Today, we're going to talk about whether
or not undergrad prestige matters for getting accepted
to medical school.
You're a future focused high school student
with your sights firmly set on earning a medical degree.
You know getting accepted
to medical school is ultra competitive
and you're willing to do whatever it takes
to maximize your odds.
You're wondering will the prestige or reputation
of my undergraduate school affect
my med school admissions chances?
If you're trying to evaluate your undergrad options
and determine which is the best choice to take you
to the next step in your medical journey,
we're here to help.
I'm Dr. Pranjal Gupta, medical school admissions expert
from Shemmassian academic consulting.
In this video, we'll look at the data
to see where students
of top med school programs attended undergrad,
examine how medical schools consider undergrad prestige
in the light of other admissions factors
and give you guidelines for evaluating
the best undergrad options to increase your odds
of getting into medical school.
Let's get started.
You're full of questions.
Is it okay to go to a state school?
What about a liberal arts school?
Will your chances
of getting accepted to a top medical school be harmed
if you don't attend an Ivy league, on the other hand,
will attending a prestigious college,
give you an admissions advantage.
If you're looking for a one-word answer as to whether
or not undergrad prestige matters, we'd say, yes.
Your choice of undergrad does matter for med school
but the complete answer is much more complex,
than a simple yes.
So we're going to dive deeper
to give you an accurate understanding
of how undergrad prestige factors
into med school admissions.
Let's start by looking at the 104 students
who made it into the incoming class
at Yale medical school,
which is ranked 13 in the best medical schools
by US News & World Report.
35 of those students did in fact complete their bachelor's
at an Ivy league.
Another 28% came from highly selective public
or private universities such as Duke, UC Berkeley,
and Stanford.
Where did the last 36% of students who are accepted
to Yale medical school attend undergrad?
A mix of state schools
and smaller colleges with strong programs
and opportunities for pre-meds,
but with less prestigious reputations since nearly two third
of Yale's medical school incoming class attended,
a prestigious undergrad institution.
You might be tempted to assume it was their alma mater
that's secured them in an offer of admission,
but it's more complicated.
Yale has a 6% undergrad acceptance rate.
So it's filled
with some of the best students from around the world.
It's no wonder that these top high school students,
become the top medical school applicants too.
So was it their undergrad that mattered to med school
or might they just have been
the highest performing candidates?
We're going to break down the main factors
used in medical school admissions next,
but first we want to make sure
you don't miss an important takeaway.
Over one third
of Yale medical school students,
attended non prestigious institutions undergrad.
So if you think you need to attend an Ivy
to get into a top medical program, that's simply not true.
Some of Yale's med students graduated
from liberal arts colleges like Concordia and Bowden.
If you have your heart set on attending
a liberal arts college, go for it.
You can still have a shot
at getting accepted to prestigious medical schools.
So what factors are most important
to medical schools when they're evaluating applicants?
It might help you to imagine three tiers of importance.
The first tier contains an applicant's GPA, MCAT score
and personal statement.
No matter where an applicant went
to school, they need competitive academic stats
to be seriously considered for admission.
In the second tier are the applicants letters
of recommendation
and extracurricular activities.
Taken together, these two med school requirements
should demonstrate the candidates, commitment
to medicine, personal character, leadership skills
and thorough understanding of hypothesis based research.
If you're wondering which pre-med extracurriculars,
you should pursue in order
to demonstrate all these impressive qualities
make sure to check out our guide
for choosing the right extracurricular activities
for medical school.
Link is in the description box below.
Now more often than not,
the factors we just listed are enough
for med school outcomes to make admissions decisions
from their applicant pool.
However, if two students are pretty equal
across all factors, the choice might come down
to what's in their third and final tier,
their undergraduate major
and the reputation of their undergrad institution.
More specifically, adcoms will consider
if their undergrad is known
for having an overly rigorous curriculum
and grade deflation.
For example, schools like MIT
and Caltech are notorious for their harsh grading.
So a 3.8 from either one of them will carry more weight
than a 3.8 from a less rigorous school like university
of Iowa or North Dakota.
To further understand how undergrad prestigious
works in admissions, let's do a brief thought experiment.
Imagine you're a boss hiring for a position at your company.
You have two applicant resumes on your desk.
One lists Harvard as their alma mater
but doesn't have the relevant work experience
or technical skills you're looking for.
The other applicant attended University Of Wyoming,
has extensive experience related
to the position and is proficient in every type
of software used in your line of work.
Based on these resumes, who would you be more eager to hire?
Most people would say the University of Wyoming grad,
implying that having the right knowledge
and experience is more valuable
than having a prestigious alma mater.
Now, on the other hand
what if the two applicants, one from Harvard
and one from Wyoming had the exact same experiences
and skills?
In that case, your preference might lean slightly
towards the Harvard grad.
That's a common bias many people,
including med school adcom members have
towards top schools with powerful name recognition.
This is where attending a prestigious school may weigh
in your favor.
We hope your takeaway is this, your GPA, MCAT score,
extra curriculars, letter of rec
and medical school essays are the most important factors,
considered by med schools.
Attending a prestigious undergrad won't make up
for an otherwise weak application.
Even so undergrad prestige and rigor are still factors
in the med school admission process,
by it not the most crucial ones.
To further explore the three tiers
of med school admissions factors,
check out our supplementary guide.
"Does undergrad prestige matter for medical school?"
after you finished this video.
The link is in the description box below.
So how do you balance the value
of prestige with the necessity
of the other med school admissions factors
when you're picking your undergrad institution?
Let's look at that next.
When deciding where to go for undergrad, look for schools
that offer you the resources
and opportunities you need to be a competitive,
all-around med school applicant.
For example, does the school offer supplemental instruction
in the sciences
to help you maintain a high science GPA?
Does it provide MCAT study resources for pre-meds?
Is the school affiliated
with a hospital where you can volunteer
or shadow physicians?
What types
of leadership positions can you pursue at the school?
Are there research opportunities available?
And are any
of the faculty conducting research that excites you
or relates to your future area of medicine?
What are the student faculty relationships like?
Will you be able to build strong connections
with your professors
so that they can write outstanding letters of rec for you?
If a school can provide satisfactory answers
to all these questions
it's a worthwhile choice for undergrad.
One advantage of a prestigious undergraduate institution is
that they're overflowing with resources for students.
You'll find a lot of these opportunities
and advantages right at your fingertips.
Whereas at a state university,
you might have to search a little bit harder
to find a research assistance ship
or a faculty mentor.
However, one of the disadvantages
of prestigious schools is that they're hard to get into.
So while you might reach for the stars
and apply to a few top schools, it's possible
that they might not be an option for you in the end.
If that's the case, don't be discouraged.
As we've proven in this video, you don't need a degree
from an Ivy League to get into top medical schools.
If you have prestigious undergrads, state schools
and liberal arts colleges on your college application list
and you're not sure where you'll end up going,
remember this important truth, your ability
and commitment have a larger impact on your chances
of getting into medical school.
Then the ranking of your undergrad institution does.
So consider other important factors
in your college decision besides prestige.
Consider if each school's location, cost
and campus life is the right fit for you.
Whatever school you attend
as long as you find the right opportunities
and put the work
into becoming a competitive med school applicant,
you can turn your med school dreams into reality.
Before we end this video,
we want to give you one final scenario to consider.
Imagine a high achieving high school student named Olivia,
who dreams of becoming a doctor.
She was offered a free ride tour, state school
and was also accepted to an Ivy League school,
although she was only given minimal financial aid.
Which option should she choose?
Let's imagine she attends the Ivy League.
She graduates with a 3.5 GPA
which is respectable considering the academic rigor
of the curriculum.
She earns a 510 or eightieth percentile on the MCAT.
She has minimal research experience,
although she participated in a few clubs during undergrad.
Given this picture, she's not a strong med school candidate.
Now let's go back
and imagine Olivia attends the state school instead.
She discovered it was affiliated with a well-known hospital
and wants to avoid undergrad loans.
Even though the school has a reputation
for partying, she focuses on academics and graduates
with a 3.82 GPA, wanting to make sure she can compete
with the best Ivy League school applicants.
She completed two research internships
and one clinical internship during undergrad.
She's also managed
to start a club focused on community service
and take art classes to pursue her love for painting.
She earns a 518
or 96th percentile on the MCAT.
In this second scenario,
Olivia has become a standout candidate for medical school.
This example further illustrates that your chance
of getting into med school is dependent more
on your effort and performance than on the prestige
of your undergrad institution.
While undergrad prestige is a factor considered
by medical schools,
it's by no means the most important factor
and shouldn't be the priority,
when choosing which college to attend.
Your talent, drive
and initiative to seek out opportunities,
will have a stronger impact
on making your medical school dreams come true.
If you found this video
to be helpful, give it a thumbs up and subscribe
so you don't miss out on new videos.
In addition, we've developed a
detailed guide discussing the college admissions process.
I've left a link for
that free comprehensive guide in the description box below.
The tips in the guide are the same ones my team
and I use to routinely help students get
into schools like NYU, Harvard, and UCSF.
Alright, thanks again for watching!
See you next time.