Cali student here who applied for BME at a bunch of different schools. As a result of applying towards such a competitive major, the highest ranking school I got into is UC Irvine (which is a fantastic school albeit).
Here’s where my question begins. I don’t really want to do BME at this point and want to go into bio/premed. Is it worth trying for premed as a cali student at UCI when UCLA and Berkeley alone can fill Cali’s med schools? I’m aware that the undergrad school you go to matters very little, but I’d like some input from you guys. Keep in mind that I have a disadvantage as a California student.
“Worth it” is a relative term. What do you mean by “worth it”?
If you want to become a doctor, then pursuing pre med is the only way you’re going to be able to accomplish that goal. Will the journey be long and challenging? Of course it will be. It is for everyone.
UCI produces many applicants for med school each year. Last year 431 UCI grads/alumni applied to med school.
California applicants will need to apply more widely and to more OOS med schools than applicants from other states.
Only 14% of California residents matriculated in-state. 23% matriculated OOS. And 63% weren’t accepted anywhere. (Note that the not accepted percentage is on par with most other states.)