Hello all! Posting on here because I am in search of some guidance.
I am transferring from a CC to a UC this upcoming fall 2016, but I cannot choose!! Any one attending or has attended these schools, please help.
Okay background info: I am ultimately looking at medical school right after my bachelors degree. That being said I do not believe I’m a good student- I am being realistic. I want to attend a school where I have a chance at earning a decent GPA eligible for med school(3.5+). I don’t want to pick a school that may jeopardize my future. All i have ever wanted and obsessed about is med school.
That being said… I got accepted at UCSD for Human Biology; UCSB Bio-Psychology; UCSC Human Biology.
I want to make the right choice HELP.
Go where you can get a high GPA, be involve in research, and get hospital experience. Consider the cost of each school too.
Getting a high GPA is dependent on a lot of factors really and not how competitive the study body is. Also, saying that you do not believe you are not a good student is not a good way to think either, I would be confident especially if you want to make it to med school.
Other things to consider:
How about a major that is not related to “human” or “physiology”? These majors usually attracts the pre-health students, which makes it even more difficult. Try another bio major or even consider not majoring in bio at all, considering the back-up plans with a bio degree are pretty bad.
Will you be okay with studying for the MCAT? The new MCAT test is 6 hours long, if you didn’t know.
A ton of people aim for med school at UCSD, especially because UCSD has a pharm school. With that being said, from what I have heard UCSD does not accept UCSD undergraduates into their pharm school. That may play a factor into your decision. It goes without saying that UCSD has an incredibly strong biology program so if it was purely based off of ranking, I would vote UCSD. I would assume that with the amount of people at UCSD pursuing med school that the competition is very high, but if you believe yourself to be a good student then you should have confidence in your ability to work hard at either of the schools you mentioned regardless of the competition or caliber. UCSD has an overall better reputation and a lot of opportunities to work/intern at UCSD medical/Sharp hospital.
For premed, UCSD will give you the most opportunities to pad your resume and damage your GPA. But I think the benefits of having five hospitals within walking distance, tons more research institutes and biotech companies in the area, and your own medical school (and pharm school as mentioned above) on campus combine to outweigh a potential GPA drop from increased competition. Plus, if you work hard and survive the UCSD experience you’ll be better prepared for medical school. The school’s a premed factory for a reason