<p>I am currently a sophomore and I go to a state university in New York (SUNY New Paltz). I have a 4.0 GPA cumulative and I am also enrolled in numerous activities hoping it would give me an advantage in applying to medical school. But are Ivy League medical schools out of the question for someone who is receiving his BS degree from a state university?</p>
<p>Out of the question? No. </p>
<p>You'll have to prove more.</p>
<p>What I mean is that there are a lot of applicants with great stats (3.8+, 35+). When confronted with two applicants with great stats and good (but not great) EC's/recs/interviews, the applicant from the top college will be taken every single time. Not surprisingly, 50-70% of the class at top (especially those snobby Ivy League) med schools come from top 20 colleges. If you come from a relatively unknown college, you'll need to supplement the great GPA and MCAT score with something else, usually some kind of amazing extracurricular or award (Fulbright Scholarshp, D1 football, whatever).</p>
<p>Hmm, well this is my complete situation
I have a 4.0 GPA cumulative and I am also enrolled in numerous activities such as Phi Eta Sigma, the Honors Program (which for my senior year will have to present a thesis experiment), and the biology club. I am a biology major with a minor in philosophy and chemistry. I have done one semester of voltuneer research on synthesized DNA and am planning on at least one more semester of research. I am also going to do an internship at Vassars Hospital over the summer and will also be working alongside doctors through SUNY's medical school program which I am currently enrolled in. And I might also tutor next semester. Officially, I am maximizing my time but if anyone thinks I need to do more please let me know.</p>
<p>It's hard to appreciate the quality of EC's that top applicants bring to the table until you actually talk with them (as I did at my interviews). I met former investment bankers (ditching their six-figure salary), PhD's, nurses with 10+ years of clinical experience (not hospital volunteering-type clinical experience), Fulbright Scholars, Teach for America, Peace Corps, Rhodes Scholars, etc. </p>
<p>There's nothing bad about your EC's. They're good. But compared to the kinds of applicants that interview at top med schools, they're not that fantastic. Two semesters of research, a couple of clubs, an internship or two, tutoring. Those are pretty standard.</p>
<p>One of my med school classmates published a book (can be ordered from Amazon) and started his own mini-biotech company. Consequently, he got into a lot of good med schools (UCSD, UCLA, my med school, etc.).</p>
<p>
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Not surprisingly, 50-70% of the class at top (especially those snobby Ivy League) med schools come from top 20 colleges.
[/quote]
But how much of that class composition is what schools these students are coming from, and how much a result of better students tending to go to better schools? It seems like that kind of student body would occur even if there wasn't an advantage in attending a top school.</p>
<p>
[quote]
But how much of that class composition is what schools these students are coming from, and how much a result of better students tending to go to better schools? It seems like that kind of student body would occur even if there wasn't an advantage in attending a top school.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You would expect to see an overrepresentation. But to have 70% of the class from 20 schools and 30% of the class from the other thousands of schools combined? You see this kind of a ratio at top law firms or top investment banks and most people agree that top law firms and top investment banks actively recruit at top law schools and colleges, respectively. I wouldn't go so far as to say that top med schools recruit at top colleges. They don't need to. But, they definitely favor applicants from top colleges.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, the gap b/w the quality of med school applicants coming from Harvard and those coming from a state school should be much less than the gap in quality b/w the entering freshman for obvious reasons: whether you're a med school applicant from Harvard or a state school, you've been through the same weeding process; you must've done relatively well in organic chem, the MCAT, and your other classes. So, while you should expect an overrepresentation of applicants from top colleges, I'm not sure you should be seeing this kind of a split w/o some kind of favoritism.</p>
<p>norcalguy is 100% correct.</p>