<p>say, theoretically, i choose to go to uw mad for undergrad school, work really hard, get a 3.8/3.9, try to get involved in lots of volunteering and extra currics (would outdoor sailing club count?? stuff like that) and travel (i have heard this matters too) and i do research and hopefully do well on my mcats...</p>
<p>so you think there is a good chance of getting into a good med school?
even without a 4.0? (i'm banking on teh fact that i won't get one)</p>
<p>but if getting into a "good" med school doesn't really matter for private practice...
if i just go into uw madison for med school or even some really really bad school, it won't matter anyway, right?</p>
<p>what if i want to work in a general hospital like GHC or something?</p>
<p>There are generally no "bad" medical schools. Almost 95% of all medical schools are almost identical in the type of doctor they end up producing. UW-Madison is an excellent institution for both undergraduate and graduate studies. Many people will come to realize that it is not the school that makes the doctor. </p>
<p>A 3.8/3.9 is an excellent GPA and coupled with a great MCAT score, EC's and LOR's I do not see why you would not have a shot at the top medical schools in the country. </p>
<p>Don't limit yourself by the name of the school you attend.</p>
<p>The importance of reputation/prestige of an undergraduate school is minimal. This is not to say that going to one of those schools wouldn't be of benefit, but the benefit derives from things like better advising, greater research opportunities, or closer associations with profs...all things that are hard to quantify. It should be pointed out, if not obvious, that all these things can be found at "lesser" institutions, but a greater onus may be on the students to find them and get involved. You also must consider that it might be more difficult to get involved at these more prestigious institutions simply b/c their student body is likely to possess more motivation...so basically it's hard to really put any sort of value of going to one school over another based simply on name. </p>
<p>You should look to find the undergrad school that is the best fit for you, a place where you can excel academically, socially, physically, and emotionally. Do not pick an undergrad school based on how you perceive it will help you in getting into medical school. Find the school that you will be happy to be at even if you change your major.</p>
<p>Also, there are only 125 medical schools in the US, they are all outstanding, and all will give you the knowledge and experience you need to be a capable physician. Admission into any medical school is an accomplishment and most accepted students only get accepted at one school, so the idea of having a choice is largely irrelevant...</p>
<p>Yeah. On a side not, BRM, I think I've decided to stop saying "Prestige doesn't matter" for medical school and adopt the line you've been using instead: "They're all prestigious (and the variations are pretty small)."</p>
<p>You would have a good shot. Even applicants that maintain 3.7-3.9 and sometimes even lower get accepted to top schools via MSTP (Full tuition MD/PhD). Medical schools would rather take an applicant with life experiences over one without any but with a 4.0 .</p>
<p>getting a 3.8/3.9 at any 4-year institution, combined with a good mcat, ECs, recs... will most likely get you a spot at a med school. As to the difficulty of UW-Madison, I have no idea, but it's a state school so i'm guessing that it won't be a cake-walk.</p>