Does major and school do not really matter? I know it is discussed alot already but hear me out :)

[dscmn]

Yes I know this topic has been discussed a lot of times and the majority of people answered major and school does not matter but I heard people saying otherwise and wanna do some fact-check

1. A doctor I met at a clinic went to ivy league for undergrad. She said school does matter. Some random person on reddit yapped about how Johns Hopkins premed has 90% acceptance rate to med schools. Is this true?

2. This link says major rigor does not matter. However, it says a person who done a difficult major may get a little 0.1-0.3 gpa leeway. I view that pretty substantial.
Also, another doctor I met who worked at admissions told me major rigor does matter
Is this true?

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[Mr.Smile12]

Privilege matters a lot. If you look at medical school matriculants by family income, most students (at least on the AMCAS side of things) represent the top 2 quintiles. That means that what matters more is money to gain access to proper testing resources, connections for shadowing/clinical experience, time to do volunteering activities over employment to pay for your education, and an advising infrastructure that students may or may not use (including access to testing/admissions counselors).

Academic rigor matters, but it also reflects privilege and access. Many students from more resource-constrained schools must take more remediation courses to get the same foundation as others who attend more resourced schools. You can't get into medical school as easily taking nursing school courses. Engineers and highly quantitative majors are more difficult getting "easy A's," but I suppose while some schools give more leeway to those majors, many others just straight up compare BCP/BCPM GPAs, as most engineering courses are not included in that calculation. But yes, you can be a kinesiology/athletic training major (instead of biology or chemistry) and get into medical school with the prereqs. You can be a humanities major too, as long as you do the prereqs and have the expected exposure to the healthcare system and the community.

Study: Applicants and Matriculants to U.S. Medical Schools Increasingly Come from Higher Income Households

In recent years, applicants and matriculants to U.S. medical schools have increasingly come from households with higher incomes, according to a Yale-led study.

www.diverseeducation.com

An Updated Look at the Economic Diversity of U.S. Medical Students

This AIB replicates earlier research and methodology to provide updated parental income data from 2007 through 2017.

www.aamc.org

Socioeconomic diversity of U.S. medical school students has decreased

The socioeconomic diversity of U.S. medical school students has decreased over time, a new study finds. The result could be detrimental to patients.

news.yale.edu

So guess who attends places like Yale, Hopkins, etc.?

 

[dscmn]

Privilege matters a lot. If you look at medical school matriculants by family income, most students (at least on the AMCAS side of things) represent the top 2 quintiles. That means that what matters more is money to gain access to proper testing resources, connections for shadowing/clinical experience, time to do volunteering activities over employment to pay for your education, and an advising infrastructure that students may or may not use (including access to testing/admissions counselors).

Academic rigor matters, but it also reflects privilege and access. Many students from more resource-constrained schools must take more remediation courses to get the same foundation as others who attend more resourced schools. You can't get into medical school as easily taking nursing school courses. Engineers and highly quantitative majors are more difficult getting "easy A's," but I suppose while some schools give more leeway to those majors, many others just straight up compare BCP/BCPM GPAs, as most engineering courses are not included in that calculation. But yes, you can be a kinesiology/athletic training major (instead of biology or chemistry) and get into medical school with the prereqs. You can be a humanities major too, as long as you do the prereqs and have the expected exposure to the healthcare system and the community.

Study: Applicants and Matriculants to U.S. Medical Schools Increasingly Come from Higher Income Households

In recent years, applicants and matriculants to U.S. medical schools have increasingly come from households with higher incomes, according to a Yale-led study.

www.diverseeducation.com

An Updated Look at the Economic Diversity of U.S. Medical Students

This AIB replicates earlier research and methodology to provide updated parental income data from 2007 through 2017.

www.aamc.org

Socioeconomic diversity of U.S. medical school students has decreased

The socioeconomic diversity of U.S. medical school students has decreased over time, a new study finds. The result could be detrimental to patients.

news.yale.edu

So guess who attends places like Yale, Hopkins, etc.?

I agree with privilege matters alot part. I once said requiring shadowing, volunteering can be unfair for some people elsewhere but was asked whether I am a troll. I am planning to share my detailed experience on this soon.

Anyways.. what do you think about that 0.1-0.3 boost thing? I am an engineering major and my GPA is 3.61ish. Does that mean it can be boosted as much as 3.91? It just doesn't make sense.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I agree with privilege matters alot part. I once said requiring shadowing, volunteering can be unfair for some people elsewhere but was asked whether I am a troll. I am planning to share my detailed experience on this soon.

Anyways.. what do you think about that 0.1-0.3 boost thing? I am an engineering major and my GPA is 3.61ish. Does that mean it can be boosted as much as 3.91? It just doesn't make sense.

Having an engineering background, I wish I could justify such a boost when reviewing other engineering applicants. Same thing goes for undergrad programs that adhere strictly to "grade deflation" or fixed curve grade distribution. I need to see data justifying such a boost... and I've done that study.

 

[dscmn]

Having an engineering background, I wish I could justify such a boost when reviewing other engineering applicants. Same thing goes for undergrad programs that adhere strictly to "grade deflation" or fixed curve grade distribution. I need to see data justifying such a boost... and I've done that study.

What do you mean by justifying a boost and you have done that study?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What do you mean by justifying a boost and you have done that study?

Who came up with 0.1 to 0.3 GPA points, and what is the basis for that? I've looked at this, and I need to see how someone else says it's justified.

Look at Carle Illinois. Are their GPA ranges 0.1 to 0.3 points lower than other public Illinois medical schools?

 

[Goro]

Yes I know this topic has been discussed a lot of times and the majority of people answered major and school does not matter but I heard people saying otherwise and wanna do some fact-check

1. A doctor I met at a clinic went to ivy league for undergrad. She said school does matter. Some random person on reddit yapped about how Johns Hopkins premed has 90% acceptance rate to med schools. Is this true?

2. This link (Pre-Med Myths) says major rigor does not matter. However, it says a person who done a difficult major may get a little 0.1-0.3 gpa leeway. I view that pretty substantial.
Also, another doctor I met who worked at admissions told me major rigor does matter
Is this true?

Adcoms do not care about majors or minors, only that you do well.


My school has been interviewing more people from Reaaly Top UGs, like the Ivies lately, and those canddiates do end up going elsewhere. BUT, we have rejected some of these interviewees, mostly because they come off as lab rats, or lack social skills.