Either one would be good for you. Miami has the advantage of being smaller, but tOSU has the advantage of being in a small city.
Not necessarily in the way that is used around here. More that, for various reasons, getting & keeping a high gpa can be harder at those schools than some of the others on your list. An easy example is the quarter system at NU- some students find the pace unforgiving, and it can be hard to recover a grade if you hit a bump in the road. Another is the Columbia Core- some students find some if it tougher going than others. etc.
I wouldn’t put you off any of them- students from all of them obviously get to med school! Just pointing out a factor to consider when you are weighing the pros and cons of each place on your list.
One other point - you don’t seem to have considered smaller liberal arts colleges. They might be a good option. You would graduate at the top of your class, and much easier to stand out.
Just like college counselors compare student within each high school, med school compare students from each college. So pre-meds at a big university have a tougher time. Smaller liberal arts colleges, especially in your home state would be worth looking at.
Research doesn’t have to be relevant to medicine at all, nor do (fun) ECs. Schools that like to see research (not all care) just want to see that the student has been involved in it and know what it entails. With ECs they like to see leadership roles and know that the student has a life outside of medicine.
One does need oodles of shadowing and volunteering hours, preferably from some different sources (hospital or clinics, hospice, overseas medical trips, etc).
This Class Profile from the University of Rochester is really helpful at knowing what they look for. I doubt they’re alone, but of course, each school will have their own “loves” once past MCAT and GPA.
One can also google to get other years from Rochester to see trends. Lately they’ve been adding more about “doing something for the least of these” types of volunteering/work.
Here’s one from a few years ago to compare. A lot stays the same though there are some minor changes. For both, research topics didn’t matter, and ECs outside of medicine were highly praised. Definitely have the volunteer hours inside medicine. Those just aren’t your ECs.
1 Like
This isn’t true.
Adcomms do not pit student from the same school against each other. Med admission are not some zero sum game. There are no quotas that say med school R can only accept 3 of the 9 students applying from College Q. All 9 may be accept if they all deserve admission; or all 9 may be rejected if they don’t. Applicants are considered on their own merits on an individual basis.
Med school admission requires more than just good stats and the “right” ECs. It also requires having a good match between the applicants and the mission of the school.
5 Likes
Would it be wise for me to attend a T20 for undergrad, then take loans out for med school? The other option would be to attend one of my safety schools for virtually nothing, then use the lump-sum I was gifted on med school.
If you are 100% sure you will want to go to med school 4 years. from now–and keep in mind most people who start out as pre-med drop off the path before ever applying–save your money and attend a safety school.
There is great peace of mind that comes from not being over a quarter million $$ in debt when graduating from med school. It gives you freedom to choose the specialty that calls to you rather than choosing a specialty that most likely to service your debt.
7 Likes
I used to read apps for a well known medical school. I can tell you with 100% certainty that it does happen. There are no formal quotas, but they do try to balance out the admits among different colleges.
1 Like
I have been in med school admissions for 12 years at two different schools. We never said “we have too many accepts from State U” or “Not enough from Prestigious LAC”. I guess it varies, like everything else in med school admissions, from med school to med school.