Does any Ivy league or otherwise prestigious school help you GET INTO grad school?

<p>Agree with bclintonk, it's not really that hard to do well at Columbia. If you're good enough to get in, you most likely have the skills needed to succeed, assuming that you apply yourself. If you're looking to go into history or lit. PhD programs, I'd imagine that Columbia would put you in a better position than Hunter College, if only for the top-notch connections you'd make while there.</p>

<p>bclintonk, this raises an interesting question. Is it actually harder to get good grades at the Ivies? I've read reports of Hunter actually being very stingy with high grades in some of their departments. I've also read on this site about the grade inflation at Ivies that you mention; tough to get in but easy to GPA once allowed in. It's impossible to tell, I have no clue how to compare course-load and all the other factors that go into grading at these schools. It does seem that most people agree on Ivy being somewhat of an advantage and I cannot ignore that.</p>

<p>of course difficulty of grading ultimately depends on your professor...some are going to be harder graders than others. generally speaking, though, public schools are known for more stringent grading. in some of my core curriculum classes at columbia, upwards of 50-60% of the class were getting A-range grades (A or A-). humanities courses are usually going to be graded more easily than science courses, simply b/c of the subjective nature of the disciplines. at columbia, i'd say that if you can write well and you put serious thought into your papers, you're going to do decently (B/B+?) at the worst..</p>

<p>sorry i just realized i said GMAT haha, i meant to say MCAT.</p>

<p>collegegrad1, thanks for the replies. how would you judge your education at Columbia? do you feel you were challenged (despite the relative ease of getting good grades)? Was it an "education for education's sake" type environment? Is class dialogue encouraged? Is it productive? I'm simply trying to figure out the learning atmosphere there. It's obviously a prestigious place with a wealth of connections and resources but, in your opinion, does the educational experience merit the prestige?</p>

<p>
[quote]
If you get a 3.9 GPA at Saint Anselm, and great GMAT scores, the med school admissions folks have no reason to question your ability.

[/quote]
Here's the thing though. If someone goes to a prestigious college, the medical school already knows how well the person can perform at a high, competitive level. To the very best medical schools, even a 4.0 at Saint Anselm is meaningless.</p>

<p>By the way, the MCAT (not GMAT) is the med school admissions test.</p>

<p>Hey jroe, yes to the all of the questions you've posed. columbia is an "intellectual school," and there's no doubt that a majority of the kids are all about learning for learning's sake. ultimately, of course, the experience is what you make of it; you can take a seminar and say absolutely nothing if that's how you want to do it...or you can really get into it. so, your experience will ultimately be what you make of it, but you'll certainly have almost every opportunity at your disposal.</p>

<p>Grad1, thanks, that is very good to know. Seminars are always dependent on the willingness of the people involved. I've sat in on seminars at Reed and St. Johns College that were completely dead but that does not take away from the fact that they are both great liberal arts schools. The nature of seminar based learning is inconsistent but for me it is ultimately rewarding. It's very encouraging to read your answer, sounds like it would be a great experience.</p>

<p>lgellar, I disagree with that, no school or major (i mean engineering) will make up for a low GPA. I don't know how much you actually know about med school admissions, I have gone through this process myself a few years ago, I ended up not getting into a medical school, this type of thing happens quite often at a lot of the top schools, where the applicants could have gotten in if they went to a less competitive college.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I disagree with that, no school or major (i mean engineering) will make up for a low GPA

[/quote]
Yeah, but what I'm saying is that a high GPA won't make up for a school that the admissions committee has no experience with.</p>

<p>keefer, what was your GPA, and what schools did you apply to? If you are going for Ivys with a 3.5, I can understand school not helping. But if you are going for top 20-30 with a 3.7, I think school will be a determining factor.</p>

<p>law/med is very gpa driven which is why the major/school will not be so much of a mitigating factor.</p>

<p>as for columbia, the sciences/engineering/math are no cakewalk to get high grades in, though there are joke classes and majors which make good marks relatively easy to get.</p>