<p>Ok, so I know that where you do your undergrad does not matter, but is that really the case? I mean I am a pretty hard-working kid with high ACT/SAT scores, GPA, etc who had high hopes of going to a top college when I entered high school as a freshmen. I am now a senior and things have changed. My parents want me to stay at home and go to college....which narrows down the choice to one small mediocre college which is I think 3rd tier or maybe less with about 2k undergrads. I can get into their honors program with a full ride but I think I wont learn as much as if I went to, say, UCLA. My question is, if I work hard here and become involved and get a good MCAT (30+) will I have a good shot of getting into med school?</p>
<p>bump......</p>
<p>
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if I work hard here and become involved and get a good MCAT (30+) will I have a good shot of getting into med school?
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Yes.</p>
<p>However. Your undergraduate experience is a very special time in your life, and leaving home and (sort of) striking out on your own is a very important time of growth.</p>
<p>Now, I understand if your parents have some kind of urgent condition -- your mother has fallen ill, or something like that -- that requires you to be at home. That will certainly be enough of a growth process on its own.</p>
<p>But college... it's just not the same if you're living at home. And that kind of personal growth can, sometimes, be the difference: in essays and interviews, yes -- but also in someday talking to patients. Being responsible for what happens when you mess up. College is a small step in that process, yes -- but it's an important one.</p>
<p>Just as importantly, it's your assessment that you'll get a better education at a bigger school. Your education is not the most important part of the MCAT, but it matters. It's a part of being the person you want to be.</p>
<p>If you think you're getting a worse education for no obvious reason, then by all means do whatever you can and put your foot down. Some things in life come first -- but this might not be one of them.</p>
<p>It's all about excelling, wherever you might end up. I go to a school that's pretty poorly ranked, because I get paid to go here and the next cheapest option was $25k a year (after ~$20k in scholarship, hooray for private university tuition!). A girl who worked in a friend's lab is now in her first year at Hopkins. A lot of my senior friends last year are now in medical school (I actually can't think of anyone who didn't get in somewhere). The low ranking didn't stop them from getting in.</p>
<p>So, a good shot? If you get good grades, a good MCAT, and are active, where you go to school isn't going to be an obstacle.</p>