<p>I have read on CC that pre-med schools don't really matter (well, of course they do) as long as you get good grades. Well, not exactly like that. What I mean, is that I have heard is that there is no point in going to an elite school and get poor grades and then not get admitted to a good medical school. I have very good grades, ECs, test scores, and a hook or two. </p>
<p>So, what do you think would be a good pre-med school for me?</p>
<p>University of Hawaii
Good for the soul too :P</p>
<p>Got a friend who’s doing that. He’s got something just short of an unweighted 4.0, countless volunteer hours, good scores, etc.</p>
<p>The Pre-Med Factory Agricultural and Mechanical University - I’ve heard rave reviews!</p>
<p>You can get the pre-med requirements done at any of dozens of excellent schools across the the country. For admission, GPA and MCAT are the two most important factors, with strong recs and enough social service and research opportunities as close seconds. So no, it really doesn’t matter where you go as an undergrad as long as you get rigorous enough coursework to do well on the MCAT and can keep your grades up. </p>
<p>The more important question is what kind of environment brings out the best in you as a student. And where you can you that won’t smother you in debt, because med school is very expensive, even if you go in-state.</p>
<p>Pre-med is confusing and complicated but here’s the best guide I can come up with:</p>
<p>1) If you want to go to your in-state medical school than going to college in-state and getting a great GPA will get you as far as going to a top private
2) If your goal is a top, elite private me school like JHU, Harvard, or Duke than going to a top undergrad will benefit you.
3) Many privates practice huge grade inflation (Stanford, Harvard, etc) so going to a top school is a double benefit in that your GPA will be almost as high as from a state-school but you have the elite school advantage so you’re likely to get into better med schools.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>If you have no preferences, then I would suggest looking at the LACs. The smaller class sizes, lack of weeder class mentality, low level of competition between pre-meds, and close relationship with faculty (who have to write those letters of recommendation) all work to your advantage. The only exception would be if you are interested in an MD/PHD, in which case going to a school with a powerhouse research reputation might be advantageous. Otherwise, most LACs offer plenty of research opportunities and resources both during the year and over the summer and ditto for social services. </p>
<p>Amherst College has a particularly good web-site for its pre-meds so go over there and cruise around it to see what kind of advice they are giving to their own students.</p>