Hi all,
I’m currently finishing up my undergrad at university in my home state. Next semester, I plan on starting my pre-reqs at another university closer to home. This morning I was looking over the syllabus for Gen. Chem. I, which I will be taking in the spring, and I noticed that the structure and grading of the course is considerably easier/more lenient than it is at the university I’m currently attending. How much weight do med schools place on the prestige of a university? Thanks in advance!
Short version - Probably not, as long as it’s a university and not a community college (insert standard disclaimer that in some cases a CC is alright, but depends on your specific situation).
Longer version - If you get A’s at an Ivy league it may mean more than getting them at State University of Non-Ivyness, if applying to the fanciest of medical schools. But getting B’s at an Ivy league means less than straight A’s at any other university.
For the majority of schools, an A is an A at any university. They don’t care about how “rigorous” your classes were, just how many credits exist per semester.
Wherever you go, get A’s in your pre-reqs and shoot for a great cumulative GPA. Don’t take on more than you can handle, balance difficult courses with a few not-so-tough ones.
Pixie,
Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it. It’s not a CC; I’ll be doing my post-bacc work at Northern Illinois University. From what I’ve seen, +/- grades are not used there, which is my biggest concern. For example, the cutoff for an “A” in orgo I at NIU is an 85%, whereas it’s a 93% at my current university. When it comes to GPA calculation that’s a huge difference. If med schools don’t look at this I’m obviously not complaining. I know most pre-med classes at my university are curved so that may make up for the difference in the grading scales.
- chifan1881 Said:
Pixie,
Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it. It's not a CC; I'll be doing my post-bacc work at Northern Illinois University. From what I've seen, +/- grades are not used there, which is my biggest concern. For example, the cutoff for an "A" in orgo I at NIU is an 85%, whereas it's a 93% at my current university. When it comes to GPA calculation that's a huge difference. If med schools don't look at this I'm obviously not complaining. I know most pre-med classes at my university are curved so that may make up for the difference in the grading scales.
Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it. It's not a CC; I'll be doing my post-bacc work at Northern Illinois University. From what I've seen, +/- grades are not used there, which is my biggest concern. For example, the cutoff for an "A" in orgo I at NIU is an 85%, whereas it's a 93% at my current university. When it comes to GPA calculation that's a huge difference. If med schools don't look at this I'm obviously not complaining. I know most pre-med classes at my university are curved so that may make up for the difference in the grading scales.
It would be extremely difficult for an adcom to note or consider such granular detail in grading and comparison. At best when comparing candidates an adcom might give a "prestige" factor to a school, mostly based on the perception of the school's reputation by the adcom members. It might be something formal like placing schools into ranks of 1 to 5. But mostly it is informal with adcoms members just saying "but this one went to Harvard." Even this is a is relatively low factor in consideration.
I would like just add that t is more important to pick a school based on the logistics of your life, family, job, then on a perceived reputation. You need to have to best arrangements you can with the commute, costs, and competition so you have time, energy and resources to study, get to class, and get good grades (perhaps a new "3C" rule)
ok, I’m going to disagree and say yes, it does matter where you get your post-bac. The reason I say this is that the reason I’m considering going to school is because I worked at a Medical school with the admissions office, and yes, certain post-bacs are treated with more respect than other post-bacs. I know for certain post-bacs, on interview days we actually had meetings that students from XYZ school are here today, so make sure your area was clean, etc. I know there is a great article on this topic if you head to the US News and world report webpage, there is an article comparing acceptance rates of various post-bac programs.
Ana - it appears the OP is doing a DIY post-bac, not entering a formal program.
While it may matter somewhat where you do a formal post-bacc it really doesn’t for someone just getting the pre-reqs on their own at a university.
I agree, sorry, OP, I misinterpreted your initial post.
- annaphila Said:
ok, I'm going to disagree and say yes, it does matter where you get your post-bac. The reason I say this is that the reason I'm considering going to school is because I worked at a Medical school with the admissions office, and yes, certain post-bacs are treated with more respect than other post-bacs. I know for certain post-bacs, on interview days we actually had meetings that students from XYZ school are here today, so make sure your area was clean, etc. I know there is a great article on this topic if you head to the US News and world report webpage, there is an article comparing acceptance rates of various post-bac programs.
What I have termed the "prestige" factor of a postbacc is not a trivial and adcoms will consider it. However for many nontrads, the gain of any "prestige" points by attending such a program may get lost in the increased competitiveness and cutthroat nature of the students who attend. Not too mention the usually pricey cost and any lifestyle logistics needed to attend such a program. Ultimately, the GPA you earn is likely more important than where you went to school
My standard advice is go to the best school that you can do well in. If that school is the local CC because of cost, location, etc, then you do it. It is much better than no prereqs at all
As for the stats, on postbaccs, I still take them with 2 grains of salt and 3 shots of tequila. Unlike medical schools with data collected on each applicant and matriculant down to their shoe size, there are no standards for what is a post-bacc other than offering the prereqs and calling yourself one. Some are fulltime with separate courses over 1 year, others 2 years, some part time, etc, basically all over the map. So the data on who applies to the postbacc, who gets accepted, what grades/GPAs are earned, who drops out, etc are not available generally and would be in some ways comapring not maybe apples to oranges but more like a variety of apple types (now I am in the mood for an apple martini)
Some programs keep their acceptance rates to medical school high by making the GPA and MCAT cutoff for a committee letter high. Not having a committee letter by a prestigious postbacc and applying to medical school would seem to raise flags with the adcom.
BTW, just one last comment that I am not a fan of the postbaccs that do all the prereqs in a single calendar year.
I’m looking into colleges for pre-med, and since it’s a long, expensive road, I was thinking of going to a cheaper school. I know this might be looked down upon, but I really think it is the right option for me. I’m not looking for a lot of money or a prestigious job when I’m all done with school either. I was wondering if any of you would know any cheaper state schools that have successful pre-med students. I live in Massachusetts. I was really looking at Westfield State University, but I’m not sure how hard it is to go from there to Med School. Would any of you know, or know how to find out? Do you have any suggestions?
- SarahS Said:
I'm looking into colleges for pre-med, and since it's a long, expensive road, I was thinking of going to a cheaper school. I know this might be looked down upon, but I really think it is the right option for me. I'm not looking for a lot of money or a prestigious job when I'm all done with school either. I was wondering if any of you would know any cheaper state schools that have successful pre-med students. I live in Massachusetts. I was really looking at Westfield State University, but I'm not sure how hard it is to go from there to Med School. Would any of you know, or know how to find out? Do you have any suggestions?
I am merging this thread with a recent one on the same topic. It has has some good ideas your question can expand the discussion