Hello everyone, I am a new member of college confidential.
I have to turn in my SIR by May 1st, and I am still indecisive
My choice are between UCR, UCI, UCSD.
The choice seems obvious to all the people I ask but it is not to me
I really like UCSD, the school will also give me great research opportunities and internship, a top university.
But it is also very competitive to get into UCSD Medical school and that is what worry me.
If I can’t get into Med school then everything will go to waste.
I have friend at UCSD who know people that can’t even get into ANY MED SCHOOL including UCR Med School and Loma Linda, and they MEET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING INTERNSHIP, HIGH GPA, HIGH MCAT, LETTER OF REC.
However at UCR, I have a better chance of getting into UCR’s Med School.
But I have less research opportunities as well as internship.
I WANT TO GO TO MED SCHOOL-MY GOAL
SO ANYONE PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!!
If med school doesn’t work out, which UC would you rather have a degree from? I suggest treating med school like a bonus, instead of the supreme goal where every other possible career move seems like a failure. Plan on having a different career, as a hedge, where your odds of success are perhaps 90%, then if you can check all of the boxes for med school, go for it. Otherwise, you might end up with a major that you wouldn’t have pursued if it weren’t for the dream of med school (usually biology or “pre-med”), from a school that you wouldn’t have enrolled in if you didn’t think it would give you a 10% better shot at med school, and totally depressed because the only dream that you’ve allowed yourself has been crushed under the weight of expectation.
Thank you
And yes have this is why I still have not decided to go to UCR even though it may give me a better chance of getting into Med school. I visited UCSD on Triton day and I just like being there, I htave made mistakes in my life so this time I don’t want to end up in a university that I don’t even like being there FOR THE NEXT 4 YEARS.
Typically, you don’t pick an undergrad simply because it has a med school. UCSD undergrads don’t have a pipeline to its med school. That is why you’re seeing the issue that you’re seeing.
However, I do think that UCR SOM does reserve a certain number of seats for UCS undergrads…hopefully someone will chime in. I think this policy exists to encourage potentially top premed students to choose UCR.
Calif has a premed problem. There are just too many med school applicants from that state. That is why you’ll see kids with very good med school worthy stats, who don’t get into any med schools. And, it’s why a good number of Calif med school applicants end up attending privates in OTHER states.
If you want to attend a Calif med school, then your best bet probably is UCR for undergrad because of that unique agreement.
“I have friend at UCSD who know people that can’t even get into ANY MED SCHOOL including UCR Med School and Loma Linda, and they MEET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING INTERNSHIP, HIGH GPA, HIGH MCAT, LETTER OF REC.”
Your friend seems to have forgotten that not every Med School applicant gets in. Even applicants who look like they should have to people who aren’t on any of the admissions committees at the Med Schools where those students applied. Since you and your friend weren’t on those admissions committees, you have no way of knowing how the those people who weren’t admitted differed from students who were admitted. It may have simply been that they were too picky about the places that they applied to. You also don’t know how many of those rejected applicants reapplied a year or two later and were admitted to a Med School then (yes, many people do apply multiple times before being accepted - often after pursuing a different career for a while). If you really, truly want to be a physician, when the time comes you will apply broadly - including some of the Osteopathic Medicine schools, and possibly even the med school in North Dakota. Don’t be picky. To a great extent, where you attend Med School doesn’t matter (other than somewhat cheaper in-state tuition rates). Where you land a residency can matter for your longer term medical career, and you can get a good residency from any of the Med schools in the country - yes, even from an Osteopathic Med school or that med school at U of North Dakota.
No matter where you choose to complete your undergrad degree, you may change your career goals or you may find yourself completely shut out of Medical School after multiple rounds of applications. As Dunboyne has written above, your best chance of long-range happiness and success is by pursuing a major that promises good options in addition to the possibility of applying to Med School at a place where you feel you will do best. So if you prefer UCSD, and you think you can be happy there with your major, go to UCSD. Do well there, and be happy.
Lastly, your writing isn’t up to university level standard, which makes me think that you may be an international applicant. If you are, and the people who didn’t get in anywhere also were international applicants then the answer is very simple: most US medical schools do not admit international applicants at all. Those that do have very few spaces for them. Even tippy-top pre-meds who are international can find themselves rejected everywhere that they apply just like tippy-top high school students who insist on only applying to the Ivies, MIT, and Stanford. If you are an international student, and you really do want to become a physician, you should pursue your medical studies in your home country then come here for a residency.
I am not an international applicant, but rather an immigrant. I know I still have to improve my writing skill as well as my vocabularies. I wrote this post early this morning when I was desperate for answer and I had my final exam to study, so excuse me for my grammatical mistakes.
Thanks for letting me know that. Writing in the second language is a continual challenge, but you will also continue to get better with time and practice. One thing that you can check is the kinds of advanced ESL classes that would be available to you at each of the universities that are still on your list. For example, is there an ESL version of a required Freshman English class? The instructors assigned to teach that class will be more attentive to your needs, and will be better able to help you continue to find the best ways to improve your language skills. If sections like that aren’t available, do take five minutes to stop by your instructor’s office and let that person know that you are still a language learner so that they are better prepared to help you learn. If you aren’t fully happy with your speaking skills, you should also check the availability of advanced conversation and pronunciation classes. Those can make a big difference at interview time.
Wishing you all the best!
Hello again,
You have raised my second concern in regarding which college I should choose. I have been thinking all day and I have came to a realization that my English skill is not good enough to go to a highly competitive school as UCSD. I have to admit that I think my English is horrible, yes horrible, I am not exaggerating, and I am not confident with my writing ability.
Right now I am thinking that maybe to should go to UCSD and if it is too challenging for me, then I can transfer to UCR.