<p>Is now the time to mention that even with College Confidential the advice is that it doesn’t matter which undergrad school one chooses if one is looking to go pre-med? Check out the links in the FAQ post…</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/377780-premed-forum-faqs-read-first.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/377780-premed-forum-faqs-read-first.html</a></p>
<p>This link probably hashes it out the best (from above link):</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/366517-age-old-question-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/366517-age-old-question-2.html</a></p>
<p>And this post sums it up (more or less) for those not wanting to click on and wade through links:</p>
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<p>I was on the admissions commitee of one of the aforementioned medical schools, and currently work at another one. Top medical schools draw disproportionately from top undergraduate colleges since the top students from those schools apply there. It only makes sense that they would be well represented. Additionally, there may be less students of similar caliber applying from other schools-the applicant pool is not as deep. On the other hand, top medical schools do not need to fill their class with Ivy Leaguers to boost their prestige so they can afford to take the best wherever they may be. In fact, top medical schools are looking for wide representation at many different colleges whether they be little known schools in the deep South or religious colleges or large state schools with a heterogenous student body with a wide range in academic capabilities. A top student from such a school, provided he/she has a strong record and MCAT scores, may actually stand out from the crowd and be interviewed. There will not be many other applicants (sometimes none) from their school. In contrast, we might receive 30 applications each from places like Penn and Princeton but decide to interview only a third of them. Those odds are certainly better than the general applicant pool but the advantage does not apply to the individual applicant with similar credentials who went to school elsewhere and stands out.</p>
<h2>In contrast to your first points, I think going to a higher ranked college may make more of a difference when applying to a lower ranked medical school. In order to boost prestige (as well as to get the best available students), they may take an Ivy-leaguer or top 10 LAC student with say a 3.3 GPA over a strong student from a state school with say a 3.7 average. They also may decide to take a certain number from particular Ivy League Schools in order to cultivate a positive relationship. For example, I saw that in a recent year, 11 out of 100 or so incoming students at Boston University graduated from Brown.</h2>
<p>What matters is EXACTLY what I have been told by workers in the field… Maybe I feel better about the advice I might find here for my middle son after all…</p>
<p>He’ll be getting oodles of info from potential choices after he takes the PSAT in a couple of weeks. His scores on practice tests are in the National Merit range even as a sophomore and I can’t see him declining with one more year to go. We’ll be whittling from the choices over time - looking for Eastern half of the US AND a free ride or close to it. It may be Christian or not - he’ll decide that with visits, etc.</p>
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<p>Other than academia and maybe California, I’m having a tough time figuring out a field where this applies for undergrad. I know some people at the top of their fields locally who have built ‘stuff’ for churches and donated to Samaritan’s Purse, etc, without the pedigree that’s supposedly needed. Heck, one didn’t even go to college period - just straight into business. I’m certainly not advocating that route nor choosing it for my sons, but I feel the same way about elite/expensive colleges. There’s only ‘value’ in them (for undergrad) if one believes there is. To us, the debt load is just not worth it when there are other, better, options.</p>