</p>
<p>
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I was being a tad glib in my first comment above, though the general point stands. A B+ average at Cornell will be looked just as favorably as straight A's somewhere much less competitive etc. One of the MCAT's role is to identify grade inflation. A point of contention to some around here, though your quote helps solidify the truthfulness of this. C's at Cornell will get you nothing. No matter they are from Cornell.
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<p>I'm not exactly sure what your point is. That A's are better than B+'s? Duh. Getting C's at Harvard or Stanford will get you nothing either. The fact remains, very few students get C's at grade inflated elites (like Cornell or Harvard) while these kids rock the MCAT anyway. Great GPA + great MCAT + the name=med school acceptance.</p>
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I am having the same exact problem. I want to go to med school as well and am stuck on where to obtain my undergraduate degree. I love Cornell and it's awesome to brag about how I go to an Ivy. However, I also applied to UVA and University of Maryland. Any suggestions on where I should go?
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<p>If your only reason for attending Cornell is to brag about going to an Ivy, I think you are going to be very miserable at Cornell. People need to stop trying to predict whether they'll get a higher GPA at the grade-inflated prestigious school or the grade-deflated state school. In the end, things probably average out anyway. </p>
<p>The place you will be most successful is the place you like the best (considering weather, location, student body, strength of programs, etc.). That is the place where you'll be most social and most likely to take advantage of everything the school offers.</p>
<p>I am in a similiar situation. I want to go to medical school. I have applied to Cornell, Penn State, College of William and Mary, and Boston College. Any suggestions on where I should go?</p>
<p>Honestly...go to the college you think you will be happiest at. Just make sure you have a killer GPA, MCAT score, meaningful ECs and clinical experience.</p>
<p>Suggestion: go to Cornell. If you're able to get in, you have a sufficient level of intelligence that enables you to get good grades and do well, provided that you do the required work. If you don't plan on working hard (which I don't assume), you shouldn't even have applied in the first place.</p>
<p>as much as all of the "go to cornell" people there are, you have to remember, that might not be best for you. people tell you that you should do your best and do what you want ,etc, but in the end they judge you on your grades/performance in general. </p>
<p>if you work really really hard and are of average-below average intelligence, you can ge B+'s - A-'s here. if you are really really smart but don't try very hard, you can get B+'s - A-'s here. The A's are pretty much reserved for those who are smart and work very hard. while a 3.3-3.5 is good by cornell standards, a 3.3-3.5 overall gpa will only make you seem average at med school, and from the admissions people ive talked to... the numbers seem to outshine all the other stuff on the med school apps. and just bc you went to a state school and got a 4.0 doesn't mean youll get a 25 on the mcats. you can study hard enough for the mcat without taking any of the premed courses and do well if you just work really hard.</p>
<p>bottom line: if you go to cornell, academics will be more stressful, grades will be harder to come by, but the name helps you slightly and you may be somewhat more prepared for mcats. not to mention the research/internship opportunities</p>
<p>if you go to state school, getting a superb gpa is easy, which is a huge part of your candicacy, but you will have to study for the mcats more exclusively and attain a higher grade to validate your gpa.</p>
<p>don't listen to ppl that tell you for sure to do one thing or the other, you have to weigh it out from your own personality and ability</p>
<p>All of this is helpful.
I just wish there was a stright answer or someone could just tell me what to do.
I mean, I'm sure if I don't get accepted to Cornell, my decision will be made then.
However, if I am accepted, I don't want to have to worry about making this decision for the month I am trying to pick a college.</p>
<p>The only thing really bothering me is this:
If I don't choose to go to Cornell, will I be kicking myself in the long run?
This is what I'm worried about. What if I don't pick to go to Cornell, and then wish that I had?
That would suck.</p>
<p>I am a hard worker, and I am smart. I know that I can handle the Cornell curriculum. However, I don't handle my stress very well, and I don't work well when I'm stressed out. So how much of the stress at COrnell is self-created, and how much just comes from studying at an IVY league school?</p>
<p>well...I'll tell you what....wait until you are accepted at Cornell. If you can come to Cornell Days, come to the pre-med day (if you applied to CALS I know they have one...not sure about the other colleges).</p>
<p>Choosing a college isn't easy. Ultimately, your choice will come down to where you are the happiest. Being pre-med anywhere isn't easy and it will help you immensely if you can be somewhere that you are happy to be. </p>
<p>If you choose another college over Cornell and then regret the decision, you always have the option of transferring if your grades are over 3.0 (3.5 for Biology). The one thing you will have to learn at any college is how to handle stress....there's gonna be a lot of it. Ultimately, med school admissions comes down to GPA, MCAT, clinical experience, volunteer work and recommendations. Wherever you end up....make sure to choose a school with an great pre-med advising program.</p>
<p>You've got a lot of things to consider over the next month and many important decisions to make. Good luck!</p>
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Choosing a college isn't easy. Ultimately, your choice will come down to where you are the happiest. Being pre-med anywhere isn't easy and it will help you immensely if you can be somewhere that you are happy to be.
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<p>This is the key issue here. Premed will be tough anywhere. The idea is that you should be at a place where you can de-stress when you are not in class and studying. That means attending a school where you can have a good social life and make a lot of friends. That place may be Cornell. It may not. We can't tell you because only you know yourself and your preferences. That's why you should be looking at what you want in a college, not trying to predict your future GPA at school X vs. school Y vs. school Z. The difference in difficulty between various schools is much much smaller than the difference in difficulty between various majors. If you select premed, you will be in a stressful, competitive major no matter where you go.</p>