advice on future. thinkin of NOT taking med program..

Pre-Med & Medical School Multiple Degree Programs
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<p><strong><em>Posted in multiple places, just looking for advice</em></strong></p>

<p>as the time nears for making college decisions...i remain in a pickle.</p>

<p>i plan on studying medicine, becoming a doctor (hopefully at a prestigious institution) and having a good time in school at the same time.</p>

<p>at the undergraduate level, i hope to study bioengineering or BME. herein lies a big issue. i declared biochemistry as my major at UCLA but am considering changing to BME. i do this because, while my primary interest and skills are in the sciences, i hope to have that sort of "twist" on a med school app, getting away from your normal bio applicant towards a more applied, "useful" degree. at the same time, BME provides more research opportunities. still, i can consider that there is tons more work and hte major hit towards the all-important GPA.</p>

<p>here are my college stats:</p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 unweighted, all honors/ap/ib classes available, all A's
4.97 on our scale but that cant really be translated well
senior year courses (straight A’s first semester) :
spanish lang AP
TOK IB
chemistry AP
Statistics AP
history of the americas IB
psychology AP
english lit AP/english IB HL</p>

<p>SAT I : 700M, 790W, 760CR
SAT II: 770 Biology, 800 math 2, chemistry in dec (lookin at 800)</p>

<p>ELC student (i made the top 4% thing and have guarantees to the lower ones)</p>

<p>AP IB tests:</p>

<p>biology 5
us history 4
eng lang 5</p>

<p>math studies SL 6
physics SL 3 </p>

<p>more about me:
national merit scholar semifinalist (prospective finalist)
ROP hospital occupations program for 2 years (360 hours total, 120 in hospital, internship in OR/Radiology)
dental office job shadowing
science olympiad VP
STEP (Society To End Poverty) Founder/Project Manager (top pos)
Interact VP
12 year piano player (most advanced student)
basketball 2 years (MVP)
NHS, CSF member (seal bearer-with distinction)
IB Diploma candidate</p>

<p>school does not rank.
most challenging coursework available</p>

<p>End Stats</p>

<p>This is the list of colleges and stuff I got into:</p>

<p>Accepted
Northwestern (rejected HPME) - biomedical engineering
Union/albany-8 year bs/mba/md prog
UC Berkeley - molecular biology
UCLA - biochemistry (gunna try to change to BME) honors, REGENTS!
USC - biomedical engineering (biochemical), premed with presidential scholarship.
UCSD - bioengineering, premed with regents (nothing from med program, #1 choice)
UCD - biomedical engineering, premed with regents
UCI - biomedical engineering, premed
UCR - bioengineering, premed with regents
UOP (university of the pacific, NOT upenn haha) dental prog, 5-year, w/presidential scholarship</p>

<p>waitlisted
Johns hopkins - biomedical engineering</p>

<p>REJECTED
CalTech - biology and med program
Stanford - biology
Princeton - biology
Harvard – biology</p>

<p>so, as you can see I got a tough decision to make. I’ve been accepted into a medical program. I also have the opportunity to study BME at UCSD as a designated pre-med (though its not ABET certified, it does have less rigor because its designated for premeds.
At the same time, ive been accepted to cal and northwestern (though I was rejected from the HPME program, after an interview).</p>

<p>But right now, im leaning towards UCLA w/regents cuz I like it there and I think regents is a great opportunity.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I know mi turning down some big opportuntieis in the med program, dental program, northwestern, and cal.</p>

<p>Also, if I do get the UCSD medical program (which is almost NO chance), I will 100% go. Lets just assume I don’t? :)</p>

<p>thanks in advance.</p>

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<p>What's the advantage of UCLA over Northwestern?</p>

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<p>well, i live near UCLA and id like to stay in southern california.</p>

<p>northwestern just doesnt grab me.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
well, i live near UCLA and id like to stay in southern california.

[/quote]
To me, these are the best two reasons to go to Northwestern. California's someplace you've seen already, someplace you've already been, a place you're used to and a place you might well move after your education is done. If you're still thinking this way after undergrad, UCLA will be your top choice for medical school -- and then residency, and then fellowship. And suddenly you've spent the entirety of your post-adolescent life within a ten-mile radius and have no idea what that one kid from Wisconsin is talking about when he makes a farm joke.</p>

<p>Seeing the country is a good experience. Being exposed to different places is healthy, and a great way to grow. It adds diversity to you as a person and as a student.</p>

<p>Take Northwestern, financial details permitting.</p>

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<p>What does the Reagents scholarship at UCLA entail?</p>

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<p>5500/year, faculty mentor, part of the regents scholars society, guaranteed housing/parking, early registration</p>

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<p>Actually, receiving the Regents Scholarship (at both Berkeley and UCLA) really frightened me.</p>

<p>"Wait, a faculty mentor? You mean, I wouldn't get this otherwise?"
"... guaranteed housing? Are you telling me that most students have trouble finding places to live?"
"Early registration? Why does this matter? Who cares? This is how I get my classes?"
"These things help me graduate in four years? Aren't I supposed to do that anyway?"</p>

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<p>Wow, I've never seen someone with so much bias lol. Regents for UCLA is actually super helpful. In public schools (especially UCs), there actually is a lot of competition for classes, and its more than likely that you won't be able to take a class in the certain quarter/semester that you desire (my bro goes to Cal and he had to take some classes over summer since he didn't get them for fall/spring). That being said, priority registration is an excellent benefit. Also, the mentor is a student, not a teacher, who has connections to a bunch of professors and can probably land you the research spot that you want (hell, who even knows, maybe he/she can put in a good word for you with a professor, leading to a better rec and possibly even a better grade). Being part of the Regents Society will also aid you in general when you wanna do things like volunteer, etc.</p>

<p>BTW I'm not saying that it's good to live in the same place your whole life, but honestly, SoCal is the best place to live in the U.S.</p>

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<p>That's my point. The Regents is helpful... because it allows you to get basic features like being able to sign up for classes, having a place to live, and being able to talk to faculty, really elementary staples at any private institution.</p>

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<p>It's gonna cost $120,000 more after 4 years...so eh.</p>