Premed at UCF will be a challenge. Don’t underestimate and think you’ll be able to slide. What is your brother’s major at UCF? Has he taken Gen Chem? Ochem?
What AP classes have you completed and what exam scores did you get
You know…it will be up to YOU to develop her necessary relationships to do do research. What clinical experience are you talking about? Shadowing doctors? Or what? “Great” medical school? All medical schools are great, and the one that accepts you…is REALLY great.
That’s nice but don’t expect that to be the case in college. You might want to plan to actually study.
@WayOutWestMom can you explain to this student that he CAN get accepted to college from UCF, and also how difficult it is for an OOS student to get accepted to the medical schools in CA.
UCF has an honors college, right? So you will be there with other top students.
They have awesome suite housing there.
You will be one of the top students, you will have opportunities for research and shadowing.
https://sciences.ucf.edu/biology/undergraduate-program/pre-health-advising/
UCF has a med school, so why would you think, the undergraduate school would not be adequate?
@mom2collegekids He was a finance major, but he had friends that were biology majors.
These are my AP’s
Human Geography - 3
World History - 3
Psychology - 5
Seminar - 3
Lang - 3
AB Calc - 4
Physics 1 - 4
Still have to take (expected scores)
Stat - 5
Environmental Science - 3 or 4
Lit - 3 or 4
Computer Science Principles - 5
Macroeconomics - 4 or 5
US Gov - 3 or 4
Biology - 3 or 4
@thumper1 I do plan to take the initiative to get to know my professors, even in large classes, and I suppose there would be plenty of opportunities at UCF to do research (I should probably pay less attention to rankings). Also it would be pretty convenient because I have already shadowed a few different physicians in the Orlando area.
And I have no problem with studying at much as necessary to get A’s, I’m not betting on it being easy.
Every kid I’ve known who went to UCF has loved it. I don’t get it. I don’t really like Orlando and don’t think I’d like a school that big, but to a person, each one has loved it.
UCF must have some magic water.
You know that UCF has a medical school, right? So there will be research opportunities right there nearby. Ditto for shadowing and volunteering opportunities. Do you really want compete with 3000 other pre-meds for those same opportunities at any of the UCs?
According to AAMC data, UF is the SECOND largest supplier of white and hispanic med school applicants in the country and 3d largest suppler of African American/black applicants.
https://www.aamc.org/download/321458/data/factstablea2-7.pdf
Again, do you really want to compete with all those pre-meds for the grades and the limited number of volunteering and research opportunities at UF?
And based upon your AP scores, I wouldn’t assume that at the UCs or UF you’re going be in the top quintile among your pre-med competitors. Remember that GPA is extremely important for pre-meds. The average GPA for admitted med students last cycle was in the 3.7 range. (Not that GPA is everything, but if you don’t have a strong enough GPA, it’s game over. )
Medical school adcomms don’t particularly care where you attend undergrad (unless it’s a tiny I-never-hear-of-it school, one that doesn’t teach recognized scientific theories like evolution, or is not accredited). You don’t get bonus GPA points for prestige. That’s why med schools require the MCAT–it’s the great equalizer.
So go to UCF, do well there, and see where you stand 4 years from when it’s time to apply for med school.
P.S. Limiting your debt for =undergrad is always a great idea for pre-meds. Med school FA is loans, loans & more loans.
Lets clear something up, there are FAR more opportunities for volunteering and research at UF, than UCF. It’s not even remotely close. At UF, it isn’t a question of getting an opportunity, it’s a question of which opportunity, of many, to choose.
To put it in perspective, UF’s “Life Sciences” R&D expenditures exceeded $560 million a year in 2016-2017, one of the largest in the country. UCF’s life sciences R&D was less than $28 million. Overall R&D, UCF is respectable (at about 1/3 of UF’s total), but it’s prominently in physics, chemistry, computer sciences and engineering.
The issue here…this student didn’t apply to or get accepted to UF.
He DID get accepted to UCF.
@thumper1 That’s what I get for not reading the complete thread… L-)
@Gator88NE There was a discussion about should he gap year and then apply to UF.
Honestly, he has a good choice in UCF. It’s affordable, and he can certainly attain his goals by tending that school.
The UCs…no. Unaffordable.
@“aunt bea” and others, Hi, just wanted your input on the following: If parents of an out of state student at the UC’s move to CA and get a job in CA, and the parents do all the steps: like give up residency in prior state, get CA Driv Lic, and register to vote and vote in CA, pay CA income taxes, have a rental lease, open local bank account ALL prior to the end of the fall of freshman term. Here’s the question: DO the forms that UC’s make you fill out ask questions about a younger sibling that is still in high school, like what high school are they enrolled in or graduated from (we would do the filing after being there for 366 days prior to first day of sophomore year, yet filing form before the deadline as noted on the site for the indiv UC campus). Since that younger sibling may stay with close friends in the prior state to finish senior year, and have a car for herself (registered in her name in the prior state, yet a separate auto insurance policy paid for by parents). Would this matter for the purposes of showing residency in CA. Also does anyone know if one spouse of the married parents (the only one earning income for the family and for whom the student is dependent upon financially) does all the above and lives and works in CA full time, can the other spouse stay in another state (not working), would that be satisfactory for qualifying for CA residency, or would the parents have to be legally separated for that to be acceptable.
As an alternative to a gap year, can you start at UCF and then transfer to UF and still keep your BF scholarships if you decide after a year that you still want UF?
UF has several hospitals and clinics close to campus a lot of great opportunities (that OP isn’t picking from, because he didn’t apply to UF). UCF is in Orlando, a city of hospitals and clinics and research opportunities. The school has 50k students - it’s a city in itself.
Candidly, you are a weak student when compared to others that actually got admitted to schools like UF. Your AP scores are mediocre. My guess is that you did not apply to UF or FSU, because you had doubts about your admission chances. At the UC’s, you will be competing against a huge pool of extremely gifted in state pre-med students who are in the library 24/7. At this point, you have two choices: UCF or a gap year.