<p>How difficult would it be for me, a pre-frosh, planning on majoring in biology on the pre-med track to get into one of the top medical schools like Harvard from Caltech? Is it possible or would my gpa not be in par with others applying from different universities because of Caltech's difficult curriculum? I know this is a very subjective question. but say I'm a hard worker and have done well in all the math and science AP classes at my high school which was a fairly competitive private school. Also, I would like to expose myself to all the sciences and that's why i chose Caltech over other perhaps more pre-med oriented schools.</p>
<p>Having done well in math/science APs does in no way guarantee your success at Caltech. If your biggest goal in life is to go to “a top medical school” and you view undergrad as a way to get to that goal, don’t come here. </p>
<p>I talk about this a little more in the letter stickied at the top of this forum…</p>
<p>the average gpa at caltech is 3.3 if that helps</p>
<p>not sure what it is at other schools</p>
<p>I think it is doable. If you can manage to keep up a good transcript and do research with some of the well known labs on campus, you’d stand a respectable chance of getting into a top med-school. Maintaining a high GPA is certainly possible, but its hard to ascertain how you will perform here, until you experience it for yourself. From my experience with Biology majors, typically their biggest hurdle is getting through core Mathematics and Physics classes (note this is not always the case); be aware you will have to take at the minimum 5 terms of such classes. </p>
<p>So in summary, you will be taking a risk. You might have a better chance securing a higher GPA at another school, but if you can keep up with Caltech and take advantage of its research opportunities, you will stand as high of a chance as anyone when it comes to top tier med schools.</p>
<p>Right, but if he/she just wants to go to med school than why do the extra work? It’s only beneficial if the person doing the work wants to for some reason or another… if the goal of getting to med school isn’t as big of a deal as immersing him/herself in math and science, for instance.</p>
<p>Caltech is a fantastic place for people who want to learn, and work their asses off doing it. It’s a horrible place for people who view undergrad as a party or as a means to an end.</p>
<p>A desire to go to a prestigious med school need not be mutually exclusive with a willingness to learn fundamental mathematics and science.</p>
<p>If the question is, “can I get into a good med school with a Caltech education?” the answer is yes. Will it require a substantial amount of coursework not found in a typical pre-med education? Yes. </p>
<p>I agree with lizzardfire that if you don’t have a fundamental desire to actually learn mathematics and science, then Caltech is not a good fit. That being said, having such a desire should not preclude one from pursuing a medical career, and I would argue that an admissions committee for a top Medical School would be impressed by a candidate who challenged him/herself with learning something like Quantum Mechanics, even if it is irrelevant to medicine. </p>
<p>So I guess it all comes down to whether the original poster has this fundamental desire to actually learn about science and mathematics; if this desire is not strong then I would agree with lizzardfire that Caltech would not help towards your goal of going to a good med school. However if you do have this fundamental interest, and enough of it (and native ability) to get through the rigors of Caltech, you can give yourself a good opportunity to go to a prestigious medical program.</p>
<p>I agree entirely, adimeola. I apologize if I wasn’t clear, the point I was trying to drive at was priority.</p>
<p>Completely understood lizardfire – as I’ve said before I agree with you that if your sole priority is to go straight to med school in the easiest possible way, Caltech doesn’t make sense.</p>