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[quote=Anonymous]If he is serious about becoming a doctor, there is a case for going to a school that is below his target.  A not so appreciated fact of med school applications is that med schools care very little about where the applicant went to college--it is all about grade point average, MCAT scores, and outstanding curriculars.

First, if you are concerned about intellectual stimulation, he can major in something other than the usual bio, biochem pre-med majors.  If he majors in something else, he will stand out as an applicant.  Think math, physics, philosophy, economics or even history or music. They really like liberal arts majors who do well on the required pre-med courses as it shows a well-rounded individual who likely is more capable of relating to the patient population. Somewhere I read that music majors actually have the highest MCAT scores, although there are of course not many of them.

He will have a better chance of getting into med school straight from college if he is high achieving student in a school with many lesser achieving students.  The extracurriculars needed for a successful med school application are staggering.  Huge numbers of hours are required for clinical hours (e.g., working at a hospital or clinic), shadowing, research hours, and, separately, community volunteer work.  Bonus points if the student also holds down a part-time job.

The trend today is for students to not apply until after they graduate because it is the only way for them to keep their grades up, put in all those hours, and study for the MCAT.  If he can do this all of this in his four undergrad years by going to a less academically competitive and stressful school he is a year ahead.

Second, if he goes to a school that has far fewer med school applicants, he will also stand out.  Med schools like to have matriculants from the widest variety of schools possible, so if he is  applying from a school with few applicants, he will stand out.  These schools are far less likely to have a pre-med advisory team, so he will have to do a lot of the direction himself.  (Or, if you have the money, you can pay for a med school advisor who will help with advising on the right pre-med classes, service opportunities and the like).  Bonus points for a lesser college that tends to serve people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

I recommend this route only if your DS is really committed to med school.  If he isn't, he could end up with a not so marketable degree from a lesser school.  My late bloomer child took this route at a third tier college (high school record was less than mediocre) and was accepted at seven med schools, including their number one choice.

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