Is Undergrad Really That Important?

[GoldShadow]

<p>The name of your undergrad has a negligible effect on medical school admission. Don’t try to use that as a factor in deciding where to go.

i kind of have mixed feelings about this. it seems like getting a great GPA at a cheaper state school while still being able to get into an elite grad school is perfectly reasonable, but if this is true, then why would anyone bother going to an expensive/elite private school for undergrad at all?

Not everybody’s thinking about how the name of the school will affect them years down the line, or how it will affect their pay. Have you heard of the Harvard study showing that it’s not the school, but the person that matters? (students who went to top schools and students who were admitted to top schools but turned them down were equally successful years later).If, say, Yale, is a great fit for you and you’d enjoy going there for 4 years, the price tag may be worth every penny. Similarly, if a local state school is a great fit for you and you’d enjoy going there for 4 years, that’s the way to go. I’m quoting gadad to reiterate the point: it’s about where you’ll have the best experience.

@gadad

Is your undergraduate experience merely a matter of compiling pre-med credentials or do you hope to grow as a person and be stimulated and inspired by peers who do remarkable things? Undergrad is really that important for people seeking four years of life-changing personal development and educational experiences; not so much for those seeking only credentialing or pre-professional training for an entry-level job.

</p>

<p>Regarding this:

You can make contacts at grad school, too, right? And yes, you’re probably going to get a slightly better education (how much better I can’t say considering TAs usually teach undergrad students).

What makes you think you’ll get a “better education”? Organic chemistry is the same no matter where you take it. Big name undergrads do have advantages; in certain fields, the brand name can help get your foot in the door. They tend to have a lot of resources and support available for students. Students have a lot of opportunities. And these schools bring in a lot of research money and tend to have experts in the field. But when you go to class (especially science classes), you learn the same things regardless of the school you go to.</p>