Ask me anything - Prospective Science Majors, Premed, General Questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Penn State
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<p>I am a recent (within the last year) graduate from University Park who majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and is coming to the end of a very successful medical school application cycle.</p>

<p>I am posting this thread for two reasons: first, I found this forum tremendously valuable when applying to colleges (I have created a new screen name since my old one had too many personally identifiable details) and would like to answer any questions I can. Secondly, I saw another "ask me anything" thread which is doing well, but everyone's experiences are different, and Penn State is a big place so everyone can answer different questions and provide different input.</p>

<p>Some notes about my experiences that should give you an idea what I might be able to answer:</p>

<p>I lived on campus for a year then moved off campus and lived in multiple different off campus apartments.</p>

<p>I was involved in a variety of extracurriculars and a research laboratory.</p>

<p>I can answer questions regarding life sciences related (or chemistry) courses and majors, as well as about being a premed at Penn State or going into Penn State with the idea of medical school in the back of your mind.</p>

<p>I have my own personal list of easy/fun gen eds and can discuss the tricks for working the system to get classes you want.</p>

<p>I am a bit more cynical about certain issues, such as the equivalence of branch campuses and UP, than many people and am likely to give different answers. This is based on the experiences I have had, talking to many people, and hearing medical school interviewers' thoughts and opinions regarding the subject.</p>

<p>As a entering freshman, I was not thrilled to be going to Penn State. Now, I know there would have been no better place to spend my college years and know I made the right decision, even if it might have been by accident. My academic, extracurricular, and social experiences at PSU were amazing and even when interviewing at medical schools where most other candidates were coming from Ivies, I have always felt that Penn State is respected as a great academic institution.</p>

<p>Feel free to post/PM.</p>

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<li><p>PSU vs. Pitt My daughter is currently deciding between these two schools and likely will study liberal arts. What do you see as the pros and cons of PSU vs. Pitt?</p></li>
<li><p>PSU has a huge reputation as a party school. How much is social life dominated by drinking? What do kids do for fun when they are not drinking? What is there to do in the surrounding area?</p></li>
<li><p>How would you describe “diversity” at PSU?</p></li>
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<p>1) There are so many classes to chose from. You said you had your own personal list of easy/fun gen eds. What are some? and what are some Electives to take as well?</p>

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<p>Do you know anyone who was in the bs/mba program as a biochem./mbio major? Is this a good option or would it dilute the science experience. My D is planning for graduate school/research, not medical school.</p>

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<p>smitfam, I have a friend who is doing the bs/mba program. From what he has told me, your major is general science, you don’t have a specified field (biol, bmb, etc). You can tailor your courses to your general area of interest however. So if biochem interests you, you can schedule those types of courses. </p>

<p>If your d is serious in going into research (ie PhD), I would suggest delving into a specific science major from the start, and forgo the business courses required for the mba program. The mba portion of the program really adds a lot of extra stress etc with the business coursework intermingled in the science work. If she is not sure what she wants to do in the future (MD, industry etc) then consider applying.</p>

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<p>what is the physics sequence for pre-meds? (2 or 3 semesters? algebra or calc-based?) and how good/difficult are the professors for pre-med classes?</p>

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<p>No, I don’t know anyone in the program.</p>

<p>That being said, you really have to nail down your career goals before deciding whether to do a program like this. What path you want to take after college, and why the degree combination is useful…</p>

<p>Based on past conversations with a contact who is an executive at a company which hires people with both business and life science/medical expertise, even if I was interested in going into biotech (where this combination of degrees could be compelling) I would be more inclined to go the pure science route and pursue the MBA later after finishing my science graduate work and getting some experience in industry.</p>

<p>It might be worth contacting the program and asking them to put you in touch with some alumni who are doing the kind of work you hope to do. They should be willing to do that. These people are the ones who you need to talk to!</p>

<p>That being said, yes, I think you run the risk of having your science experience diluted… the general science major is not very useful and I would recommend strongly against it. Also, you are less likely to have time to commit to significant research in a lab (outside of class), which is important for science graduate school.</p>

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<p>calc-based sequence: PHYS 211,212,213,214 (despite the way the course numbers look, this only takes 3 semesters to complete, not 4)
algebra-based sequence: PHYS 250,251 (2 semesters)</p>

<p>Which you are required to take depends on your specific major. Medical schools do not require calculus based physics – algebra is good enough for med schools. It is also good enough for the Premedicine major, a major I would be very skeptical of… just because you want to go to medical school doesn’t mean you should major in Premedicine!</p>

<p>Chemistry requires calc-based physics. Biology does not. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology requires calc-based for the Biochemistry option, but if you do the Molecular/Cell Biology Option within the major, you can take algebra-based.</p>

<p>The professors for intro science courses are a mix of average and great, with a few poor ones thrown in. Regardless of whether you get a great prof or not, college is not high school – you can’t expect to be spoon fed in lectures. The trick to success in science classes and the MCATs is learning to effectively do the work necessary outside of class to learn and MASTER the basics of biology, physics, and chemistry.</p>

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<p>I am biased toward easy gen eds. When you are taking lots of tough science courses and GPA is the most important thing for your future success, you end up thinking this way.</p>

<p>GA:</p>

<p>PHOTO 100 - online course, super easy A</p>

<p>THEA 100 - used to be one of the best gen ed courses at PSU when Annie McGregor taught it, but the professor has changed… look the new guy up on ratemyprofessors just to be sure he’s good too.</p>

<p>MUSIC 008 - a friend took this and said it was a joke… including online quizzes that involved identifying which of two tones is higher pitch.</p>

<p>GH:</p>

<p>AAA S 191 or 192 with Clemente Abrokwaa - easy and interesting, but a stickler on attendance. show up and you’ll do great.</p>

<p>GHA:</p>

<p>HPA 057 with Milliron or Galley</p>

<p>GS:</p>

<p>HD FS 129 is very popular, interesting, relevant to anyone’s future life, and not too challenging</p>

<p>GS/GH (varies based on course):</p>

<p>I randomly signed up for a course in the Geography department and loved it. It is a very interesting field because they analyze practically everything (economics, all sorts of human factors, environmental factors, everything) with the spatial dimension as the unifying factor and method… check out their courses that count for gen eds and make sure you use ratemyprofessor to avoid any lousy surprises.</p>

<p>CAS/ENGL 202/ENGL 015:</p>

<p>You need to ask around and use ratemyprofessors and choose your prof carefully. They are all grad students and they range from great teachers to terrible teachers and easy graders to hard graders. The easiest graders tend not to last too long before the department puts an end to them, which means you have to ask people who took these classes the semester before how they liked their professor.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/penn-state-university-park/1100314-chance-me-junior.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/penn-state-university-park/1100314-chance-me-junior.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>1) I think they are objectively similar, but subjectively polar opposites. One is in a quintessential college town while the other is in an urban environment. They are both great schools. Presumably your daughter has visited both. She needs to pick the one that provides the environment she thinks she could thrive in for four years. This may be more of a feel thing than a list of pros and cons kind of thing. Where would she be happiest? So much of what you get out of college depends on what you do to take advantage of the opportunities made available to you. Which environment does she think she could hit the ground running in and take charge of her education and career/personal/extracurricular development?</p>

<p>2) The reputation certainly exists for a reason. I did plenty of things outside of class that did not involve drinking (PSU has any extracurricular you can think of) but truthfully, most weekend evenings involved alcohol. The school promotes its sober “Late Night Penn State” but it is not something which will hold most people’s interest on a regular basis – it’s something you might end up going to a few times through your four years, if that (other than the movies, at least).</p>

<p>I didn’t drink in HS and was somewhat concerned about what it would be like going to such a stereotypical “party school.” This concern was unfounded. The big thing to be concerned about is setting priorities and keeping a balanced life. You can go out on the weekends while staying safe and not jeopardizing your grades and other activities if you manage your time well.</p>

<p>There is little in the surrounding area not related to the university. It is not like a city where there are tons of non-university-sponsored things you’ll be doing. Life is centered around PSU.</p>

<p>3) In what sense? Racial diversity or broadly? I don’t think PSU is a tremendously diverse place compared to others. That doesn’t mean it isn’t accepting of everyone, it just means that I wouldn’t highlight diversity as a huge selling point of PSU or pick out PSU as a school which exemplifies diversity.</p>

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<p>Question for you. My son is going premed with Chem major. He (we) are trying to decide which school will give him the best shot (also accepted at BC and Mich) for med school. He loves all 3 schools by the way. We have heard that med schools look closely and favorabley at your hospital volunteering/ internships throughout the 4 years and not just summers. While PSU has a great program, my concern is the amount of quality volunteer/ internship opportunities at Mt Nittany Med Ctr. Since it the only hospital around, how can 400 pre-meds at PSU (my estimate) all find consistent high quality hospital experience? Compare this against BC where you have 5 world class hospitals just a short T ride away and Mich which has the huge Univesity Med Ctr.along with 20 other facilities within Ann Arbor area. Is this an issue or should I not be concerned?</p>

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<p>^^^^^^^^^
Medical Schools to which Penn State students matriculated in the 2010 entering class:
<a href=“http://www.science.psu.edu/premed/Document-Folder/2010%20Penn%20State%20Matriculation%20at%20Medical%20Schools%20-allopathic%20and%20osteopathic.pdf[/url]”>http://www.science.psu.edu/premed/Document-Folder/2010%20Penn%20State%20Matriculation%20at%20Medical%20Schools%20-allopathic%20and%20osteopathic.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Penn state is described as being a rural school since it is so far from main cities. Did you feel that it was too isolated? If you are not in a frat or join a bunch of clubs type of person are there enough other less structured groups to be a part of?</p>

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<p>My S got in Undecided/DUS. He is expressing an interest in Business and Communications. Do you think it’s wise to see if he can get in before he begins PSU(university Park in the Fall) as a Bus or Comm major or do you think it’s best to stay undecided?In other words, is it difficult to transfer into Business like it is at University of Maryland?</p>

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<p>I’m going to be a premed major next year at UP. I was hoping you could share any general advice for how to get through certain classes, what extracurriculars to get involved in, or any advice specifically for premed students.</p>

<p>I also have a question about which extracirriculars will help me the most with getting into med. school. I know everyone always says to do what you really want to and that colleges will be impressed with dedication to anything but I’m sure it’s different for med school. My situation is rather specific. I love color guard and I’m currently captain of the squad at my high school, so logically initially I was completely certain I would join the Blue Band’s silks and be a dedicated member. However the more that I think about it I’m worried med schools would prefer a larger number of diverse, medically related ECs. Do you have any insight into this? Also, did you know anyone on the Blue Band when you were at PSU? If so, did they discuss the time commitment with you or anything? (I’ve read that it is over 10 hours a week but first/second hand experiences are good to hear too, I think.)</p>

<p>Thanks for your time! :)</p>

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<p>You are not wrong for picking up on this issue. Penn State’s medical school and university hospital are in Hershey, about 1 hour and 45 minutes from the main campus, and this does mean that you won’t have the same access to clinical experiences and certain types of biomedical research that you would if you attend a school which is in closer proximity to a university medical center.</p>

<p>While this is objectively a disadvantage of Penn State, I would not make my college decision based on this issue, since I do not think the lack of proximity to an academic medical center actually results in Penn State premeds having weaker medical school applications.</p>

<p>Mount Nittany is the only acute care hospital in Centre County. You could potentially volunteer there if you wanted to. It is not the best hospital in general, by the way.</p>

<p>Two opportunities to seriously consider FROM THE BEGINNING (since they value students who make a commitment of several years):</p>

<p>Centre Volunteers in Medicine, a free clinic in the area</p>

<p>The local EMS service, Centre Lifelink (NOT the Penn State EMS service, which has a far lower call volume). Your son could take an EMT course the summer before college then get involved with this service and get TONS of great experience throughout his college years.</p>

<p>I wish I had gotten involved with one or both of these, but learned of them too late. Both are likely to be far more rewarding, meaningful experiences than volunteering in a hospital. Combine these with shadowing/volunteer experience your son could potentially get at home or elsewhere over the summers and he’ll be fine.</p>

<p>Once again, you’ve identified something which is a good point to raise, but is not truly cause for concern or reason to shy away from Penn State.</p>

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<p>I didn’t feel it was too isolated. A large part of the reason I hesitated to go to Penn State in the first place was because I thought I wanted to be in an urban environment for college. I am headed to a city for medical school and very happy with the way things turned out. You only get one chance to have the experience of being a student at a large school in a vibrant college town like State College. I’m glad I had that. I still cannot wait to live in a major city, but I really don’t think I lost any of that experience by putting it off for four years.</p>

<p>There are a variety of activities at Penn State that have the potential to largely consume your life unless you actively fight it. Those that come to mind:</p>

<p>Frats/sororities
Varsity or club sports (varsity for sure, club if you want it to take over your life/let it/depends on the sport too)
Being a captain or overall of THON
Being a Lion Ambassador
Blue Band (at least in fall semesters, when the time commitment is huge)</p>

<p>That can be a positive or negative. Some people do one of these things, love it, and most of their social life ends up revolving around people from the organization. You just have to make sure to not let your academics suffer (this requires first keeping academics as the foremost priority in your own mind, and secondly managing other people’s expectations in order to allow you to do what you need to do for school).</p>

<p>There are also MANY clubs and organizations that are far more low key and as you put it “less structured.” You can easily find time to have significant participation in a few of these.</p>

<p>All in all, you’re in a community with 40,000 people the vast majority of whom are within a few years of your own age. No matter what your interests are, the only way you will end up bored is if you don’t put forth the effort to find those people with mutual interests, those with different interests but will still end up being lifelong friends, and the activities which will help define your college experience.</p>

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<p>Thanks psubmb. You are a super thorough person. Good luck with your future!</p>

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<p>Your son should be acutely aware that enrollment in certain majors including many business majors and the advertising/PR major (see [Division</a> of Undergraduate Studies: Advising Updates](<a href=“http://dus.psu.edu/updates/numbr570.htm]Division”>http://dus.psu.edu/updates/numbr570.htm) for a better list) has special GPA-based requirements.</p>

<p>I don’t think there is really a need to do anything at this point as much as there is just a need to stay aware of this and ensure that he keeps his GPA high to keep all options open. I would still talk to BOTH a DUS advisor and advisor in the college/department of interest now just to make sure there is nothing to do now that could make the process easier, and to become aware of those specific requirements which he will have to meet to enter the major he wants.</p>