<p>"but I often suspect that it's the advising more than anything else"</p>
<p>here, at Davidson, where the average GPA of the successful medical school applicant is between 3.3-3.4(last 10 year average), I believe we have all benefitted from having the same premed advisor for the past 25 years-Dr. Putnam-who is presently the President of the national association of college pre-med advisors. He knows all the med school deans of admission on a first name basis and can pick up the phone and get someone off the waiting list etc.. it can make a very real difference-the advantage of the attention you can get at some small schools.</p>