USC vs. UCLA vs. Cal for Pre-Med

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>Hi all, I am having some trouble choosing colleges. I have been accepted to all of the UC's and USC, but I cannot decide where to go. I quickly narrowed my college list down to Cal, UCLA, and USC after looking at my options. Here is a quick breakdown on my thoughts on these colleges, and any clarification from the CC community would be great! </p>

<p>My Goals for College:
I would like to double major in Biology and History, and possibly take a minor on top of that in economics/political science. I want to graduate in at most four years. My goal is to one day become a doctor, then a member of my city's city council, and finally a congressman. To reach that goal, ideally I would get...</p>

<p>-something close to a 4.0 in college (for med school)
-have a multitude of research/volunteer opportunities to make myself more appealing to medical schools
-have a high MCAT, again for medical schools
-be able to have some experience in politics and government</p>

<p>In order of importance to me, what I need to have in a college:</p>

<ol>
<li>Will get me into medical school</li>
<li>Will get me into medical school</li>
<li>Quality of Education</li>
<li>Good location/weather (not a fan of humidity)</li>
<li>Good housing</li>
<li>Campus life</li>
<li>Recreational facilities
8.Cost (not really an issue)</li>
<li>Will not prevent me from getting into medical school</li>
<li>Food</li>
</ol>

<p>Cal:
I have more or less knocked Cal off of my list because I did not like the location and the feel of the campus when I visited. Sure, it is a top notch university, but from what I have heard, between these three universities, there is not much of a difference in terms of getting me into medical school. Unless there is some sort of extremely compelling reason I should go, I do not think Cal is right for me.</p>

<p>Pros:
Best public university in the world
Most prestigious of the three</p>

<p>Cons (all imo):
Location
Weather
Campus feel
Cutthroat competition (rumor?)
Budget cuts</p>

<p>UCLA:
Some of my friends tell me UCLA has the best pre-med program of the three and would be the best for me. I am not so sure, hence why I am on this forum.</p>

<p>Pro:
Most of my friends tell me most students go here for Pre-Med
UCLA medical center is on campus
Awesome Campus
Located in Westwood
Food is to die for
Prestige</p>

<p>Cons:
Public school (budget cuts)
Very Large School (class sizes)
Low grad school rate</p>

<p>USC:
USC will cost me $20,000 more than UCLA or Cal would, but money is not that big of an issue. It would, however, be the tiebreaker if two of these colleges were tied exactly. Money, however, would not be taken into consideration unless two colleges were matched EXACTLY and there was not even the slightest way to put one above another. I will as questions about the FSH and TO programs later on in this post.</p>

<p>Pro:
I am accepted into Freshman Science Honors (FSH)
I am accepted into Thematic Option (TO)
Campus is amazing
Private school (has tons of money)
Recent $200 million dollar donation to the school of letters and sciences (my school)
Trojan network
Good pre-med counseling
Easier to double major (?)
Has a scholarship if I double major in Biology and History called the Renaissance Scholarship</p>

<p>Con:
Cost
Location (bad part of LA)
Food is not that great
Reputation as a party school (though it surpassed UCLA USNews rankings since last year)</p>

<p>So those are my thoughts on those three colleges. Moving onto the USC programs that I have been accepted to.</p>

<p>Thematic option (TO) at USC:
I have heard good things and bad things about this program. Some people say it is worth it in the end, others regret not dropping it. But the bottom line is getting into medical school. Is this program worth it for me to take if my ultimate goal is medical school? What exactly do you do in TO? Any feedback would be appreciated. </p>

<p>Freshman Science Honors (FSH) at USC:
This is the same as Thematic Option in terms of what I have heard about it. Some like it, others don't. What exactly is different about (FSH)? But again, the bottom line is medical school. Will this help me get into medical school/ is it worth it to take?</p>

<p>Misc.
Housing:
Which housing should I take at USC/UCLA, any suggestions/advice?</p>

<p>Last words...</p>

<p>I am a California Resident, and Southern California is my home. As of right now, if I am lucky enough to end up being a doctor, I hope to return to Southern California because I love the weather, the culture, and the people. Thank you CC community for answering my questions, it is greatly appreciated.</p>

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<p>seriousbusiness–this is a wonderfully thorough recap of your choices. As you know, all 3 are excellent universities, so it is hard to go wrong. In fact, my S2 is considering these very same universities so we’ve looked at the pros and cons at my house too.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Double majoring in diverse fields plays to USC’s strength as they strongly encourage such goals and help make them possible. Minoring may also be possible depending, frankly, on the AP credits you bring in and the number of courses each major/minor requires. </p>

<p>As far as preparation for med school, the conventional wisdom says this is determined to a large degree by GPA and MCATs. Pre-med coursework will be similar at all the schools you are considering, but what school will give you the greatest chance to keep a high GPA? The top UCs are known to be extraordinarily competitive and that can translate to lower average grades. That may not apply to you, but something to think about. USC is also tough, but there are many ways to get personal help, office hours, etc. (Perhaps the same at the UCs?) I do know USC cares a lot about each student succeeding. USC offers a huge amount of research opportunities, so that will help your med school apps as well.</p>

<p>Finally, your analysis seems right with regard to the future. It is hard to say where the UC system will end up in the next four years. The indicators are fairly doom and gloom, but they may be overblown. Still, with the governor suggesting doubling tuition and the state cutting half a billion dollars to next year’s UC budget, it’s hard to be totally chipper. These are our concerns as well for S2. At UCLA, his particular major (not pre-med or history) has already cut the number of students in his major in half, cut the production budget, cut adjunct professors, and cannot guarantee what may be cut next. They still promise that students will be able to graduate in 4 years, but many go to school during the summer as well.</p>

<p>Last thought–you will make many amazing connections at USC if you half try. Join organizations, run for student office, and meet alumni. I cannot think of a better university at which to begin meeting the movers and shakers of Southern California. In fact, we hear that a certain impressive USC Board member will be running for mayor of L.A. Not surprising at all.</p>

<p>Best of luck with your decision.</p>

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<p>Great choices, congrats! Each school in theory will prepare you for pre-med, but some will better than others. Cal is notoriously bad at sending high performing students to top med schools. I was going to apply to UCLA but figured for the cost of OOS tuition (from Florida) I might as well go private, so I’ll be attending USC! It’s hard to turn down IS tuition from such a great school though.</p>

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<p>Thank you guys for your feedback :)</p>

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<p>Re TO, a decade ago, it was regarded as a GPA-killer. Very difficult to get As (though plenty of A-s and B+s). Extremely interesting classes though.</p>

<p>Perhaps a current student or more recent grad can chime in.</p>

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<p>Seriousbusiness,</p>

<p>I would choose USC or UCLA</p>

<p>USC has the strong network and many of the alumnis work in the medical and politcal field because of the schools encouragement and internships to do so. </p>

<p>Also, the area is not really that bad. USC is more secluded than you think. Its security guards are top notch and was voted more safe than UCLA( i forgot where I found this from though)</p>

<p>Also, the Renaissance thing is not a scholarship, it is just an honor. There is no money involved. You would be a Renaissance Scholar, not have a Renaissance Scholarship. </p>

<p>However, </p>

<p>UCLA is also a wonderful school. The food is amazing and dorms are too! It is very well organized and also the Medical School there accepts most of the UCLA undergrads(the medical school is in the top 20 of the country) so that is a plus. However, UCLA’s network is not as strong as USC</p>

<p>As the Trojans say" Your a bruin for only 4 years, but a Trojan for life"</p>

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<p>^ there actually is a thing called the renaissance scholarship, it’s just very very competitive. i had friends with 3.8+ GPA majoring is 2 or 3 very different fields (bio/english, bio/spanish, gero/neuro/religion, etc) and none of them got it. if you do win, it definitely helps pay for your graduate school though ($10,000 prize for graduate-level studies)</p>

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<p>Oh wait I’m sorry Its not a scholarship. There is just a prize I got this from the website FAQs
[USC</a> Renaissance Scholars](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/programs/ugprograms/renaissance/faq.shtml]USC”>http://www.usc.edu/programs/ugprograms/renaissance/faq.shtml)</p>

<p>Is this a scholarship?
No, this is not a scholarship. The Renaissance Scholar designation is an academic honor, awarded upon graduation to students who meet the criteria. The prize is awarded to students for the purpose of post-baccalaureate study. Prize recipients must show evidence of enrollment in a graduate program of study - this applies to students matriculating to USC during or after the 2002-2003 academic year.</p>

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<p>Thanks all :), I’ll look into the TO stuff more jjalfonso1. I would love more challenging classes, but if it means jeopardizing my chances at admission into med school, I would have to sacrifice them. Everything has its drawbacks it seems.</p>

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<p>Its been two years since this post. Id like to know which college you chose and how hard it is and what classes youre taking. Thank you</p>

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It’s been five years since this post. I’d like to know which college you chose and how hard it is and what classes you’re taking. Thank you.

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I would also like to know. I’m in the exact situation!

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Seriousbusiness hasn’t been seen for 5 years since his/her last post. It is safe to say they have moved on from cc.

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But, are there are there current students who also had to make this decision, and why did you choose USC over UCLA?

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One thing regarding Cal is that UCSF is an extension of Cal and in a way is Cal’s medical school. There may be research opportunities for Cal students at UCSF. It is true to this day even on a semester system (vs. quarter), Cal is very competitive. The midterms and finals can be very difficult, especially in the “weed out” courses. If you do fairly well at Cal, you can still get into a good medical school. I know of someone who had a 3.6 GPA at UCB and still recently got in UC Davis’ medical school. I am assuming the MCAT was good.