<p>Hi, I'm in high school, and I'm planning to pursue a career in medicine.
I was wondering if graduating from a top college will improve my chances in getting to med school. Otherwise, it would be better to get into a low-ranked college, since exams would be easier there than in a top college (I think), which means more chances to get a high GPA, therefore more chances to get into med school, is that right ?</p>
<p>GPA and MCAT scores matter more than the name of the college or university. Med school is ridiculously expensive too.</p>
<p>So yes, your best strategy is to get your undergrad somewhere that leaves you with no debt, where you have a better chance of a good GPA, and where the preparation for the MCAT will be solid.</p>
<p>Top college does not matter at all. The good GPA and MCAT scores do though. I was looking over the list of people admitted to the Mayo Medical School and most went to colleges that just were simple little places, not competitive at all. That was a couple years ago. But, regardless, I have been to some admissions presentations (the ones you pay for) that include planning and picking schools. It was made clear, over and over again, if you want to go to med school, the major and the actual school do not matter. It is what you make of what you have (aka, grades and mcat scores). Oh, and don’t major in something like biology or biochem just because you want to apply to med school. Most of the biology classes have very little to do with what you need for medical school, and every pre-med is in those classes, so it can be harder to get the grades you need to get in to medical school. So, if two students are standing there, both have met the course requirements (2 yrs chem, 1 yr bio, 1 yr calculus, 1 yr physics) and the art major has higher GPA and higher MCAT scores than the biochem major, the art major will get in.</p>
<p>You want to make sure you are not weeded out. At many schools, the early pre-med courses are brutal, unlike your hs experience. Don’t just consider the overall rep of the college. Or the number of kids they place in med schools. That’s usually a much smaller number than start with med dreams. And, there is no telling, from the outside, what sort of school can weed- can be those sweet little LACs, too.</p>