<p>ive been hearing alot of rumors about ucsd premed...so... just how bad is the premed group at ucsd? how is the premed advising at ucsd? is premed competition really cutthroat? alot of pple seem to despise anyone saying they're premed so why are they so hated?</p>
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<li>some are annoying, some are fine. it depends on the person.</li>
<li>what advising? apart from the people at the career center who coordinate letters of rec and their mentors at volunteer sites, none of my matriculated med school friends sought outside help. doctors are supposed to be independent thinkers. the information is available, you need to know how to look it up.</li>
<li>if you think it's cutthroat, something's wrong. you're competing with thousands of people all over the country for a limited number of spots. that's the truth. to admit there's competition is fine, but to exaggerate and say it's cutthroat is not true.</li>
<li>i don't hate all premeds. the ones i befriended were like normal students, knew when to have fun, and weren't grade-obsessed. the ones i dislike are the ones who beg for extra points, whine over anything that isn't MCAT-related, and feel the need to compare themselves with everyone else, every step of the way.</li>
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<p>The annoying ones are the most fun. They're the ones that make UCSD, UCSD. :p</p>
<p>i just had an argument over a question from my econ midterm with my suitemates today. actually, it began with one of them saying that one of my answers was incorrect. all i can say in order to describe the situation is THEY WERE LOUD, LOUD, LOUD. that pretty much describes how the premed students are here. needless to say, i was right, and they were wrong =]</p>
<p>Hey, I'm also a future premed going to UCSD for the fall of next year.
compared to other schools (like LA and Cal), the premeds at UCSD are supposedly less competitive and vicious.
Just work hard, do lots of volunteer/research work, get a decent GPA, do well on the MCAT and you should be fine. And don't obsess about grades but instead try to actually learn the material. Remember around half of all SD kid (includes both low GPA and high GPA students) get in to at least one medical school. So it's not impossible! Good luck!</p>
<p>there are some medical schools that have some embarrassingly-minimal requirements for admissions though ... don't focus so much on statistics.</p>
<p>did you guys know that on average 1 out of every 4 students here has a 2100+ SAT under their belt (real statistic)? it's surprising because most of the kids here seem like fools</p>
<p>^agreed. </p>
<p>Some people I've met were supposedly the smart kids from their HS. They act like they have such high expectations. And they end up getting average grades.</p>
<p>SAT's can be prepped for especially math and writing where you dont really need to be smart. im not saying that 2100 + isn't impressive cuz it is but theres always the person who gets high scores with no prep and high scores with every possible prep possible.</p>
<p>^ i totaly agree</p>
<p>jasonlee: but those statistics are only the ones who decided to apply. self selection bias there...those who started out pre-med freshmen year may have dropped out, found something more interesting, had too low of a gpa to even consider med school, etc. i'd say people >3.5gpa in junior year who still are dedicated to medicine actually apply to med school, unless they had some significant factor (race, death in family, etc.) that would give them some leniency in the application process. (that doesn't mean <3.5gpa means you can't get in...it's just a lot harder, and that 3.5 line isn't definite. it's what i perceive)</p>
<p>competition's not <em>that</em> bad but you have to go above and beyond everyone else's efforts to get that A (unless you're super smart). i'd say what everyone else says: try hard, find things you like to do, get a good mcat and you're in.</p>
<p>Some samples here from UCSD.</p>
<p>yea, ilose is right. it's impossible to collect data from every premed at UCSD.</p>
<p>thx guys for replyin. ilose what exactly is above and beyond at ucsd? 24/7 at the library?</p>
<p>Again, YMMV depending on your abilities, natural "smartness" factor, etc, but what i mean by "above and beyond" is...if your friends ask you to go party, you say no and start studying for a midterm that's a few days away (NOT weeks, more like 3-5 days before). and you're willing to seek out how to do every single problem and spend time doing problems over and over until you get it. it means asking inquisitive and insightful questions in lecture/office hours (not necessarily to get an A, but a possible rec ;)). but the general idea is, to sacrifice significant playtime for grades (NOT ALL THE TIME. THIS WILL MAKE YOU MISERABLE...seriously, go out every once in a while. I can't emphasize this enough.).</p>