<p>Just for fun after reading this thread and checked out DD’s medical school to which she received acceptance in the fall.</p>
<p>It is listed in the top 10 in almost every sub category they offer
She went to Berkeley (bio major)
She had a lowly 29</p>
<p>How does that factor in?</p>
<p>The only thing I see that is strong is that obviously Berkeley has a national reputation so the same GPA there may receive subconscious bonus points as compared to a lesser know school like Chico State or Sacto State.</p>
<p>And, at a huge public institution it is very difficult to forge the relationships that will garner stellar LORs. D3 is at a small private and had better instructor magic helpful relationships at the end of her first term then her sister did as a senior at Cal. But, if the student does get great LORs, then adcoms probably realise not only is it a strong letter, it is a strong letter from a place that does not foster student-prof relationships, speaking to the abilities of the applicant to connect.</p>
<p>I do think a well-known and well-reputed school will give you some bonus points, even if it merely a subconscious boost on the part of the adcom. I do think you can get into med school from an unknown school, but you’d better be nearly perfect in numbers and </p>
<p>But really, Norcal was right. It is silly for HS students to be going through the mental mechanations of trying to determine the best college choice for med school apps. So many people who enter calling themselves pre-med end up changing majors. </p>
<p>Applying for med school successfully is the culmination of a solid MCAT, strong(3.5+) overall GPA, and self-investigation into medicine via shadowing and volunteering and also being involved in social ECs, research plus doing what it takes to obtain stellar LORs.</p>
<p>That is a huge 4 years of hard work package; kinda hard to fake it. Hard to stumble through, you must be a diligent and involved student, so pick the school where YOU will succeed and hopefully have no loans at the end of it all.</p>
<p>HS students quit fixating on prestige and fixate on putting yourself in the environment that will work for you, there is no #1 right answer.</p>