<p>If I go to UNR I would major into Neurobiology. That is my dream major; however, I dislike Reno's small town. I'm a more outgoing, city girl and I hate snow. I feel like if I go to Reno I'll be bored with nothing to do but my academics will be beyond great. Plus, I get in-state-tuition. </p>
<p>If I go to UNLV I'd major in Biology- pre professional program. The advantages are that I have in-state- tuition, family nearby, and connections to medical experts to help me with pre-med advising. The weather is perfect for me and it is a sort of metropolitan area.</p>
<p>If I go to SDSU (my dream school) the weather is perfect, I'll live in a large city, and I would major in Psychology but still apply for the pre professional program. However, I'd have to pay out-of-state tuition + dorming = $36,000.</p>
<p>UNR has my dream major, UNLV is the cheapest of $3,000 + family and friends, but SDSU is my dream school in the city and state I want to reside in......I cannot win!</p>
<p>I would not discount the advantages of connections to medical experts (potentials for shadowing) who can assist you with pre-med advising at UNLV.
Keep in mind that at your ‘dream school’ SDSU, all majors are impacted, meaning that you may not be able to actually graduate in four years. This will impact your overall tuition. If you are considering med school, the REAL dream should be to complete your undergraduate degree as close to debt-free as possible.</p>
<p>Your dream school with perfect weather has a major disadvantage in the cost of living. We call it the sunshine tax. The weather is nice and temperate here, and there is lots to do, but the cost of renting in San Diego really surprises and shocks people wanting to live here. Everyone wants to come to California, but no one begins to consider the seriousness of paying a LOT of money for rent and utilities. </p>
<p>Being premed in Calif is a handicap. You’ll be OOS, you won’t likely get into any of their med schools. And, how would you pay for San Diego State? What are your parents saying?</p>
<p>You’re better off going to UNLV, do your best, and apply to med schools from there. (and don’t waste your time applying to Calif public med schools and only apply to the 3 privates if your stats are amazing.)</p>
<p>“Do I have a high chance of getting into medical school with the classes they offer at SDSU?Do I have a high chance of getting into medical school with the classes they offer at SDSU?”</p>
<p>From your question above from another thread, it seems that you don’t understand the med school app process. No school offers classes that give a student a “high chance of getting into med school.” No school.</p>
<p>If you don’t like snow, don’t go to SDSU. South Dakota has lots of it. If you mean that school in San Diego, it is younger than SDSU and cannot really claim the moniker. </p>
<p>Buck it up and go to UNR. Wife is a UNLV alum and best friend is a UNR alum. UNR is an overall better school and you may learn and grow more spending 4 years or so in a different environment. Worry about the weather and ‘small town’ when you settle down after college.</p>
<p>Viewed another way, it looks to me like you cannot lose. You have three options from which you are in the position to choose, with each offering something beneficial to you. There are many people who would love to be in your “cannot win” situation. I hope you view it more as a blessing than a curse if you are offered admission to all three, with a choice to make. </p>
<p>If San Diego State is your dream school because you want to live in San Diego, you can always move there later. You have your whole life to live in CA once you have a degree and are earning money, especially if you wnant to be a doctor.</p>
<p>At UNR, are you talking about neuroscience? I’m checking out UNR’s biology page right now and I don’t see a major in neurobiology.</p>
<p>Checking out the neuroscience major at UNR, you’d be required to take cell and molecular biology, organismal biology, biological investigation (basically research methods), genetics, cell biology, a genetics lab, neurobiology, introductory psychology, experimental psychology, physiological psychology, physics, and statistics. You can also choose 5 electives from biology and psychology.</p>
<p>At UNLV you can literally take all of those same courses. You could construct your own neuroscience major there. UNLV has the classes in cell, molecular, genomics/genetics, and they even have classes in endocrinology. And the psychology department has perception, physiological psychology, research methods (which is experimental psychology) and intro/general psychology. They also, of course, have courses in physics and statistics.</p>
<p>So go to UNLV - you’ll be happier there, you can study what you want (even if it has a slightly different name), you have family and you love the weather and you have connections.</p>
<p>Wow. If all goes right you’re going to end up with a great education in 4 years and be on your way to med school, yet your post is titled “I cannot win”. Hmm…</p>
<p>Drop San Diego from your list unless someone is happy to pony up over $100K so you can live in San Diego and enjoy perfect weather.</p>
<p>@juillet I apologize, I meant Neuroscience. Looking at all the courses I need and/or can take in order to get the Neuroscience degree, I love the program already. I also did look up the courses they offer at UNLV; however, if I attend UNLV I think I would major in the Pre Professional Biology program. I’m not sure then that I will be able to take both psychology and neuroscience courses there. I could be wrong. I will investigate more. Thank you for taking time to give me advice. I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Biology majors at UNLV are required to take 9 credits of social sciences (3 courses) plus 13 credits of electives (roughly 4 courses) in order to graduate. I didn’t really dig deeply but the intro psych, physiological psych, and psych research methods courses are only 3 courses/9 credits, so they will either all satisfy your social science requirement or your electives. And you have to take physics and statistics as part of the biology pre-professional major.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. I just made a list comparing the courses at UNLV to UNR and they both have all the courses I want to take. The only difference is the name of the major which I don’t think makes a big difference. Now I just have to see which school is most academic constructive and beneficial. Thank you so much. @juillet</p>
<p>UNR is slightly better academically and you’ll need to be at the top of your class if you intend to go to med school, so UNR may be a better academic pick.
UNLV sounds like a better social pick but the financial aspect is important too.
Did you get into the honors college at either? If not, can you apply based on college grades your first semester, so that you can get into Honors second semester? This would help you with course rigor, which in turn will help you get the MCAT scores to where they need to be.
Remember that even among students who manage to escape the weed out classes (classes designed to make a certain percentage of students fail), only one in two gets into med school, even just one med school. So anything you can do to maximize your odds should be done.</p>
<p>Hi @juillet I have another question if you don’t mind.
I know that UNR is a Tier 1 school and they have a phenomenal science department. Of course they have a medical school so the biology department works closely with them. I have been looking a lot into UNLV and the 86% rate admissions to medical school sounds amazing.
I do want to attend UNLV now, however, in the back of mind I’m still contemplating the academic part. Would attending a Tier 1 school make all that much of a difference? I do know that Nevada’s academic system is not all that great so many people have told me that UNLV and UNR aren’t that much different. Do you have any insight on this? Any opinions?</p>
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