College Search & Visit

[Mr.G.Spot]

U of I does have a good med school. As much as we dislike their fans/teams, I will admit their med school is top notch.

What is your definition of top notch?

If you talk to pro Iowa people, I can't tell you the number of times people have said something like, "it is one of the best med schools in the country."

Is it a good med school, yes. But I have yet to see it in the top 20, and I'm not a big believer of these types of rankings, on any list. Do they have a top-20 individual program after internship and residency? Maybe they do.

 

[HFCS]

I remember in my day all you had to be was top half of your graduating class and you were in. Thank god.

I had high scores and GPA but not quite National Merit Scholar and was paying my own way so Iowa and ISU were my only choices that made any sense at all to me. ISU offered two majors I liked and a Iowa didn’t have either. Very short search process.

I’m sure I’d have been a Hawkeye if they offered what I liked because I was a lunatic Iowa fan and my gf went there…she eventually transferred to ISU and we broke up when she did.

 

[Pope]

If throughout high school you take 4 years of English, 4 years of math, 4 years of science, 3 years of social studies, and 3 years of foreign language, then you have 18 years of core courses. This would be multiplied by 5, so it would equal 90 RAI points.

 

[Gonzo]

I had high scores and GPA but not quite National Merit Scholar and was paying my own way so Iowa and ISU were my only choices that made any sense at all to me. ISU offered two majors I liked and a Iowa didn’t have either. Very short search process.

I’m sure I’d have been a Hawkeye if they offered what I liked because I was a lunatic Iowa fan and my gf went there…she eventually transferred to ISU and we broke up when she did.

Lol, I think my GPA was maybe 3.0 and my ACT was I think 23, I also was paying my own way and was in eastern IA with a car that probably wouldn't have made it to Ames so UI was it. Qualified for lots of need-based aid, Perkins, Pell, etc. Very short search process for me too.

 

[Mr.G.Spot]

The vast majority of kids applying for med school have outstanding grade points, MCATs that will get them qualified, but the missing element for a lot of them are summer internships.

There are a lot of excellent comments here, but start your senior year of high school to do something in the medical field even if you are drawing blood at a local hospital. The kids that make a difference have the resume that exhibits their true interest in the field. Furthermore, in this process of doing something in the medical field from your high school senior year on will help them confirm whether they really want to be a doctor or not.

Going to a name school like the University of Chicago, which has not had grade inflation, can be tough on the smart kid that busts their ass and graduates with a 3.1 even though they they have a 35 act and are a National Merit Scholar. Med schools, even as an undergrad from a place like the University of Chicago, do not like 3.1 grade points.

Find the right personality fit, be focused from your high school senior year summer on for internships and pick a spot where you will be committed for 3 years to have very little social life but be focused on getting into med school.

Wherever that fit is, go for it. You do not have to go to a name school to get it to med school. It is all about grade points, internships, and your MCAT score. Some of them are doing personal interviews and the kids that have summer internships from their senior high school year on will have an advantage over the kid that did nothing but put their head in a book for 3 years.

 

[cyclone13]

The vast majority of kids applying for med school have outstanding grade points, MCATs that will get them qualified, but the missing element for a lot of them are summer internships.

There are a lot of excellent comments here, but start your senior year of high school to do something in the medical field even if you are drawing blood at a local hospital. The kids that make a difference have the resume that exhibits their true interest in the field. Furthermore, in this process of doing something in the medical field from your high school senior year on will help them confirm whether they really want to be a doctor or
Find the right personality fit, be focused from your high school senior year summer on for internships and pick a spot where you will be committed for 3 years to have very little social life but be focused on getting into med school.

This is spot on. We heard the same thing when we attended Pre Med Advising Info session at Madison during our campus visit there. They emphasized that you will have to do a lot of patient facing activities, volunteering to show that you can handle with the patients and care a lot about the others.