Hello everyone!
I was accepted into all of the UCs I applied to for the 2016-2017 school year. I want to become a doctor so I plan on going to medical school afterwards. I don’t know what schools I should choose that would allow me to get into medical school. I heard that Berkeley and UCLA pre-med are very cut-throat and competitive and that it would be difficult to earn a high GPA and compete for ECs. However, it does have the prestige. Davis and Irvine are slightly easier but are not as well recognized. I’m afraid I won’t be able to compete with the people at Berkeley or LA.
My stats:
SAT: 1980
ACT: 29
SAT Bio E: 640
SAT Math 2: 690
SAT Chem: 680
GPA: 4.28
EC: I have a fair amount of ECs (sports, leadership, band, summer internship)
Please help. I have one month left before I have to submit my SIR. Thank you.
I don't know what schools I should choose that would allow me to get into medical school. I heard that Berkeley and UCLA pre-med are very cut-throat and competitive and that it would be difficult to earn a high GPA and compete for ECs. However, it does have the prestige. Davis and Irvine are slightly easier but are not as well recognized. I'm afraid I won't be able to compete with the people at Berkeley or LA.
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You’re right to be concerned about the competition between premeds at UCLA and UCB. It is likely that many will be stronger students.
Med schools aren’t going to care whether you went to UCB or UCD or UCI.
That said, how serious are you about going to med school? Are you deeply serious? Many students with high GPAs from high school tend to lean towards becoming a doctor simply because they think, “smart kid should become a doctor.” But, in reality, 75% of freshman premeds never apply to med school…ususally because of grades, but also because they realize that the profession is not for them.
@mom2collegekids You could not have explained that any better! It depends on what major you are contemplating pursuing since this is what you would be doing alongside EXTREMELY challenging pre-med classes. Keeping your options open in case medicine doesn’t pan out is pretty important, so I think picking a B-list UC would be your best bet, because you are spot on with realizing that the competition is ruthless. You want to be a stellar applicant and based on what school you believe you will excel in- go there, and whatever major you are passionate about AND good in- balance that with the classes you take.
Regarding majors, they are all pretty different at each UC with the resources available for additional experience of research or work-studies and that is dependent on what your focus is- social science, humanities, physical sciences? What major are you considering? That might help us out because I too just applied to those schools and know a decent amount. Feel free to message me.
Overall, in my opinion- these UCs would NOT be ideal for pre-med or the option of falling back on another career path in case something goes not according to plan: UCSC, UCR, UCM- a degree from these schools in my personal opinion that is not with intention of pursuing a graduate degree is basically useless.
These schools are ideal for both pre-med and making sure you can still do something right out of college in preparation for pursuing post-graduate studies, as the user above me stated: UCI, UCD, UCSB
And these will be the most excruciating regardless of your career goals due to their ability to put a strain on your GPA- UCB, UCLA, UCSD.
As I said, I can’t tell you for sure which school would be ideal for your major in terms of opportunities for considerable extracurriculars without knowing your passions and which career path you are most willing to fall back on in a worst case scenario. There are are many factors of variability to consider here.
@mom2collegekids@grimmghost
Thank you! For most of the colleges I applied, my major is neuroscience/neurobiology. I am serious about going to med school. I don’t have that “smart kid should be a doctor” mentality. My ultimate career goal is to either be a neonatologist or pediatrician. For a fall back or plan b, I still would like to do something in healthcare.
I agree with the selection of the non-flagship (UCLA/UCB) schools.
I would also add that if you’re serious about medicine, then a UC with an attached med school/centers,
and strong med school advising should rank high on your priority list.
These include UCR, UCD, UCI, UCLA.
UC Berkeley has UCSF across the bay, but it’s not easy for undergrads to do research or internships.
Congrats on your acceptances.
Regardless of the school you select, be sure to check in with the advising center during your Freshman year, in addition to any standard academic advising.
These are the people who will help guide you through the right courses, volunteer opportunities, MCAT prep and ultimately your recommendations.