<p>The title of this thread somehow reminds me of the recurring thread along the same line: Does it matter if you do not go to a top college for premed, or putting it in another way, do you have an edge (fair or not) by going to a top college?</p>
<p>It appears most CCers think the break in GPA is not much, with the exception of a handful of schools. However, most believe students should go to a quite recognized school, like your state’s flagship school or a slightly lower.</p>
<p>Well count me among those that think there will be no GPA points or tenths of points given for W. (CC history shows there aren’t any given for grade-deflated Davidson, either. It is what it is.) There are just a few schools that get a couple of tenths and after you get past the first 4, the debate starts. 
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<p>Folks. We are talking about pre-req courses. Not some filler class. Taking the classes at the best school you can afford is the way to go.</p>
<p>There was another thread where I computed that under 50% of California residents actually end up at in state medical schools and one of the primary reasons may be that there are so few seats. </p>
<p>The only way to make up lower GPA is to have a higher MCAT score or have other accomplishments. The school name won’t add much.</p>
<p>marama–</p>
<p>Medical school is so expensive. Not just the cost of attendance (which is heart-stopping all by itself), but also the cost of an application cycle. (Plan on ~$10,000 if your D takes a MCAT prep class and applies to 25 schools–which is a fairly typical number for an average, unhooked candidate from CA.)</p>
<p>Since the application process itself is so expensive, finishing up the pre-reqs on the cheap is not the place to be ‘penny wise and pound foolish’. You want your D to have the best shot she can to get accepted during her first round of applications.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for your observations and recommendations.</p>
<p>By the way, there’s no problem with my daughter’s GPA. She’s performing very well, because she’s smart and dedicated. This is purely a question of finances. As a single mother, I don’t have the deepest of pockets, so I try to find good solutions that will allow my daughter to achieve her dreams.</p>
<p>There are plenty of schools that have grade deflation, not just W. You seem to think that W is an exception. It’s really not. </p>
<p>D2 graduated from a school that also has purposeful grade deflation. It’s not uncommon at “name” schools. (And, no, she’s not expecting a GPA bump for it during her application cycle.)</p>
<p>RE: the claims of W’s 70-80% success rate. There’re several old threads on this forum which explain all the nefarious ways undergrad colleges manipulate this number. Withholding committee letters is just one of several methods. There are at least a half dozen other ways to juice up the number.</p>
<p>To give some examples:</p>
<p>The school counts only MD matriculants, but includes in that number students who are attending a foreign medical school (in the Carribean or Europe). </p>
<p>The school counts MD, DO, OD, DPM matriculants as “medical school acceptances”</p>
<p>The school counts both graduating seniors and alumni (up to 7 years after graduation) matriculants, even if the alumni completed their all pre-reqs requirements as a post-bacc or obtained another degree elsewhere after graduation.</p>
<p>In order to know if W’s 70-8% matriculation rate is accurate, you need to see the raw data–and not just accept the school’s word on it. (Trust, but verify :))</p>
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<p>Sure, we do, and we have the stats to back it up. A mean of 3.3-3.4 is typical of many top, private colleges.</p>
<p>[Wellesley</a> College](<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com/wellesley.html]Wellesley”>http://www.gradeinflation.com/wellesley.html)</p>
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<p>The good news is that being low income is a plus factor for UC. And of course, being Hispanic won’t hurt.</p>
<p>WOWmom. I think you got that confuddled. It’s the CSU post-bacc that is claiming the 70-80%.</p>
<p>WayOutWestMom,</p>
<p>I haven’t researched what colleges have an institutionalized policy of grade deflation like Reed, Wellesley and Princeton, but undoubtedly there must be more out there such as Davidson, mentioned above. </p>
<p>I agree that schools present their data in such as way that they come out looking the best they possibly can (as do students!!!). In the end, who knows what the true acceptance rate is? Wellesley claims to have a 70-80% acceptance rate to med school. The committee has a policy in writing of not turning anyone away, and they promise a committee letter no matter what. I would imagine there might be some subtle or not-so-subtle pressure on those who aren’t doing well, but no one is actively prevented from applying. </p>
<p>I have heard that many of the pre-meds from there end up doing post baccs. However, that seems to be a trend across the nation, from what I’ve read. </p>
<p>My daughter applied early decision to Wellesley because it was her first-choice school for a number of reasons. I never questioned her choice because financial aid was my main concern then (as it is now), and her studies these first two years have been generously funded with no loans. Did she make a good decision considering her ultimate goal is med school? It may not have been the perfect choice, but I think she could have done a lot worse. </p>
<p>One thing is for sure: I will let out a sigh of relief when she’s finally done with her studies. What a long haul this has been.</p>
<p>Bluebayou,</p>
<p>Unfortunately, people from Spain don’t get preference in admissions because, as you know, they aren’t considered an underrepresented minority.</p>
<p>I’m nowhere near as familiar with all the colleges across the country as you are. I think I’ll be learn more, though, the more I participate in this forum!</p>
<p>Thanks for your feedback. : )</p>
<p>^^actually, there is no proof to that statement. Any college is free to admit anyone with any preference as they see fit, and if they are trying to boost their numbers…
A student just has to check a box, any box on the app, and by federal law, the college must accept it.</p>
<p>Regardless, officially the University of California is banned from using affirmative action in its admissions. So, they aren’t supposed to… :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Why does she need a post bac if she still has 2 years left in undergrad?</p>
<p>I don’t think any of us who pointed out that grade deflation is a common problem wanted to make you feel as if Wellesley might have been a bad choice. I am extremely glad that I attended a small liberal arts institution and ultimately, I feel that the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. Nevertheless, I feel that my college spent a lot of time telling us that graduate and medical schools would take into account our individual grade deflation, and it surprised many of my classmates that this was not the case only after it was too late. So I feel strongly about warning people before its too late to go back and earn better grades. </p>
<p>I’m glad your daughter is performing at such a high level, and I wish I knew the Cal system better. Is it possible for her to take the required classes part-time or outside of a post-bacc program? That way you would only pay for classes individually and she could volunteer or work part-time to build her application in other ways? Although, post-bacc programs have the additional perk of pre-med advising, I know that at my small school, our pre-med advisor was willing to take phone calls and advise us after we graduated. Might this be may be the case at Wellesley too?</p>
<p>I understand what you’re getting at, bluebayou. However, in recent years the forms seem to have gotten more sophisticated. Now they ask if you are Hispanic/Latino, followed by a list of Spanish-speaking countries which you have to choose from and, finally, a question about race. After marking “Hispanic, from Spain, and Caucasian” it is eminently clear to the adcoms that my daughter is not an underrepresented minority as as per the AAMC. From their website: “There are four racial and ethnic groups defined by AAMC as under-represented minorities (URM) in medicine: African Americans, Mexican Americans, mainland Puerto Ricans, and Native Americans.” </p>
<p>Does that mean that schools might not try to ignore her national origin and race and toss her into the general “Hispanic” category? I expect they will when and if they can derive some benefit from it (to improve their diversity statistics, for example). I tend to think, however --and feel free to correct me if you think I’m wrong–, that my daughter’s attractiveness as a candidate will probably be increased more by her excellent command of written and spoken Spanish than by her place of birth. As a Spanish speaker, she will be able to work directly with the Spanish-speaking patient population, eliminating the need for (and cost of) an interpreter. I think we’re getting farther and farther afield from the topic of the original thread, however, so I’m going to stop here.</p>
<p>Regarding Hispanics and med school admissions, you might be interested in this data that BDM calculated: See post #67:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1054241-how-make-application-list-5.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1054241-how-make-application-list-5.html</a></p>
<p>As bluebayou states, theoretically ethnicity is not a factor for UCs.</p>
<p>Actually, AAMC revised their definition of underrepresented in medicine almost 10 years ago and no longer designates specific groups:</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/urm/[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/urm/</a></p>
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Because of all the classes she has to take to fulfill her breadth requirements plus all the classes she has to and wants to take in her areas of interest and for her major. She doesn’t feel she can do everything in only four years.</p>
<p>cadriethiel,</p>
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No, I’m the one who sometimes asks myself if my daughter should have chosen a school that’s so miserly with As!</p>
<p>I attended one of the most rigorous high schools in the country that appears in Newsweek’s annual top 100 ranking every year. People I knew who were no smarter than me went to easier schools and graduated with fabulous GPAs, whereas I had a good, but not stellar, high school GPA. When I look at my daughter working so hard just to keep her GPA up, I think: “Why didn’t I stop her from applying to a school like that? I already knew what it would be like.”</p>
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<p>Right. </p>
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<p>I think my daughter would agree with you on that. (But ask us again in few years after her med school acceptances/rejections come back!!!)</p>
<p>What about a summer session to fulfill some of her GE (breadth) requirement? Or taking some of her breadth requirements at local college during the summer?</p>
<p>That would seem like a better option than trying to take her pre-reqs after graduation. It could even eliminate the need for her gap year(s).</p>
<p>What about a semester or two of overloads?</p>
<p>IMO she would be much better served taking her pre-req’s at W and the “interest” courses elsewhere. In other words, take the ones she “has to” but leave off the “wants to”. </p>
<p>Obviously the courses required for her major need to be taken at W but shouldn’t there be enough space for a few more pre-req’s? </p>
<p>It’s that important and sadly many pre-meds make similar compromises. </p>
<p>And hey. The price is right. Nothing. </p>
<p>The fear here is the med schools may view her plan as an attempt to game the system by taking pre-req courses at an easier grading school. It is not a good plan.</p>
<p>*Quote:
Why does she need a post bac if she still has 2 years left in undergrad?
*</p>
<p>Oh, missed this info. </p>
<p>I agree with the others. She should find out if W will allow her to take some GenEd, 'interest", or other req’ts during the summer at her local college so that she can have room in her W schedule for her premed prereqs.</p>
<p>What the heck do the other W premeds do? Don’t they manage to fit in their premed classes?</p>