Applying to Colleges?

Question

How does one go about picking safty schools? I want to go into medicine or architecture, and the schools that I'm looking at are very competitive, i.e. cornell, columbia, upenn, washu stl...I have a very strong academic background (top 5%, high test scores...) but am nervous about my prospects of getting into these colleges. How do I find the right safty school without screwing myself over for grad school or selling myself short. For medicine, does it matter where you go for undergrad? Sorry, I know I'm asking a lot. Thanks.

Answer 1

actually, for medicine it does make a difference. better undergrad school will get you noticed by the better med schools. since all your schools are good schools, go where you will be happy and able to get good-no excellent- grades. it matters when it comes time to apply to med school

Answer 2

First, no it doesn't matter where you go for undergrad if you keep your grades up, perform internships/research projects, etc. As far as safety schools, do you have a counselor at your high school who can advise you about your options? Part of their job is to be up on these things so they can help answer these sort of questions & work with you to find the right options for you. Good luck.

Answer 3

Despite what others tell you -- the quality of your undergraduate school makes a huge difference in getting into any graduate program -- including medicine.

Every single person in my PhD program at Berkeley went to a highly rated university before being admitted. 90% or more of the members of my MBA class at Duke went to a highly rated university before applying.

If you think you have a shot at the schools you mention, you might think of one of the better state universities as a "safety" school.

You can also go to Princeton Review's web site. They have a tool where you enter information about your background and desires. It then spits out the names of several schools that are appropriate for you.

Good luck.