Hey guys so I’m provisionally admitted to CSUN already and my fafsa and other stuff is done so I just have to enroll in classes for fall and my original major was comp. science. I have changed my mind a few days ago and am trying to go to biology to try and become a neurosurgeon in the future and to transfer to UCLA. Unfortunately I found out the truth about csu students trying to transfer to a UC and went around looking for answers for other ways. I actually have found a way which is to go from a csu to cc and then to a uc, so I called up csun and told the person on the phone about the plan and unforunately the person said that thats not what csun is for and told me to either stay at csun or go to a cc right off the bat. So my question to you guys is if I should keep on trying to do the csu to cc to uc transfer or to just go to cc for fall and then tranfer to a uc.
It will be much easier to just go to a CC initially. assist.org maps out all the prerequisite courses you need to transfer.
If you really want to be a neurosurgeon (MD), why not complete your biology degree (or whatever, pre-med studies) at CSUN? What value does UCLA add to the process and your ultimate career goal? Considering that a high GPA and MCAT score are a big part of the admission requirements for medical school, wouldn’t you likely get a higher GPA at CSUN than at UCLA?
What are your high school stats (ACT/SAT/unweighted GPA)? If you want to attend UCLA, I would go the CC-to-UCLA route. It is the least cost option (California CC rate is $46/credit!) and and less circuitous route.
Agreed. Pre-med courses at UCLA will be brutal; your odds of getting the (super high) grades you will need for med school are better at CSUN. Stay there and enjoy a 4-year-college experience.
go to CSUN. 3 weeks from now you’ll want to be something else, and you’ll change your mind again 3 months from now.
Look, a person doesn’t just decide to be a neurosurgeon and have it be anything other than an impulsive decision with no gravitas. Like Scrooge in the play “A Christmas Carol” think of this visit by the neurosurgery spirit as simple indigestion, nothing more.
Can you answer the following questions? [ul][]How many years of training does it take to be a neurosurgeon? []What board tests are required? []When are those tests taken? []What is the typical day of a neurosurgeon like? []Who do neurosurgeons typically work for?[]What factors are important to get into med school? []What is the typical grade and gpa of those getting in? []What role does the committee letter from your university play in med admissions? []how important is the reputation of the undergrad school in med school admissions[]what factors matter in getting selected for a residency program?[/ul]These are just a few off the top of my head, and I bet you can’t answer any of them with anything but a wild guess. It’s not that you can’t be a doctor, or that it isn’t right for you, but I seriously doubt you have anywhere near the understanding of medicine or neurosurgery to commit the next 40+ years of your life.
Not, of course, that you’re making a permanent commitment now, you’re just starting on a very long road with the belief it leads to neurosurgery.
And in reflection maybe a CC is the right choice. At a CSU or UC they have unit caps as they try to accomodate the crush of students, but you can spend as many years as you want at a CC trying this major and that, this career and that, without danger of being refused admission to whatever major you finally settle on because you’ve accumulated too many units.
This reflects about as much depth and investigation, IMHO, as your “decision” to become a neurosurgeon. 5 minutes on the web will show you the rules governing UC transfer. Here’s a hint: your CC transfer “plan” isn’t remotely possible.
@Jamrock411 the reason why I want to go to ucla is cause I want to get a pretty good education and since UCLA is partly known for their medicine department and stuff, I’d want to increase my chances with learning better over there imo. And yea I probably will take the cc first route to transfer.
@mikemac Damn I could only answer about half of those questions since I’ve actually been doing some research about neurosurgeons. I don’t blame you for your doubt of me because you’re right about me just starting to walk on the long road towards my career. I’m guessing that you didn’t really understand what I was trying to say about my transfer plan cause I worded it wrong, I’m basically thinking about going to cc for two years and then transfering to UCLA.
Why does this at all matter? As an undergrad the reputation of the medical school in which you are not enrolled affects you no more than the reputation of the business school or drama dept. Or maybe you think their good works will somehow rub off on you. In either case, not really; you’ll be taking your classes in the College of Letters and Science. Any college is the country can teach the lower-level science classes required to apply to med school, including CSUN. Assuming you really end up pursuing medicine, if you take the classes at CSUN and do well, plus get to know some profs so you get strong recs, you will in no way be hurt by not having ucla on your diploma.
Which brings up the next point. For all those wonderful things you think UCLA has/does, you’ll only get the benefit for 1 year since people apply to med school at the start of their senior year. And its well known that many med schools look a little askance at people that take the med school prep classes at a CC; that’s why its often recommended that CC transfers take advanced courses in those subjects at their 4-year to show they can handle the work.
If you want to understand what it takes to get into med school, read thru the very informative pages at https://www.rhodes.edu/content/health-professions-advising-hpa on the “PreMed Essentials” link. Which brings up a related point. Do you know that ucla does not have a premed advisor? You want advice, you read the info on their website or go talk to a general staffer in the career center who was talking to an future accountant before you and will talk to someone thinking of becoming a teacher next. And if you don’t believe me, do a web search and check.
But maybe you’re not convinced, you still want ucla. In that case take a gap year. Don’t take any class anywhere, because if you do the UC system considers you a transfer student. Reapply to college and enter ucla as a frosh (assuming you get in). May not be a bad idea, actually. Exposure to medicine is an unofficial requirement to get into med school (as you’ll see reading thru the link I gave above) and a year off will give you time to find a job at a local hospital where you’ll get all the exposure you need.
@mikemac You know what? I’ll take your advice and still attend CSUN, thanks for convincing me man and especially telling me about what would happen if I did go the CC route. I will at least try to attend the med school at UCLA later on tho tbh. The only obstacle in my way is deciding what specific major in biology to choose that’ll be closely related to neurosurgery.