<p>U.C. Merced is currently undergoing it's accreditation and expect completion soon. Yes students are currently double majoring here! If you can handle the course load !!!</p>
<p>Awesome! Thanks TerpDad.</p>
<p>I agree accreditation doesnt mean anything, people got accepted to UCSF, Stanford etc. last here from UC Merced</p>
<p>Accreditation kool. But as Premed4life said, "accreditation doesn't mean anything, people got accepted to UCSF, Stanford etc. last here from UC Merced"
Either way you'll still receive a good education and still will be able to transfer.
To TerpDad:
Thanks for letting us all know! =D
Where and how did you find this information?</p>
<p>Well, well...I just did a Google search on UC Merced accreditation and this thread came up. I couldn't keep quiet, I registered just to give my opinion on this matter. Take my word for it, you don't know what I had to go through during the last 2 years because of this ****.</p>
<p>To the OP, if you are a pre-med student -- do NOT even consider UC Merced. You have no idea what you're in for. Long story short, no med school out of state will take you because of the accreditation issue and you're drastically reducing your choices of med schools to only SOME CA med schools. But I'm assuming you will be a freshman in Fall 2008 and the accreditation decision is due June 2011 so you may get lucky and apply to med school at the perfect time. Still though, it would be a newly accredited school and still looked down upon.</p>
<p>Do NOT let anyone fool you about accreditation not mattering. Maybe if you're not a pre-med student, it doesn't matter as MUCH but it still matters. And again, if you are pre-med, forget about UCM. </p>
<p>That's my rant for now, if you have any specific questions go ahead and PM me. I can answer any questions you may have on this issue cuz trust me, I did some extensive research. Let's just say that the results of my research are making me transfer to a much better, more recognized UC this upcoming Fall. I don't wanna go into specifics online because I caused quite a ****storm in the Natural Sciences department with my comments and the staff are NOT happy with me to say the least.</p>
<p>In the wake of the previous poster's comments mine are pretty inconsequential, but I wanted to say that every graduate from a UC gets essentially the same diploma. Obviously major, date, etc. are all different, but the most noticeable part is "University of California" at the top...and the campus at which it was awarded is rather small. I suppose what I'm trying to say is the same thing that others before me have: a UC is a UC and the whole system is fantastic. The worst UC is still ranked in the top 100 and I wouldn't be surprised if Merced surpassed Riverside by 2020.</p>
<p>To Detox: Dude, you gotta pm me what you said to get Natural Sciences angry. I went to their "booth" at Bobcat Day and the attendant there (an adviser as well) seemed bored out of his mind, totally void of any school or even subject spirit whatsoever. The questions I asked him received monotonous responses that might as well been spit out of a robot. He probably got tired of every other wide-eyed kid coming up to him asking about the pre-med program there...</p>
<p>Just a thought, even if one were applying to medical school from UCM, wouldn't the medical school realize that by association with other UCs, UCM, even though unaccredited at the moment, is a fine school that has worthy students for admission? As stated before, the UC Regents wouldn't build a school in the middle of a corn field without expecting it to yield a fine crop of students. (Excuse the pun. I couldn't help myself.)</p>
<p>Additionally, if prerequisite courses are satisfied and an acceptable GPA is attained, wouldn't the school view the student as simply that, an individual student, and not take into account the collective caliber of the school in general? Of course, I'm talking in relative terms with realistic outlooks (ie Internet colleges). An example of this is the instance in which a friend of mine who went to Richmond High, a school that is constantly on academic probation by the accreditation board in my area (WASC), was able to be admitted into UCLA and UCB among many others for her individual efforts as a student. </p>
<p>P.S. I didn't send you this as a PM since I realized other's might have the same questions and I didn't want your inbox flooded. :]</p>
<p>Hey fusionall, I'll try to PM you later (maybe tomorrow) because I have a physics assignment and a stats project due and it's a REALLY long story. You're not gonna like it at all lol.</p>
<p>First, let me start by addressing what you said about UCM being affiliated with the UC system and theoretically being counted as a UC regardless of accreditation. This is EXACTLY what the staff at UCM wants you to think. That's actually the response I got at first when asked if I would have problems getting into med school out of UCM. However, after having Harvard and USC tell me that they will not even consider my application coming out of UCM, I realize that this is complete ********. I've been in contact with many med schools around the country and the bottom line is, a degree from any other UC at this point will be more respected and given precedent over UCM. I've spoken with Directors of Admissions who have had a hard time answering my questions in a straightforward manner regarding my chances of getting into med school out of UCM. Some med schools didn't even know what UCM is. </p>
<p>Second, I will be transferring this upcoming Fall and guess what happens to my bio classes? I HAVE TO START OVER FROM 0 AT MY NEW COLLEGE!!!!! I'll be a junior taking introductory bio as well as my upper division bio. Obviously, I'm furious over this. Now take a second and think about it...if my new college won't accept my bio classes what do you think medical schools will do? </p>
<p>Now look, I'm positive that UCM will grow to be an excellent university in the next 10 years. I have no doubt about it. And like someone else said, it's not a question of IF UCM will get accredited but when. And unfortunately, the timing is off for me as well as a lot of other students. And to add more fuel to the fire, one of my PROFESSORS told me that I will not get into med school out of UCM for the first few years because it's so new and she strongly advised that I either transferred or pursued a Masters degree at another university after I graduated from UCM. I'll let you draw your own conclusions from that.</p>
<p>Thanks Detox. I'll be looking forward to your PM. </p>
<p>Your posts have really opened my eyes and I see now that the course of action to transfer to another UC is the one to follow. </p>
<p>Thanks again for your input. The information you've provided is invaluable to incoming freshmen whether we know it or not.</p>
<p>WOW! Detox, thanks for going on Google and searching "UCM accreditation". I will also be looking forward to your PM(if you want, you can just copy and paste the message you will send to fusionall and send it to me as well). </p>
<p>If you have read through most of the threads in the UCM forum, then you know that I'm the main one who speaks highly of the school. But, since I've read your post, I have stepped back to really to view UCM as a whole rather than just the opportunities and the student to teacher ratio(which are still impressive). </p>
<p>I'm a Political Science major and I was wondering if what has happened to you has happened to any other student who's not pre-med. I'm sure all UCM Freshmen fall 08 -11 will benefit from this information.</p>
<p>Leviathan, I agree with you about the student to teacher ratio, that aspect of UCM is incredible. Academics wise, the school is great. But you're risking a lot by coming here at this point in time and unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done about that. You need to really re-evaluate your decision to come here and think about it real hard. </p>
<p>Looking back, I think that UCM is kind of the easy route that will ultimately not lead me anywhere because competitive grad schools like med and law schools will ALWAYS take someone with similar stats (even if they're a bit lower) from a more prestigious and recognized university so keep that in mind.</p>
<p>UC Merced Accreditation Time line
UC</a> Merced Accreditation
2011! </p>
<p>I'm curious, since I will be graduating in 2012, would all of this still affect me and other 2012 graduates? UCM will be accredited a year before i graduate (if UCM is approved, of course), so I should be ok right? Harvard, Yale Law school would consider UCM applicants right? UGH! This is stressful news...</p>
<p>Going on my intuition, a newly accredited school doesn't really have enough shine as opposed to a well established university when trying to get into graduate program.</p>
<p>vin-di-cation baby, Finnaly another UC Merced student can conform that UCM isnt worth its weight in....copper lol. For all potential freshmen: You were tricked and hoodwinked into coming here, I would drop before you send them your first check.</p>
<p>^^ Leviathan... you cannot honestly expect to go to Yale/Harvard graduate school from UC Merced right? They take top students from *top Universities. * A more realstic Grad school would be another UC, which would still be a reach considering what people say about UCM's reputation.</p>
<p>UGH! wat about UCR? If i went to UCR do you think i would be able to go to harvard/yale law school?</p>
<p>You can get into Yale or Harvard Law from either UCM or UCR, but it won't be easy getting in from either. You'll need near perfect LSAT scores and a 3.9+ GPA. Unlike graduates from top schools, you won't be cut much slack...you'll need to have an amazing application across the board.</p>
<p>Leviathan you are being silly. What makes you think you are going to have the stats to get into Harvard/Yale graduate school when you didn't get into Harvard/Yale undergrad? There is a lot more to getting into these schools than just perfect grades and scores. They have applicants from all over the world at top Universities. </p>
<p>C-walker - Harvard and Yale are bad examples. Even people graduating from Harvard undergrad will have trouble getting into Harvard grad. Merced students are way down on their list I am sure. You should not have any expectations of getting admitted to Harvard law school entering UCM undergrad.</p>
<p>I don't believe I'm being silly. I believe anythings possible, obviously you don't. Just because I didn't get into Harvard/Yale undergrad doesn't mean I won't get into their grad school. Your actually insulting me, whether intentional or not, you are.
I surely can't predict the future and neither can you. So, don't tell me that I can't or won't get into Harvard's/Yale's Law School.</p>
<p>^ lol man, chill. I have no intention of insulting you, but seriously... no one gets into Harvard/Yale, undergrad or grad. Even if you have a 3.9+ with a close to perfect LSAT (or whatever grad degree you're getting).. which is pretty hard to come by btw... you will have trouble getting in. </p>
<p>You should think about NOW, not four years from now. I know that I get a little caught up in the future as well, but I am not in ivy league la-la land. I think Detox would agree from his personal experience, Merced is not really Nationally known (yet) and you should come to some realization to what Merced is going to give you. If you succeed at Merced and it is established as a University in 2011, there are good odds that you can go to a pretty darn good grad school and make a sh** load of money with your career, but Harvard.. meh. </p>
<p>Like many successful students at Merced, I bet you a nickel that you'll transfer to a top tier UC in two years because you will come to realization that Merced will not lead you to a top tier grad school. Transfer to LA/C/SD with top grades and good scores and all of a sudden Harvard is within reach.</p>