<p>As the acceptance letters and sadly the rejection letters are rolling in, I find myself overwhelmed by everything I am faced.
I am determined into going into the medical field. I have acquired much experience in the field already, interning at hospitals, attending surgeries, etc... I am set on this path and a change is unlikely (Even my whole family comes from family of doctors). I aspire to attend a medical school and become a Neurosurgeon.</p>
<p>So far I have been accepted into:
University of California Merced - Cognitive Science
University of California Riverside - Neuroscience - CNAS
University of California Santa Cruz - College Eigth
University of San Francisco - Undeclared
University of the Pacific - Biochemistry
University of Massachusetts Amherst - College of Natural Sciences</p>
<p>Waitlisted:
St. Olaf College</p>
<p>Waiting for a Reply:
University of California Irvine
University of California Berkeley
University of Southern California</p>
<p>I have always felt very strong about UCLA and would have loved to attend it if I had been accepted. My love for UCLA is so strong I am debating on whether I should simply just attend Santa Monica College for 2 years and transfer over to UCLA afterwards.</p>
<p>I would really appreciate it if anyone with experience could give me advice on what I should do and what would be best for my future.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Ranked:</p>
<ol>
<li>Berkeley</li>
<li>USC</li>
<li>Irvine</li>
<li>Santa Cruz</li>
<li>UMass</li>
</ol>
<p>For your major ranked:
USC
Irvine
Berkeley
UMass</p>
<p>My brother is a neurosurgeon from one of these undergrad schools and said DO NOT attend a JC if you want to be a neurosurgeon. Attend an affordable UC and transfer to a stronger program.</p>
<p>Becoming a neurosurgeon has nothing to do with your undergrad. Nothing. Its’ not even considered for residencies. </p>
<p>You go to med school (which has nothing to do with your future specialty), and do well there and on the USMLE exams, get great LORs, and apply for residencies while in med school. Your undergrad is irrelevant…just as your K-8 education is irrelevant for undergrad apps. </p>
<p>Many Calif students who go to med school start at a CC if that’s all they can afford or whatever.</p>
<p>Osserpusser would you mind asking him exactly why it’s a bad idea?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>@tanaziuk Absolutely. He’s out of town but back tomorrow. Will post then.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about major or undergrad rankings for med school admissions. As long at it’s a “good school” (like any of the UCs), med schools won’t care.</p>
<p>All “good schools” are going to be adequate for the pre-med pre-reqs to prepare you for the MCAT and med school. </p>
<p>IF you do have to start at a CC, as a number of physicians do, then don’t take all/most of your prereqs there. If you do, make sure you take higher level courses after you transfer to demonstrate proficiency. And, it’s likely better to apply after senior year (take a glide year) so that you’ll have time to get LORs from your univ profs. </p>
<p>I just went thru the med school app process with my son. He had a very successful app season. Med schools care about:</p>
<p>BCMP GPA
cum GPA
orgo grades
MCAT score and the distribution of scores for sections (no low sections).
LORs
medically related ECs
other ECs. </p>
<p>SOMs do not care about:</p>
<p>Your major or how it ranks at any school</p>
<p>Whether you go to Irvine, Merced, USC or UMass. They will NOT care…at all.</p>
<p>@Tamaziuk: Here is his answer. Neurosurgery is the most competitive specialty in medicine. There are only 160 neurosurgery internships available nationwide each year. Every single action you take after high school will thus be looked at by medical schools, residency, intern and fellowship programs, and ultimately the group/hospital where you apply. This may not be true in other medical specialties, but it is in neurosurgery. They are looking for the cream of the crop and CHALLENGE is key. (FYI, he was chief resident in school and is now a professor as well as a neurosurgeon. He is in charge of the neurosurgical resident/internship program at his hospital, which is a neurosurgical institute, as well as the hiring committee). They aren’t looking for the so-called “BEST” schools (he says they have great surgeons from many ranks of schools), but that the applicants took every opportunity to challenge themselves and have high scores.</p>
<p>However, given two applicants with the same MCAT scores, grades, and research ECs, he says they will absolutely look to see where you were schooled. It happens all the time, he says. They want to see that you took the most challenging route, as neurosurgery is not for the meek. Because this specialty is so competitive, when compared against other applicants, he says it will not look good to come from a community college when someone else came from a 4-year. He says choosing one of the 4-year schools you’re accepted to that has an attached medical school would be his choice for you. If you get into Irvine, he highly suggests you attend there and stay there (even over USC or Cal now that he thinks about it). He says their neurosurgery program is stellar. However, if that doesn’t work out, he says go to one of your four-years, hopefully with a medical school attached, and get involved in research right away. If you want to transfer, transfer to a U of with a medical school attached and again get into research. He says best of luck to you!</p>
<p>@Osserpusser: Thank you so much for your followup. I can’t express my gratitude in words. I really don’t have anyone to turn to about these subjects in real life (came to the U.S. at age of 10 from Eastern Europe so parents are only knowledgeable about the way things work in the old country) so this helped a lot. It was a fascinating read and helped me understand numerous things.
If it’s not too much to ask, could I PM you any further questions I have?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>