<p>Princeton has a 90% acceptance rate and is grade inflated</p>
<p>MIT has a 77% acceptance rate and is not grade inflated</p>
<p>Therefore, grade inflated schools must be better than non-grade inflated schools for premed.</p>
<p>Far too simplistic of an analysis.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Your argument consists of far too few schools. HYPS are all either ranked higher or tied with MIT in the rankings so saying they have higher acceptance rates to med schools isn’t saying much. What are some lower ranked, grade-inflated schools that have significantly higher acceptance rates than MIT? (BTW: Where did you find the acceptance figures for Harvard, Yale, and Stanford? Or did you simply assume they had 90% acceptance rates because Princeton does?)</p></li>
<li><p>Have you considered the fact that MIT just plain sucks for premd (irrespective of how tough its grading is)? MIT is known for cranking out great engineers, not doctors.</p></li>
<li><p>All of the schools you mentioned (HYPS) have a greater proportional of humanities majors applying to med school. Even if all of the grades were equalized, a humanities major with a 3.50 GPA will still be taken over a biology major with a 3.50 GPA simply because humanities majors are more rare. Therefore, any school with a high % of humanities majors applying will have an advantage over any school with a high % of engineers applying.</p></li>
<li><p>Have you examined the individual applicant characteristics from each school? The only way you can say that a grade inflation is beneficial for med school is to present evidence that applicants from MIT and Princeton have the same EC’s, same quality of recommendations, same MCAT scores, etc. with their only difference being GPA. Otherwise, how do you know that it’s the grades and not the lack of extracirriculars on the part of MIT applicants that’s preventing them from getting into med school? I would argue that the type of person who is an engineer (a person who tends to be anti-social, nerdy, studies a lot and doesn’t do much else, and all the other stereotypes) is precisely the type of applicant that med schools don’t want. Therefore, any school with a high percentage of engineers applying would have lower acceptance rates, regardless of whether the school is grade inflated or not. </p></li>
<li><p>The fact that MIT has the same acceptance rate of much lower ranked schools like Notre Dame or Cornell suggests that MIT has a weakness in its premed program. Since I’m not a MIT student I don’t know what that weakness may be. Either it has subpar professors in premed courses (and therefore, it’s students are not adequately prepared for the MCAT) or poor premed advisors or SOMETHING.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Its actually really simple (this is from my father’s friend who is on the admissions committee at Ohio State). Its 100% related to grade inflation. Think about it ALL the 3.6+ 30MCAT kids from the top 25 are getting in somewhere. The difference is the 3.0-3.2 kids. A kid from Harvard who might be 50% in his class will still have a 3.3, the same rank at Cornell is below a 3.0. Penn medical will “be more aware” of Cornell or MIT’s intensity compared to Harvard and Stanford but the University of Toledo will not, and they will flat out refuse anyone below a 3.1ish. So that’s the difference.</p>
<p>Wrong assumptions. The fact that the writing has merged with the new SAT means it matters that much more. A 640 won’t matter at MIT as much, but Duke will care a lot. I would retake the entire new SAT and shoot for a 2200. </p>
<p>Schools will take into account that you went to Deerfield, but ask yourself where the other 88 average kids end up. That should help.</p>
<p>I really think you should consider Northwestern, at least as RD. Many of the qualities of Duke but I think you will get in.</p>
<p>I got into Northwestern, I turned it down for cornell, why? several reasons which are highligted in other posts. Main reason: Quarter system SUCKS, i do not care what you guys say and what not, but it is just not convenient for many reasons and you end up with more TESTS, more exams more often, more papers, more everything. Honestly, who cares about more classes, this system has more problems than pros. The breaks are all different and everything is just messed up. My other main reason is that NW is seriously a very ARTSY place and it is not for everyone. I just felt like CAS was an after thought there and that the whole school was designed around the revered Journalism, Communications, Music, Theater programs. My other reasons were that about half the school comes from the Midwest, a place I will not be staying in and a place that I do not want to live in. Hence, job connections will be strong in the midwest but not on the east or west coast, very little alums compared to an ivy league school. There were my main reasons. You can attack me (Slipper) all you want. However, in all honestly, I think Duke is the better school and at least you will get that same east coast connections that an ivy league will provide you with.</p>
<p>I think Duke is clearly the best choice of the three I am just not sure Med will get in with the current SAT. Med - Admissions comes down to two factors, Academic Index and “hooks”/ ECs. You will be strong on the ECs but your academic index is a little lacking. Boosting the SAT will alleviate this issue bigtime. If you can get a 2200-2250+ I think you have a great shot at Duke, otherwise it will be an uphill climb.</p>
<p>Collegekid, I find it funny that you think NU is artsy, I would say its pre-professional but has a good mix. I dont think you chose wrong by picking Cornell over NU at all. I do know that as a pre-med I would choose Northwestern only because of the grade-inflation issue.</p>
<p>Thanks Slipper, I will be sure to consider NU as a choice. Would you put NU over Cornell and JHU for better GPAs (i.e. grade inflation, better pre-med community) and better lifestyle for premeds? I am thinking of Northwestern RD and I hope I have a great shot, but I need a comparision of thsoe three schools.</p>
<p>As for academic index, aren’t the SAT II’s a great record? Also, the 8 APS hopefully can stand out. I will actually be taking 40 credits of biology in a year next year and that is almost 2 or 3 years of undergrad bio so I hope its a huge plus point.</p>
<p>Also, isn’t a 1480 legit for Duke? The thing is I hear the NEW sat curving is really hard. I will give a shot to take it once in November and I will rush the scores. But I was wondering about this instead: What if my scores show that I got a 750or 750+ score on writing but CR, I deuced and math I didnt get perhaps a 750+. I mean I did get a 1480 (790 M 690V) and I feel that my CR may drop. I hope a college like Duke will take the best components and I hope that Duke may look at my score on the NEW SAT only for writing improvement, thats all. I fear of taking this entire exam all over again being it my second time around colleges.</p>
<p>Any other advice. I just hope I put my best foot forward. I think I will great reccs and essays, and I just want to know if my scores can be really good for EARLY DECISION at Duke, otherwise I probably would not give it a shot at RD. </p>
<p>In addition, Slipper look at the entering class at Wharton MBA or Harvard Law, you will clearly see that Cornell dominates Northwestern in those schools even if you account for class size, you want to know why, b/c Cornell is well more represented on the east coast. I am not interested in going to law or MBA school in Chicago or Michigan, I want to go to Wharton or something along those lines…Therefore, I feel I made the right decision.</p>
<p>Northwestern tops the U of C and Northwestern law schools in terms of representation. I bet its representation in U of C and Northwestern’s business schools is higher too. Regionality does play a huge role. If you want to reside in the east coast instead of midwest, then sure, Cornell is better.</p>
<p>Sam Lee, I 100 percent absolutely agree with you. I am sure that with Cornell Law school and Cornell business school, Cornell is the top school in terms of representation. If you look at Wharton MBA, Cornell is the 3-4 most represented school there, Northwestern only has 5 kids there, Cornell 25. Even if you account for class size, Cornell just beats the <em>&^</em> out of NW in terms of this at Wharton. You can argue about the WSJ Feeder list, but take out U of Chicago Law as one of the schools plugged in, NW would DROP about 10 spots in that survey, but I did the math, and around 40-50 percent of NW’s feeding into those top 15 places came just from one school-- U of Chicago Law. That speaks a lot about regionality.</p>
<p>Sam lee, just curious you live on the west coast now, why did you choose a school that was in the midwest, just curious, it just doesn’t make 2 much sense. I want to live on the east coast one day, that’s why i chose a school here, not in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, etc or Missouri (WUSTL) for example.</p>
<p>guys u are in Undergrad, it doesnt matter at all seriously. a genius 4th tier college kid will go to like an NYU grad school and will have doors opening for him.</p>
<p>i am going to laugh hilariously after reading your post, you are the one who has almost 140 posts in a matter of 4 days, and you are the one now saying “it doesnt matter at all seriously.” You are the one that is so paranoid about your chances. BTW, Sam Lee is a Northwestern alum living in Cali, if i am correct. I am pre-frosh, entering Cornell next year, see, you want my stats, simple, 1450 SAT, 750, 740, 750 SAT IIs, HIGH average, top 3-4 percent of my class. If i am correct, you weren’t even satisfied with a top 30 school vandy and took a year off, just showing you that you DO CARE A LOT.</p>
<p>you people are crazy. you’ll be fine at either of those 3 schools and im sure youll get into the same med school coming from any of those. ive heard that a lot of cheating goes on at jhu but thats hearsay and unsubstantiated as far as i know. talk to jhu students if you want to find the truth about that.</p>
<p>Well, regionality is more about students’ choice rather than admission’s choice. I don’t think Wharton would prefer a Cornell kid over a comparable Northwestern kid, just like I don’t think Kellogg would prefer Northwestern’s kid over similar Cornell’s one. By similar, I mean similar academic achievement and intership experience. The admission people are smart enough to know they are about equal regardless of geographical location. The fact that Wharton has more Cornell kids are likely because more Cornell kids apply to that school, just like more Northwestern’s kids apply to Kellogg. I got my degree at Northwestern because I was confidendent I would get jobs anywhere. After all, there are lots of Wall street people that are from 2nd/3rd tier schools too. The school that has produced most number of top-500 company executives is wisconsin–a midwest school.</p>