I got accepted into UCSD and UCI. I know UCSD is more well-known for their medical programs and stuff, but I’m a little scared of the competition. Then again, I don’t know how much different my gpa at UCI would be compared to UCSD…
Honestly, I’m just scared of failure. I keep reading horror stories online about how UCSD is cutthroat for pre-meds, and only 40% of their pre-meds get into actual med school.
Also I’m undeclared, so I’m not even sure 100% if premed is what I want to do.
Same thing at UCI. Pre-Med competition is tough in both schools. UC Riverside might be an easier route to going to medical school. If you want to be a general practitioner going to Harvard or Riverside medical schools doesn’t really matter.
@websensation What if you want to be a specialized internal surgeon?
Do not worry about any specialization for Medical school, that comes much later. Right now your priority should be to select a school that you feel you could do well academically/financially and socially, just to get into a Medical school.
Where you go for Undergrad will make little difference. You want a High GPA 3.5+, High MCAT scores and Internship/volunteering opportunities within the Medical field to apply to Medical school.
We went to the UCSB Chancellor’s Reception today and one of the students on the panel said that she entered as a Biology major because she was convinced that she wanted to go to med school. She took some classes and realized that she didn’t like it as much as she thought she would. She changed majors to Film and says that she now loves going to classes, loves writing papers, loves taking test, etc. She knows that film careers are competitive to find but she says that she found her passion and what will make her happy in life.
At the reception, they also said that the majority of careers that the class of 2021 will go into haven’t been developed yet.
My point is, go to the school that feels right for you and where you feel that you will be most successful both academically and socially.
@JuicyMango, @Gumbymom Agree with Gumbymom. I know many families whose kids are pre-med or in medical schools, and a lot of them tell me they should not have studied so hard to get into good medical schools because they ended up having their own private practice etc. Getting into medical schools in itself is now so difficult that I know many kids who go to UC Riverside because they feel it’s relatively easier to get into medical school there. Best thing to do is to go to a college which “guarantees” you that you will get into their medical school if you maintain certain gpa; that way, you don’t have to get good MCAT score to get into medical school.
@websensation So the medical school you go to doesn’t matter at all? What if we want to work at a hospital rather than a private practice?
I do understand what you mean about the gpa part. I don’t think medical schools differentiate that much between schools, so I think a 3.8 gpa at UCSD is probably better than a 3.5 gpa at Berkeley.
@JuicyMango at the same time, the level of competition in pre-med is going to be high everywhere. A 3.6 GPA at UCI vs. a 3.6 GPA at UCSD with a research position at the Salk Institute and an internship at Neurocrine Biosciences is a more interesting comparison 
@websensation How about UC Davis? I got accepted there too. Do you think it’d be easier than Irvine or San Diego?
Guys, as a fellow premed, I don’t think you’re thinking about this the right way. This field is going to be challenging no matter where you study it, and it’s only going to get harder once you get into med school. Do you want to push yourself to what you see as a greater challenge and reap potentially greater rewards, or do you want to convince yourself that it’s better to settle? It’s not even about the specific opportunities at each school–it’s about how y’all perceive them and to what degree you can motivate yourself.
@DoctorP I know I’m wrong for thinking this way… It’s just that I’m scared of failing. What if I go to a higher ranked school and do bad? I’ve seen from experience… I’ve had cousins who went to UCSD and it was too hard for them, so they ended up going to schools in the Carribean. And I’ve had cousins who went to UCR and got right into UCR medical school… Sigh.
The percentage is less than 40% of those who make it to the point of actually applying will start med school. Most premeds will change their minds along way for any number of reasons and never see the inside of a med school. And as a note most CA premeds will if accepted go OOS as there are not enough CA med school slots.
Agree except one may probably need a higher GPA than 3.5 to be competitive. Also keep in mind that med schools break down GPAs, it’s not just a cumulative GPA that’s reported, but an overall GPA for all science courses (bio, math, chem, physics) also gets reported. Both cumulative and science GPAs are also broken down by year as well, so you can’t hide a weak performance in science courses with easier courses.
just checking off a box with a research position in and of itself will not be a big deal to most med schools. Med schools will tend to prefer ECs that show you have traits (eg compassion, altruism, communication skills, etc) as most MDs will end up in patient care.
Agree, getting into med school is more on you than where you attend
Most premeds will change their minds along the way. All premeds should have a Plan B in mind.
going to schools in the Caribbean is a very bad idea.
Premed in California is hard everywhere. You have to be top 10% in classes against the state’s best students. It means that most students don’t make it to the point where they apply.
So, you MUST have a plan B. (That plan cannot be "I’ll major in biology and see what I can do with it " - there are so many bio grads with that ‘plan’ that they are a dime a dozen.)
Bioinformatics, biostatistics, statistics, science teacher are all possible alternatives.
Next, what should you do?
Don’t make the mistake of starting with General bio, General chemistry, and calculus all at once. Pick biology OR chemistry.
For instance, take chemistry and calculus plus freshman English and an easy class. (ask upper class students, Rate my professor, google ‘easiest classes at’.) And no, med schools won’t care that you took an easy class your first term freshman year. Your goal is to have a strong GPA and adjusting to college is always hard, so don’t make it hard on yourself (med schools aren’t 'impressed ’ with anything you do freshman year so don’t try to dazzle them by taking orgo or some such, it’ll come back to bite you.) Remember that the premed process is a marathon, not a dash race.
Acquire (buy or rent) your stem books over the summer and start working on them. (Bonus: buying them off former premed will make them cheaper).
Appreciate it. I think I’m going to stick with Davis. That way my plan b can always be food science @MYOS1634