state or more-prestigious institution to eventually attend medical school...?

Applying to College
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<p>Hello all:</p>

<p>I hope that this thread is posted in the right forum site....</p>

<p>So at this point, I hope to attend a good medical school (hopefully top 5-10 in the nation). I understand that GPA and MCAT are the top factors considered by med schools, and MCAT scores are absolute whereas GPA's are relative (4.0 at state school is not as impressive as 4.0 at Princeton). Soooo...</p>

<p>What factors should I consider when deciding on an undergraduate school if I plan to attend a good medical school? How important is prestige, etc...? State vs. ivy? </p>

<p>Gracias!!!!!!</p>

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<p>from the doctors that I have talked to (six or seven) they tell me that your undergraduate school doesn't matter too much. What is really important is your MCAT score and your GPA. A 4.0 at a state school may not be as impressive as a 4.0 at Princeton, but it is WAYYYY harder to get that 4.0 at Princeton. If you have a 4.0 now, you're probably one of the smartest at your high school, but once you get to Princeton, you will be competing with hundreds of other "geniuses" Plus, if money is a factor, you might as well save up cash from your undergraduate years because medical school will give you at least 300,000 in debt (number from a doctor whose son is in his third year of medical school and already has 300,000 in debt just from med school). Look for a school that will give you plenty of research opportunities, has a hospital nearby--so you can do some volunteering--and think really really hard about how much money you want to spend. Look into state school that will offer you lots of merit money if you don't qualify for financial aid (if you do... shoot for the IV, but remember that IVs are REALLY competitive), and look for schools with good honors programs. </p>

<p>Also, realize that most people who want to be doctors are very smart and are very competitive. Shooting for a top 5-10 med school is great, but don't overestimate yourself. Getting into medical school is the hard part, and it doesn't really matter too much where you go. </p>

<p>One school I recommend is U Pittsburgh. PM if you want more info</p>

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<p>Well a lot depends on what state school you are talking about. A 4.0 from Princeton is not more impressive than a 4.0 from Berkeley, but it is from the University of Alabama. What state school are you considering?</p>

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<p>The state school is Indiana University at Bloomington.
I received substantial aid from there, especially since I am in-state.</p>

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<p>SandyBeach is mostly right, but you're going to receive a lot of misinformation here. Go to the premed forum and read up over there .</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/377780-premed-forum-faqs-read-first.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/377780-premed-forum-faqs-read-first.html&lt;/a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/202936-good-pre-med-schools.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/202936-good-pre-med-schools.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>