<p>I am a senior in high school and I play football. I definitely want to be a doctor. I want to know which schools are the best undergraduate schools as far as getting into the best medical schools. For example, if there are 2 applicants applying to a top medical school, and say all things are equal (MCAT, GPA, etc.), how would goin to amherst look compared to going to other top school including IVY League, specifically:</p>
<p>Williams
Princeton
Cornell
Columbia
Yale
UPenn</p>
<p>I understand that Amherst has over 90% placement into grad schools of all kinds. The top school in the US for placing students into med school is Xavier in New Orleans. Surprise!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>For all the schools you need to dig a little deeper than the raw numbers. Look at not just the percentage of graduates accepted to med school but whether the college actively diverts students out of a pre-med course. I have heard that this happens at Amherst...I don't have details. I've also heard it about other colleges.</p>
<p>I have served on the admissions committee at one of the leading medical schools in the U.S. Amherst holds its own against graduates from the Ivies and other top universities in terms of representation when its small class size is taken into consideration. I graduated from Amherst a number of years ago. Our class had approximately 60 premeds out of class of 300. As I recall, some of medical schools attended by my classmates were: Harvard 2, Hopkins 3, Yale, 5, Penn 2, Columbia 3, Cornell 2, Duke 1, Stanford 1. The remainder went to a wide range of private and state medical schools. Almost all applicants were accepted. Those few that did not get in, usually made it in subsequent applications.</p>
<p>My impression is that Amherst provides a supportive envivronment for all premeds not just the top students. Steve George, a professor of Neuroscience, is an excellent premed advisor. When I looked a couple of years ago, there was a premed guide somewhere on the Amherst website. Hope this info helps.</p>
<p>I have also been on a leading medical school admissions committee (though I didn't go to Amherst).</p>
<p>Amherst is seen as in the top tier of colleges, along with 20 other schools. The rep is smart, outdoorsy people, which is a good stereotype for medical schools since it vaguely implies people skills. In the end, though, it's up to the individual to show his stuff.</p>
<p>By the way, playing football in college would certainly help your application, as long as the time/effort didn't hurt your grades too much. School tend to like athletes.</p>
<p>I'm an MD, although I do not serve on a med school admit committee, I know people who do. Amherst can certainly hold their own. They also have an excellent pre-med website, which should give you some idea of how students have done, and what level of prep is necessary - the stats are getting a little old, I don't know if it has been updated. My daughter looked hard at Amherst and is (at leas this week) still pre-med, but at another college. here is the link:</p>
<p>Go way down this long page to "What are my chances?" Again the data is getting old, but still gives you a ball park idea.
I agree that football in college could well be a plus. Try to squeeze in time for medical related volunteering/shadowing, etc. For your own peace of mind you need to learn about what MDs do, and be able to articulate why you want this and what you can contribute. And, as I've told my kiddo, don't think you understand just because Mama's a doctor - doctor kids probably have the worst misconceptions of all. Good luck at whatever school you choose.</p>
<p>Collegehopefully36:
Perhaps this link would help you: <a href="http://forums.yellowworld.org/archive/index.php/t-19404.html%5B/url%5D">http://forums.yellowworld.org/archive/index.php/t-19404.html</a></p>
<p>Amherst is the no 9 feeder school, so thats good. The other schools u mentioned are right up there apart from Cornell which is no 25 (no surprise though as Cornell may be an Ivy, but i dont think its in par with the other schools u mentioned there). I think Amherst has a 90%+ acceptance rate in med schools.</p>
<p>Those are feeder school for grad schols, not med schools. </p>
<p>Thanks for the infor anyway.</p>