Cal poly SLO vs University of Washington Seattle

College Search & Selection
1

I got an acceptance for Cal Poly and the University of Washington Seattle in Public health major. I am a resident of CA. I am in a dilemma whether to go to Cal Poly or UW. I see UW is rated very high for Public health. Do you think the major ranking does matter? Also, Cal poly is in regional rankings. so it was hard to compare both the colleges. My goal is to goto medical school after undergrad. I also have a chance to go to UC Riverside with Honors.

2

If you are interested in practicing medicine in inland southern California, the early admission to medical school program at UCR is worth considering when choosing colleges.

https://somsa.ucr.edu/thomas-haider-early-assurance-program

How does cost and debt compare at each school? Remember that medical school is very expensive (and even applying to medical school to normal way costs significant money).

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3

Thank you! How about considering Cal poly SLO and University of washington. Which one should I consider. I am more inclined to University of Washington thought it is out of state as it looks more prestigious in ranking wise. My parents are thinking CP is better. Please suggest.

4

If one of them costs less, consider saving the money (or avoiding the debt) for expensive medical school.

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5

I’m in the exact same situation you are! Which one did you choose??

6

My daughter is in the same exact position! We are leaning toward SLO since we are in state. I told her she can go to SLO with zero debt and then go to UW for graduate school.

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7

If you want to go to medical school then the “Prestige” of your undergrad institution makes near zero difference. Med school acceptance is mainly test scores and GPA.

Yes, UW is very highly rated in public health, but I think that is more on the strength of the graduate MPH program which is indeed world-class and huge, not the undergrad program you would be in. If you were looking to get a MPH then yes, UW would be the obvious choice.

If you want to eventually settle and live in CA then go to Cal Poly. No one in CA will ever question your credentials if you went to Cal Poly. If you want to relocate to the Pacific Northwest then UW might be better as its alumni network is enormous and deep in Washington.

I’d got to Cal Poly and then whatever med school you can get into which might be out of state.