UCLA VS USC for Pre-Med

[CyrilFiggis]

http://keck.usc.edu/education/md-program/admissions/

Keck self reports it as 13% of their class is from their UG(Id be surprised if the true figure was much different if it is at all). When you look at how many people are grads from UCLA and UCSD at Keck it's hard to argue going to USC for UG in particular provides a particularly significant advantage

I'm confused by what you're saying? Are you saying because of the number of UCLA and SD grads at Keck, you shouldnt go to USC? I think that is a one-sided argument since you don't have the information on how many USC grads get into those schools.

I honestly think the general argument here is the wrong one. If you want to judge the schools from OPs perspective, you need to look at two factors:
1) % of applicants from that school who matriculate within their first two attempts
2) There were 6500 applicants from CA last year, 2400 got in. That's 37% of CA applicants. What schools beat that average and by how much?

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[GrapesofRath]

I'm confused by what you're saying? Are you saying because of the number of UCLA and SD grads at Keck, you shouldnt go to USC?

How does anybody read what I wrote and think the purpose of it was to make such an outlandish sweeping statement

 

[gyngyn]

Only a 1/3? Aren't they specifically trying to pull kids from the region?

I just checked the MSAR for last year and UCD indicates that 22% of their class is from the undergrad. For UCSD, it's 20%.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

How does anybody read what I wrote and think the purpose of it was to make such an outlandish sweeping statement

Because you don't use punctuation and therefore whatever point you made got misconstrued.
"When you look at how many people are grads from UCLA and UCSD at Keck it's hard to argue going to USC for UG in particular provides a particularly significant advantage"

 

[differentiating]

It was for the c/o 2019, so those starting their M2 this fall. I'm actually very familiar with the BA/MD program and why they stopped. They found that the requirements of the program to received direct admission (MCAT, GPA, etc) were strong enough that many students were able to get admission, scholarships etc from other universities. And since the program was non-binding, they could choose not to go to Keck. In fact, the percentage of matriculants decreasing was the reason they stopped the program. So while it may have an impact, i don't think it overly inflates the stats.

Also, that c/o 19 class had 6 people accepted from my post-bacc class at USC with 2 accepting. We have no bridge, but there were only 28 in my cohort that applied to USC.

Ah, turns out I was under a misconception - I thought Keck had an incoming class of ~100, not ~200, so the 10 or so B/MD kids a year who did matriculate at Keck only comprise 5% of the class rather than the 10% I was estimating. Still inflates the stats a little, but not nearly to the degree I imagined.

I was just curious, since many of my USC pre-med friends complained about how impossible it was to get into Keck as a USC undergrad, and I always figured the two were likely related if true.

 

[Lucca]

Yeah, Ca is rough on a lot of UCLA applicants
http://www.career.ucla.edu/Students/Resources-Reports-and-Media/Med-School-Stats

It looks like you guys are doing above average for the equivalent brackets in the nationwide data! It's also very nice your school tabulates this data, although, I have to ask how they get it? Sometimes there is a reporter bias in these things

 

[gyngyn]

It looks like you guys are doing above average for the equivalent brackets in the nationwide data! It's also very nice your school tabulates this data, although, I have to ask how they get it? Sometimes there is a reporter bias in these things

According to the AAMC, UCLA had 961 applicants last year.
In 2014, it was about the same number.
The data in the graphs is only from the applicants who released their data.

 

[ZedsDed]

It looks like you guys are doing above average for the equivalent brackets in the nationwide data! It's also very nice your school tabulates this data, although, I have to ask how they get it? Sometimes there is a reporter bias in these things

Oh most definitely there is reporter bias, which is annoying and just makes me suspect things are even worse. I've heard from more than one credible source that certain people within the UC med schools are sitting on reliable, up-to-date admissions data on Ca applicants. Why don't they release these data? Who knows.











Actually, I do know: because they are evil, evil people who bathe in the tears of Asian applicants (looking at you @gyngyn ).

 

[gyngyn]

Oh most definitely there is reporter bias, which is annoying and just makes me suspect things are even worse. I've heard from more than one credible source that certain people within the UC med schools are sitting on reliable, up-to-date admissions data on Ca applicants. Why don't they release these data? Who knows.











Actually, I do know: because they are evil, evil people who bathe in the tears of Asian applicants (looking at you @gyngyn ).

Reliable data on medical school applicant success (from any school) is very hard to come by.

 

[Lucca]

Oh most definitely there is reporter bias, which is annoying and just makes me suspect things are even worse. I've heard from more than one credible source that certain people within the UC med schools are sitting on reliable, up-to-date admissions data on Ca applicants. Why don't they release these data? Who knows.











Actually, I do know: because they are evil, evil people who bathe in the tears of Asian applicants (looking at you @gyngyn ).

According to the AAMC, UCLA had 961 applicants last year.
In 2014, it was about the same number.
The data in the graphs is only from the applicants who released their data.

gyngyn is, in fact, a bond villain.

that aside, a closer look shows only like 12% of the actual pool of UCLA applicants is captured in the data reported...so yah

 

[Lucca]

Reliable data on medical school applicant success (from any school) is very hard to come by.

Yes and there is serious gamesmanship on the part of the school to "fix" these numbers. Same at my school.

 

[ZedsDed]

I just checked the MSAR for last year and UCD indicates that 22% of their class is from the undergrad. For UCSD, it's 20%.

Sooo did UCD change their mission or something?

 

[ZedsDed]

I was just curious, since many of my USC pre-med friends complained about how impossible it was to get into Keck as a USC undergrad, and I always figured the two were likely related if true.

Whining premeds are generally not really indicative of anything. They always find something to complain about.

 

[differentiating]

Whining premeds are generally not really indicative of anything. They always find something to complain about.

Hence my 'if true' qualifier.

 

[ZedsDed]

Hence my 'if true' qualifier.

You're too optimistic. I always do the opposite of what premeds say, especially when I say it.

 

[gyngyn]

Sooo did UCD change their mission or something?

That's still the highest percentage in the UC system (as far as we know).

 

[ZedsDed]

That's still the highest percentage in the UC system (as far as we know).

Huh? What about riverside?

 

[gyngyn]

Huh? What about riverside?

I don't count UCR!
It's a mission-based school with reserved slots for which others cannot compete.

 

[ZedsDed]

I don't count UCR!
It's a mission-based school with a geographical mission and reserved slots for which others cannot compete.

My mistake. I guess I was under the false impression that UCD is a "mission" school in the same sense that UCR is.

 

[gyngyn]

My mistake. I guess I was under the false impression that UCD is a "mission" school in the same sense that UCR is.

Not at all.
As the only medical school anywhere near the San Joaquin Valley it has historically seen this hugely under-served region as a catchment area, though.

 

[FutureMDKatie]

Thanks everyone for your input. UCLA took away my scholarship for political reasons. I'll be going to my cc to try to complete my premed course work and change my major to bio then go to either UC Irvine or Cal State Fullerton. Hopefully a good medical school after sometimes things just don't go the way you planned. I'm ok with that.

 

[Geo16]

Thanks everyone for your input. UCLA took away my scholarship for political reasons.

I see..
Well, I might spend another year at CC as well. This is my second year. Probably will spend another year at CC (17-18). But, if I get accepted to Berkeley or USC, I might just transfer. But at UCLA, there are too many requirements to fulfill within 2 years.

 

[aniani]

50% off at USC and honors programs vs regular student admission at UCLA for pre-med.

What are your thoughts? Does small class sizes matter that much compared to the global brand recognition of UCLA? Are UCLA grades truly deflated?

Any advice appreciated