<p>Does Cornell have intermediate grades like A-, B+ etc.</p>
<p>^yes, Cornell has intermediate grades.</p>
<p>So essentially it does not mean 50% will get As. It just means 50% have a chance of being higher than a B. It can still be a B+, A- and then an A.</p>
<p>If your son’s SAT is a 1400 M+CR, then Cornell would have been a high reach. The upper quartile for Cornell is: 1520+</p>
<p>that strongly suggests that many of your son’s premed classmates will be stronger students than he is. That could make it difficult to grab the limited number of A’s awarded in the weeder classes.</p>
<p>^ I honestly would not treat SAT as a gauge for how well you will do in your science pre-med courses.</p>
<p>Can one make it into, say, Harvard’s or Stanford’s medical school from Cornell?</p>
<p>or even John Hopkins medical school? 
^</p>
<p>my high school friend went to UC Irvine, turning down acceptances from Cornell, Dartmouth, and Duke, since she knew she wanted to go medical school and wanted to get cost of attendance for college as low as possible, while staying close to her family.</p>
<p>she got full ride, so she didn’t pay a dime for college. She graduated with 3.8 gpa in bio/chem and now attends a top 10 medical school. I remember telling her that she was crazy for turning down those colleges to go to UC Irvine, when I was back in high school. Now, I think she actually made a very smart, educated choice back then.</p>
<p>let me just say that I know a fair share of Cornell alums who majored in bio or chem thinking they will end up in a med school. But many of them didn’t get into a med school and had to resort to plan B. Unfortunately, the job market for someone with a B.A. in bio or chem isn’t very rosy. One dude I know - from my frat - was a pre-med, bio major. He ended up not getting into any med schools, despite applying to med schools for 3 years after graduating from college. He couldn’t get a decent corporate job either, so he ended up taking a job driving trucks. Kind of scary how things may work out really well for some, yet may not work out for others, despite the fact that they all went to same college, were in same classes, etc.</p>
<p>Maaaan, Cornell is free for me.</p>
<p>So it’s not a good idea to go to an ivy league for premed? My friend is taking that route. Columbia University for bio-medical engineering and then medical school… I hope things go good for him.</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>I think Ivies are worth it if you have clear reason for wanting to attend, and if you can attend at an affordable price.</p>
<p>If you attend an Ivy college, paying near sticker price tuition, thinking that it will give you some miraculous advantage in getting you a sick job or helping you with med school admissions, you are clearly doing it wrong.</p>
<p>Strictly talking about med school admissions prospects, going to an Ivy does not help you, but it may actually hurt your chances since it will be tougher to get top grades. However, if you are very talented and motivated and feel confident that you will outperform your peers at Cornell in pre-med courses, by all means, go for it. </p>
<p>I do believe that smart, motivated people with clear goals will reach success, regardless of what college they start out at.</p>
<p>I think he’s doing it because of pride.</p>
<p>Well your friend will have a much harder time keeping a high GPA at Columbia especially as a Biomed engineer. HOWEVER, if he doesn’t make it to medical school, he has a terrific backup.</p>
<p>And I agree with NYULawyer, highly motivated people will find success at any institution.</p>
<p>You can go to any Medical school from any accredited university. Just work for it.</p>
<p>Thanks to all who took the time to reply and offer their opinions/suggestions. As it turns out, S was accepted at a combined BS/MD program. He is thrilled to accept their offer. As to which school is better as an undergrad for acceptance to med school, wherever makes one happiest. When a person is happy, they will be successful. And remember, it’s not where you start, but rather, where you finish. Good luck to all. It’s been a trip!</p>
<p>that’s great news, best of luck to him!</p>
<p>I have heard that since Cornell Medical School is in NYC, the pre-meds do not have as much resources (clinical experience, taking advanced courses, etc.) that other similar universities may offer (Duke, Wash U, etc.)</p>
<p>How much does this impact getting into good Med School?</p>
bump ^^^^