<p>Why top 10 if you're sure about pre med? It doesn't matter. You need the highest GPA you can get so you should focus more on grade inflation than ranking. Next, does money matter? Can you easily afford top privates or do you qualify for big aid. If not, again, rank doesn't matter, go for merit $.</p>
<p>What's most important? Stats? Ethnicity? Location?</p>
<p>If you like fun, laid back schools in the middle of nowhere cross off JHU! Its a pre-med competition factory in a so-so neighborhood with an intense student body. </p>
<p>Dartmouth seems perfect for you. Other "laid back" fun top schools: Brown, Stanford, Northwestern, Amherst. Avoid: JHU, Cornell, Chicago.</p>
<p>just looking for something that generally fit most the above. A 3.7 GPA at brown beats a 3.8 from state u every day of the week.....the prestige from a top undergrad is very important when applying to med schools...after all, the vast majority of students at top med schools are from top undergrad schools. Money isn't a huge issue, but 8 years of schooling does add up, so maybe merit $ is a good idea. I know I'm not getting into HYPMS, but schools from the top 10 to 30 known for their grade inflation is most important.</p>
<p>isn't dartmouth in the middle of nowhere? Still, amherst, stanford, and dartmouth are probably unlikely for me to be able to get in (though i would love stanford). i agree that jhu is tough, i'm trying to decide if its reputation for med school placement (even with the letter of rec fiasco) overrides its reputation. it seemed jhu fit most of the categories, excepting the whole laid back thing (true it is in a gangsta area, but baltimore is a big place).</p>
<p>Karl, Karl, don't generalize! A 3.7 at Bown (which inflates) certainly doesn't beat a 3.8 at Cal (which doesn't). Med schools have a lower % of grads of top colleges than law and business schools, gpa seems to matter most. I'd go for some merit $. Look at Grinnell.</p>
<p>lol, i think you and i could talk all day long. Cal, Mich, couple others are the only exceptions to the rule, you and i both know that. GPA is most important agreed; if at all possible (or best option), i would say to get it at an inflated top school, agreed? Grinnell is in the middle of nowhere...trust me....I live right by it. I'm not really into the smallish lac-ish schools. I like Bown and stuff, places like middlebury, etc just seem too small.</p>
<p>I know i'm being a picky eater, but any other suggestions?</p>
<p>JHU's pre-med rep is deceiving. Many students are weeded out (I have two roommates who went to JHU who can attest to this). Its in no way better than any other school when it comes to placing grad into the top schools. If you look at JHU's placement overall its actually very week. In my experience, JHU's pre-med allure is based on its med school, which is a flawed analogy. The cream of the crop get into JHU med, but the others have a much tougher time. You'd be much better off elsewhere in my opinion.</p>
<p>As for Dartmouth, NH middle of nowhere is very different from the midwest. Dartmouth's social life is very active and the area actually has about 75,000 people. Its an incredible experince, but it might not be your thing. </p>
<p>Also look into Emory, WashU, UNC, UVA, and Penn.</p>
<p>Cornell is pretty isolated and has one of the best biology programs in the country. But it doesn't havem uch grade inflation and it's not very laid back.</p>
<p>my (obviously unfounded/misguided) impression of dartmouth has been that of a snowy frat school, where people drink alcohol fom garden hoses. i don't know much about the school (i'll look some more up) but what can you tell me in regards to their pre-med, grade inflation, rep in science?</p>
<p>i was looking at emory along with UNC and UVA, but those is in the deep south, don't know if i can fit in w/ all them genteel folk.</p>
<p>WashU looks nice, but I heard they're stingy on aid. is it laid back, grade inflated (i've heard differing accounts-tough weed out curves in bio and chem).</p>
<p>Penn looks interesting, I don't if they're known for grade inflation or their rep in pre-med and sci (obviously great med school). What can you tell me?</p>
<p>I read somwhere that the avg GPA for sci majors at JHU in around a 3.4, that's an inflation higher than HYP. Like you, I had figured that JHU wasn't good at placement into the top schools for some reason, but I don't have anything to correlate that. You got any linkable stats, or even personal anecdotes, regarding placement to top schools, or placement overall?</p>
<p>Sorry for so many questions, but your very helpful suggestions have made me curious george.</p>
<p>Forget Hopkins, I agree. Look at Rice, Emory, Vanderbilt for top schools. Look at Boston University and George Washington University. How about Boston College and Brandeis (both may not be diverse enough though). If you are interested seriously in premed, you should go to a school that is less competitive than you could consider- one where you are in the top 10% would be good. Some low profile schools are known as being good feeders for med schools in the area. But make sure that the schools that you select have good premed advisors. Some places have no premed advisor- that means stay away. By the way- look at Amherst. They have a detailed premed website and have an outstanding record of placing graduates at first try, and then additional ones on second try. I was impressed with this website. Not sure how much weeding out goes on though.</p>
<p>Low profile schools that are med school feeders...I don't know of any, do you have any examples? I like Amherst, but there avg. SAT makes mine look like a joke. Rice and Vanderbilt are known for grade deflation. I was looking at schools like BC and BU, but I'd rather dominate at local U than pay big bucks at 2nd or 3rd tier east coast schools. I should look into Emory, a lot of people mentioned it, but what's the school known for?</p>
<p>I'm interested in med schools, but top med schools. I'm thinking you gotta have the top grades, but it's also gotta be from a top schools (top undergrads make up the majority of seats at top med schools). I'm thinking schools with more inflation than my tires would be the way to go...scools like Brwon, NW, some others?</p>
<p>Yer, they're both small, but Amherst is at least near Boston and NYC, plus it fits almost of my criteria, whereas most lacs like middlebury generally do not.</p>
<p>Other than the extra hour and a half that it takes to get from Midd to NYC and Boston, which criteria of yours does Amherst meet that Middlebury, Williams, Bowdoin, etc., do not?</p>
<p>Amherst is mong the top 5 schools in terms of grad school placement, they obviously do a good job of inflating grades. They're also strong in the natural sciences. Amherst is also a diverse campus. And, finally, it also has a relaxed atmosphere (though lacs in general aren't intesely competitive). The others don't really fit the above, and definetely not to the extent that Amherst does. Don't know why I'm arguing, considering there's no cahnce in heck I could get into amherst.</p>
<p>I'd argue that Bowdoin is stronger than Amherst in the sciences, that Williams has equal (or perhaps even better) grad school placement than Amherst, and that all of the schools I mentioned are at least as relaxed as Amherst (if not more so). Have you visited Amherst? Have you visited any other LACs?</p>