Berkeley people

So are you worried you will ONLY get into a decent medical school at best? Sorry, but doesn't sound like such a bad thing to be worrying about. Your GPA and MCAT scores are very good and you should probably know that. Just relax. The process is long and frustrating and you are a competitive candidate. With those numbers if you don't get in it isn't because you went to Berkeley. It will probably be due to your extracurriculars and or interview.

I'm still waiting for a LOR from an IB professor. He's been pretty busy but I'm going to call him today to inquire about it. wish me luck

What kind of med school were you expecting with a 3.6/33?

operationivy said:

To Berkeley grads....do you guys feel like we are not getting a fair deal in the med school application process? I was a molecular bio major (MCB) with really tough classes with a nasty curve. I managed to get a 3.6 GPA with pretty good MCATS (12,11,10) and I have a feeling I will end up at "decent" med school at best! Do med school admissions people have something against the "lowly" Berkeley grad? Maybe there are too many good Berkeley grads out there and we dilute ourselves out? Other UC people (UCLA, UCSD etc....) feel free to comment as well! I want to make it clear that I LOVE Berkeley and would never want to go any place else. As far as I am concerned, it is the best school in country!

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I feel the same way. I have similar stats and I am worried if I will get in anywhere. I once went to a Dartmouth med school presentation and the admissions officer there told us that they screen by undergrad school. They look at all the Berkeley students together and compare them to each other. It sucks because everything here is already so competitive. I know people here who managed to get really high GPA's with great EC's and that the fact that that I am being compared to them really scares me.

razzle07 said:

I feel the same way. I have similar stats and I am worried if I will get in anywhere. I once went to a Dartmouth med school presentation and the admissions officer there told us that they screen by undergrad school. They look at all the Berkeley students together and compare them to each other. It sucks because everything here is already so competitive. I know people here who managed to get really high GPA's with great EC's and that the fact that that I am being compared to them really scares me.

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I think it would be better if they considered all Berkeley grads together since you guys were graded on the same curves (and thus your GPAs are more comparable). You wouldn't want your GPA to be given the same consideration as someone from a grade-inflated school, would you?

yeah damn berkeley's competitiveness... hopefully it all works out for the best for all of us though

I dunno - I have similar (actually pretty much identical stats) and I don't particularly feel its unfair. I didn't do as well as many other people - but I didn't study as much because I had to work. If I didn't work I could have pulled off higher grades, but I'm not blaming anyone else for it. I think getting a 3.8 or 3.9 is completely doable.

Stats like that will me into a medical school which is all I really want. Staying in Cali would be nice but can't have everything.

I'm actually far more bitter that as a state we have so many competitive applicants and that all our state schools are so highly ranked its almost impossible to get to stay in state with in-state tuition unless you have super stellar stats. Can't we have just one non-religious mediocre state medical school???

operationivy said:

Well, I think a 3.6 at Berkeley in Molec bio is equivalent to a 3.8-3.9 at other schools. I guess I could have done a bit better on the MCAT but averages at the top 20 schools are about a 33. So I guess my answer is Harvard, Hopkins, Penn, Columbia or UCSF. I have been spoiled living in the wonderful San Francisco bay area so I would like to be in a nice city with lots of restaurants, museums etc. Am I asking for too much!!?? Perhaps so. What do you guys think?

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Well my Berkeley friend... I hate to tell you this, but I think you are quite a bit too optimistic. I am also a Berkeley grad applying this year. So far, I am not getting much love from top med schools (those you listed) and I have 3.9 with 34. I think you are right in that we have to compete against applicants from our own school and there are just too many geniuses in Berkeley. I know handful of ppl who received above 37 on their MCAT with high GPA. I also know someone who didn't get into any US med school with 3.5 and 34. Well, I guess it also depends on what kind of ECs you have, but I don't think we are given any positive points for being a Berkeley grad. o well, let's keep our fingers crossed.

operationivy said:

Well, I think a 3.6 at Berkeley in Molec bio is equivalent to a 3.8-3.9 at other schools. I guess I could have done a bit better on the MCAT but averages at the top 20 schools are about a 33. So I guess my answer is Harvard, Hopkins, Penn, Columbia or UCSF. I have been spoiled living in the wonderful San Francisco bay area so I would like to be in a nice city with lots of restaurants, museums etc. Am I asking for too much!!?? Perhaps so. What do you guys think?

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Somewhere in the ether, premedmachine is blowing a gasket at the thought that you believe you deserve a chance at Harvard with a 3.6/33.

operationivy said:

Well....if I could get a 38% on my physical chemistry midterm with the class average being 19% I think I deserve a shot! That statement should give you an idea of how hard the science classes are Berkeley. Most are curved at between a C minus and a C. The above test was extremely diffiuclt (most people got about 80% of the questions wrong) and the average "grade" was a C minus (based on the wonderful Berkeley curve). Try to come to Berkeley for a semester and check it out.....or better yet, do your premed courses here. I think I am going to seriously think about McGill or Toronto....great schools, great cities (especially Montreal) and maybe they will be receptive to a poor Berkeley student such as myself! But I suspect those schools are very competitive as well....

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premedmachine was a classic troll who kept stating that you needed a 3.9/42 plus 2.5 publications to get into harvard. That's just bunk!

operationivy said:

To Berkeley grads....do you guys feel like we are not getting a fair deal in the med school application process? I was a molecular bio major (MCB) with really tough classes with a nasty curve. I managed to get a 3.6 GPA with pretty good MCATS (12,11,10) and I have a feeling I will end up at "decent" med school at best! Do med school admissions people have something against the "lowly" Berkeley grad? Maybe there are too many good Berkeley grads out there and we dilute ourselves out? Other UC people (UCLA, UCSD etc....) feel free to comment as well! I want to make it clear that I LOVE Berkeley and would never want to go any place else. As far as I am concerned, it is the best school in country!

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Are you asian?

XtraStrength said:

I also know someone who didn't get into any US med school with 3.5 and 34.

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that's me, except i had a slightly lower gpa and slightly higher mcat...

go bears!

check out www.mdapplicants.com if you'd like to know how applicants from berkeley fared.

mmmkay121 said:

check out www.mdapplicants.com if you'd like to know how applicants from berkeley fared.

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hahahaha, I just checked Cal for undergrad and pulled up some random profiles with the similar stats to the OP and they got rejected from nearly every school including Meharry... harsh. Med school must be insanely competitive now....

looks like New York Medical College, Drexel and Rush are your safety schools from that data.

mmmkay121 said:

check out www.mdapplicants.com if you'd like to know how applicants from berkeley fared.

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hahahaha, I just checked Cal for undergrad and pulled up some random profiles with the similar stats to the OP and they got rejected from nearly every school including Meharry... harsh. Med school must be insanely competitive now....

looks like New York Medical College, Drexel and Rush are your safety schools from that data.

PS-HOLY CRAP AFFIRMATIVE ACTION check this out.
with the approximately original stats as the poster 3 different applicants:
Asian guy: ALL REJECTIONS
Rejected Post-Secondary
Albert Einstein of Yeshiva University - "waiting for interview invite"
Boston University - "waiting for interview invite"
Cornell University - "waiting for interview invite"
Drexel University - "waiting for interview invite"
Harvard University - "waiting for interview invite"
Jefferson Medical College - "waiting for interview invite"
Loma Linda University - "waiting for interview invite"
Mount Sinai School of Medicine - "waiting for interview invite"
New York Medical College - "waiting for interview invite"
New York University - "waiting for interview invite"
Rosalind Franklin University - "waiting for interview invite"
Stanford University - "waiting for interview invite"
Tufts University - "waiting for interview invite"
Tulane University - "waiting for interview invite"
University of California, Davis - "waiting for interview invite"
University of California, San Diego - "waiting for interview invite"
University of Chicago - "waiting for interview invite"
University of Pennsylvania - "waiting for interview invite"
University of Southern California - "waiting for interview invite"

Indian guy: 3 harsh acceptances
Interviewed, Accepted
Drexel University
New York Medical College
Uniformed Services University

Hispanic girl:
Interviewed, Accepted
Harvard University
Northwestern University
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, San Francisco - "Accepted for Joint MD/MS program at UCSF/UC Berkeley."
University of Chicago
Washington University in St. Louis

That is INSANE....I realize people are more than the numbers but if I was Asian I would be running down Telegraph avenue rioting!

Just be glad you didn't have to take courses with this dude:


http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/10/02_nobel.shtml














http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=6668

operationivy said:

Well....if I could get a 38% on my physical chemistry midterm with the class average being 19% I think I deserve a shot! That statement should give you an idea of how hard the science classes are Berkeley. Most are curved at between a C minus and a C. The above test was extremely diffiuclt (most people got about 80% of the questions wrong) and the average "grade" was a C minus (based on the wonderful Berkeley curve). Try to come to Berkeley for a semester and check it out.....or better yet, do your premed courses here. I think I am going to seriously think about McGill or Toronto....great schools, great cities (especially Montreal) and maybe they will be receptive to a poor Berkeley student such as myself! But I suspect those schools are very competitive as well....

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Your GPA isn't the problem for any of these schools--your MCAT score is. Can you blame Berkeley for that, too?

since when did a 33 become a "problem"?

LACoc00: yeah, their ethnicities really tell us the quality of their applications.

BRUINmed said:

can or cannot...he WILL!

ps. BERKElians are cry babies. UCLAins are awesome!

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yes, those berkeley people

keepdreaming said:

since when did a 33 become a "problem"?

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See, in my quote above, the phrase "for any of these schools." Only Harvard, Hopkins, Penn, Columbia, and UCSF are acceptable to the OP. Unfortunately, with a 33 he's most likely unacceptable to them.

zbruinz said:

yes, those berkeley people

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yes, those berkeley (the original University of California) people....spawned you UCLA clowns and gave you guys your mascot!



From Wiki on UCLA:

......."After first identifying themselves with "Cubs," then later "Grizzlies," (which was already taken by the University of Montana) the Southern Branch student council adopted the name "Bruins" for the athletic teams after they entered the Pacific Coast conference in 1926[6], a name offered by the student council at Berkeley...."



I love you UCLA people: you guys are like cute wittle wittle kids trying to be like papa! Toooo cute.


http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=6668

operationivy said:

Wow...i didn't realize a 33 was "such a problem." Now I feel "really insecure." Did you guys know that I am a division 1 athelete and that I have published a novel? Does that count for anything in the medical school admissions process or are the admissions gods simply looking for the "natural log of the sum of the product of the GPA and MCAT times a factor of delta??" Thank you so much Berkeley for giving me a chance and accepting lots of other people like me to study in the best undergrad institution in the world. Maybe I will get a job at one of the local cafes making espresso drinks and never leave! Maybe my MCAT scores suffered cause I was up at 4:30 am, training in my sport of interest, trying to make my school proud....

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There there, a 33 MCAT + 3.6 gpa from Cal + a published novel + being a Div1 athlete is very impressive and it will get you into a good medical school. It's barely October.....all schools have many many more interviews to offer.

operationivy said:

Wow...i didn't realize a 33 was "such a problem." Now I feel "really insecure." Did you guys know that I am a division 1 athelete and that I have published a novel? Does that count for anything in the medical school admissions process or are the admissions gods simply looking for the "natural log of the sum of the product of the GPA and MCAT times a factor of delta??" Thank you so much Berkeley for giving me a chance and accepting lots of other people like me to study in the best undergrad institution in the world. Maybe I will get a job at one of the local cafes making espresso drinks and never leave! Maybe my MCAT scores suffered cause I was up at 4:30 am, training in my sport of interest, trying to make my school proud....

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No, dood. That changes everything (especially with soft-factor crazed UCs). I bet you'll get into either UCSD, UCLA, or UCSF. Unless you have crazy research experience, it still might be tough for Stanford, Harvard, Hopkins, or such but you still have a great shot.

Take your MCAT, ECs and add +0.2 to your GPA and you'd be a shoe-in @ many other places. Kinda sad since Berkeley is pretty tough.

LADoc00 said:

That is INSANE....I realize people are more than the numbers but if I was Asian I would be running down Telegraph avenue rioting!

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The funny thing is that no one on Telegraph would notice or care!

This whole thread =

oxeye said:

This whole thread =

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Definitely agreed.

It started with someone whining about how unfair and difficult their alma mater is when in reality its not anymore difficult than any other school. And ended with the admission that all she really wanted was an ego boost when she had a tantrum when she didn't get what she wanted.

*sigh* so proud of my peers.

Edit: And as a realistic POV for the OP. Without research you have little or no shot at those upper schools, hell you have little or no shot at most UCs. Does it suck? Yes it does. I'm in the same boat. But you should probably start being realistic now and you'll have less disapointment later. Top 20 schools want researchers and if you haven't done any in undergrad you're probably screwed.

BRUINmed said:

its funny my friend goes to berkely and she told me that on her first day of bio classes her professor said "welcome to uc berkeley, or should i say sorry for getting rejected from UCLA!"

enough said, and by a professor at that!

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the prof was a UCLA grad trying to be ironic, perhaps? Here are the FACTS:

1) Berkeley has a higher-achieving applicant pool than UCLA (ie, the average applicant has a higher SAT average)
2) Despite having a higher-achieving applicant pool than UCLA, Berkeley STILL has a lower acceptance rate
3) Berkeley has a higher academic reputation than UCLA

Wannabemed said:

the prof was a UCLA grad trying to be ironic, perhaps? Here are the FACTS:

1) Berkeley has a higher-achieving applicant pool than UCLA (ie, the average applicant has a higher SAT average)
2) Despite having a higher-achieving applicant pool than UCLA, Berkeley STILL has a lower acceptance rate
3) Berkeley has a higher academic reputation than UCLA

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Don't feed the troll.

funny how the OP jests at being insecure when infact that is exactly the case. running down your resume to strangers smacks of it. you know you're a good applicant but you want a boost of praise so you create a fake dilemma of "not knowing if i'll get into a top 20 school!"

we know your agenda...it's lame.


p.s. you sound like a berkelton who was up in arms over the 2005 rose bowl selection. how did that...work out..for you? umm..yeah..MhhMmMhhhh.

SitraAchra said:

funny how the OP jests at being insecure when infact that is exactly the case. running down your resume to strangers smacks of it. you know you're a good applicant but you want a boost of praise so you create a fake dilemma of "not knowing if i'll get into a top 20 school!"

we know your agenda...it's lame.


p.s. you sound like a berkelton who was up in arms over the 2005 rose bowl selection. how did that...work out..for you? umm..yeah..MhhMmMhhhh.

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Cares about football. If you really cared so much about watching big guys ram each other while trying to put an oblong skin object into each other's endzones, you should be a prison guard. Texas may have a better football team than Berkeley, but we are still a much better university.

i am a graduate of berkeley '02 MCB '04 MPH, and i would like to say that it's a very nice school.

Wannabemed said:

Cares about football. If you really cared so much about watching big guys ram each other while trying to put an oblong skin object into each other's endzones, you should be a prison guard. Texas may have a better football team than Berkeley, but we are still a much better university.

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Berkeley is better but I wouldn't say much better - they're both top tier.

What does being a prison guard have to do with enjoying football? I like a lot of sports, none of them have a strong correlation with being a prison guard. But that reminds me of the movie with Adam Sandler when he plays an inmate who becomes a prisoner..The Longest Yard!

hmmm maybe..i do want to be a prison guard....!

prison is not good. peace out. v

Goguryo said:

bad = good

the only difference is a fine line between love and hate.

peace v

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Is that a new Tupac CD?

SitraAchra said:

Berkeley is better but I wouldn't say much better - they're both top tier.

What does being a prison guard have to do with enjoying football? I like a lot of sports, none of them have a strong correlation with being a prison guard. But that reminds me of the movie with Adam Sandler when he plays an inmate who becomes a prisoner..The Longest Yard!

hmmm maybe..i do want to be a prison guard....!

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way to miss my reference to football's homoeroticity and my extended metaphor. Here is a hint: what goes on in many American prisons with regard to the theme of homoeroticity?

SitraAchra said:

Is that a new Tupac CD?

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Yess!

Is it just me, or is this guy kinda "counting his chickens before they hatch"? He's whining about why he wont get any love from the top tier schools when he should be worrying about securing ANY med school spot to become what all the schools will eventually lead him to be... a doctor.
Besides, having a "feeling" of ending up at a decent school isn't a for sure thing. Dont mean to sound harsh but seriously, worry about better schools when you actually get into a school. The majority of people are happy to just get a spot at a US school nonetheless.

Wannabemed said:

way to miss my reference to football's homoeroticity and my extended metaphor. Here is a hint: what goes on in many American prisons with regard to the theme of homoeroticity?

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I didn't miss it. I chose to ignore it because it wasn't funny.


See the difference?

jeez, for a punker you're awfully uptight...

Don't think of this as an anti-berkeley thing. i see it as more of an anti-california thing. the medschools here are hugely competetive. you'll get in somewhere...

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Always rushing but you're never ever satisfied...
Healthy body sick mind
You're working overtime
Healthy nody sick mind
Too hectic, too hectic
Healthy body sick mind
It's just a matter of time
Sick body sick mind

SitraAchra said:

I didn't miss it. I chose to ignore it because it wasn't funny.


See the difference?

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You wrote:

"What does being a prison guard have to do with enjoying football? I like a lot of sports, none of them have a strong correlation with being a prison guard. But that reminds me of the movie with Adam Sandler when he plays an inmate who becomes a prisoner..The Longest Yard!

hmmm maybe..i do want to be a prison guard....!"



Your reply was longer than my original message....OBVIOUSLY you didn't choose to ignore it. It just took you a long ass time to catch on

BRUINmed said:

its funny my friend goes to berkely and she told me that on her first day of bio classes her professor said "welcome to uc berkeley, or should i say sorry for getting rejected from UCLA!"

enough said, and by a professor at that!

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LOL! yeah, UCLA rejects like the Nobel Prize winner for medicine or physiology go to UCB to get taught by crappy professors like the Nobel Prize winner for physics.

End of discussion.