<p>But you have a point. . .but I was just looking for a general rule. There are certain schools where the difficulty for me would totally outweigh the benefits. </p>
<p>I go to Cornell, considered by most to be a very difficult school. . .I like it a lot, academics are a challenge, but not impossible, and there's plenty of opportunity for fun and the the quality of life is really good. However, I consider MIT or Cooper Union to be unneccessarily difficult, and I don't think I'd be happy at either one, therefore these would be a very poor learning environment for me. . .So I guess it's just a matter of personal opinion and choosing the environment where you think you'd learn the most and fit in the best.</p>
<p>I thought I might give you my own experience.
I'm currently a MSII at UCSF. I was accepted to Cornell for undergrad but opted to go the cheaper route and went to a relatively unknown university in my hometown. I maintained excellent grades, did substantial research, and did other things that I enjoyed. The best part was saving a ton of money. I had enough extra cash to travel and do other things to make me happy. In the end, I was able to attend UCSF. There are many students in my class from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and other private schools, but there are also students from lesser known schools. I don't know about other medical schools, but UCSF likes well-rounded, interesting students, and it doesn't seem to matter what school they went to. It seems that way for Yale as well.</p>
<p>Gregster, if you are as self-driven as you say, and you have what it takes to stay focused on your studies to qualify for med school, it probably won't matter what school you attend, you'll get in the top schools. But frankly, your college years could be some of the best years of your life, before medical school becomes your life, so pick a school where you feel most comfortable with the competition and the people. Moreover, most doctors wait too long to develop a personality and a decent bedside manner - and some never do. So pick a place where you'll learn some social and people skills too, and not just the best place to study in the library</p>