<p>My goal as a career is to be a medical doctor. I find nothing else more satisfying than to work in an environment where I know that I contribute to the healing of people. Therefore, hearing that Harvard has an excellent Premed program, I was wondering if Harvard is the right fit for students considering a future in medicine. Also, does anyone know the average GPA for a Harvard graduate? Because, as many might know, in getting into a medical school, one of the most important aspects is a student’s GPA. Please help!</p>
<p>who knows. very few people get in and those who get in dont want to become doctors anymore.</p>
<p>samji: what if you were to go to Harvard and find something that is more interesting than medicine?</p>
<p>As for being an excellent pre-med school per se, it’s certainly excellent but in large part, it’s due to the fact that they admit excellent students.</p>
<p>Here’s a greater concern for you: how much can you afford for college? Let’s say you get a free ride at a good state school but need to pay $200,000 for Harvard. What should you do? Well considering Med School loans will crush you – an option might be to take the less expensive route.</p>
<p>I think it depends on the individual student’s goals.</p>
<p>IF you’re academically oriented and smart enough to do well, Harvard (or any other ultra-high stat school) is an excellent place to be a premed - particularly for those interested in academic medicine. The unusual research opportunities available over a regular ol’ state U are critical for medical research/PhD admissions.</p>
<p>That said, if you intend on being a practicing physician and were not an academic admit to a place like Harvard, you’re likely better off elsewhere. The increased competition for grades relative to an easier university (premed classes are nearly always curved, if not officially, then practically) can make medical school admission either much harder then it needs to be, or impossible for the unprepared student. For instance, I have a friend that ran into this very problem. She wasn’t particularly intelligent, but minority status and a few interesting extracurriculars pushed her over the edge, and she ended up attending Harvard. Now she’s a junior with around a 2.9 GPA - generally too low for medical school admissions - and kicking herself for not taking the full ride at our state university.</p>
<p>Is this a normal series of events? I’m not sure. But I would think carefully about your goals before committing.</p>