Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"I get your point but I don't know if I buy your story."
The med school admissions comm poster also disagrees.

Anybody who has read the Hopwood V. UTexas case knows that profs reviewing applications will adjust down for grades earned at a "lesser" school. If that weren't the case, Cheryl Hopwood's junior college 2-yr accounting degree grades and Cal State grades would have gotten her into UT Austin Law and we'd never have heard of her.

You can adjust whatever you want but when you have someone who graduated with a history degree from HYP has work experience then did a Postbacc career changer with a 4.0 (smaller and grade inflated) and a top MCAT (easier to do well when aren’t worried about competing in classes) then that app looks amazing. Plenty of people in my post bacc had physician parents who did the same and are residents/ fellows now. No one cared where I did my science courses and if I did them at my competitive university I wouldn’t have done as well period. You don’t have to believe me- doesn’t change the truth.

Anonymous wrote:"I get your point but I don't know if I buy your story."
The med school admissions comm poster also disagrees.

Anybody who has read the Hopwood V. UTexas case knows that profs reviewing applications will adjust down for grades earned at a "lesser" school. If that weren't the case, Cheryl Hopwood's junior college 2-yr accounting degree grades and Cal State grades would have gotten her into UT Austin Law and we'd never have heard of her.

Anonymous wrote:how does a school make organic chemistry "easy"?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"3. The poster who mentioned an applicant at community college who transferred to state school-yes, he/she should consider applying. Clearly they are tenacious and with a great MCAT, work experience, volunteerism, recommendations, would be considered by me for admission speaking personally."

I'm going to push back on this.

Are you saying that an applicant who took many/most pre-reqs at a community college and got a 3.8 GPA in these classes is going to have a stronger shot at admission, over someone who got a 3.5 in these classes at a place like Northwestern? Have you any idea how much easier it is to outscore your classmates at a community college than at Northwestern?

Unfortunately, this is often the case. GPA matters more than the school one attends. You have a better shot at a med school with a 4.0 from community college plus high MCAT vs 3.2 from a top school. They can weed applicants by GPA. The best position to be in is top college plus strong GPA, if possible. There is a back door that is too late for the OP, which I took advantage of. I did a humanities major at HYP then decided later to go to med school and did my science classes at an easy program and had a 4.0. Accepted into top med school w/ full ride with this path as this allows for a top college on application plus a high science GPA. Many people know this dirty secret and even if they are premed in college- they major in an easy subject then plan to do a postbacc right after at Bryn Mawr or UVA (though this path is more expensive).

So you did a post-bacc? What is an "easy program" where you aced a 4.0?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"3. The poster who mentioned an applicant at community college who transferred to state school-yes, he/she should consider applying. Clearly they are tenacious and with a great MCAT, work experience, volunteerism, recommendations, would be considered by me for admission speaking personally."

I'm going to push back on this.

Are you saying that an applicant who took many/most pre-reqs at a community college and got a 3.8 GPA in these classes is going to have a stronger shot at admission, over someone who got a 3.5 in these classes at a place like Northwestern? Have you any idea how much easier it is to outscore your classmates at a community college than at Northwestern?

Unfortunately, this is often the case. GPA matters more than the school one attends. You have a better shot at a med school with a 4.0 from community college plus high MCAT vs 3.2 from a top school. They can weed applicants by GPA. The best position to be in is top college plus strong GPA, if possible. There is a back door that is too late for the OP, which I took advantage of. I did a humanities major at HYP then decided later to go to med school and did my science classes at an easy program and had a 4.0. Accepted into top med school w/ full ride with this path as this allows for a top college on application plus a high science GPA. Many people know this dirty secret and even if they are premed in college- they major in an easy subject then plan to do a postbacc right after at Bryn Mawr or UVA (though this path is more expensive).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"3. The poster who mentioned an applicant at community college who transferred to state school-yes, he/she should consider applying. Clearly they are tenacious and with a great MCAT, work experience, volunteerism, recommendations, would be considered by me for admission speaking personally."

I'm going to push back on this.

Are you saying that an applicant who took many/most pre-reqs at a community college and got a 3.8 GPA in these classes is going to have a stronger shot at admission, over someone who got a 3.5 in these classes at a place like Northwestern? Have you any idea how much easier it is to outscore your classmates at a community college than at Northwestern?

Unfortunately, this is often the case. GPA matters more than the school one attends. You have a better shot at a med school with a 4.0 from community college plus high MCAT vs 3.2 from a top school. They can weed applicants by GPA. The best position to be in is top college plus strong GPA, if possible. There is a back door that is too late for the OP, which I took advantage of. I did a humanities major at HYP then decided later to go to med school and did my science classes at an easy program and had a 4.0. Accepted into top med school w/ full ride with this path as this allows for a top college on application plus a high science GPA. Many people know this dirty secret and even if they are premed in college- they major in an easy subject then plan to do a postbacc right after at Bryn Mawr or UVA (though this path is more expensive).

Anonymous wrote:"3. The poster who mentioned an applicant at community college who transferred to state school-yes, he/she should consider applying. Clearly they are tenacious and with a great MCAT, work experience, volunteerism, recommendations, would be considered by me for admission speaking personally."

I'm going to push back on this.

Are you saying that an applicant who took many/most pre-reqs at a community college and got a 3.8 GPA in these classes is going to have a stronger shot at admission, over someone who got a 3.5 in these classes at a place like Northwestern? Have you any idea how much easier it is to outscore your classmates at a community college than at Northwestern?