rvhockey

I want to apply early decision, and all the schools I'm looking at are basically the same to me. The schools are Cornell and Dartmouth (the big names) and Amherst, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Williams. Obviously the Ivies will garnish more recognition, but does it really matter if I want to go into med school? Thanks a ton!

kwu

Dartmouth isn't a "big name."

Cornell is, however, on account of its top graduate schools, and national and international reputation.

To answer your question, no.

2bizee

All med schools would be adequately impressed with any of those schools. They are actually going to be looking at your MCAT scores, your experience in medical fields and your grades. You should be thinking of what kind of experience you want for the next four years, as these schools represent a broad range- though all rural. Among the LAC's, Williams has the highest % of students majoring in the sciences, with Amherst the least.

mom2collegekids

I guess I'm in the dark. I would consider Dartmouth (and any other ivy) as being a "big name."

Virtually any of your listed schools are fine for many med schools. But, what is your ultimate goal? Is it to go to an Ivy med school, Johns Hopkins, or someplace like that? If so, a "big name" will likely help. Your MCAT score is super important.

10scholar

I'd say Dartmouth and Cornell are big names, but amongst those in the know the top LACs are as well. No, they're not Harvard in terms of prestige, but they're very good at what they do and that's respected by many. I'd encourage you to look closer at the schools and decide what you want in a school (hopefully with visits). All of the schools except Cornell are colleges, and I'd agree on paper they're very similar - LACs, lots of contact with professors, etc. and it would come down to fit. But Cornell is a huge school comparatively and you need to decide if that's what you want. Completely different environment - better for some, not for others.

kwu

If Amherst and Williams aren't "big names," as the OP implies, then neither is Dartmouth.

Penn State is a "big name."

mom2collegekids

^^^

There are many "big names"

ghostbuster

Hump? What hump? LOL.

Big names mean different things to different people. In Hockey the big names are not necessarily the big academic schools, as far as NCAA tournaments and champions are concerned. In academics, the big names can be schools with big sports and lots of students, like Penn State or Michigan, or can mean the super elite LAC's like Swarthmore and Williams or the Ivy League. An alternative which can give you a chance at being a happy well rounded student with good grades and a decent MCAT? Perhaps the Patriot League, like Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh, Holy Cross, Colgate.

Kids get into med school by the thousands from all sorts of lesser ranked schools, and often with majors that might shock you: music majors, language majors, history majors....who took a few chem and biology courses along the way as well..and scored well on the MCAT.

I would always pick the school where you will thrive and succeed, academically and socially. Where you will be the happiest for four years. These are important formative years and once they are gone, you can't redo them.

For some, playing on Brown's ice hockey team and being challenged at school and being in Providence is the penultimate college experience. Ditto for Dartmouth or Penn or Harvard. (Or field hockey.)

How about Tufts? Is that in the mix? Boston College?

par72

Tufts and Holy Cross do have strong pre-med programs and slightly easier to gain admission. Dartmouth has good name recognition at grad schools.

Grcxx3

I think "name recognition" depends on a lot of things.

I went to a rather low-ranked, commuter, not-at-all-sought after school. But - I went there for a reason. At the time (late 70s) the Geology Department was very well-respected by the oil industry. And that's where I knew I wanted to be. We had TONS of graduates students who started at the "nationally known" school across town and transferred to my school after the first semester because they realized our program was superior. The local (international, regional, and local) companies also knew that.

Later on, I found out that I "beat" students from "nationally known" universities because the management team knew that I had a great foundation from the school I attended.

It all just depends................

IBclass06

Agreed. Most people will stare blankly at you if you mention any of the three.



This is, of course, completely moot for med school. As Amherst says,

Alex7592

On a side note, how could you apply to LACs and Cornell?

LasMa

Keep in mind that grad school admissions officers may have a different idea of what constitutes a "big name" than high school students or the general public do.

rvhockey

Cornell's College of Arts and Science is basically a LAC, only about 4,000 students, same class sizes, etc.
and just as rural as many other LACs in the Northeast (save Tufts, Conn, and Wesleyan)