Medical School Help

<p>Hello CC'ers out there, this is my first post as you can see.</p>

<p>Throughout my high school career, I've been interested in medicine. My question, specifically, is should I go to an "ok" school for PreMed and then go to their excellent med school through early assurance? Or would it be wiser to go to a top university and try out a number of medical schools?</p>

<p>The reasoning behind going to an "ok" school for undergrad is that I'll probably be one of the top 20 students attending, and also I'll be able to perform well. My stats have been examined by counselors and others, and they've said my match schools are Georgetown, UC-Berkeley, and even Dartmouth (that gives you a sense of what type of student I am). So, would it be wiser to go to Dartmouth for PreMed where there's a lot of competition, or should I go to a college where I'll be at the top and then go to their Medical School through early assurance?</p>

<p>If you have any comments or questions, please leave them. I appreciate any input I can get - thanks!</p>

<p>Do read the other notes here first, then ask away.</p>

<p>Well, like most of my peers, I want to attend a top medical school. I've got a 4.1 weighted GPA, along with stellar EC's and 700+'s on SAT's...</p>

<p>Would it be better if I attended a good/ok university like GWU, American, or Loyola-Chicago, and then went on to MedSchool at GWU or Loyola-Stritch? Any thoughts on that?</p>

<p>This is personal opinion, but I'd never go to a school strictly to fulfill a pre-med vision. And I'm always worried when people go into college as pre-meds--not willing to look at any other options. </p>

<p>If I were you, I'd go to the school where I'd be most challenged, and go from there. There are many eminently sensible reasons behind this. If you decide pre-med is not your thing (and, in my experience, over 85% of pre-meds will do this no matter where you go), you leave yourself with options, as opposed to being stuck at a school which doesn't challenge you at all. </p>

<p>Second, if you do decide you want to go to medical school, it helps having paid your dues beforehand. If you've held your own with tough competition, you're a surer bet than if you've padded your resume by being a big fish in a small pond. Medical schools like to brag about how they accept students from all over, but take it with a grain of salt. The truth is that, as a percentage of their classes, these schools will make up a rather small portion, whereas more prominent schools will take up a greater percentage of the spots.</p>

<p>I could go on and on, but if you're not willing to challenge yourself now, you're going to have a difficult time doing much in medical school.</p>