So, I have just been admitted to UCLA. I am from New Jersey and I got into RU Pharmacy, RU SAS, and RU Business (almost a full ride for Business). I realllyyy love UCLA and the weather and the vibes but I am conflicted. Should I pay out-of-state tuition for my undergrad degree. I want to be a great doctor and I think a UCLA education is amazing, but I am not sure if the tuition is worth it. Also, I know pre-med is tough there; what about RU? Are the Pre-Med opportunities at RU comparable to the ones at UCLA?
Basically, I love UCLA but I need some advice for which one to choose.
Congrats on the UCLA admit, but as med school is crazy expensive and typically paid for by loans which need to be paid back, consideration should be given to trying to graduate with as little college debt as possible. Both schools will offer you the resources and opportunities you need to be a competitive med school applicant. Whether you take advantage of what’s offered will be more on you than where you attend. I don’t know about Rutgers but UCLA is overloaded with very competitive premed hopefuls. Also note that most premeds change their minds, and of those that actually apply to med school, 60% fail to start anywhere. As OOS UCLA is +60k per year with no financial aid, and Rutgers SAS being +34K(?) per year, makes IMO Rutgers the wiser option. Good luck.
not sure why business if you want to be a doctor but certainly worth going there if you have a full ride. ucla will be a different experience
@aubonpain : look at the discussion on the calendar poly SLO forum talking about UCs for pre-med.
Rutgers offers you there good choices.
How do you feel about pharmacy, business, or the flexibility offered by A&S?
I’m always slightly confused by the large deluge of non-California students who want to go to UCLA.
Go to Rutgers! Med schools don’t really care much where you went to undergrad; you can become a great doctor from many different undergrad schools. Rutgers is a great university; you’ll get an excellent education with low debt. That means you have less debt to repay when you do graduate from med school (or if you do anything else.)
Business is not a bad major for a pre-med student. You can major in anything for pre-med.
If your parents are wealthy and can write out checks for UCLA and med school without flinching or borrowing then go to UCLA. otherwise go to Rutgers.
I completely agree with @TomSrOfBoston. Unless your parents can fully fund BOTH undergrad and med school, its an easy decision. You will get a great education at Rutgers at far less cost. Med schools care about your undergrad GPA, MCAT score and your ECs. Keep the debt down.
The case for staying in state and less expensive is stronger for premeds than most students.
@MYOS1634 Where can I find that thread? Can I get a link?
Go to ‘colleges and universities’, where all the ‘important universities that cc posters always want to go to’ have their very own forum. There’s a Cal poly SLO forum. (or it may be in the ‘california college’ forum?) On the Cal poly SLO forum there’s a discussion near the top tmabout ‘premed’ , by a dad who wonders whether it’s better to attend UCs or Cal poly. There’s a lengthy reply by someone who used to interview med school applicants in California I believe. The advice actually applies even for med schools outside California .
What was your sat score to get into UCLA
@celtics2008 i took the ACT and got a 34