Emma
How important is the college you go to for undergrad when applying to medical school/
I have been accepted into a couple of honors programs at good colleges which included good merit scholarships. I have also applied to a couple Ivy League and schools and am wondering if I get accepted if they are really worth the extra cost when applying to medical school? I would have to take out loans to afford the difference. #college #medicine #college-admissions #medical-school #healthcare
4 answers
Rachel Weinheimer
Rachel’s Answer
Richard A.
Richard’s Answer
Pick a college that suits your personality and a major that interests you. You will need to get good grades in college in order to apply for medical school. At the medical school I attended, the average GPA is reported to be 3.85, so even one or two B's can hurt your chances of acceptance.
Alice Foster McCallum
Alice Foster’s Answer
Kudos, Emma, for considering all aspects of your options. In some ways, having attended an ivy can be a big advantage, but admittance to graduate school isn't necessarily one of them. Grad schools want well-rounded classes just as undergraduate programs do and they aren't going to fill their slots with all ivy-leaguers, which means that being one of few applicants from a non-ivy honors programs could even set you apart. The graduate program is going to consider the strength of the program you completed--and there are plenty of great non-ivy options out there--but your personal stats will be more important, i.e. your MCAT scores, GPA, research, co-curriculars, leadership, etc.
Keep in mind, too, that completing a medical degree can be very expensive. If merit scholarships help you keep college costs to a minimum during your undergraduate degree, then you are more likely to complete your degree and will be less burdened by debt when you begin your career.
Daniel Camous
Daniel’s Answer
I attended Johns Hopkins for undergrad and I would never recommend it because medical schools care about GPA and it's much harder to have a high GPA at Hopkins. The less time you need to dedicate to class the more you can dedicate towards research opportunities and jobs that will push your application further.