<p>Oh yes that’s true, but having gunners in your class isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I don’t know how we have gotten to being a society afraid of challenge and competition. Medicine is certainly not for you if you don’t enjoy both aspects of the work. This is especially getting true for private practice folks. Most of those people who you would consider a gunner get into medical school, and that’s the bottom line. Especially if you wish to specialize and match into a competitive field you need to start early. </p>
<p>Now, you don’t want to be in a “gunner” environment 24/7, but you do want others to push you and you them. ESPECIALLY for your pre-requirement courses(the 400 person lecture hall courses). It’s sort of like working out, you’re more likely to push yourself if you’re working out with someone than alone. You’re also more likely to encounter research and volunteering opportunities that may not be as easily available at a small liberal arts college. As well as clubs, medical schools are trying to take a more “holistic” approach to applicants as indicated by their recent change to the MCAT. </p>
<p>The fact of the matter is when you apply to medical school, you’re going to be competing with that drunk bum from bumblewood university as you are the summa cum laude from Columbia. Being a big fish in a big pond is more impressive than being a big fish in a small pond.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t call this data worthless. It isn’t. It’s an interesting figure, which is why the AAMC has published this information. Believe it or not, they actually don’t have a lot of discretional spending to waste on unneeded information. </p>
<p>Since the pre-med track has such a high attrition it’s interesting to see how many applicants even get to apply to medical school. I’d be willing to bet most of these state schools have biology and business listed as most declared major. Graduate applications are very expensive, time-consuming and stressful. Someone who has taken the MCAT, written their personal statement and has collected letters of recommendation from their respective pre-med committees and professors then that show that they at least “made it” through the curriculum. They’re serious about becoming a physician. </p>
<p>Most universities have a pre-med/pre-dental committee of some kind. Usually they won’t let lost causes apply(i.e. people with low GPA and MCAT scores). The numbers may be of interest to us because it may reveal a pre-med “community” in schools you may not guess. It is also indicative of how many of these science majors may be pre-dental or pre-pharmacy for students interested in those fields. </p>
<p>Not to mention, this data is very useful for minorities who may not feel comfortable in a majority environment. I would guess that’s why this data set was published. I don’t think it’s really for students to select their undergraduate school but more for the sake of diversity in the physician force.</p>
<p>Data is all about your interpretation. Your AP statistics course clearly failed to teach you critical thinking.</p>
<p>Like I said, it’s about finding a school of best fit. If you’re unhappy then you will do much worse in school. Some people enjoy grand flagship football schools and research universities. Others may thrive in a small private liberal arts college environment. It all depends on what your end goal is.</p>