<p>Hey parents, I am currently a high school senior who is going to NYU on scholarship. I also got a Guaranteed transfer to Cornell University after 1-2 years, which I might accept. What exactly should I do in the next 4 yrs to have very good chances at getting into top medical schools, more specifically Harvard? Thank you.</p>
<p>First thing you should do is figure out why you want to go there. You’d spend a lot less on your state university med school (which may be the “top” as well; check out the University of Washington v. Harvard/Duke for primary care); it will prepare you just as well (in some areas better), equip you with colleagues across the state you will be working in, and may (if you are a top student), give you a leg-up in internships/residencies. If you want to do research, that’s another matter. But when you are ready to go, med school is going to cost $200k plus, and the debt can be strangulating in choosing where and how you wish to work.</p>
<p>well i am very interested in pursueing research. I will most probably start working in a lab from this summer onward. Research is def my number one concern.</p>
<p>So, the best thing to do is research, and find out if you like it. More than two-thirds of students who enter college as pre-meds ending up not going to medical school at all.</p>
<p>wannatopcollege, here is your answer that will work:</p>
<p>Get a TOP GPA. You would need at least a 3.70 or even higher to get into these top medical schools. Secondly, you would need great MCATs. You need to score in the top 5% or so. Just check out the US NEWS guide to Graduate Schools, which list the average GPA and MCAT scores for the medical schools. </p>
<p>Our friend has two sons that were both admited to University of Penn Medical School, They had these kinds of scores.</p>
<p>The good news, however, is that you don’t need to attend Duke, Harvard Med or some other top medical schools. </p>
<p>Do you know what they call the person who graduates at the bottom of the class at a mediocre medical school?</p>
<p>Answer: Doctor.</p>
<p>And a full 50% of them are in the bottom half of their class. Fancy that! ;)</p>
<p>lol thats def true. I just really want to start building my med school application from now, so that I can hopefully have many options come 2010. Do you think a 3.7+ from NYU would look better than a 3.7+ from Cornell? Do you think it would be advisable to take the 2 year gt option for cornell or remain at NYU?</p>
<p>You already said you are on scholarship. I would do whatever is cheapest.</p>
<p>A 3.7 from Cornell would probably look better only because Cornell is known for being very difficult. I don’t know if NYU has grade inflation or deflation, however.</p>
<p>mini: yea I was thinking the same. However, NYU is known more for its humanities while Cornell is for the sciences. This is why I was skeptical.</p>
<p>ubetteraccept_me: i really dont know if NYU has grade inflation or deflation :(</p>
<p>There is absolutely zero “need” to transfer from NYU to Cornell to attend a top med or grad school. Zippo. I can’t imagine anyone suggesting otherwise.</p>
<p>My D has spoken to several physicians who have kept abreast of the process . Here is what she has learned. Get a good GPA from a school with a good track record of admissions , do some shadowing, seek out all research opportunities at UG and during the summer, get current with changing circumstances in the medical world (financial, ethical, practical, technological) so you can wow them in the interviews, take a look at the current MCAT topics tested to help guide your course selection, volunteer in a patient contact position, enjoy college, don’t drink and drive. That’s about it. ;)</p>
<p>Spend some time determining what type of research you are interested in pursuing. Then find out if the MD is necessary for this type of research. Today much medical research is carried out by those with doctorates in various biological fields - not necessarily joint MD/PhD’s. </p>
<p>Then look at the universities with the best research departments for the type of research you want to do.</p>
<p>Get through freshman year first or better yet get through all of your pre-med and weed out courses then you will have your answer.</p>
<p>My husband is a professor at a Med School. Not a highly prestigeous one - he reviews only the MD/Phd applications. Grades and MCATs are important, they have definite cut-offs, but after that what he reads most carefully are what sort of research the kids have done. This often comes up in interviews too - they’ve rejected many kids who don’t really seem to understand the work in the labs where they were placed.</p>
<p>Personally way back when, I liked the premeds best who weren’t science majors - but if your interest is research I think you’re going to have to pursue some sort of science to be a serious contender for internships.</p>
<p>We should not confuse Med School admissions with admissions to MD/Ph.D. programs, especially NIH supported MSTP programs. The two tracks have pretty different “expectations”. I use that term because while the formal requirements are the same, the way the applicants are evaluated differ. </p>
<p>For regular med school, superior grades and good MCAT scores are a key part. Beyond that, the admissions committees will look at softer factors such as commitment to helping people etc. Research experience is most definitely not required and could even be a negative, if it took away from some of the softer skills.</p>
<p>For MSTP admissions, you need stellar grades, superior MCAT scores AND excellent research experience. There is a good deal of skepticism on the part of the admissions committees in order to screen out those kids who just want a free ride for med school. Rather, an MSTP program is designed to train future researchers. So the evaluation is heavily on future research promise, and recs from faculty regarding your research promise are important. This is where things like a Goldwater can help.</p>
<p>The OP needs to figure out what track (s)he wants - clinical or research. Then build the background for that. The institutional issues will then fall into place.</p>
<p>Or to give a shorter answer to the original question, what to do?</p>
<ul>
<li><p>your absolute best, and then some.</p></li>
<li><p>Gain the eye of some top faculty that will go to bat for you.</p></li>
<li><p>be a “star” as that’s what Harvard Med wants.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Look at a med school application to see what kind of recommendations will be required. Some med schools may be pretty specific–rec from chem teacher, for example. If specific rec will be required, be sure to get to know one of your profs really well. A lot of those pre-med classes are pretty large, so without you making the effort, a prof may have a difficult time remembering you enough to write an helpful rec.</p>
<p>“We should not confuse Med School admissions with admissions to MD/Ph.D. programs, especially NIH supported MSTP programs. The two tracks have pretty different “expectations”. I use that term because while the formal requirements are the same, the way the applicants are evaluated differ.”</p>
<p>Oh I know that’s why I specified that. But he did indicate he was interested in research. I might also add that while dh does medical research (breast cancer) and teaches at a Med. School he’s only a Phd not an MD.</p>
<p>I’d buy an MCAT prep book and start working. Never too early to really nail down introductory Physics/Chemistry/Calculus. Learn the rest as your college career progresses.</p>