<p>I think Cue is definitely right. Medical schools that are known to favor their own undergraduates as a matter of policy are usually pretty open about it. Brown, for example, openly says that they prefer their undergraduates (especially through the PLME program) and for many years only applicants from Brown and other Rhode Island schools could apply. Washington University in St. Louis has a pipeline program, but that does not bind the students to attend the school like PLME/HPME, and therefore can be said to constitute a “preference.” Likewise, Jefferson Medical College openly gives a leg up to students from Delaware and certain schools in central Pennsylvania. </p>
<p>I don’t know enough about how other graduate programs work, but I could imagine somebody applying to do a PhD where being from a certain school would increase one’s likelihood of getting in if there were a faculty member with whom the applicant studied that is very relevant to the project s/he hopes to work on in grad school.</p>
<p>Pennalum - just to piggyback on that, I think it’s important to note that Penn Med is decidedly NOT one of those schools that has a preference for its undergrads, and students making college choices should be aware of this fact. </p>
<p>If your goal is to get into a top top medical school, it’s worth a bit of research to find out the schools that DO either have good linkages between the undergrad and med school, or the med schools that prefer their own undergrads. In the crazy world of med school admissions, this oftentimes gives you “two bites of the apple.” At many schools, you can apply for early admission to the medical school, and if that doesn’t work out, still apply generally later in undergrad. </p>
<p>One other note from Penn Med - in knowing some of the students there, the general consensus seems to be that Penn Med loves Princeton students. Princeton, for its size, seems to be an informal “feeder” for Penn Med. Per capita, I think P’ton does better than any other school for this. I mean, I guess you can’t go wrong either way with Princeton - it’s probably got pretty stellar med school placement across the board.</p>