<p>Hello CC, I’ve recently been admitted to UC Irvine undergrad for the major of biological sciences but had a few questions.</p>
<li><p>I am a bit worried about doing well GPA wise as I am very weak at chemistry and mathematics in general. The last math class I will be taking before graduation is pre-calculus. Math has never really been my thing. Will this affect me later on in undergrad / med school?</p></li>
<li><p>Neither are on the “level” of big-time schools like UCLA and Stanford but I’ve heard that UCI has an extremely good bio program, supposedly even better than LA’s (I’m not sure about this). Would it be better for me in the long run to stick with UCI, where it will be harder for me to get a higher GPA for four years (for the education and preparation), UCR (for the relatively easier grades and sizeable scholarship), or just go to my local CC and transfer to a big name school?</p></li>
<li><p>Do you have experience or know anyone who has double majored in undergrad? Is it even possible to do this while balancing ECs and other activities? Does this have any weight in admissions decisions for med schools?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks for all your help.</p>
<p>not on the level eh?</p>
<p>hmmm… obviously you’re all about prestige ah and just want to come out of a big name school</p>
<p>get this</p>
<p>many of the profs at UCI and UCR are graduates from prestigious Ivies, top 20 schools and such. Good faculty. My spanish teachers are UCB and UCLA phDs</p>
<p>so don’t just say they’re not on the “level” because guess what?</p>
<p>I know a doctor at UCLA’s med center who graduated from one of the worse pre-med programs in Mexico and is one of the head professors in robotic surgery</p>
<p>Beat that</p>
<p>shows u “level” of a school doesn’t matter as long as you have an outstanding level of personal performance</p>
<p>and to question number 3</p>
<p>yes, I know plenty who do double major and have tons of Ecs and all… even triple, how about that? think u can handle it? And yes, it surely does have weight in med schools</p>
<p>OH yeah, and if u suck at Math… forget about med…</p>
<p>I think that you should not get intimdated by the school’s name. It is inevitable that you’ll have to face some courses that you are not particulary good at; however, if UCI accepted you is because they saw potential in you. I think you should just take extra time to study those classes that you have trouble with. Best of luck, and I hope you become an anteater Zot Zot!</p>
<p>@haikumarukuchan</p>
<p>Please don’t assume that I am only going to schools for their reputations. What I meant was that they are not as well known publicly as the examples, which is why I mentioned UCI’s strong biology program. This does not mean that I don’t think UCI is a great school. I’m just trying to weigh my options and possible paths. There’s no need to be condescending and defensive.</p>
<p>@Vedanta</p>
<p>As of now I am leaning heavily towards UCI but am still trying to think everything over just to make positively, absolutely sure of where I need to be going for the next 2-4 years.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies so far any further help is really appreciated. :)</p>
<p>What are your academic strengths? What are you really good at? What do you enjoy doing? Why do you think you want to become a doctor?</p>
<p>@collegemom16</p>
<p>I find that memorizing things is easy for me. This made history classes a breeze for me cause I could cram two days or even a day before the test and remember what I read. I’m also a pretty good test taker as in I can eliminate answers that are bogus or don’t really fit the context of the question. While I find history interesting and I do well in related courses I don’t think I would major in it.</p>
<p>I am interested in the human body and how it maintains itself and reacts to disease, etc. The problem is I am indifferent and even a little annoyed by chemistry and mathematics. I find that I can do well at math when I really pay attention and study the material. The problem is I just don’t care enough about it to really want to work hard, which I realize I need to change because math is just a stepping stone to getting where I want to be. Outside of academics I think I’m good at being empathetic and connecting with people to see their problems / perspective. I want to be a doctor because, as cliche as it sounds, I like helping people that are ailing.</p>
<p>You like to help people, you are good at and enjoy history, you have strengths in test taking. Did you ever consider teaching for a potential career? If you don’t especially enjoy kids you could consider community college/college level.</p>
<p>Besides history or biology, other possibilities could be counseling (academic or other) nursing, public health, or human resources. </p>
<p>How are you with languages?</p>
<p>People have suggested to me before that I may be interested in teaching for a career but honestly I don’t think I could handle the level of repetition that most pre-college education consists of. I do enjoy helping children though. I do tutor as a way to earn a little money aside from mooching from my parents and I don’t find any significant satisfaction from teaching.</p>
<p>While I do enjoy history I don’t think I like it enough to become a history major. Counseling, however, does seem like a viable option.</p>
<p>You seem oriented towards helping careers.</p>
<p>Here is a little on Human Resource Managment:
[What</a> Is Human Resource Management - Definition of Human Resource Management](<a href=“http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryh/f/hr_management.htm]What”>Human Resource Management: What Is It?)</p>
<p>Here is a little on Counseling:
[Become</a> a Counselor | Learn About Counseling Careers and Counseling Degrees, From All Psychology Schools](<a href=“http://www.allpsychologyschools.com/faqs/become_counselor]Become”>Learn How to Become a Counselor (Steps, Types & Education))</p>
<p>Public Health:
[What</a> is Public Health? - Careers in Public Health](<a href=“http://www.whatispublichealth.org/careers/index.html]What”>http://www.whatispublichealth.org/careers/index.html)</p>
<p>I ask to you look at this as a means of helping you to look at the programs offered at both of these UC’s. Once you have narrowed the field of what you might want to study this can really help you make a decision on where you want to go to school. As I’m sure you are aware it is not necessary to major in biology to become a doctor. Just take the required pre-medical course work. Many students end up deciding against medicine once they take a class or two. You might find majoring in an area you are interested in to be more rewarding, and it will allow you more options should you change your mind. :)</p>
<p>@collegemom16</p>
<p>Thank you for the references and your advice. I think I’ve decided to head on over to UCI.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies, everyone.</p>
<p>Best wishes to you camphall77. :)</p>
<p>Chemistry is one of the biggest and more important fields you will NEED to be good at to get INTO med school and succeed in med school. Math AND physics as well.</p>
<p>Most people that want to become doctors drop out of premed BECAUSE of chemistry/physics/Organic Chemistry. Memorizing Bio won’t cut it today.</p>
<p>The most useful math in most fields of medicine is statistics and the ability to interpret graphs. As far as chemistry and physics is concerned, the things you really need to understand are unit analysis, estimation, and measurement You also need to understand natural and common logarithms, precision, and orders of magnitude and be able to do basic arithmetic, have a modest facility with algebra–nothing terribly advanced–and basic geometry. For typical premed physics courses, it helps to know a little trigonometry and calculus, but unless you’re a radiologist, you’ll rarely use premed physics in medical school or practice. </p>
<p>What I do recommend is learning to read and write well, reason logically and closely, and courses in computer science, nutrition, psychology, learning, child development, education, communication, ethics, introductory law, finance and management and (this may surprise you) the arts, particularly basic drawing and a course in body movement, such as acting or dance. These are things you will use. </p>
<p>Also learn at least one sport or fitness activity that you will enjoy on a regular basis all your life. It’s important for mental well-being as well as physical.</p>
<p>Trust me 
I’m a doctor.</p>
<p>This thread isnt even about UCR vs. UCI, its just the OP rambling about their life.</p>
<p>No, it’s about the concerns the OP is having when considering whether to go to UCI or UCR. The OP is thinking quite clearly about a personal decision. It’s something I specifically look for when I interview applicants.</p>
<p>camphall77,</p>
<p>UCI is a good place to double major. (I don’t know enough about UCR to venture an opinion one way or the other.)
Every elite college and university I’ve known has a culture, and interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collegiality is central to UCI’s. I think the Irvine campus was planned to promote that. Certainly, the way the campus is laid out around a central park and the close proximity of faculty and student housing to campus are part of it. </p>
<p>I would be interested in (and inclined to favor) a medical school applicant with a double major or major/minor in a science and one of the humanities, social sciences, or arts. If–and it’s a big if–the student excelled in both feilds and can articulate a clear reason why he or she chose those fields and why the double major was worth doing. Be aware that it’s likely to take an extra year, and you’ll need to justify the opportunity cost. Why, for instance, you chose to be in college rather than in medical school.</p>
<p>Consider the University Studies programs–both the First-Year sequences and the seminars.
Use the Learning and Resource Center (LARC)–The free workshops are very good,.
Based on what you’ve written, I’d suggest looking at courses in the School of Human Ecology --for instance, UCI’s excellent Logic and Philosophy of Science Department.</p>