UCLA vs "less prestigious" smaller schools for premed

College Search & Selection
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@silverfire888 now that the relevant admissions decisions are in, have you any new insights about these schools for premed?

Asking because my daughter is considering NEU vs. UCLA & UCSD and is also premed. She is trending toward NEU, in part, because of some of the points that have come up in this thread.

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Not going to lie, I’m not any closer to making a decision. I didn’t get into Pomona so that’s out of the question. I did get into Vassar but the cost is way too high compared to LA and NEU so that’s also not really an option. I talked to a BUNCH of students from both schools as well as a family member who is currently a general surgery resident, and from what I’ve gathered, here is NEU vs UCLA:

NEU:

  1. co-ops really are a huge advantage because since NEU helps you land these internships, you are able to get clinical experience for med school without bending over backwards and working part-time, etc etc - plus these co-ops are really cool: a lot of research, one person’s a behavioral therapist, most premeds are patient care assistants at hospitals
  2. class sizes are still 100+ students per lecture in those beginning classes (I don’t really see it as any different than the 300+ students at UCLA)
  3. class sizes do get smaller as you get to your more advanced major classes
  4. if you do co-ops and want to graduate in 4 years, you will need to do summer classes and/or double up on classes during the year
  5. according to my husky ambassador, it still is sometimes difficult to get classes you want
  6. no med school at NEU; take this as you will
  7. always research going on at NEU and profs frequently plug in their work during class

UCLA:

  1. UCLA probably has more cool research/internships available around for premeds because they have their med school, there’s cedars sinai hospital a 15 min drive away, and tons and tons of labs that are always recruiting for help
  2. while their premed clubs may be competitive, there are still 1000s of clubs on campus, so you are bound to land some volunteer opportunities and be able to leverage those to work your way up to the cooler opportunities as you boost your resume
  3. more advanced classes are smaller in class size to where it’s comparable to smaller schools
  4. according to my premed friend, your major classes (bio, chem, etc) are actually not hard to get into at all since they are so large, and they’re manageable
  5. not hard to switch majors at all
  6. my premed friend isn’t having to bend over backwards at all either and take EMT courses, etc, to get deeper clinical experience
  7. seems like in order to get volunteer/internships, you just have to be okay with cold emailing a lot of people, not necessarily compete and be cutthroat

I’ve also talked to incoming class students from both schools and I really vibe with both. UCLA students seem very sweet and supportive (even the pre-meds) and so do NEU students. I think right now I just have to decide whether or not I like the co-op cycles because it’s a very non-traditional college experience and can lead to being harder to get closer to people because they’re always coming and going. Plus you have to do summer school, which I am not really a fan of. I like the idea of going to school and being able to meet new people each day. However, NEU does offer a more personalized education and it offers a lot of advantages as a premed. Both Boston and LA are beautiful cities where you won’t be bored.

As for UCSD, I have no idea how to compare it to LA/NEU because I have not done that much research on it. It’s definitely less competitive than UCLA (but still competitive because there’s a ton of premeds there too) and offers more of a traditional college setting than NEU. I also hear the campus life is less social than UCLA/NEU but I don’t know if that’s true.

Feel free to PM me too since we’re in the same boat!

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I am a dad helping my daughter with her UCLA vs. NEU premed decision, so it might be awkward for me to PM you :smile:

Your engaged and proactive laying out of the pros and cons of these two schools tells me that you are going to be fine no matter what choice you make. I think this is particularly relevant at UCLA which is substantially bigger, and perhaps necessary to be a little aggressive in order to stand out.

Couple of points and a question:

  1. We were told that if you have enough transferring AP credits, that you may be able to graduate in 4 years. I guess these credits would have to transfer for non-premed classes like Gen Ed requirements etc. A secondary concern is having problems with class availability, i.e., you want to take a required class duriing a particular semester but can’t because you are on coop, and that messes things up.
  2. Even if it does take 5 years, that will include extensive coops that may make your med school application look more impressive. You would be juggling all of your responsibilities over a 5 year period rather than 4 and maybe that lightens the load a little (need to have some fun in college too). Since coops are usually paid, they are sort of revenue neutral (not paying more tuition, covers room/board.)
  3. Maybe more opportunities in research labs at UCLA than NEU, but surrounding area in Boston rich with medical and research institutions.

The question: did your friend at UCLA talk about grade deflation in her introductory premed classes? My daughter’s primary concern is that if these science classes are graded on a curve, then she would be competing with everyone in the class for the limited percentage of students who receive an A grade. I saw a stat that 97% of UCLA students were in the top 10% of their high school classes. These classes are and should be challenging, but she wants to succeed on her own absolute terms, not relative to others in the class.

You have come a long way in processing your own decision. You still have plenty of time. I appreciate you starting this thread and the thoughtful responses from others that ensued.

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Thank you! That gives me a bit of reassurance, haha

Good point about the transferring credits. I really didn’t give that much thought to it at all, but you’re probably right that enough credits will get you graduated in 4 years w/o too many summer sessions. Also did not think about the scheduling conflicts with co-ops, but I think as long as you research the courses you are probably planning to take beforehand and look at which semesters they are available, you should be fine? That’s a tough one, though, because you would be in a pretty tight spot.

You’re right about the co-ops and opportunities at NEU, though! Boston has tons of hospitals, students do co-ops at Harvard medical school, etc. That’s a pretty big draw for me. Buuuuut I think UCLA probably has a similar amount of opportunities, too, not to mention top-notch professors who also have research.

I did not hear about grade deflation from her, but I just texted and asked her about it. I do hear about grade deflation a lot at UCLA but I don’t know if they grade on a curve or if they just cap the number of As.

Thank you for your encouraging words! I’m leaning towards UCLA right now because it’s closer to home and just slightly cheaper than NEU. Your daughter obviously was capable enough to get into amazing schools, too, so she’ll also make the most out of wherever she goes! Just a matter of personal preference now.

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Please let me know if you hear from your friend regarding grading at UCLA.

I may post over on the main NEU thread about class scheduling. I am sure the academic advisors have a handle on that since everyone does coops.

Agree to it coming down to personal preference. Funny, two very different schools, yet a tough decision!

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The other thing to consider is what if you discover being a doctor isn’t your thing? My kids did not settle on a major (less a career) until well into sophomore year. How do these schools stack up in terms of alternatives?

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UCLA doesn’t have the same reputation for grade deflation as tends to be attributed to UCB. Obviously the caliber of students is high, but S18 hasn’t found it too hard to get As and A+s.

But I think the biggest thing we notice about UCLA is how happy everyone is. The sunshine helps! And school spirit is great, everyone is very proud to be there. S tells me that everyone is obsessing about basketball at the moment…

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I will post it here! I’ll keep a lookout on the NEU thread for your post too.

Literally all throughout the app process I don’t think we all thought ahead to actually choosing between schools, we were all just so worried about actually getting in…

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good to know, thank you! UCLA does radiate some good vibes!

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Rather than rely on reputations and anecdotes, you can check UCLA grade distributions by course and instructor at https://bruinwalk.com/ . Typical UCLA pre-med courses are listed at https://www.aap.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PreHealthRequirements.pdf .

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Thanks for your comment, especially the comparison with UCB. Does your son major in one of the sciences or in the humanities? I came across a school newspaper article (don’t recall the date) about differences in grading between the “north” campus and the “south” campus with grading being much easier in the humanities.

We have not visited UCLA with students on campus (visited for other daughter two years ago during spring break), but easy to imagine a lot of positive energy on that campus.

I have to admit, after my daughter was rejected from USC last week, I was particularly happy that their basketball team got eliminated while UCLA moved on!

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Thank you for these links. Looking forward to checking them out.

Someone mentioned bruinwalk previously (perhaps you), and I looked at it, but did not get very far before distracted by work :slightly_smiling_face:.

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In case you still wanted it: my friend said that she has not noticed any grade deflation/capping A’s. Only one of her chem classes was noticed to be stingier about giving out A’s but everything else was fine :slight_smile:

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The average age of incoming first year med school students these days is 24. Med schools like students who’ve done something else in the field besides 4 years of college. In a sense, Northeastern takes care of this for you via their coops. That might tip the scales toward them. Otherwise, Pomona and Vassar are fantastic options.

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