<p>Currently I am an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz. I am a premed (human biology major) and have a 3.65 GPA. I am getting a steady research position soon, have a great volunteer spot and currently have a high leadership position in my fraternity. During my fall quarter I decided to apply to UCSB and UCLA for transfering. I got into UCSB and I haven't heard from UCLA yet. Getting into medical school is my biggest priority, but I am not sure if giving up all my activities that I have established myself in is wise. Help please! Should I transfer to UCSB instead of going to UCSC? If I get into UCLA I am definitely going there.</p>
<p>Basically for prestige. Will transferring to Santa Barbara help me get into a medical school? Basically what I’m asking is that if I had the same qualifications and achievements at both schools, would my chances of getting into medical school increase if I went to Santa Barbara instead of Santa Cruz?</p>
<p>Going to UCLA is NOT the best idea if your ultimate goal is med. school. I can tell you right now the pre-med competition will be much greater than you anticipate. You will also loose all the things you have going on right now which are crucial for medical school (research, leadership, ect.). It will be very difficult to reestablish yourself upon entering UCLA, with all the adjustment you need to do. I’m not saying it’s impossible. If you can pull it off and come out the other end with a stellar GPA, leadership/research positions, and clinical experience, you’ll be more than prepared for medical school…and you will probably be qualified to get into any top school. However, you can also do the exact same thing at UCSC with much less effort/stress…since you’ve already established yourself there. Worst case scenario is that you could very well ruin your GPA in addition to throwing away solid opportunities you might not be able to replace. Medical schools will not care about UCLA’s prestige…only GPA, test scores, and experience. If you really want to go to UCLA just keep doing what you’re doing at UCSC and get into UCLA med. school.</p>
<p>I agree with oceanpartier, I am also pre-med/grad and it does not matter where you got your bachelor’s from. It’s your GPA and your MCAT score that matter first, then your Interview Skills and Letters of Rec’s. </p>
<p>I have three friends who are in medical school, and 1 who got rejected from every school. The first got her bachelor’s at UC Davis and is now at UC Irvine School of Medicine, the second went to SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY (a CSU) and is at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF Med), the third went to UC Berkeley, double majored in MCB (Molecular and Cell Biology) and Molecular Toxicology, 3.8 GPA and got REJECTED from EVERY medical school except St. George’s University in THE CARIBBEAN so now she’s forced to go there. The 4th, went to UCLA got her bachelor’s in Molecular and Cell Biology and has been rejected from EVERY single medical school that she has applied to.</p>
<p>So if you’re worried about PRESTIGE for your bachelor’s you need to rethink your options as a pre-med student. It’s about the prestige of your medical school degree over anything. I say take the easiest school to get the HIGHEST GPA, and study your ass off for the MCAT. HIGH GPA + HIGH MCAT = Great Chance at Med school. LOW GPA + HIGH MCAT = AVERAGE. HIGH GPA + LOW MCAT = Find a new profession. Medical school is that cut throat. </p>
<p>I go to UCSB and am in a similar situation, except that I am looking to get into UCLA or Cal.</p>
<p>Our premed classes are pretty darn difficult, though I have no doubt that every UC biology program has the same curriculum. The difference comes in the curves. A lot of the people in my biology classes are not premed and/or fail the tests, which makes it totally feasible to do well here. Of course, I still put in a ton of effort for my classes, as slacking off even a little bit can bring you into the C range of things. However, good time commitment and decent work ethic = B or A in premed classes, no doubt. Getting research experience here is pretty easy as well, especially if you are a good student. Let me know if you have any more questions!</p>