<p>pretty self-explanatory.</p>
<p>I was premed at MIT but graduated 27 years ago. Then, as now, there were fabulous research opportunities through UROP. Then, as now, there were plenty of other students working just as hard, if not harder, than you(unlike some schools where premed is the most signficant grind). Then, as now, you gained critical thinking skills and the capacity to press yourself to your own limits- both invaluable in times of stress (ie all of internship and residency).</p>
<p>In my day the entire freshman year was pass-fail, which was quite nice- and they did not "unblock" the grades for anyone and we had 100% acceptance to med school. Now the first semester is pass fail, they might unblock grades, and Med school acceptance is not 100%.</p>
<p>My only negative about premed at MIT was that after MIT, medical school was very, very tedious- particularly the first 2 years which were so geared to memorization...We were extraordinarily well prepared by MIT..</p>
<p>Also, everyone seems worried about not getting a high enough GPA for medical school. That may be a legitimate worry -- I don't know -- but twenty years ago my husband went to med. school on the basis of his MCAT scores alone (he was an underacheiver with mediocre grades in college). At the time, he had been out of college for many years and we two little daughters (now MIT students!).
Some schools like high test scores and weight them more than grades. (He went to St. Louis University Medical School and did very well. Our family survived -- we had two more kids.)
Just thought I'd mention this.</p>
<p>yeah I heard MIT's grade deflation is detrimental to your med school apps.
that's one setback i have for MIT (but i'll probably go anyway)</p>
<p>Here's the data on those MIT premeds who applied to med-school. Notice that 77% got in, which means that 23% of those MIT premeds got rejected from every single med-school they applied to. That's right, every single one.</p>
<p>Also, pay careful attention to the average GPA and MCAT scores of those MIT premeds who did get admitted. I would point out the person who got a 3.61/4 GPA at MIT and still didn't get in anywhere, and the person who scored a 38 on the MCAT (which is a fantastic score) and also didn't get in anywhere. </p>
<p>Static, come to MIT! You know you want to...! :)</p>
<p>Naturally my data is out of date, so am I. If you want to go to MIT and you feel it is the best school for you then you should go. The person who got a 3.61 or a 38 might only have applied to Ivy league medical schools, or might have had poor grades in key subjects, or might not have done anything besides study for 3 years...There are plenty of explanations for why a person doesn't get into medical school. No college can guarantee you medical school admission (those that can seem to screen out so many people that they are left with only the "sure things")...go to the school you want to go to...</p>
<p>By the way, my statistics were misleading. One of the people in my graduating class who applied (it was about 10% of the class then) to medical school didn't get in, the first time...she was accepted several places the next year- when she included some less competitive schools on her list.</p>
<p>That said, while my ivy med school class had lots of ivy leaguers, etc..they also took kids from virtually every small LAC in the region and all the state schools as well. I had never heard of Indiana University of Pennsylvania until I went to med school--2 of my classmates had graduated from there- and they did just fine in med school as well!</p>
<p>Robyrm, we can talk about what the guy with the 3.61/4 or the 38 MCAT might or might not have done. But the fact of the matter remains that 23% of all MIT premeds who apply didn't get in anywhere. Contrast that with a place like Harvard, Yale, Stanford or Princeton where only about 10% of premeds who apply don't get in anywhere. Nor is this a one-off. It has been generally consistent that, every year, about double the percentage of MIT premeds who apply don't get in anywhere compared to the percentage of Harvard, Yale, Stanford or Princeton premeds who apply and don't get in anywhere.</p>
<p>Hence, you have to put things on a relative scale. You may say that those MIT premeds who didn't get in anywhere are people who only applied to elite med-schools or had bad grades in key subjects, or might not have done anything besides study for 3 years. But then why is it that Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford premeds , every year, seem to display less of this problem? For example, if you say that MIT premeds are applying only to Ivy med-schools, and that explains the lower acceptance rate of MIT premeds, than why is it that HYP premeds don't seem to be applying only to Ivy med-schools? I would think that if anybody would apply to only Ivy med-schools, it would be actual Ivy premeds. But in any case, whatever reason you might come up with as to why MIT premeds aren't getting in, you have to ask why is it that that reason doesn't really seem to apply when it comes to HYPS premeds. </p>
<p>Now, obviously, I always counsel that everybody should go to the school they want. However you should do so with your eyes open, not your eyes deliberately closed. Before you choose a school, you should know exactly what it is you're getting yourself into. If you are thinking of going to MIT for premed, as compared to going to peer schools (like HYPS) for premed, then the premed admit rates for each school are a fair topic of discussion. Any honest discussion of MIT and premed has to deal with the unavoidable fact that MIT's premed admit rate is consistently lower than that of peer schools like HYPS.</p>
<p>MIT is probably a lot harder than HYP
I've heard once u get into harvard everything is easy
so they all have higher GPA's than the MIT kids who bust their tails</p>
<p>Sakky,
If you notice on the list of the most popular medical schools applied to, in the top 20 there are only 2 state medical schools...UCLA and Michigan. I don't have the statistics for Harvard..but here is my guess. MIT med school applicants are probably more likely than the average med school applicant (including H or Y students) to be aiming for Academic careers in medicine, to do research, etc. As such, they disproportionately apply to the most ultracompetitive medical schools 122/150 applied to Harvard, for goodness sake. </p>
<p>Further more, since each student is described by their MCAT separate from their GPA, rather than in scatterogram form, isn't it possible that the same student who got the 38 and didn't get in is the one with the 2.6/4 gpa...MIT students are pretty good test takers!! </p>
<p>Look I am not saying that MIT students don't have to work harder to get higher grades than their compatriots at the school down the street, and I am not saying that this shouldn't be a consideration for students....but the statistics are not necessarily sufficient to reach global conclusions.</p>
<p>Well, robyrm, I'm afraid I have to dispute your contention that MIT med-school applicants are more likely than HYPS students to be aiming for the ultracompetitive medical schools. Unfortunately I cannot present the Harvard premed numbers (Harvard insists on not putting those numbers online), but trust me, Harvard premeds are applying to mostly the ultracompetitive med-schools also. Far, far and away the most popular med-school that Harvard premeds apply to is, as you would expect, Harvard Medical. </p>
<p>Basically, there is no reason for me to believe that MIT students are applying to the top med-schools any more than HYPS students do. </p>
<p>I agree with you that the statistics are not sufficient to reach global conclusions, one way or another. But they are an indication of where the trends lie. Nobody can absolutely prove with 100% perfect certainty that MIT is or is not a worse place to go for premed than are HYPS. But the evidence that does exist indicates what is probably true. Not what is absolutely proven to be true, but what is probably true. I have evidence that MIT premeds have a harder road than do the premeds at HYPS, and I have seen no evidence to the contrary. If somebody would like to post some contrary evidence, please do so. However, as it stands, the evidence seems to suggest that MIT is probably a more difficult place for premed than are HYPS.</p>
<p>the research opportunities at MIT are unparalleled...i'm def going to premed it at MIT</p>
<p>what if one isn't so concerned with the research opportunities but rather contribute to the humanitarian cause? I don't want to do an MD/PhD program. I don't think research will be in my career. I rather do an MPH/MD program or work for a nonprof health organization in Nepal or Doctors Without Borders.</p>
<p>nghi, you must come to MIT... no excuses =)</p>
<p>Only college left with 100% placement is Duke Biomed</p>
<p>100% placement into med school??</p>
<p>quite right.</p>
<p>Given with a choice between MIT and HYPS for premed, I'd suggest you pick HYPS. Mainly because it is relatively easier to get better GPAs, and you are more likely to be involved in ECs.</p>
<p>staticsoliloquy,
Whether you want to do research later, or practice family medicine in a rural location...doing research in college can help you get into med school. That is the significance of the availability at MIT.</p>
<p>I cannot dispute Sakky's assertion that the MIT rates of admission are no longer 100%, nor do I think this justification to not attend MIT. One has to be a bit brave to enter the fray at MIT academically. No matter how stellar you are, it will be a bit shattering at times. Decide if you can endure this, and you have decided if it is worth it to you. What if you get to college and then through some magic decide medicine is not for you(it happens!)....would MIT be where you want to be?</p>
<p>definitely. Sloan Management :)</p>