<p>Well Ill briefly give you my scenario, I was basically wondering how to give myself the best vantage point to getting into Medical School. I currently attend Clarkson University (basically engineering and business) as a freshman, and am enrolled in Aeronautical Engineering, which is one of the most difficult majors here. They do have a pre-med program here but it is only so-so in terms of quality. I am determined to become pre-med and eventually go to medical school. So I was considering doing my best this first year and then transferring to a school that has a premed program and would be my best shot at getting into med school. The schools I was thinking of transferring to are…
-Umass Amherst
-Brown University
-Connecticut College
-possibly Boston College or Boston U.</p>
<p>Ive read that the med school admissions board doesnt look at the school, but mostly the GPA and MCAT scores. Is this true? Wouldnt that mean I should go to a school where I could get the highest GPA (umass)? Also there really isnt any way to do community stuff around here (EMT and such), since Clarkson is honestly in the middle of nowhere (thats not true we have a Walmart an hour away). Anyways I would like your honest opinions on what I need to do or where I need to go in order to get the best shot at Medical School.</p>
<p>Sorry let me just throw in one more question. How much does what you did in High School factor into medical school? I just kind of drifted there and seriously regret it (i had about a B-B+ average, 1330 SAT, no SAT II’s, 29 on ACT, swimming 4 years varsity and captain one year, 2 years chorus). Thanks a lot everybody, I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Jeez i thought of another one…What questions should I be asking admissions at the colleges I listed above? For example I know I should ask how many people in Premed go on to Med school, are there any other important things I should ask? Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>anybody? Please help!</p>
<p>Yes, the main considerations for med school are your GPA, MCAT, ECs, and letters of recommendation. They will take your school into account to some extent (for example, UChicago students are given a slight break for their GPA, since their school is known for grade deflation)</p>
<p>No, med schools don’t care what happened in high school. They just want to know what you did in college. </p>
<p>If your ECs in college extend back to high school, you could probably to list that long term commitment. I don’t know for sure though.</p>
<p>Ok, so does this mean a 3.8 at UMass or equivalent school would be better as a 3.4 or 3.5 at somewhere like Cornell or BU or an equivalent school?</p>
<p>About what questions you want to be asking -
Things I would want to know are:</p>
<p>How many students is each pre-med advisor responsible for? How hard is it to get an appointment with them? Are they generally helpful and friendly?</p>
<p>How accessible are professors? What resources are available if you find yourself stuggling in a course? Is there tutoring? Who are the tutors? How much does it cost?</p>
<p>Do students tend to study in groups or individually? How willing are students to help their classmates?</p>
<p>Are the classes taught by TA’s or professors? How big are the classes? Are there review or discussion sessions?</p>
<p>What opportunities are there for pre-med students to get involved in research on campus? Are there hospitals around? How do you get to them to volunteer/shadow/do research? Are they teaching hospitals? Is there a student-run EMS program? How hard is it to get involved in?</p>
<p>That’s a start anyway…</p>