<p>Instead of creating a new thread I will just ask this question here. To entering first year medical students and current medical students:</p>
<p>Would you recommend purchasing a tablet or a laptop for medical school? Are there general advantages to either with respect to medical school or would you say it is a matter of preference?</p>
<p>It’s a matter of preference. My school required us to have laptops, so that wasn’t negotiable. My take on tablets is that they’re overkill. They don’t do anything extra for me. They’re expensive and more fragile than laptops, which in any case are not exactly the Sherman tanks of the tech world. If I’m going to write, I prefer writing on paper instead of a screen.</p>
<p>Personal preference for sure. I know a couple of schools that require one or the other. But if they don’t, do what you like.</p>
<p>It’s extremely common at most places for the school to actually give you the handouts for all the lectures before the even begins. So you have all the power point slides in front of you, and can add notes as needed.</p>
<p>I posted this question in a different thread, but i only got one response:</p>
<p>I’ve been trying to figure this out for a while now, and hopefully someone here can give me a straight answer. I’m an undergrad at northwestern currently applying to med school, and i hear from people “undergrad school doesn’t matter that much” all the way to “they def. take into account where you go”. This affects me quite a bit, because I’m in an honors program here (Integrated Science Program) which has really hard classes where it’s difficult to get high grades. I still have a 3.75 overall and science gpa, but I’m afraid that the top schools won’t really consider me given that their average gpas are like 3.8 and 3.9. What are my chances at the top schools - should i even bother applying? MCAT 36 btw - i know numbers aren’t everything, but i know they’re the most important.</p>
<p>Basically the crux of my question is whether or not undergrad school and program difficulty is going to be taken into account, because if not, i don’t think i have a good shot at the top schools.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>From the [url=<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/202936-good-pre-med-schools.html]thread[/url”>Good Pre-Med Schools - Pre-Med Topics - College Confidential Forums]thread[/url</a>] which is posted right on the very front page:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Adcoms are normal intelligent people who most likely have been through multiple levels of higher education. They will have some idea of what a 3.75 from Northwestern University means in comparison to other schools. However, difficulty of undergraduate school is never an excuse for poor performance. Good performance at a lesser known school is qualified by the MCAT examination. </p>
<p>And for my concern: I have never used a tablet. I currently have a laptop from undergrad. Their website strongly recommends buying one of the two models they offer that are “medical school” pre-loaded (or whatever terminology they used). I guess I will buy a new laptop from them but it feels like a waste.</p>
<p>Not exactly on topic, but what exactly is a “8 class pre-med core”? I’m new at this.</p>
<p>I am a Dartmouth undergrad entering junior year. 2 years after matriculating, I am still struggling with the academics here. My science gpa is around a 3.1 and cumulative is 3.3. At this point, would you guys recommend that I take a year off so I have an additional year’s worth of grades factored in, or do I still have a chance at being accepted with these stats if I apply at the end of junior year?</p>
<p>These grades are not because I am not working hard - it just seems that everyone here works hard, and I can - at best - score the median for every class. It’s been an incredibly frustrating experience thus far, and I want to know what is the best thing to do at this point is.</p>
<p>With a 3.3 overall and a 3.1 science, you’d have a very low chance of getting into a US allopathic med school. If you look at the MSAR, a 3.4 would essentially put you in the bottom 10% in most med school matriculating classes. Another way to look at it: the mean GPA of applicants is around a 3.5 with a std. dev of 0.2. You would be one std. dev below the mean (somewhere in the bottom 15-20% or so). My friend with a 3.4/38 this year applied to 35 schools and got into 1 (and that was off the waitlist).</p>
<p>So, taking some time off to improve your application would definitely be a good idea. Of course, if you’re fine with an osteopathic school, then a 3.3 is a decent GPA.</p>
<p>I like your screename btw :)</p>
<p>Addendum: BDM is correct that other factors are involved. I think the only one that can really allow you to apply on time would be race. If you happen to be a URM, a 3.3, 3.1 will make you competitive for mid-tier med schools.</p>
<p>I mean, there’s a lot of information still missing: MCAT score, race, home state, experience, etc. But yes, in any case, I think a year off will be good for you.</p>
<p>Trust me med schools don’t judge you upon your home state and race.</p>
<p>… that’s … just… untrue. Those are two absolutely huge factors.</p>
<p>Because of an AP test score in Calc BC, I qualify for a higher math series (20) (classes) do you think it is wise to take the harder class if people say that the 10 series (easier) and the 20 series are the same?</p>
<p>Hi all! I’m an incoming freshman at a small all-women’s liberal arts college in the south. They have a GREAT track record when it comes to med school admissions-over 80%, almost no other school can boast this. However, I chose it over more competitive LACs in the northeast, and now I’m second guessing myself. I know it’s the right school for me, but I worry that med schools won’t take my application seriously since I’ll have gone to a not-very-well-known school. Do you think I’m at a serious disadvantage?</p>
<p>Also, I really like chemistry, but don’t want it to be the focus of my college career, so I’m thinking about majoring in sociology, art history, or possibly psych. I know there are plenty of statistics to prove that these ARE alright majors for pre-med, as long as I take the required science sequence, but do you think this would put me at even more of a disadvantage, or hinder my preparation for the MCAT? I feel like I’d be able to really focus better on my science/math courses if I’m not overloaded on them each semester, which I think I would be with a science major. </p>
<p>Sometimes I feel like my unusual college and out of the ordinary major choice (compared to biological sciences etc.) would make me stand out, but I’m not sure if it would be a good thing or a bad thing.</p>
<p>Sorry for the lengthy post, I’m just worried about med school because I heard of so many people not getting in this year, and I really want to become a doctor.</p>
<p>Vixen:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/202936-good-pre-med-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/202936-good-pre-med-schools.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/366517-age-old-question-post4392948.html#post4392948[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/366517-age-old-question-post4392948.html#post4392948</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/214387-what-should-premed-major.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/214387-what-should-premed-major.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/205486-what-major-should-i-do-would-best-med-school.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/205486-what-major-should-i-do-would-best-med-school.html</a></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>i second serenaxcheelam’s question. any input?
note that taking the lower level math course would require forfeiting the ap credit</p>
<p>yeah, I dont know what is the right thing to do. It seems like a waste–if the game were to be played like this, then why was AP credit created in the first place?</p>
<p>What are the benefits/drawbacks of taking the lower math class?</p>
<p>and</p>
<p>What are the benefits/drawbacks of taking the higher math class?</p>
<p>serena,
I see you are from UCSD. There have been many threads on that board about math 10 series vs. math 20 series. Here are just a few of them:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/340675-math-20-vs-math-10-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/340675-math-20-vs-math-10-a.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/214345-math-10-vs-math-20-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/214345-math-10-vs-math-20-a.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/385883-10a-vs-20a-math-series-one-harder.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/385883-10a-vs-20a-math-series-one-harder.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/340675-math-20-vs-math-10-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-san-diego/340675-math-20-vs-math-10-a.html</a></p>
<p>wow, thanks so much, twylaBloo!</p>
<p>I’m a Freshmen at UCLA and was wondering how high of an MCAT score and UCLA GPA I would need to be considered competitive at Harvard Med School (I realize that many other factors are considered).</p>