UC vs. CSU

[west nile]

I have searched on this topic and still I am not sure of a definative answer. I had spoke with a doctor who was on the adcomm of a NY med school about 5 years ago who said I should only consider UC's, but I want to know if this is still valid. Are CSU's still looked at as less prestigous than UC's?? I have a 3.8 GPA so I am pretty sure I will get into either school, I just want to save some money if I can. If anyone knows this for sure I would really appreciate it.

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[mlcal06]

i've talked to a woman who used to be on an adcomm, and she said that they do have rankings of schools and take that into consideration when looking at applications. but hey a 3.8 is a 3.8.. and in the long run you do need to look at money, etc cause there is much school ahead.

also, even if you go to a csu, your mcat will show something as well. there are a lot of things they look at.

 

[relentless11]

Prestige, for whatever its worth, UC's are obviously more prestigious. However as the person above said, a 3.8 is a 3.8 regardless of where you go.
True, some med schools do "rank" undergrad institution, but as many of us concluded, the effects of a school's prestige can only go so far, and is in fact diluted out by all other variables such as GPA/MCAT, ECs, PS, LORs, and most importantly the interview.

One word of warning though, a 3.8 is by no means going to make you sure you will get into one med school or another. Even with an excellent supporting MCAT, it only says you have a better chance of getting int SOME med school than a person who has lower stats than you. But there are many people with high stats that do not get in for one reason or another. Especially when you are applying to California med schools.

I favor UC's as well, since I go to UC Davis (me = biased), however, I have know a few physicians at UCD Medical Center who did undergrad at CSUS. If you look on the Stanford website, they had a person from SJSU. But in the grand scheme of things, it appears from what I have seen thus far, that UC students appear to be represented in larger numbers at schools throughout the US. Perhaps the schools just do this to show that they get people from Cal, or UCLA, etc. Does that mean CSU's are discriminated against, of course not. Maybe UC's just have more pre-meds, who knows. But I highly doubt that CSU's are really discriminated against to the point where they won't admit you even when you have better stats than a person from a UC school.

Good luck!

 

[Pinkertinkle]

4 years of tuition at UC undergrad is less than 1 yr of tuition at a private med school. How much money are you really saving by going to a CSU instead of a UC? Not enough to justify the different atmosphere that's for sure.

 

[hopefulM.D.]

I hear it's very difficult to get into med school from a CalState, unless of course, you have a very good mcat score. My family friend is an OBGYN, and graduated from CSULB with Magna Cum Laude, and even verified that he was like the top 1% in his class. So, hopefully, u can back that gpa up with a score. I'm sure you can with that gpa.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

My 5 cents:

1. I have nothing against CSU's.
2. You can get into med school from a CSU.
3. UC's are very cheap, even though CSU's are cheaper.
4. You will have a far superior education coming from a UC. I have friends from Cal States and friends from UC's. Their levels of education truly cannot be compared on the same scale.
5. In a few years you will be applying to med schools as a california applicant. Your only hope of not being close to $300,000 in debt after med school is to go to a UC for med school. Of the 7 med schools in Cali (Loma Linda not included), 5 are UC's. Did you know they significantly favor applicants from UC undergrads? I'de say your odds are 20-30 times greater of getting into a California med school if you come from a UC, when compared to a CSU.

Go to the UC.

 

[ghostfoot]

My 5 cents:

1. I have nothing against CSU's.
2. You can get into med school from a CSU.
3. UC's are very cheap, even though CSU's are cheaper.
4. You will have a far superior education coming from a UC. I have friends from Cal States and friends from UC's. Their levels of education truly cannot be compared on the same scale.
5. In a few years you will be applying to med schools as a california applicant. Your only hope of not being close to $300,000 in debt after med school is to go to a UC for med school. Of the 7 med schools in Cali (Loma Linda not included), 5 are UC's. Did you know they significantly favor applicants from UC undergrads? I'de say your odds are 20-30 times greater of getting into a California med school if you come from a UC, when compared to a CSU.

Go to the UC.

You think a UC student has a 20-30x better chance than the SAme student had they gone to a CSU?

UCs are clearly more demanding and have better students, but the CSUs have very few pre-meds compared to the UCs.

Would others agree to this 20-30x? I would guess you might have two, or maybe three times better chance with the UCs.

 

[LADoc00]

My 5 cents:

2. You can get into med school from a CSU.

I have yet to meet a single one, EVER. Not saying they dont exist, must be rare tho.

 

[notdeadyet]

I'de say your odds are 20-30 times greater of getting into a California med school if you come from a UC, when compared to a CSU.

You think that if you take a student from San Francisco State and a student from UCSB, both with 3.7 GPA/30 MCAT and identical ECs, that the UC student is 20-30x more likely? No way would it be that high.

On the oher hand, will your fellow student body, professors, material, expectations and initiative at a CSU drive you as hard as a UC and give you as level a playing field for the MCAT? Probably not.

 

[notdeadyet]

I have yet to meet a single one, EVER. Not saying they dont exist, must be rare tho.

I know lots from SF State alone.

OP- It's doable either way. UCs will help hedge your bets, but CSU will not slam shut doors. Just make them a little harder to push open.

And keep in mind, for all of us pushing for the UC system, there are Ivy kids wondering "Wow, can you even get into med school coming from a UC?" It's all relative.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

You think that if you take a student from San Francisco State and a student from UCSB, both with 3.7 GPA/30 MCAT and identical ECs, that the UC student is 20-30x more likely? No way would it be that high.

On the oher hand, will your fellow student body, professors, material, expectations and initiative at a CSU drive you as hard as a UC and give you as level a playing field for the MCAT? Probably not.

How many cal-staters do you think are in every UC med school class? 1, maybe 2? There will be at least 30 from UC's. (There could be more like 60, I can't remember). As hard as you work at a Cal State, there will be hundreds of UC students with your numbers and higher competing for the same spots with an inside advantage...so I doubt the relative lack of CSU pre-meds is really a factor. That's where I got the 20-30 number.

Anyway, my point is that you have MUCH better odds of getting into a UC from a UC. As far as out-of state admissions go, then you're right, it's all relative.

And yeah, you can get in from a CSU. There was a guy on SDN last cycle with a 3.9 who got into Loyola, I believe.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

Ok here's an example of what I'm talking about

UCLA, class of 2008
from http://career.ucla.edu/GraduateSchoo...eodoreHall.asp


From/Number:
UCLA/33
UCBerk./12
UCSD/9
UCI,USC/6
Stanford, UCD/5
Harvard, MIT, Pomona/4
Cornell/3
Brown, Duke, Princeton, UPenn, Yale/2
20 Other schools/1

65 from UC's, maybe a couple from Cal States.

 

[notdeadyet]

So by your logic, if an applicant wants to go to UCLA medical school, they should go to Berkeley instead of Davis because their odds are 2.5x greater? This is not what the numbers are saying.

The numbers you show above is not just indicating that UCLA favors UC grads. It is also reflecting that the UCs produce a LOT more competitive medical school applicants than the CSU system does.

I see where you're coming from, but I just think your logic is a bit off. I agree that your odds are better heading from a UC than from a CSU, but they ain't 30x better. Not by a long shot.

 

[west nile]

3. UC's are very cheap, even though CSU's are cheaper.

True, I would only be saving 6-7K by going to a CSU than UC.

Did you know they significantly favor applicants from UC undergrads

I figured this much, especially med schools at the UC you did your undergrad work at right? I even heard they save spots just for their alumni, whether this is true or not I am not sure.

I had planned to transfer to Davis, but after being concerned I would not enjoy the major I had chosen (Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior) I started looking to other colleges, state schools included. I want a major which allows me to take anatomy and more courses related to human biology. However, I recently discovered that Davis has an Excersize Biology major which includes a concentration in physiology and I think this will suit me better.

Thanks for everyone taking the time to reply to my topic.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

So by your logic, if an applicant wants to go to UCLA medical school, they should go to Berkeley instead of Davis because their odds are 2.5x greater? This is not what the numbers are saying.

The numbers you show above is not just indicating that UCLA favors UC grads. It is also reflecting that the UCs produce a LOT more competitive medical school applicants than the CSU system does.

I see where you're coming from, but I just think your logic is a bit off. I agree that your odds are better heading from a UC than from a CSU, but they ain't 30x better. Not by a long shot.

Yeah, it would be pretty hard to put an exact number on it. I don't think my logic is off though. The numbers clearly show that it is significantly harder from a CSU....but I admit there's no way to say if it is exactly 20 times greater, 2 times greater, etc. The fact is that at least 30-60 times as many UC undergrads end up in UC med schools than CSU students do, you can twist your logic around this as much as you like...

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

So by your logic, if an applicant wants to go to UCLA medical school, they should go to Berkeley instead of Davis because their odds are 2.5x greater? This is not what the numbers are saying.

I wouldn't go that far. If you want to go to UCLA for med school, then go to UCLA for undergrad. Simple, no? It works the same way with respect to the UC's and Cal states.

 

[AMcD3]

It probably depends which school you choose also. Not all CSUs are created equal, Cal Poly SLO is always ranked highly as a predominantly undergrad university. IN general, I think fewer people apply to med school from the CSU system. There are a lot more commuter schools with people transferring in from JCs to finish their 4 year degree for a reasonable price. Berkeley probably has several hundred people apply to med school each year whereas the average CSU might have 50 (no data here, just ideas), so by default berkeley will get more people in.

 

[bruin687]

I had planned to transfer to Davis, but after being concerned I would not enjoy the major I had chosen (Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior) I started looking to other colleges, state schools included. I want a major which allows me to take anatomy and more courses related to human biology. However, I recently discovered that Davis has an Excersize Biology major which includes a concentration in physiology and I think this will suit me better.

Just FYI, UCLA's undergrad has a physiological science major that I'm actually going to be switching into this Fall. From what you have said about wanting to study more anatomy & physiology, this definitely might be something you want to look at. The lower division courses required are basic pre-med requirements and the upper divs include a systems anatomy class and biochemistry, which would be good for med school apps (both required for the major).

http://www.physci.ucla.edu/undergraduate.php

UCSD also has a human biology major I believe, but I've heard limited and mixed reviews about it.

 

[ClockworkDoc]

Uc >> Csu

 

[TonyLTH12]

what???
If you actually search for phy. sci. alums on facebook, there's a good number that are in medical schools. (I know this because I'm a physiological science major and I simply just click on the link on my facebook profile).

There's a UCLA thread somewhere on SDN that debated among the lifescience majors @ UCLA.

You know, if you can pull off a high grades for the upper division physiological sciences class, that would certainly build a good case for you in terms of being capable of handling the medical school curriculum. I say med. schools frown more upon bio majors since its the most common... feel free to disagree on that. However, we all know that med. schools like humanties majors.
Oh, and we (phy. sci. majors) do have a life.

 

[AMcD3]

How an adcom feels about UC vs CSU is not something that you can control, and UCs obviously have better name recognition. However, from my experience vs. the experience of people who work in the same lab as me, I got a lot more contact with actual PhDs during undergrad because they teach smaller lectures and the associated lab components at a CSU wheras at a UC students sat through giant lectures and then had the labs taught by TAs. The UCs also have better name recognition due to their graduate departments, wheras CSUs are mostly undergrad. I was accepted to all the UCs I applied to and picked a well-regarded CSU for a variety of reasons totally unrelated to a career in medicine (because I didn't know that's what I wanted to do). So my long winded point for the OP is that you can probably get in to Med School from anywhere if you're a competitive applicant, so choose the school that fits your situation best. (And there are people from my school who get into med school)

 

[bruin687]

I hear Physiology and Anatomy majors ARE frowned upon as people with no real lives trying to learn the same stuffs as med students and only 2% of them actually make it to med school. This is accoring to other UCLA students... If you are curious, Biochem and MCD BIo get most people into med schools

Hm, interesting...actually a lot of phy sci majors are pre-med at ucla...not to say they all matriculate to med school, but still. i know biochem majors are generally considered to be very rigorous and difficult, but honestly, since everyone takes the same pre-med classes/ prep for the major, i think the grades that you get in your pre-med classes as well as what upper div electives you decide to take (for example, advanced biochem or mol genetics classes) hold more weight than just simply the major for med school admissions. in other words, i think few med schools would reject a phy sci major with superior mcat scores, gpa, ec's, etc in favor of an mcd bio major with lower qualifications just because of the major.

anyways, i don't think its worth anyone's time to major in something for the sole purpose of using it to get into med school. i wasn't trying to say that being a phy sci major would give an advantage or anything, just replying to what the OP was interested in, that's all.

 

[honker]

Be sure to look at more than GPA and MCAT scores when assessing chances from a CSU campus. A significant percentage are URMs, since UC tries very hard to get a diversity of backgrounds into their professional schools, and the pool of URM applicants is limited.

 

[UCLAstudent]

I hear Physiology and Anatomy majors ARE frowned upon as people with no real lives trying to learn the same stuffs as med students and only 2% of them actually make it to med school. This is accoring to other UCLA students... If you are curious, Biochem and MCD BIo get most people into med schools

That's interesting. There are several phy sci majors from UCLA in my class.

To the OP: you should definitely go for a UC. In one interview at a CA school, my interviewer flat out told me that they look much more favorably on, say, a 3.8 from a UC than from Cal State.

 

[tacrum43]

Uc >> Csu

Boo.

Okay, so yes the UC's have more name recognition (which some med schools do care about), but I honestly think you would get a better education at a CSU because you actually are amuchllowed to talk to professors, and have them talk to you too (as opposed to TA's). That's definitely a plus for LOR's.

But OP, I would go where you think you will happy and be able to do well. For example, the students at UCSB seemed kind of stuck up and too into money, so I went to Cal Poly instead. It was the right decision for me, and I would definitely go there again.

 

[relentless11]

That's interesting. There are several phy sci majors from UCLA in my class.

To the OP: you should definitely go for a UC. In one interview at a CA school, my interviewer flat out told me that they look much more favorably on, say, a 3.8 from a UC than from Cal State.

I disagree with bruinboy310 in regards to UCLA or med schools in general, frowning upon physiology or anatomy majors. The only caveat to this would be Geffen's website saying that they discourage undergrads to take anatomy. In fact this is what they say:

"Courses overlapping in subject matter (e.g. human anatomy) with those in the school of medicine are not recommended. However, basic or advanced courses in biological science (e.g. cellular physiology) are desirable." http://www.medstudent.ucla.edu/prospective/admissions/?pgID=3

Discourage doesn't neccessarily mean frowned upon. In truth, most science classes can overlap a med school course, such as biochemistry. So its really not that big of a player. But as you said, there are several of those physio majors in your class.

 

[thegross1]

I've talked to doctors and what I have found out about csu vs uc is that it is not so much the school that counts but rather the reputation of the major program offered at the school. I attend a CSU which is ranked as one of the top schools for biology majors in the country. The premed club on campus has a rather high acceptance rate into medical schools. But as far as UC's go, like many others have said, it is easier to get into a UC from a UC. I don't know if this is true with respects to medical schools but transferring to a UC from a CSU during your undergrad is near impossible. I feel that your GPA, MCAT and intern experiences will speak for themselves.

 

[billybama]

strange logic on this thread.

1. is it really "easier" to get in from a UC? of course not. the truth of the matter is that UC students are typically (not always) higher achievers in the first place, so of course UC grads will have a higher acceptance rate into medical school.

2. you probably have no more chance of getting in to UCLA if you went there than if you didn't. UCLA accounts for hundreds of med school applicants each year. i suspect a much larger percentage of them apply to UCLA than do entire classes from other schools. so even though a given class at Geffen may have a larger percentage of UCLA grads, i have heard that the acceptance rate of UCLA grads into Geffen is actually the same or slightly LOWER than the acceptance of all students into Geffen. (something like 4 %) (lol--i know what i am trying to say but i am not sure i am making sense. if someone else "gets" this and can make it clearer, go for it!)

3. is the 3.8 that the OP is referring to a high school GPA for getting into a UC or CSU, or a GPA coming from a CSU to get into med school?

 

[TonyLTH12]

Keep in mind that students at the upper tier UC schools have impressive extracurricular activities (i.e. research). With all due respect, CSUs aren't known to be research intensive. Furthermore, the academic atmosphere of a CSU doesn't come close to measure up with the UC atmosphere. UCSF also gives 3 points if you did your undergraduate studies @ the elite private schools, UC Berkeley, & UCLA while CSU only nabs you 1 point.

 

[west nile]

I attend a CSU which is ranked as one of the top schools for biology majors in the country.

Which CSU?

3. is the 3.8 that the OP is referring to a high school GPA for getting into a UC or CSU, or a GPA coming from a CSU to get into med school?

As stated I am coming from a community college as a transfer to a UC or CSU.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

I attend a CSU which is ranked as one of the top schools for biology majors in the country.

No offense.... I'm sure your school is great and is ranked high for a public school, but there's no way it is a "top" school in anything on a national level.

 

[tacrum43]

No offense.... I'm sure your school is great and is ranked high for a public school, but there's no way it is a "top" school in anything on a national level.

Hey, hey, hey. I happen to know that my school, Cal Poly (which is technically a CSU) is in fact a top school for engineering and architecture. Those aren't typical pre-med majors or anything, but still, just because it's a state school doesn't mean it can't be a top school in a given field. Perhaps not for research, but certainly for training graduates who are planning to enter a given profession.

 

[MahSpoon]

Hey, hey, hey. I happen to know that my school, Cal Poly (which is technically a CSU) is in fact a top school for engineering and architecture. Those aren't typical pre-med majors or anything, but still, just because it's a state school doesn't mean it can't be a top school in a given field. Perhaps not for research, but certainly for training graduates who are planning to enter a given profession.

Are you talking about undergrad because i didn't see it near the top for grad rankings http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/eng/brief/engrank_brief.php

I'm sure it's a good school, and have a few friends there, but I think the reputation of cal poly is shadowed by big name caltech/stanford/berk/UCSD/UCLA in the same state

 

[RaaMD]

I went to Cal Poly Pomona and had the time of my life there and feel very good about my education. I got to know my classmates and the professors really well. I did fine with the medical school application process. Granted, a high GPA at a Cal State is somewhat akin to a medium to medium high GPA at a UC. What sets the standard for everyone is the MCAT. From what I can interpret, it seems more difficult to achieve as high a GPA at a UC than a Cal State. If you can prove yourself with the MCAT, however, it removes any doubt about a high GPA at a Cal State. By the way, the year that I applied, only 5 people from the university had applied to medical school. The year after, it was a similar number. Go with what you feel most comfortable doing, and where you feel you will prosper best. For some that's at a UC, and for others it's at a Cal State. It's ultimately up to you to become the best applicant you can be and to enjoy the ride along the way! Good luck.

 

[notdeadyet]

Are you talking about undergrad because i didn't see it near the top for grad rankings

Of course, he's talking about undergrad. Why are you posting something about grad programs?

When I had the choice for a UC or a CSU, I actually considered the CSU system because of their emphasis on undergraduate education. The UCs are great schools, but when I visited and toured, I was very offput by the 400 student classes and whatnot. There's a lot of name dropping, but I don't really see the big pull of having a Nobel prize winner at your school as an undergrad if you have no contact with him.

Having a graduate-heavy school like Cal and UCLA, in which half of the students are grad students, can be great for research opportunities, but the structure sometimes comes at the expense of basic undergrad education.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Of course, he's talking about undergrad. Why are you posting something about grad programs?

When I had the choice for a UC or a CSU, I actually considered the CSU system because of their emphasis on undergraduate education. The UCs are great schools, but when I visited and toured, I was very offput by the 400 student classes and whatnot. There's a lot of name dropping, but I don't really see the big pull of having a Nobel prize winner at your school as an undergrad if you have no contact with him.

Having a graduate-heavy school like Cal and UCLA, in which half of the students are grad students, can be great for research opportunities, but the structure sometimes comes at the expense of basic undergrad education.

Come on now you are a college student, do you really need to be baby sat in 30 person classes by your teacher likes its high school? 500 person size classes aren't ideal, but I wonder how many people have gone to CSU east bay over Berkeley because they wanted more contact with the professors.

This thread needs to end, go to the UC. That is all.

 

[notdeadyet]

Come on now you are a college student, do you really need to be baby sat in 30 person classes by your teacher likes its high school?

Actually, I'm not a college student, but was once. I also was a teacher and taught at two UCs, Berkeley and Riverside. So I'm not pulling this out of thin air.

You can learn biology just from reading a book. But having a teacher teach it to you is preferable. This is why we go to college. A teacher simply can not teach effectively when class sizes get too large.

I get a little troubled when folks buy in to the notion that it's okay to have a "class" of hundreds. This does not work well, has never worked well, and is not the way it used to be. It is a poor learning environment employed by overcrowded universities only for financial reasons.

500 person size classes aren't ideal, but I wonder how many people have gone to CSU east bay over Berkeley because they wanted more contact with the professors.

I've known a few who went to Cal Poly SLO over Berkeley. I chose UCSC over Berkeley due to UCSC's small class sizes (not sure if they are anymore). When your undergrads are dwarfed by grad enrollments, you get overcrowded undergrad classes. This is why there's something to be said for schools with very small grad enrollments like UCSC, UCR, Amherst, Princeton, etc. And some CSUs.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Actually, I'm not a college student, but was once. I also was a teacher and taught at two UCs, Berkeley and Riverside. So I'm not pulling this out of thin air.

You can learn biology just from reading a book. But having a teacher teach it to you is preferable. This is why we go to college. A teacher simply can not teach effectively when class sizes get too large.

I get a little troubled when folks buy in to the notion that it's okay to have a "class" of hundreds. This does not work well, has never worked well, and is not the way it used to be. It is a poor learning environment employed by overcrowded universities only for financial reasons.


I've known a few who went to Cal Poly SLO over Berkeley. I chose UCSC over Berkeley due to UCSC's small class sizes (not sure if they are anymore). When your undergrads are dwarfed by grad enrollments, you get overcrowded undergrad classes. This is why there's something to be said for schools with very small grad enrollments like UCSC, UCR, Amherst, Princeton, etc. And some CSUs.

Stop confusing the OP.
OP, just go to the UC.

 

[tacrum43]

Are you talking about undergrad because i didn't see it near the top for grad rankings http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/eng/brief/engrank_brief.php

I'm sure it's a good school, and have a few friends there, but I think the reputation of cal poly is shadowed by big name caltech/stanford/berk/UCSD/UCLA in the same state

Undergrad. Why would I be talking about Grad school?

My point was that you can get a good education at a CSU, one that may be better than a UC or Ivy, at least in some respects. Certainly better bang for your buck.

And people do chose Cal Poly over bigger name schools. My roommate went to Cal Poly over Berkeley. I think, at least for me, the learning environment of the school plays a huge factor in deciding where to go. I know that I would hate classes of 500 people. It's so impersonal. And getting to know your professors (who do actually, gasp, *teach* at the CSU instead of spending all their time doing research) is a good thing, for LOR's and just for learning in general. With those 500 people classes, why not just make it an online course? There's no actual interaction.

So yes, I'm probably biased too, but I think those of us who chose a UC or CSU over the other are probably naturally biased towards the one they chose. I will admit, however, that having a UC name on your degree is helpful in gaining admissions to med school, although perhaps detrimental to your education.

 

[meshuggener]

Classes at the big universities are not always large. There is little difference between 50 and 200 people when you are sitting in a lecture hall. The key is to sit close and involve yourself. You would be surprised at how few people do--often PREFERRING to be in the back. You also can take advantage of professors' office hours. Again, surprising at how few people actutally attend these. Regardless of the class size, there ARE things you can do to make it as big or as small as you want it to be by being as involved or remote as you want to be.

If there is the slightest chance that a UC will give you an advantage for admission to medical school, then why are we having this discussion? The chances of admission for better than average students at highly ranked schools are slim enough. DO WHATEVER YOU CAN to increase the odds.

 

[cgscribe]

I'm a CSU student and have tons of friends at UC's, so I think I can be a fair judge on this. Everybody has made excellent points, and I feel my experiences are simply going to build on that.

-UC's must be seen as better schools in the eyes of admssions committees. And it's probably not close, I would think a bachelors from Berkeley/UCLA/UCSD looks a lot better than one from Fresno State (my school). So, given identical numbers, it's far more likely a UC student would fair better applying to medical school.

-I think the quality of education is mostly what you make of it. I feel my teachers have been excellent. I've learned a tremendous amount of relevant information in my classes. I did decent on the MCAT, and I'm confident a large part of that is because of my previous instruction.

-Being the best at a CSU is better than middle at a UC. Wherever you go, it's important that you excel if you hope to reach medical school. 3.8's at UC vs. CSU, the advantage goes to UC. 3.9 CSU vs. 3.6 UC...I'm confident the CSU will look better.

-I think it's unfair to say there aren't many medical students from CSU's vs. UC's. There's simply way more pre-meds at UC's because of the factors described earlier. A lot of my classmates aren't motivated to do the necessary work to reach medical school. Whether that's because they're at a CSU, or if that's the reason they're at a CSU is debatable.

Tough choice, for sure. UC's aren't THAT much more than a CSU, so I think that should be secondary. I'm confident that I made the right choice taking full scholarship at a CSU, but you may not be in the same boat. Weigh everybody's opinion, and mostly follow what you think is right. You can reach medical school with hard work, regardless of where you go.

 

[lord_jeebus]

I just ran a search through UCSD's med student directory.

UC grads outnumber Cal State grads by a factor of greater than 25:1. SDSU is the only school with more than 2 students in all of the classes combined. Of the Cal State grads that I know, many were out of school for years doing other things before applying to med school.

Interpret this as you will.

 

[cgscribe]

I think the main factor controlling the ration of UC med. students: CSU med. students is the fact that most of the best students go to UC's. Best students=high ambitions=medical school. There's maybe 20 serious pre-meds at my school right now, honestly.