Hi everyone, thank you all for helping me through the college process (especially @Gumbymom )
Anyways, I had 4.08 UC GPA, 4.17 W, 3.75 UW, and 4.3 W (10-11).
I also had an SAT score of 1490 (took it 4 times and got 1300, 1460, 1490, 1390). Took ACT (31,32,33) but submit. Got 720 on SAT chem and 750 on math2; also go 3’s on AP Lang and AP chem and a 5 on AP Calc AB. I am taking AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP CS, fine arts, and AP physics 1 my senior year.
ECs: did swim for 2 years, cross country, I had a tutoring job at a tutorial center since last summer. I also do volunteering at school events and at a hospital. I also am the Event Coordinator for my School’s Science Olympiad team and have a few medals. I also got school Departmental awards for math.
Essays were decent, not sure how to explain.
Anyways I wanted to do premed to go to med school, but I am also interested in chemical engineering. If I have a bio degree and dont go to med school, my job opportunities are limited in pay. If I have an engineering degree it might be more safe, but it is also harder to get into med school due to lower GPA. This is the main conflict I have.
I am also a middle class (got barely any FA) South Asian male from a competitive high school near the Bay Area (my parents are gonna move somewhere else soon).
I really need to know where I should go;
Results:
Cal Poly Pomona - accept chemE
Cal Poly SLO - accept materialsE
SDSU - accept biochem
SFSU- accept biochem
CSULB - accept chemE
UCR - accept chemE w/chancellors scholarship
UCSC - accept bioE
UCI - accept chemE w/CHP
UCD - waitlist chemE
UCSB - accept chemE w/chancellors reception invitation
UCSD - accept biochem (alt. major), Marshall
UCLA - reject chemE
UCB - accept materialsE (extremely unexpected)
USC - reject chemE
Stanford - reject chemE
UMTC - accept CSE w/5k scholarship
TAMU - accept chemE
UT Austin - reject chemE
Rice - reject chemE
GaTech - reject chemE
So out of these I need to decide between:
Cal Poly Pomona Chemical Engineering
Cal Poly SLO Materials Engineering
SDSU Biochemistry
SFSU Biochemistry
CSULB Chemical Engineering
UCR Chemical Engineering (5k Chancellors) Scholarship
UCSC Bioengineering
UCI Chemical Engineering Campus Wide Honors
UCSB Chemical Engineering (received decision early)
UCSD Biochemistry (alt. major, 1st was chemical engineering) into Thurgood Marshall College
UCB Materials Science and Engineering
Minnesota Twin Cities - College of Science and Engineering 5k Scholarship
Texas A and M - Chemical Engineering
I honestly am really confused. I want to do premed but am scared of not getting into med school. Should I just to Berkeley, known for their great reputation?
Someone help!
Just know, it’s not the college you go to that matters, it’s your gpa and mcat score. Yeah your college kinda matters but it’s not a determining factor for med school. They really just look at your gpa and mcat score. Go to a school where you know you will excel. There’s no point of going to a top college and getting a 3.4 gpa.
Have you visited any? What made you apply? What major is the one you’re most interested in? Anything unique about a school you like? What’s the most affordable? Closest to home? Academic environment? Research potential?
You don’t have to answer these publicly but hopefully they’ll be somewhat helpful. Pick the school you like best.
Out of the schools I got into I liked Cal, UCSD, UCSB, and SLO, but didnt visit any OOS.
All of the schools I got into are around the same price, with TAMU and CalStates being the cheapest. I prefer California though because of weather. I am interested in research so all of the schools offer it. I am interested in chemical and materials engineering (but I feel like I am not good at physics and chem) as well as bio. I want to go to med school since I am interested in anatomy, diseases, etc… and am also interested in treating people, especially doing surgery. I prefer UC’s over other schools since people I know are there. The only problem I have is that if I have a degree in bio, the jobs that I can get if I didn’t make med school aren’t that good (I prefer engineering over research jobs). But if I major in engineer fields I will have a good backup if I fail to go to med school (but then going to med school will be a lot harder). In terms of schools, I don’t have a preference in location (as long as it is somewhat near a city). I also like schools with good food, sports, decent social life, strong academics and research, and few hospitals nearby to volunteer at.
Anyway, can other people make suggestions for me?
Would Cal Poly and UC Berkeley be good schools for premed? I changed my mind about premed they would still be good i guess. But why do you ( @bogeyorpar ) suggest only those 2 options?
All of your admitted schools are public schools, and there just not that much difference between them. Eliminate Texas A&M and Minnesota first, since they are out of state and not any better than UCs and CSUs. Now, inside UCs, UCB is the best for your major and costs are all the same; inside CSUs, Cal Poly SLO is the best for your major and costs are all the same. So, you only need to consider UCB vs SLO. There are many threads comparing these two. Pick one based on your preference (city vs rural, large class vs small class, etc.), and you can’t go wrong with either.
If financially all the UC’s and CSU’s are affordable, then it will come down to academics and social life. UCB/SLO/UCSB and UCSD are very different when it comes to “campus vibe” but all are academically excellent schools. Where do you see yourself being happy for the next 4 years since a happy student will be a successful student?
Just remember where you go for Undergrad will define you, it is what you do with the opportunities you are given. You need a school where you can get a High GPA, have opportunities for Medically related EC’s and where you have access to good Pre-Med advising if Medical school is in your future.