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What are some good colleges to go to, to get a strong foundation for the med field?

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Sean’s Answer

Something that many many pre-med students do not realize is how incredibly competitive Med School is. First, you will need to be a top student to get into a Pre-Med program (and eventually Medical School), and if you are a top student, you're probably considering top colleges. HOWEVER - it's not only important for you to learn from your Pre-Med classes, but to also achieve high marks in them. For that reason, I'd highly recommend doing your undergraduate degree at a university that you may have otherwise considered a "safety school". This has a few benefits:
1) Usually cheaper - Medical School is a long, expensive process. You'll want to be conscious about keeping your debt low.
2) Competition will be lower - by having less-elite students as peers, you're likely to rank higher, and have more of an opportunity to shine and stand out. You'll have more chances for awards and accolades that you can put on a resume.
3) Standards will be lower - you'll be more likely to exit pre-med with a high GPA - making your Medical School applications go significantly more smoothly.

I attended Vanderbilt University, which has a very good Medical School. I would, however, NOT recommend that a student attend Vanderbilt for pre-med. The classes are incredibly difficult, and the bar is very high. I knew many 4.0 high school students who were not accepted into medical school after their time in Vanderbilt's pre-med program, because they simply weren't in the top 25% of their peers.

You should look for a medium-sized, in-state, university with an accredited Pre-Med program - and be ready to spend the next 8-12 years of your life in school. :)

Good luck!
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RAVI’s Answer


All the answers above pretty much are in line with what I would advised you as well.

There are couple of additional points based on my daughter's experience I would like to share with you.
My daughter got into 7 year Med program - 3 years at TCNJ and 4 years at NJMS.

You can apply to these straight from high school. Work with your guidance councilor.
The 3 year urdergrad program preps you for the medical college well. There are also 8 year med programs.
7 Year medical college program saves 1 year or tuition and one does not have to take MCAT - admission test for medical college.

MCAT is a must if you go through pre-med program. No matter how great your undergrad college is and how good your grades are, you have to really do well with MCAT to get medical college admission. I know couple of students who took a year off after undergrad, just to study for MCAT and then get into Medical college.

Additionally all medical colleges have in person interviews. I think this is where the actual decisions are made.

You may consider both options.

At the end of the day, it does not matter where you got your undergrad from. It is what you learn and what you do at the college and how well you prepare yourself that matters. You can do this at any college.

RAVI recommends the following next steps:

Just stay focused. Study well. Learn the concepts. Knowledge makes you confident.
Practice interview skills. Network with your seniors who are in the medical college and learn from them.
Have extra-curricular activities and leadership development.
Dress well for the interview program.
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David’s Answer

Main question? where do you live, where do want to go, are you looking for school near your home or you can go anywhere. Because there is really a lot of good Medical college that you can go to, it is all depend where you want to be located at and the environment you are willing to study in. I am from the Tri-State which is NY, NJ, PA, we got Temple Med, UPenn, Drexel, NYU, Colombia, NY Med, Rutgers, Princeton, Franklin & Marshall, USP, and more. Every states has some good medical school so really all depend what states you want to study at and do your practice or coursework. So, main thing decide where you want to go first and then do research within the area and the program.
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Richard’s Answer

There is not only one right answer to this question. It should be noted that as long as you attend an accredited university, you will be eligible to apply for and attend medical school. Many colleges are great for pre-med because networking is not a large issue, like it is with going into a field like financial services or tech. As such, when someone considers this question, the answer largely depends on personal preference. Some people feel that they can excel in a large university whereas others feel they would get lost in the crowd and competition. Many people think that attending a research-oriented (usually large) university is a great path to medical school because there will be abundant opportunities to do extracurricular activities that look good on applications (like volunteering and research). A final consideration is price. Because the 'prestige' of the undergraduate institution does not have a great bearing on the application status, you should definitely take your financial situation into account. Medical school is expensive.

The short answer is that you should attend a college where you feel most comfortable and are confident you will be able to make good grades and participate in medical-oriented extracurricular activities.
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Rachel’s Answer

Any 4 year university should be able to provide you with all of the premed requirements (1 year biology, 1 year inorganic chemistry, 1 year organic chemistry + labs, physics, calculus, and biochemistry). I would look at each school individually and see which fits your personality and desired major (does not have to be science) best. I went to the University of Texas at Austin, and it provided excellent preparation for medical school.
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