If you are on the pre-med path, which one is better?
I heard GPA and MCAT matters more in the future medical application.
You want to attend a school where you have the best chance of a High GPA in your Medical school pre-req courses, where you will be prepared for the MCAT, access to medically related EC’s and a school with good Pre-Med advising. You also want to keep undergrad costs at a minimum, so have you received the financial packages yet?
All these schools will fulfill the course requirements and are close to areas with hospitals and clinics for your EC’s. GPA will be up to you and your work ethic.
I would also look at the Pre-Health advising centers for more information.
No bad choice from the above schools, but also make sure you have a backup plan since 60% of “pre-med” students never make to the application round.
Best of luck.
Getting into medical school is pretty much up to you, as in GPA and MCAT are where the conversation starts.
Most, but not all, schools are pretty mediocre at premed advising, and almost no schools really prepare you for the MCAT-it’s the type of test, and the competition is such, that you’ll need to take a formal review course for that test. And students who are comfortable at a school tend to do better in their classes; which school did you like best?
What is the COA of each school? Medical school costs a ton of money with few scholarships or grants; for most students it’s loans, so saving money on UG is a good idea.
Good points.
UCR - scholarship 10k/YEAR
UCI - scholarship 8k/year
UCB & Ucsd - none
a) I like UCR from cost perspective, plus ucr has medical EAP program.
but considering backup plan,
b) UCB/UCSD brand are more prestigious in case of backup plan.
c) UCI seems well balanced between a) and b)
According to some statistics, UCB/Ucsd have a tracking records of supplying medical students in the past.
So challenging to make a decision
Some useful links: https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2019-11/2019_FACTS_Table_A-2.pdf
OP: be very, very cautious about statistics published by colleges regarding the success of their students in applying to medical school. And there’s a simple reason for this: there’s no universally accepted definition of who is a “pre-med”. Is it all the freshmen who express interest? Is it all who apply at the end of junior year? Does it include alumni applications? Does it only include those who get committee letters?
So pick the school that you and your family can afford, and at which you feel most comfortable.