<p>If your desire is a high GPA, the best approach would be go to your state university. Because if you were accepted to Cornell and WashU, it is almost guaranteed that you will have a high GPA in a flagship. All top universities including WashU and Cornell will not be as easy. </p>
<p>For the question regarding placement, I think you need to find and read the statistics of where these applicants applied and accepted to beside reading the chart on the face value, there are more reasons behind the numbers than it appears. (everyone, including current students, would not know the reasons without digging) For example, it is possible that WashU students are more receptive of applying to mid-west med schools because the university itself is in mid-west, and maybe very few Cornell students are applying to these schools. In this case WashU would appear to have higher acceptance rate since mid-west med schools may be easier to get into. This is just one example for critical thinking. And if this is truly one of the reasons, you can just include mid-west med schools on your future list.</p>