First, I do not think of Wooster as “lower ranked.” In the early- to mid-2000s, Kenyon’s acceptance rate was over 60%. It’s now a hot school because its admit rate is 34% In the mid-90s, Colorado College was well-regarded, but its acceptance rate was not 15% (NOTE: Yale’s admit rate in 1993 was 22.9%). We do not–or should not–evaluate schools based on how many students a college is rejecting, nor should we pay serious attention to that US News thingie, which gives weights to just about every factor except what actually happens in a classroom.
I digress and so apologize. Second, med school isn’t really dependent on the undergrad institution. Earn high grades, score high on the MCAT, obtain terrific (not just very good) letters of rec, and you’ll get into medical school. If you’re aiming for a top medical school, you’ll need to be well-rounded applicant (sometimes a non-STEM major makes one stand out) who has participated in relevant projects/organizations, etc. It’s sort of like applying to top undergrad schools: high grades and test scores are not enough. Go to an LAC if you like, or don’t. No one here, I think, has been arguing that LACs are the pipeline to Harvard Medical. Rather, pre-med is so brutal that some aspirants might find the smaller classes and closer faculty contact at a LAC helpful.
Third, plenty of doctors go to good medical schools that are not T20. USF has a medical school (#79 in the USNews thingie), and its acceptance rate is 4% (NOTE: acceptance rates are very low for practically all medical schools). I’m originally from Chicago, where Rush Medical is considered a solid choice (#59), and its acceptance rate is 3.8%.
Also note that many LACs have guaranteed admission to certain medical schools. Lots of midwestern schools have agreements with Rush. These guaranteed-admission schools will almost certainly not be T20, but adjusting downward is hardly humiliation. If you have a family physician (or a number of doctors you and your parents see), try to find out where they went to medical school. My primary care physician went to UF Medical (#65). The majority of working doctors did not attend T20 schools. Sure, strive for the top, but medical school is brutal and an amazing achievement whether one graduates from UCLA or Rush or wherever.