<p>“However, if someone did have the POTENTIAL TO GO TO harvard, I think he could self study for the MCAT’s in his spare time.”</p>
<p>Keep dreaming.</p>
<p>Nobody who goes to Harvard ends up living by themselves on welfare unless they really try.</p>
<p>Happy2012, you might go to a state school and earn high A’s or go to an elite school, work harder and learn more and perhaps still end up with low A’s and the occasional B. Your MCAT will be higher because of it. But ultimately it’s about learning, not grades and you will learn more where the teachers and your classmates challenge you to your limits.</p>
<p>living on welfare because you didn’t get into med school?? oh my…</p>
<p>here’s the thing. the admission committee are fully aware the level of rigor within a given curriculum at a given university. and for your information, your GPA depends more on what you study as oppose to where you study. If you put in the work, you will get the grade you deserve. Honestly, I would much rather compete with the brightest minds in the country rather than average minds. Not only would it bring more out of me, it makes me feel less like an underachiever.</p>
<p>Harvard is a place most kids would kill go to. You are seriously saying you would walk away when given the opportunity???</p>
<p>@mathmom I’m not quite sure how the real world works yet obviously 
so i said this earlier but,
I finish harvard undergrad with a 3.0. Bye bye graduate school. What do I do from there? Leech off of my parents?</p>
<p>^ this assumes you are getting in. whereever did you get that idea?</p>
<p>This is a hypothetical situation for the sake of understanding. Attack the question, not the person asking the question. Please try to act more mature.</p>
<p>If you have not figured out GPA is a direct result of the effort and hardwork one puts in at college and are only concerned about being able to get one specific GPA and nothing more, then your question has no merit.</p>
<p>I thought that Harvard students were the best in the country. Elite. No slackers. Driven, passionate, assiduous. Are you saying that harvard students dont do their utmost to raise their GPA? And even with a school filled with those kinda of studenta, the average GPA is still only about 3.4</p>
<p>I work at a public university. An employee benefit would allow my dependents half-price tuition. However, instead my 2 kids are attending top-ranked LACs over 1500 miles away from home. Why?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Part of their education is being away from home. They wanted to experience a different part of the country. They have to rely on themselves – can’t just run home or have me handle stuff for them. They are navigating a different landscape.</p></li>
<li><p>Cost. Half-off tuition at our public costs more than top private schools which meet full need, if you are poor enough.</p></li>
<li><p>Program. These top schools truly offer some amazing academics, internships, and other opportunities they would not have staying home. The school where I work is pretty much open admission. The schools they are attending are highly selective. They are surrounded by other smart students.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>My S is a freshman so I don’t know his grades yet. My D is a senior and will graduate in May. Her GPA probably would be higher if she had attended school at home. One of her friends from HS with similar HS stats has a 4.0 here. D doesn’t have a 4.0, but is on track to graduate with honors.</p>
<p>That’s why my two kids are both attending prestigious colleges.</p>
<p>Hanging out with YoYoMa imparts what? Lifetime bragging rights? “Play it safe” and feel like an “underchiever” for going to a state school. Maybe one of these “state school” types may save your life or one of your kids someday? These state school types are real losers. Give me a real fireman,etc. over an Ivy PhD in some kind of humanity thing any time of the day in a disaster. I really can’t tell if some of these posts are even for real.</p>
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<p>Because it can be cheaper to go to Harvard than to a state school. Similarly, for some people it won’t be much more expensive. Or they don’t care about the expense.</p>
<p>Because the grading isn’t necessarily that much tougher. Or because the grading is tougher, but you want a more rigorous education because you’ll be better prepared for (fill in whatever profession you want).</p>
<p>Because you’re not sure exactly what you want to do with your life, so going somewhere just to get the best possible pre-med (or pre-whatever) grades isn’t a big motivator for you.</p>
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<p>Anyone with the smarts, energy and work ethic to be accepted to Harvard should be able to figure out something to do with their life even if their college GPA isn’t as high as they’d like it to be. There are far more possibilities out there than you’ve imagined yet–that’s part of the college experience.</p>
<p>Yes, I will be the first to admit that I know nothig outside of high school. Thats why I’m asking this question. My question is, ultimately, wouldnt a state school grad and a harvard grad at the same medical school be valued(lack of a better word) the same?</p>
<p>@sevmom had to make a separate post just for you…just wanna say, your posts are just the cutest things ever :D</p>
<p>"And even with a school filled with those kinda of studenta, the average GPA is still only about 3.4 "</p>
<p>Again GPA is not measured same for all majors. GPA is not measured same for people wanting to do medicine since there is a science GPA and overall GPA and only science GPA matters. </p>
<p>People don’t avoid Harvard because they can’t get higher GPAs to do medicine. In fact, it is considered one of the easier routes of getting into medical school with higher or lower gpa.</p>
<p>Ah, well if thats true then my whole argument is moot.
So the average scienxe GPA of harvard student is about 3.7+?</p>
<p>STEM average grades tend to be quite a bit lower at all schools (and with more work), including the elites. That’s why two-thirds of the students eventually end up majoring in something else.</p>
<p>So then it’s not true @texaspg …</p>
<p>Where is that 2/3 figure coming from,Lorem? Has not been a problem for either of my kids getting through engineering/STEM.</p>
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<p>GPA is not the reason why people shy away from STEM.</p>
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<p>servmom, really??</p>