<p><a href=“quoting%20me”>quote=drax12</a>“But I do know Tulane’s success rate for med school placement in general is very very good, and among Honor’s Program student’s nearly 100%.”</p>
<p>Big whoop, and I did intend to mock on this one…</p>
<p>Heck, if we took the top 10% of the 737 UCLA applicants to med school from 09, I’d say that there was 100% acceptance from that set also.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Try to keep up. The reason that made perfect sense is that the OP already stated he was in the Tulane Honors Program. That isn’t the top 10% of med school applicants, it is the top 10% of Tulane students. Therefore his chances of getting into med school if he chooses Tulane, based on past performance of HP students applying to med school, are extremely high, including into CA med schools. If you can’t keep track of the facts, don’t get involved in the discussion.</p>
<p>Learn to do quotes on here. It isn’t too hard.</p>
<p>No problem DunninLA. Always happy to help out someone that is reasonable. You just type
[quote]
paste in the quote[/ quote] except there is no space between the / and the word “quote” in the final brackets. Give it a shot when you skewer me next, lol.</p>
<p>I’m sorry I portrayed you as such, ‘blind with rage’; I just thought I noticed a bellicose tone in answering vociferous’ post, and equally for which I thought I noted in your response to mine. </p>
<p>You seem like someone who is enamored of Tulane, and your defense of the school – though I didn’t think was needed in your original tone – shows forth. This ardor is a good thing, and I hope you don’t lose it. </p>
<p>I was just hoping that the originator of this thread does show up to read the thead to see if we might have helped him or her in some ideas in how to approach his or her college decisions, despite your and my tiff.</p>
<p>I still stick by my advice of him or her attending a community college to save money becuase debt at the end of college is a killer, with med school’s debt looming in the future. It would be a double whammy (and also assuming it is a $30-35k/year cost).</p>
<p>I’m from the west and also applied to the UC system (specifically UCLA, UCSF, UW, UO etc.) and I chose Tulane.</p>
<p>I am very happy about my decision. USC is in a very very rough part of town and UCLA is half beauty half cement.</p>
<p>While UCLA may look good on paper, I found my visit to be lost with the droning footsteps of 30,000 other people. If you want a big school go UCLA but if you want to make the connections with important people and have the chance to stick out… go roll wave. :D</p>
<p>drax12 - I appreciate the more congenial tone. As far as the honors thing, I suppose it is a bit of a circular argument. Not quite, but I don’t know what to call it. The reason I say that is that it isn’t being in the Honors Program at the start that ultimately counts, it is being there in the end. And to stay in, you have to maintain at least a 3.6 (magna cum laude level). So as you can imagine, there is a very high percentage of that group that get into med schools, law schools, etc. if that is what they want. Now it is also true that there is a very high percentage that start out in the program that stay in, and others earn their way in. So my statement is still consistent, but no I am not trying to say he has a guaranteed spot in med school. I am saying that if he maintains his grades to the point where he stays in the program, his chances are obviously good. This really isn’t a surprise since the students going in were extremely bright to begin with, even compared to just “normally bright” students, lol.</p>
<p>As far as the community college suggestion, I suspect he won’t consider it, but it is an option for sure, especially if money an issue. He never did come back to clarify that, did he? If it isn’t an issue, then going straight to 4 year school probably makes more sense, I think.</p>
Did you actually apply to the UCs listed? The reason I ask is because your posts indicate you are an undergraduate, and UCSF is a graduate-studies-only campus and does not accept applications from freshman applicants. Are you saying you applied to the listed schools for graduate studies?</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s input. First of, I’m a she, not a he. Lol. Just for clarification. Secondly, while financially going to a 4-year institution is a huge burden for my family, my parents insist that I do not go to community college, so that is out of the question.</p>
<p>I’m kinda confused as to what stance people have on these universities as majority of the thread is argument…not to be rude or anything, just merely pointing it out.</p>
<p>I also just received my acceptance to U of Delaware Honors Program, and my scholarship will be coming in the mail shortly, so based on how much they give me, it will definitely be a school I consider.</p>
<p>Does anyone know about UDel, a public school, in comparison with UCLA?</p>
<p>xxabii - LOL, sorry about both the gender mix-up and the arguments. But on the latter, if you cut through some of it and read them carefully, a lot of it does really relate to your situation regarding the “personalities” of the various schools. If that helps at all.</p>
<p>Certainly UCLA is far better known than UDel, but that probably shouldn’t matter too much to you. But to try and compare two schools like that without a more specific question being asked is impossible. You really need to give people some specific factors to compare.</p>
<p>xxabii - in addition to not listing things that would appeal to you in a university, you also list several schools in your threads : UCLA, UC Berkeley, USC, Tulane, Rochester, Drexel, U Delaware… Can you really not eliminate ANY of those at this late date?</p>
<p>A narrower list and more info on your preferences would be helpful.</p>
<p>I did refer to you, the originating poster, as ‘he or she,’ and ‘him or her.’ ;)</p>
<p>So my community college recommendation is out, but it does sound like your parents will help you keep the debt low at the end of your first four-year educational stint. This is very important.</p>
<p>And as I stated before, UCLA in general, and especially UCLA premed is very compeitive. But if you can withstand this, and with research ops on hand, you may find the school your calling.</p>
<p>Then again, if there’s one school tugging at your heart-strings, by all means go there. Best of luck…</p>
<p>Well as of now I have narrowed it down to UCLA, USC, and Tulane.
Both Rochester and Udel I have not received financial aid from so for now, I have eliminated them from my potential school list.</p>
<p>As for USC, I just applied to Thematic Option a few days ago as I missed the first two deadlines, and I won’t hear back till after May 1st. Fortunately, because I am a Presidential Scholar, I have a good chance of getting it, or so admission says, even with a late application. I am also planning to submit my UCLA Honors application in the next few days, although I have heard that it is a waste of time. </p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s feedback. As for what I like in school, I’d prefer a smaller school, much less than LA and USC. Also, I don’t want a crazy competitive enviroment but as a pre-med major, I do need a school with a rigorous undergraduate curriculum to stand out as an applicant for med school. I love New Orleans and LA, but the cons of both places is that in NO it’s humid and the weather is much nicer in LA. Downside of LA is that I was very intent on going out of state, and many of my classmates are going to those schools too. Hope this helped.</p>
<p>Not really true. If you come from Arcadia, fine; if your school sends 10 or 20, then encounters with them will be rare (and nothing more than just passing by, if that’s what you want).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Going to office hours is probably better advice.</p>
<p>I completely agree with ThisCouldBeHeaven that UCLA is so large that the chances of you seeing your high school friends is minimal and even if you do, so what? It will be overwhelmed by the number of new people you meet. I somewhat disagree with the last comment though. Sure, go to office hours. But the spirit of that comment was that you get to connect with your professors on a much more frequent and personal basis at a school like Tulane than one like UCLA. that really isn’t a knock on UCLA. Heck, you get to connect with your professors more at an LAC than at Tulane. The smaller the school, the more this is true, usually. And Tulane is so very undergrad oriented. Go to the Tulane threads and read some of the comments about how much time the professors have spent, often with zero notice, with visiting applicants. Also note the comments about how happy all the students seem.</p>
<p>You are right that the weather in LA is tough to beat, but the heat and humidity of New Orleans is not true most of the school year. the first 30 days can be pretty warm, and the last week or so during finals in May. In between it is much more moderate, it even gets pretty chilly sometimes. And it rains a lot more in New Orleans, although you had some of that in LA this year, lol. But don’t worry much about the heat, it won’t be a factor 85% of the time.</p>
<p>It really does sound to me from what you say, “I’d prefer a smaller school” (=Tulane) added to the fact that you want strong pre-med preparation (=both) but you seem to want a new experience (=Tulane) that Tulane is the best choice for you. But only you can decide what intuitively feels best. Given that all of these will provide a great education and a great experience most likely, you really do have to go with your gut.</p>
<p>If you are accepted to Thematic Option at USC that might make it perfect for you. The classes are 9 - 24 students, and the atmosphere is much more discussion-based and collaboartive than competetive. TO writing classes include individual tutorials with your writing instructor. It is too bad your application was late and you won’t know until after you have to commit. The reason they can not tell you yet is that they will wait until after May 1st to see if there is any space left after commitment deposits are received from students who applied by the priority date and are already accepted to TO.</p>
<p>But the research ops at UCLA would probably be > Tulane’s, if this is what the OP desired. Bigger school = more impersonal, but bigger school = greater opportunity for various avenues to add to one’s resume’ or application to med school.</p>
<p>But for those who need a more hands on approach, usually those from underrepresented backgounds educationally, there are those (mentors, tas) who’ll able to assist the student ‘even in organic chemistry’ as one put it, to help the student succeed.</p>
<p>Well, I had two publications from undergrad research at Tulane, and both were in American Chemical Society journals, the leading publications in chemistry. Not sure how much better an undergrad research experience can be that that. My point is that as an undergrad, there is much less time for research than as a grad student. This shouldn’t be a major factor in the decision because of that. In fact, at some major research universities, science undergrads have a tougher time getting to do research because the labs are full with the grad students. They are relegated to washing dishes or its equivalent. I am not saying UCLA is like this for chemistry or biology and related areas, just that it is true in other places.</p>
<p>Now grad school is the complete opposite. UCLA blows Tulane away for the level and diversity of research opportunities in the physical sciences. But that is not what were are talking about here. Tulane actually "depends’ on undergrads doing research, especially in their junior and senior years. UCLA obviously does not.</p>
lose the C. </p>