Anonymous
Post 07/05/2025 09:56     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At any top school pre med will.be brutal.


premed is brutal everywhere. what makes you think "top schools" are unique?


It’s been covered up thread, classes are more difficult and competition is stiffer.


Statements like this drive me nuts. How do you know exactly? Have you attended all of them?


When you have experience working with multiple premeds who come from many different schools, you start to gather data on what the tests are like, what the syllabus covers, how prepared they are for the MCAT comparing similar SAT scores going into different colleges. The elites in general have much more demanding coursework including the exams(most or all of the grade at elites). The peers add a different layer: when the majority of peers are the kind who were top of the high school, have high scores, love to learn and have very high work ethic/discipline with studies it can be hard to compete against them. When the grading curves are taken into account (80% get Bs and As) it helps but it is not “easy” for most to be above average and get a 3.8+ in that setting.


Precisely which is why it is a bit of a risk choosing this path. It will pay off but it won’t be the easiest route.
Anonymous
Post 07/05/2025 09:56     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
This is anecdotal based on other people’s experiences. It’s very intense at Emory and pre-med kids there are gunning for/stressing over top grades, internship/volunteer opportunities and pre-med EC’s. However, there’s easier access to Emory’s teaching hospital and the CDC. And global health/health policy offerings/opportunities.
Anonymous
Post 07/05/2025 09:51     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At any top school pre med will.be brutal.


premed is brutal everywhere. what makes you think "top schools" are unique?


It’s been covered up thread, classes are more difficult and competition is stiffer.


Statements like this drive me nuts. How do you know exactly? Have you attended all of them?


When you have experience working with multiple premeds who come from many different schools, you start to gather data on what the tests are like, what the syllabus covers, how prepared they are for the MCAT comparing similar SAT scores going into different colleges. The elites in general have much more demanding coursework including the exams(most or all of the grade at elites). The peers add a different layer: when the majority of peers are the kind who were top of the high school, have high scores, love to learn and have very high work ethic/discipline with studies it can be hard to compete against them. When the grading curves are taken into account (80% get Bs and As) it helps but it is not “easy” for most to be above average and get a 3.8+ in that setting.
Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 22:32     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:There is the medical school acceptance rate, which is public, and is high for every top selective college.

Then there is the internal weed-out rate, which is not public information, anecdotal, and varies quite a bit among schools.

No one knows the latter.


Anecdote like this thread is a great source of information. No one has shitted on Penn though we know it's absolutely one of the top colleges. From a Penn PP's description, it sounds like a great place for premed kids.
Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 19:48     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:What’s a “selective” college?


Where lots of people apply but only a small percentage is admitted.
Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 19:45     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Go to Alabama for free.

Not a smart move if medical school is the goal (or a great education, for that matter): https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-medical-school

Meh, I don’t think this is across-the-board true. If you had the stats to get a free ride to Bama, then you had a good SAT/ACT score and should be able to do well enough in the pre-med classes. GPA and MCAT score are the primary factors to getting into a MD program. You can make it known on the app that you got a free ride to Bama.


GPA and MCAT scores are very important, but I wouldn't call them "primary" factors. You need to have a complete pkg - GPA, MCAT, volunteering, clinical experience, research, strong LOR...

What is your source for this? I disagree. A lot.

MCAT score is incredibly important. Your app won’t make it through to a holistic review if it’s too low. It’s a dealbreaker. Therefore saying it’s a primary factor is very true. It is waaaay more important than SAT/ACT score for undergrad.
Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 18:31     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:There is the medical school acceptance rate, which is public, and is high for every top selective college.

Then there is the internal weed-out rate, which is not public information, anecdotal, and varies quite a bit among schools.

No one knows the latter.


Acceptance rate only appears high for schools bc the space is unregulated. Schools can claim any acceptance rate to medical school from their institutions and there is no oversight, backup, or anything else needed.
Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 18:30     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
There is the medical school acceptance rate, which is public, and is high for every top selective college.

Then there is the internal weed-out rate, which is not public information, anecdotal, and varies quite a bit among schools.

No one knows the latter.
Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 18:26     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At any top school pre med will.be brutal.


premed is brutal everywhere. what makes you think "top schools" are unique?


They aren't. But OP asked about "selective colleges" so that's what I responded to, since that was the question that was asked.
Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 18:09     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
DP, I trust med school admissions over any dcum opinions expressed here. There is a reason top schools get into top med schools at higher rates. Talent pool, rigorous coursework that prepares well for MCAT with much less prep time, and strong standardized test takers.

Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 18:02     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At any top school pre med will.be brutal.


premed is brutal everywhere. what makes you think "top schools" are unique?


It’s been covered up thread, classes are more difficult and competition is stiffer.


Statements like this drive me nuts. How do you know exactly? Have you attended all of them?


No, I haven’t and I understand your sentiment. However, I do know the insane difficulty of two of the T15 schools and the talent pool being humbled by it tells me xyz school with much lower entry bar wouldn’t be able to handle it. It’s also been confirmed by med school admissions many times over.


You need at least two data points to make comparative statements. You only have one. Please stop.
Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 17:54     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At any top school pre med will.be brutal.


premed is brutal everywhere. what makes you think "top schools" are unique?


It’s been covered up thread, classes are more difficult and competition is stiffer.


Statements like this drive me nuts. How do you know exactly? Have you attended all of them?


No, I haven’t and I understand your sentiment. However, I do know the insane difficulty of two of the T15 schools and the talent pool being humbled by it tells me xyz school with much lower entry bar wouldn’t be able to handle it. It’s also been confirmed by med school admissions many times over.
Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 17:45     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At any top school pre med will.be brutal.


premed is brutal everywhere. what makes you think "top schools" are unique?


It’s been covered up thread, classes are more difficult and competition is stiffer.


Statements like this drive me nuts. How do you know exactly? Have you attended all of them?
Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 17:43     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:At any top school pre med will.be brutal.


premed is brutal everywhere. what makes you think "top schools" are unique?


It’s been covered up thread, classes are more difficult and competition is stiffer.
Anonymous
Post 07/04/2025 17:38     Subject: How is pre-med going for your DC at a selective college?
Anonymous wrote:At any top school pre med will.be brutal.


premed is brutal everywhere. what makes you think "top schools" are unique?