<p>Hello, California residents. I was just wondering if anyone could recommend schools that are in/near San Francisco or L.A. I'm an out of stater and I'm not exceptionally smart (31 ACT/4.17GPA), but I do want to at least apply to one decent school in California. Are there any schools that aren't ridiculously easy to get into that I could apply to since Berkeley/UCLA/Stanford would be too much of a reach? Thanks for the feedback in advance.</p>
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<p>University of San Francisco</p>
<p>If you were willing to expand your search further out to the greater bay area, then I would suggest others, but that one is good for in the city.</p>
<p>I also recommend University of San Francisco.
Just curious, but what major are you interested in?</p>
<p>I would still apply to UC Berkeley, you may very well have a shot. Their average freshmen GPA is a 4.14 and your ACT score converts to around their average SAT score. You may also want to look into UC Davis, it’s about 74 miles from San Francisco but it’s still a really nice and well-respected school that you should be able to get into.</p>
<p>Like FollowTheReaper said, a 4.17 is a very competitive GPA. I’d give both Cal and Stanford a shot, as well as USF, but it really depends on your major and what you want to get out of school. You might also want to check out Santa Clara University. It’s right across the street from the Santa Clara Caltrain station, and I’m sure you would have no problem getting in there – potentially with a nice scholarship.</p>
<p>Sorry I didn’t mention it, I want to take the pre-med track and probably major in biology (though I am interested in minoring in African/African American studies or psychology). Thanks for the names of other schools as well as the encouragement. UC Berkeley would be a dream, so I might apply just 'cus YOLO :).</p>
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<p>UC Berkeley
University of San Francisco</p>
<p>UCLA
Claremont McKenna Colleges
Occidental College
University of Southern California</p>
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In that case I highly recommend USF. They have their own fairly renown nursing school. You should look into that.</p>
<p>Be sure to check the net price calculators at each school to get financial aid estimates, unless you can afford full list price at all of the schools. Out of state list price at UC is typically over $50,000 per year, while out of state list price at CSU is typically over $30,000 per year. Financial aid for out of state students is typically very little at UC and CSU. Private schools vary…</p>
<p>Note that majoring in biology is not necessary to do pre-med (you do need to complete the pre-med courses).</p>
<p>Santa Clara University has a well-developed program for pre-med track students, especially if they are highly-motivated.</p>
<p>You’ll likely be in with a highly generous scholarship, which is super helpful if you’re planning to go on to medical school. Personally, I’m of the opinion that it isn’t worth going to a major university like Stanford or Berkeley for undergrad if you’re paying hundreds of thousands and planning to head on to grad school. </p>
<p>You’d receive a better foundation at Santa Clara, and you’ll form strong relationships with your professors in the process.</p>
<p>Northern Cal
Santa Cruz
Santa Clara
UC Davis
University of San Francisco</p>
<p>Southern Cal
LMU
UC Santa Barbara
UC San Diego
University of San Diego</p>
<p>Thanks, you all. My mother made it clear that there won’t be any money available for anything except, maybe, books. So if I can’t cover the cost if attendance, I won’t be attending. </p>
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Unfortunately, if you can’t come up with enough private scholarships, then it would be hard to attend UC or CSU from OOS (without being full-pay).</p>
<p>Like ucb mentions, privates will vary, and this could work out to your favor if they award you enough merit and/or a combo of it and grant aid. I would suggest applying to more privates than publics in CA, especially with your stats it’s highly likely that you may receive something in the way of merit. Most likely the privates will make you take out the full loan amounts per year, but if you’re low income they may cover more in grant aid.</p>
<p>I would take USF for biology (or pre-med) any day over SCU (so long as all else remains the same, like cost). More biotech companies, like Genentech, are located in South SF and not Silicon Valley. Plus, a lot more attention is brought to those seeking a career in the medical field there since they have a Nursing School. Of course these schools come with differing environmental atmosphere’s, but still IMO, USF will provide more opportunities in that field while still letting you get close to your professors since they’re similar in student body size (small private schools).</p>
<p>If money as an issue and you’re OOS, try looking at merit-based scholarships on the websites, especially the privates.
What’s your unweighted GPA? I know USF supplies 20 grand a year (roughly 40% of the cost per year) if you have 3.85 or something, but even then you’re a little skewered.
I’m a USF hopeful and I’ve talked to a multiple reps and I’ve heard/observed that they have a strong pre-med track. They’re roughly 10 minutes away from UCSF, the UC system’s med/dental/specialty superschool where I was told USF students were allowed to intern/shadow/assist there (I should’ve asked more details about it because it doesn’t necessarily makes sense to me. whoops~).
Oh, there’re also constructing a brand new science building/wing at USF that should be open by Fall 2013. Weeee~.
Small note: I don’t get how people are linking a good nursing program to being good at a pre-med track. They’re somewhat similar, but there are just too many differences to compare the two.
Oh, and SCU is SCU. It’s atmosphere is a slightly(ever so slightly) more academically-bound than USF, but hey, I know a fair amount of people that go Bio/Public Health/etc over there and they’re all top of the line and happy. Their science building has been newly renovated in the past 5 years or so. Fair enough.</p>
<p>Oh, I think I should toss in some nice small colleges in the area, too, for your own research: St. Mary’s College and Dominican University. I’d definitely look at USF and SCU, too, though.</p>
<p>It’s always worth a shot to apply to Cal/LA/Stanford, because YOLO.</p>
<p>Edit: Didn’t realize turtlerock was posting here. I’ve read your posts about USF religiously. <3</p>
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<p>Aw, thanks Stim. I’m glad they’re good for something. I got tired of seeing USF’s sub-thread totally dead.</p>
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<p>I agree and I should have been more clear about my points. I mentioned USF’s nursing program in case the OP was thinking about changing academic programs - the nursing school gives them an equally viable option if they choose to drop the bio major and still stay in the medical field.</p>
<p>SMC and Dominican are good suggestions as well, but just know that they are a little ways from the city like SCU (all still a bart or caltrain ride away though).</p>
<p>If you are looking at DST or AKA, you shoulld checkout LMU. It’s in S Cal, and $$$, but depending onyour EFC, you might get merit+ need. Just a hunch.</p>
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<p>However, OP, keep in mind that SCU only recently recovered from a financial spat where their endowment receeded by a huge percentage, and it looks like it will be going back in that direction in the near future so generosity won’t exactly be so. . . generous.</p>