[KillarneyRose]

I graduated from a big, state-related school and I think I got a great education, but nobody holds your hand in a place like Pitt. You need to take the initiative if you want a particular outcome from your college experience. IMO, that's a good thing.

One thing I'm curious about with the public/private debate. Do you (basically everyone who's contributed to this thread) think it is worth going to a "big name" if you want to apply to medical school? I recall that everyone I met from my sister's med school class had undergraduate degrees from what I would fancy-schmancy schools. But then, it could just have been coincidence that those are the people I met and there were plenty of others who didn't go to fancy-schmanchy schools that I just didn't know about!