<p>I’m stuck between four schools all of which are in-state. SIU carbondale, SIU edswardsville, UIUC.</p>
<p>I can’t make the decision as to where to go because of the following factors:</p>
<li><p>SIU carbondale and edswardsville will offer me a full ride but they are third-tier schools and while I will have more opportunities there than I will at UIUC the quality of education might not be that great. Also, they are 3.5 hours and 1.5 hours from where I live so commuting to and fro every few months might be a problem.</p></li>
<li><p>I will have to pay approx. 9k to go to UIUC assuming I do a student job and make around 7k/year. Monetary concerns aside, UIUC is ranked among the top 40 in the nation and I just think med schools will look at that and favor me over someone who graduated from a third-tier school. However, getting a 3.5+ GPA at UIUC will be very tough as opposed to getting a 4.0 at Carbondale and the others which will be relatively tough. Also, I will have more research opportunities at SIU carbondale because it is considered a party school and students don’t make use of the opportunities. </p></li>
<li><p>University of Illinois at Springfield is 5 miles from my home but I think it’s a 4th tier school or right above community colleges. I can go here for free and live very close to my home. However, the quality of education may not be that great and as a result, I wont learn as much and do poorly on my MCATs.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>As you can see, I am stuck and can’t seem to make the right decision. Mostly my concern is going to a school where I can take challenging classes that will prepare me for med school and most importantly the MCAT. I will appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks :)</p>
<p>Challenging classes -- sounds like you already know which school that is.</p>
<p>yeah undoubtedly UIUC will have the challenging curriculum, but from the general consensus it seems to me that GPA and MCAT scores are what matter most in med school admissions so would not it make sense that I go somewhere where getting a high GPA will be easy and in terms of the MCAT, just study my tail off to make up for the lack of challenging classes so I am not at a disadvantage since it tests only the basic science pre-reqs?</p>
<p>Who's to say which school will result in the higher GPA? Sometimes harder schools motivate you to learn more.</p>
<p>Besides all that, there's much more to the process than GPA, and in any case three years of rigorous coursework can hardly be made up for by intensive "on my own" studying.</p>
<p>Essays -- so you have to learn to write well. Interviews -- so you have to develop amongst intelligent, capable peers. Extracurriculars -- so you have to find a university with a solid infrastructure. Personal growth -- so you learn to handle adversity.</p>
<p>You have a point there but as you would all agree, the med school process is flawed and messed up to say the least. My point is when it comes time for med school apps, the candidate with a 30 MCAT 4.0 GPA from a 3rd tier school would > a 1st tier school with a 30 MCAT and 3.4 GPA. Correct me if I am wrong but med schools do not care where you do your undergrad from as long as your have ec's, research experience, a solid GPA and MCAT scores. Who is to say that a person who graduated from a third tier school is any less competitive and qualified than a person who graduated from a top school given they have similar stats. Theoretically going to a better school should reflect in your MCAT scores. Likewise, going to a 3rd tier school should reflect in your MCAT scores, but if it doesn't, then I don't see why you are at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>It's unreasonable to attribute a .6-point gap to a simple drop in school difficulty.</p>
<p>Beyond that, your point (higher GPAs are better) doesn't negate anything I said in post #4.</p>
<p>1.) GPA gap is unpredictable, may even go reverse of expectation.
2.) MCAT gap might remain, even if you try to "make up for it" by studying hard. (What, you weren't going to study hard if you went to Harvard?)
3.) Other components might vary from school to school as well.</p>
<p>The fact that GPA is important doesn't negate the others.</p>
<p>All I am saying is that it is easier to get a 3.8+ from a 3rd tier than it is from a 1st tier, putting you at an advantage GPA wise.</p>
<p>To repeat: GPA gap is unpredictable, and may even be the reverse of your expectations.</p>
<p>Yea, those Harvard and Princeton grads are really suffering. They really wish they had attended community colleges.</p>
<p>^ Yes, they could have easily payed 1/4 the cost of Harvard for undergrad and gotten into a med school.</p>
<p>Some of them. Some of them became better students because they were at Harvard, surrounded by the available opportunities and other, better students to compare them to. Some of them got the advising and individual attention. Some of them were always going to have a bad freshman year, but being at Harvard means they have some cushion to play with. Some of them were always going to have a bad freshman year, but being at a small private school meant that their advisors talked to them in time and gave them the support they needed to get C's instead of F's.</p>
<p>Some of them even learned how to spell while they were there.</p>
<p>"Easily"? What an oversimplication. People vary. Schools vary.</p>
<p>And besides, some of them got really good financial aid from Harvard. One of my friends (not poor by any means; parents are a computer engineer and a nurse) paid less tuition at an Ivy than her brother at a UC.</p>
<hr>
<p>Look, if you don't fit at Harvard -- I didn't fit, most importantly because they didn't admit me -- then don't go to Harvard. But some kids fit very well, and in fact some kids grew and thrived because of the environment. There are some things in life that money can't buy. For everything else, there's student loans.</p>
<p>"easily paid 1/4 the cost of harvard..."</p>
<p>...and then incurred such a massive amount of debt once in med school (like most everyone else) that a few loans taken on during undergrad hardly seem like much by comparison</p>
<p>"Look, if you don't fit at Harvard -- I didn't fit, most importantly because they didn't admit me -- then don't go to Harvard." LOL</p>
<p>"Yes, they could have easily payed 1/4 the cost of Harvard for undergrad and gotten into a med school."</p>
<p>You don't have sight of the big picture. The average medical student comes out of med school with approx. $120,00 - 150,000 in debt. An extra $15,000 of undergrad debt is chump change.</p>
<p>When you become a physician or even when you become a med student, you will become aware of how many sacrifices you've had to make in order to become a doctor. Don't make those sacrifices bigger by attending a school you don't like. There's no reason to attend Harvard or UIUC if you don't like the school. At the same time, saving a few pennies or increasing your GPA by a few points are pitifully shortsighted reasons for choosing a college.</p>
<p>an extra 15k * 4 is a lot. And plus, med schools loans aren't that bigga deal for if you do residency at rural hospitals they'll pay med schools loans off in mos cases.</p>
<p>If you look at profiles of a lot of working doctors these days, most of them did not go to ivy league schools or even top 50 schools. Did that in any way serve as a disadvantage for them? No...since they're now on equal grounds with graduates from Harvard and Pton.</p>
<p>Eh, all things said and done, I still have no idea where I want to go or will end up.</p>
<p>Of course they still got into medical school. The question is: did they spend some of the best years of the lives the way they wanted to? Did they grow from them the way they might have?</p>
<p>Some people don't belong at Ivies. Most people don't belong at Ivies. But those that do should go to them.</p>
<p>okay, so are you guys saying I go to UIUC?</p>
<p>We're saying that "it's hard" is an insufficient reason for turning it down, if you think it offers the best education.</p>
<p>I have the same exact problem. So in the end what was your decision?</p>