<p>Okay, so I know I'm not asking for help with something like Harvard vs Yale, but... </p>
<p>I'm finishing up my freshman year at FSU. Thing is, I've never gone to school on the main campus in Tallahassee, I've been studying abroad with FSU for a year.</p>
<p>I'm a bio major who's wanting to go to med school. My parents moved to California a year ago. I've always thought that going to school in CA would be nice.</p>
<p>I applied and got into UC Merced (which just graduated its first class this year). So now I'm wondering which school would be better for me... I have always wanted to go to a large school for undergrad with a big student population. FSU is 35,000ish and UCM is 3000ish (I believe). But I'm not so fond of FSU being a big party school. My ideal school is one where I can stay focused on my studies and goals, but still have a good social life and enjoy campus life.</p>
<p>I'm assuming the social atmosphere at both schools varies greatly... I'm not asking for anyone to make a decision for me, merely your two cents. Any thoughts are appreciated. Do you think one school has an up over the other?</p>
<p>You didn’t apply to any other UC’s? Merced is pretty low on the UC ladder right now. i mean i don’t know how good/bad their med program is but in general i don’t think the school is that great since pretty much everyone in CA that qualifies for a UC can get into merced. So if you don’t mind another year at FSU or merced if you want i would consider transferring to like UCR or UCI if you can which have more credible med programs. of course though college is what you make of it so yea.</p>
<p>Socially merced is in the middle of nowhere lol so not much to do outside of campus i would think</p>
<p>there is also the CCC transfer way which is great and i personally would recommend it
if you do well enough you could end up at UCLA as a junior</p>
<p>id go with FSU no doubt… youd most likely enjoy yourself A LOT more there, and get that big school feel… as for wanting to stay focused, thats not hard… youre not the only one there with goals, find the right people, and self-discipline and itll be easy :)</p>
<p>id say FSU is also a lot more prestigious… i mean, merced, seems like the backup school for those who didnt get into UCR/UCI, both of which are considered fairly easy by most ppl I knows standards… </p>
<p>id say, go to FSU another year, do well, im thinking a gpa of 3.5+, and then you could transfer to UCSD/UCLA, maybe even UCB… yes its possible… ofc the higher your GPA, the better, but its possible with even a 3.5! :)</p>
<p>Thank you all. I have instate tuition at both schools so money won’t really factor much into my decision.</p>
<p>By the time I decided to try a UC school (for Fall 2009), Merced was the only one taking transfer applications. </p>
<p>I’m currently doing my summer semester, my 3rd semester, and I will have 78 credits at the end of this semester. Soon, I will probably have too many credits to transfer. I don’t think universities like senior transfers.</p>
<p>Blah. Merced is only 45 minutes away from home. After studying abroad for a year, I can see how that’d be cool. But then again, I have gotten very independent, so I guess FSU wouldn’t be a problem.</p>
<p>I was thinking that class sizes would be significantly smaller at UCM compared to FSU. Maybe that might help me get a better GPA which in turn would help get into med school?</p>
<p>Clearly, I’m very confused right now. It seems like there’d be a lot more to do on campus at FSU vs UCM.</p>
<p>A degree from UCM or FSU…? Which do you think med schools would prefer?</p>
<p>JEZ21 - It’s tough precisely because of that reason. They’re so different in what they offer. It’s almost as if I’m picking between black and white.</p>
<p>From a location perspective Merced is absolutely terrible. It’s literally the armpit of California. UC Merced is located in complete farmland with NO campus life, nothing around it which is interesting or fun … I mean nothing. It blows my mind that the UC system decided to put a campus there. The majors and programs which the school offers are still extremely limited since the school is so new. The student population is also extremely small as you know. UC Merced is just very, very limiting imo. You should look into other UC’s. Even Riverside would be a much better choice.</p>
<p>Thanks, you guys. Well, by the time I looked into this option of transferring over to CA, only UCM was still taking applications for Fall of 2009. Maybe I could try UCM for this fall and then if I don’t like it, go back to FSU and try the main campus in Tallahassee? I’m not sure if it’s possible to do that, but I’m starting to think that might be a possible option.</p>
<p>Just another idea to throw your way … UC Santa Cruz is accepting transfers (so is merced and riverside) for Winter 2009. You would only be waiting a couple months and UCSC is a good school with good programs in a neat location. I know you’re interested in Merced but I’m just letting you know you have more options.</p>
<p>If “California appeal” is playing a role in your decision, know that the city of Merced is not quite representative of a large Californian city.</p>
<p>Well, I’ve seen both campuses and am aware of Merced’s lack of student entertainment compared to Tallahassee. My parents live less than an hour away from Merced, so I guess that can either be a pro or a con, depending on how you look at it. I’ve been studying abroad for a whole year, so I’ve gotten quite independent but I’ve also come to appreciate my family more. </p>
<p>Honestly, I just want what’s best for my education. My goal being getting into med school… Whichever would be better for me as a biological science major. I would love to have a campus with vibrant student acitivity as well, who wouldn’t…? Uggh, to me, it often seems as if I’m being asked to pick between a “fun” campus (FSU) and a campus where I can focus on my studies more (UC Merced) since there doesn’t seem to be as many “distractions”.</p>
<p>I wonder which degree med schools would prefer… One from UCM or FSU. I don’t know if that even matters. Obviously, the higher the MCAT score, the better. The higher the GPA, the better. I’m not sure where I can get a better education, resulting in, hopefully, a higher GPA and MCAT score. I’m overthinking all this, I know… :/</p>
