undergrad UCSD v UCD v UCSB v UCLA

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if i'm going to major in biochemistry and i'm just an average student but is willing to work hard in classes, which of those UCs should I attend for undergrad? Is GPA really all that matters for pharmacy school?
 
All the UC's you mentioned are pretty much the same, and only difference is the cost of living around the campuses. Pick the one where you think you have the best chance to succeed and least likely to get distracted. I've learned through applying through pharmacy school, that they don't really care where you get your degree (and in most cases it isn't necessary).

If you want to go to a pharm. school in cali, then you're gpa will be very important. However, you also will have to distinguish yourself through EC's, and you will need to get some letters of recommendations, so start kissing *** ASAP (do not wait til the last minute, because they might not remember you).

Btw, any bio/chem/biochem/social ecology degree is going to be extremely competitive. The purpose of these classes in undergrad is to weed students out.....so good luck.
 
They are not the same, there is a pecking order for which schools are more prestigious. Getting into UCLA is much tougher than getting into UCSB for example. The order would be UCLA>UCSD>UCSB=UCD, I don't know which one is more prestigious between UCSB and UCD. Usually the NorCal kids go UCD and SoCal kids go UCSB.

School is somewhat important but there are plenty who get into pharmacy school that went to a Cal State or just a community college. It's the whole package that counts, but don't get me wrong, it still looks good to have graduated from a good UC school.
 
moolman said:
They are not the same, there is a pecking order for which schools are more prestigious. Getting into UCLA is much tougher than getting into UCSB for example. The order would be UCLA>UCSD>UCSB=UCD, I don't know which one is more prestigious between UCSB and UCD. Usually the NorCal kids go UCD and SoCal kids go UCSB.

School is somewhat important but there are plenty who get into pharmacy school that went to a Cal State or just a community college. It's the whole package that counts, but don't get me wrong, it still looks good to have graduated from a good UC school.
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A school's prestige is one thing but realistically, a biochem BS from any of those UC schools mentioned will carry the same weight if he chooses to apply to a grad program or work for industry. Saying you got a biochem BS degree from ucla isn't going to put you ahead of someone who graduated from UCI, etc. In the end, noone is going to care where you go for undergrad, its what you do with the degree that counts.

Now, if he already had his BS, and was choosing a graduate program to attend, then I would considering how well known their grad programs are, because the research you do, will affect the career choices you have.

IMHO, I think its a misconception that a public institution's prestige is connected to their undergrad programs because that is far from the truth ( I am not comparing private institutions, such as Ivy league schools or well known tech schools, such as MIT). I do agree that more people want to go to UCLA and Berkeley vs. the newer UC campuses, mainly due to the perceived "legacy" or "prestige" of those two schools, which is puzzling to me.

As you stated, in regards to pharm.D programs, most pharmd. programs don't care if you have a BS degree, and if they do require a BS, most don't care where you got it from.
 
well, i graduated from UCSD with a B.S in Biochemistry and I have to say that it was the most challenging thing that I have ever done.

UCSD is consistantly ranked among the top 10 public schools and amongst the top 5 bio/biochem/chem schools public schools in the nation. Having said all that, I feel that even though UCLA does not have the same national ranking in biochem as UCSD it is a much better known school (worldwide). If you have a choice, I would probably accept to attend UCLA!

p.s. you can't possibly be an average student if you got accepted into every U.C. school, you have to be at least the top 3% of your class! Congrats!
 
mrblah said:
All the UC's you mentioned are pretty much the same,
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Very much incorrect. The pecking order goes as follows:

Berkeley > Los Angeles > San Diego > Irvine/Davis/Santa Barbara > All other UC's (Riverside, SC, Merced)

This scale goes from most prestigious/difficult to least prestigious/difficult. You are correct in your assertion that it depends what you do with the degree, BUT...all other things being equal, my Cal MCB graduate friends have done better in general than my Irvine bio sci graduate friends in terms of employment, graduate schools, etc...

The GPA is handicap is about 0.1 for each school you go down. So, for example, if you try to compare LA vs. Santa Barbara, my personal opinion is that the GPA handicap is about .2. So a 3.0 at UCLA is equivalent to about a 3.2 at SB in terms of pharmacy admissions. Berkeley vs. Davis, the handicap is at 0.3, etc...
 
lol obviuosly theres alot of different opinions, so i'll offer my take on it.

DEPENDS ON YOUR MAJOR.

Econ, Cal trumps all.
Bioengineering, UCSD is top dog.

In terms of general biology/biochem, (based off of what research i did 4 years ago) LA Cal and SD were all about the same.
 
Well, no one here is an admissions officer, so take everything with some skepticism, but here's my thoughts.

I actually got my bachelors in Marine Bio. from UCSC (choosing it over UCSB and UCSD based on campus environment and the chance to have a secondary focus in community studies), along with a final year at the University of Queensland in Australia. From there I spent time in research positions (in drug discovery), at a few different biopharmaceutical companies and this year got accepted to all my top choices including UCSF.

My point is that I personally don't think which UC, and exactly which major you do necessarily helps you stand out or gives you an in for a Pharm. D. program, especially in California (I was even at UCSC during the narrative evaluation years). Instead it's going to be what you do with the time and what you do with your extra-curricular activities and research (and especially for UCSF being able to write well).

So if there is one program that you are looking at that stands out above the others in offering student groups/community involvement activities/research/faculty, etc. that you like and would want to spend time doing, go for that one and really excel at it; but don't just rely on rankings or friends and families pre-conceived notions. It's going to be about what you make of the time and what you get involved in that will make you an excellent candidate! 👍

Hope that helps, and rest assured that any of your choices you listed will be good!
 
UCLA is alright but come prepared to compete because as you know all the classes are curved and it is hella competitive. My roomate is a biochem major and he is always workin like crazy. School name is great but you gotta make sure u can get the GPA there too 🙂

you gotta really love biochem to do well
 
tachyon34 said:
UCLA is alright but come prepared to compete because as you know all the classes are curved and it is hella competitive. My roomate is a biochem major and he is always workin like crazy. School name is great but you gotta make sure u can get the GPA there too 🙂

you gotta really love biochem to do well
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I totally agree. From what I hear from friends who attend, their curves are ridiculous so you have to work extra hard to get that A.
 
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confettiflyer said:
So, for example, if you try to compare LA vs. Santa Barbara, my personal opinion is that the GPA handicap is about .2. So a 3.0 at UCLA is equivalent to about a 3.2 at SB in terms of pharmacy admissions. Berkeley vs. Davis, the handicap is at 0.3, etc...
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:laugh: :laugh: There really is no GPA handicap when it comes to pharmacy school admissions.
 
Well Im a UCSB graduate and will admit we rank below Cal, LA and SD in terms of size of the MCDB (biology) dept. BUT we have an incredibly difficult and reputible Pharmacology major that im not sure the other UC schools have. Its all about what program or field you are interested in...

... But we do throw the best parties:hardy:
 
I just graduated from UC Davis with Bio Sci major. UCD has pretty good biological science program and so much cheaper to live at Davis compare to LA and SD. And I really enjoyed my 4 years here.🙂🙂 I dont' know much about UCLA's Biology program....everyone I know that went to UCLA is computer/engineering major. But UCSD has pretty good Biological Science program, too, plus it has it's own pharmacy school. For me, I would not really consider UCSB. (Just my friends that went there told me it's a huge...party school).
 
what if I add UCR to the mix? I've narrowed it down to deciding between UCSD, UC Davis or UC Riverside for biochemistry. Does anyone know which area have more internships and other opportunities for experience?
 
confettiflyer said:
Very much incorrect. The pecking order goes as follows:
Berkeley > Los Angeles > San Diego > Irvine/Davis/Santa Barbara > All other UC's (Riverside, SC, Merced)
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Man, we can all sing kumbaya and be all politically correct not to hurt feelings but let's face it. The above pecking order is correct. When anybody sees a degree from Cal or UCLA compared to the other UC's, they are more impressed with the Cal and UCLA degree. I'm sure all the UC's are great, give a good education and are great places to attend. You'll have a great time at any school and learn a lot. But in the end, those schools are not equal in prestige or status. Nobody knows or cares that one department in a school is better than the other. All they know about is the overall school and how it is percieved. So even if say UC Riverside had the best Chem program in all the UC system and taught you the best etc. It still more impressive to go to Cal and get that Chem degree because it's Cal. That's how the world works. Kumbaya.:laugh:
 
That is really true.

Correct me if my logic is wrong, but let's state the facts:
1) In MOST cases, the harder a school is to get into, the higher the quality of the student body.
2) The greater the student quality, the tougher it is to excel. Competing against high school valedictorians (which Cal, UCLA, SD has a lot of) is much tougher than competing against non-valedictorians.

As such, curved classes in the UC system are not created equal. It would be much more difficult to be a standard deviation above the mean at Cal than it would be at UC Riverside or UC Davis.

So a great GPA from a top UC would be worth much more than the same from a "lower" UC>
 
UCR and UCD are VERY different from each other. - this is in response to the post above me.

If u are majoring in Biochem, research US news and look for whichever school has the best ranking if ranking is what u are looking for.

I chose UCD over UCSD because I felt at home at UCD and UCD has the best Genetics program, better than UCB, UCLA and UCSD.

It really honestly depends on what you are looking for. If u want to choose a school solely on the basis of rank, that is ur choice. But I would advise u to take other factors into consideration. Which school do u feel like u mesh better with? I have friends who have gone to UCB and hated it. They only went there because of its rank. I have friends who have gone to UCSD and hated it too.

U don't have to take my advice, but look at the overall picture. From a psychological perspective, ppl tend to do better in an environment that they feel happy in. Choose the school that best suits ur personality.
Where did u go that u felt was like home?

Thats at least why I chose UCD. Which UC undergrad doesn't really matter for pharmacy admissions. I have been to interviews with a variety of ppl from all over the place. What really matters is how u academically perform at these institutions and how involved you are at that school.

Good Luck! U should go tour the schools! I did that it was VERY helpful!
If u come to UCD, go hang out on the Lawn outside the MEMORIAL UNION. That closed the deal for me.

I hope you make the best decision for U!

Your
UC Davis Aggie! :luck:
 
that's true, but I guess my main concern is not able to get that as good a GPA as possible. How would it look to get a 2.5GPA at UCSD as opposed to say, 3.0 at UCR?
 
deutsch said:
that's true, but I guess my main concern is not able to get that as good a GPA as possible. How would it look to get a 2.5GPA at UCSD as opposed to say, 3.0 at UCR?
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if your main concern is to get a high enough gpa as possible, and be able to get into grad/professional school with LEAST resistance, do not go to UC Davis. I read a study conducted, i believe it was from JAMA a few years ago, that the percentage of student to recieve A's in the sciences from each school was lowest at UC Davis compared to the other UC's. This was not a measure of academic ability or intelligence of the students, but the average curve/% of students in courses to be awarded an A, regardless of class performance.maybe this explains why the average pre-med AT dAvis has a lower gpa? i dont know. but if you take this into consideration, and couple it with the lack of being a household POWERHOUSE NAME like cal and ucla, and UCSD it makes less sense to attend uc davis, at least until thier school reputation is on par with its actual academic level. I believe the list from that article went: ucd>ucsd>ucb>ucla based on how hard it was to receive A's. I went to ucsd my first two years of undergrad, and it was pretty difficult and have no experience with the rest of the UC'S. so im just stating what i read. i transferred out of ucsd and attended a highly reputed school out here in the east, and its been less stressful. i dont remember the specifics on how the data were obtained for the study, but ill look for the article again and post a link if i can find it. JAMA has some amazing studies that you all should check out if you get the chance.
 
just a few more trivial things ive read throught the years on the uc's...dont ask why, i just know a little too much about the educational system
endownment:ucb>ucla>ucd>ucsd
i read that ucd was top 10 in research (bio/med/sciences) spending the last few years in the country.didnt read any specifics on ucb, but with thier huge endownment, which is over 2 billion, im pretty sure they are in the top 10 as well. same goes for ucla.
based on faculty nobel prize winners:
davis:0
ucb:many
ucla:many
ucsd: a few..

just a few things off the top of my head.
 
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To echo alot of what was said by DT30 and DavisAggie, you can't go wrong with any of those UC schools - they're all top world-class undergraduate educations and regardless where you go, they'll challenge your intellectual capacity to its fullest!

To that end, I chose Davis over SD and LA because I heard they didn't have electricity... (see UC jokes et, al. --> how many lightbulbs does it take someone to change a lightbulb at UCD?)

In all seriousness though, I chose UCD because I felt it was the best match for me. Although I'm not going to preach the reasons for why I chose UCD over others, I felt its friendly college-town vibe and unique environmental research opportunities very appealing. OH, and to the best of my knowledge, tractor driving is still a 2 unit class!

Perhaps this is why I think arguing over UC rankings is a mute point. Rankings are SOOO subjective, that if getting into pharm school is your overall aim, it's not likely that your first-year Gen-Chem classes are going to be that different between UCB and UCSD. Instead, try and focus on each UC's unique extracurricular opportunities, majors, electives, and faculty researchers. That's where they all differentiate themselves 😉.

As any graduate student might be able to relate, the importance of your EC's, LOR's, and GPA all generally trump your alma mater's prestige. To that extent, if you're interested in research, browse some biochemistry faculty pages. If your dream area of research aligns you with attending UCR, then DO IT! I've never heard of someone's alma mater bolstering their research pertinence or contribution, but I do know that some have researchers that are more respected in their fields than other campuses. So, perhaps while some UC's may be percieved to be greater than others, ask yourself whether working with a well-respected scientist, like Francis Crick (random, I know), is worth it in the long-run, even if you had to study at say... UC Merced - it all comes down to what you consider to be most important!

In the meantime, visit as many of the UC campuses as you can, keep your mind open, look up faculty research before you choose, and ask away here on SDN! Goodluck!
 
AggiePharmer said:
e SOOO subjective, that if getting into pharm school is your overall aim, it's not likely that your first-year Gen-Chem classes are going to be that different between UCB and UCSD.
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Exactly. So pick the school with the better reputation if you're gonna work your tail off either way.

Remember...pharmacy schools WITHIN california will be more sensitive to UC school choice than those outside. It's a two way street, I knew nothing of my pharmacy school's (and associated hospital's) reputation until I got to the region and spoke to people. Likewise, schools on the east coast will most likely not recognize UCSC or UCR.

It's a halo effect, this is the handicap I am referring to. It's not etched in stone. I have a student in my pharmacy class who graduated from a higher UC than I did and got in with lower PCAT scores/GPA. Sure, there were other factors, but the prestigiousness most likely played a small factor.

Finally...every person will defend their college. I mean...it's expected, c'mon, if you invested 4-5 years in a university, you're not going to idly stand by while someone like me comes along and simplifies the pecking order.

It's just...the reality is, the order I gave is true and most people (lower UC students and upper UC students) will agree. When I was applying, UCR had something of a 85% acceptance rate, UCLA had about 10%.

So I will repeat it again:

Berkeley > Los Angeles > San Diego > Irvine/Santa Barbara/Davis > Riverside/Merced/Santa Cruz >>>>>> STATE system >>>> Community College
 
confettiflyer said:
Exactly. So pick the school with the better reputation if you're gonna work your tail off either way.


It's just...the reality is, the order I gave is true and most people (lower UC students and upper UC students) will agree. When I was applying, UCR had something of a 85% acceptance rate, UCLA had about 10%.

So I will repeat it again:

Berkeley > Los Angeles > San Diego > Irvine/Santa Barbara/Davis > Riverside/Merced/Santa Cruz >>>>>> STATE system >>>> Community College
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lol, The lowest admit rate ucla ever had was last year and it was 23%..so that 10% is vastly overstated there. 10% is the admittance rate of schools like columbia, harvard, yale and stanford.
 
Would you say pharm schools in california would have admit rates similar to those ivy leagues. For example, UOP/UCSF accepts ~100/1700 = 6%, and even USC 200/1700 = 11%. So would pharm schools be as equivalent of difficulty as getting into ivy leagues?
 
PharmDeez said:
Would you say pharm schools in california would have admit rates similar to those ivy leagues. For example, UOP/UCSF accepts ~100/1700 = 6%, and even USC 200/1700 = 11%. So would pharm schools be as equivalent of difficulty as getting into ivy leagues?
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First, Let me be the first to bust out the guitar for a round of Kumbaya. I didn't attend a UC school, so I don't have a stake at which UC is the best. But if anybody really thinks that a degree from either Cal or UCLA is not looked upon better by everyone in the real world, you're living on a river that runs through Egypt. It doesn't matter if a school has a better department, teachers, research, living conditions, etc. and choosing a school because it's a better fit for you is not the point. After graduation, the degrees are not looked upon the same. The Cal and UCLA degrees carry more prestige, just the way the world works, Kumbaya, my friend.

As for PharmDeez question, I believe California schools are the most competitve in the nation, even the easier California schools like say, Touro or Loma Linda are very competive compared to out of state schools. I think it has to do with population, demographics, and the fact that more people like living in California than other places. Hence, many students from California, go out of state for pharmacy school because it's easier to get into a out of state school.
 
thank you all for your insights. Btw, if you get a really low GPA, what other important factors will be taken into account to forgive a bad gpa?
 
ORTHO4ME said:
lol, The lowest admit rate ucla ever had was last year and it was 23%..so that 10% is vastly overstated there. 10% is the admittance rate of schools like columbia, harvard, yale and stanford.
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Ok, thanks for the clarification...it's been a looong time for me. Still... 23%, nothing to sneeze at.
 
moolman said:
First, Let me be the first to bust out the guitar for a round of Kumbaya. I didn't attend a UC school, so I don't have a stake at which UC is the best. But if anybody really thinks that a degree from either Cal or UCLA is not looked upon better by everyone in the real world, you're living on a river that runs through Egypt. It doesn't matter if a school has a better department, teachers, research, living conditions, etc. and choosing a school because it's a better fit for you is not the point. After graduation, the degrees are not looked upon the same. The Cal and UCLA degrees carry more prestige, just the way the world works, Kumbaya, my friend.

As for PharmDeez question, I believe California schools are the most competitve in the nation, even the easier California schools like say, Touro or Loma Linda are very competive compared to out of state schools. I think it has to do with population, demographics, and the fact that more people like living in California than other places. Hence, many students from California, go out of state for pharmacy school because it's easier to get into a out of state school.
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I believe that getting into a California Pharmacy school is more difficult than any other state for 2 major reasons:

1) California schools do not consider your PCAT score. (idiotic idea)
2) California has more "applied science" universities than any other state. Not only that, but these are some of the best universities in the world. (U.C's, Stanford, USC).

I don't think quality of life has anything to do with it because if that were true, Pacific would be the easiest school in the world to get into, i mean STOCKTON? has anyone ever been to stockton? No offense to anyone who lives there, but that is the ****tiest city i have ever been to... EASILY!
 
AbsoluteEthanol said:
I believe that getting into a California Pharmacy school is more difficult than any other state for 2 major reasons:

1) California schools do not consider your PCAT score. (idiotic idea)
2) California has more "applied science" universities than any other state. Not only that, but these are some of the best universities in the world. (U.C's, Stanford, USC).

I don't think quality of life has anything to do with it because if that were true, Pacific would be the easiest school in the world to get into, i mean STOCKTON? has anyone ever been to stockton? No offense to anyone who lives there, but that is the shi_ttiest city i have ever been to... EASILY!
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Forbes recently names Stockton the second most miserable place to live in the states, behin detroit. The only reason stockton wasnt the worst place by a long shot, was because the weather in stockton score soooo much better than detroits. so yes, stockton is a horrible place.
 
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I dont' know about other UC's, but UC Davis has it's own Health Science Internship system that all UCD students can sign up for hospital/clinic internship online (with many pharmacy internships), and you can get transcript notation. And personally, I would never suggest anyone to go to Berkley(although I have a lot of family and friends that went there), simply because the area sucks(not the school). The apartments there are VERY expensive but supper crappy. And lots of homeless people around, make it very unsafe. Also, I don't think there is that much of GPA handicap. You should just go visit the schools, pick up that you like, and do well in the classes. 🙂🙂
 
ORTHO4ME said:
Forbes recently names Stockton the second most miserable place to live in the states, behin detroit. The only reason stockton wasnt the worst place by a long shot, was because the weather in stockton score soooo much better than detroits. so yes, stockton is a horrible place.
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Stockton was not names most miserable place, it was called the area with the highest foreclosure rate. What happened was that a lot of the bay area people who were priced out of the bay area, thought it would be a good idea to buy a huge McMansion in Stockton and commute. Well, after awhile an almost 2 hour commute one way gets old, then the real estate market crashed, and now nobody is going to buy a house in Stockton anymore. Overall, Stockton is not bad for what it is, it's not SF, LA or SD but it's like any other city.

I do think quality of life has a lot to do with it. People still like to live in California, even the not so good parts because the good parts are just a short freeway trip away.
 
moolman said:
Stockton was not names most miserable place, it was called the area with the highest foreclosure rate. What happened was that a lot of the bay area people who were priced out of the bay area, thought it would be a good idea to buy a huge McMansion in Stockton and commute. Well, after awhile an almost 2 hour commute one way gets old, then the real estate market crashed, and now nobody is going to buy a house in Stockton anymore. Overall, Stockton is not bad for what it is, it's not SF, LA or SD but it's like any other city.

I do think quality of life has a lot to do with it. People still like to live in California, even the not so good parts because the good parts are just a short freeway trip away.
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Dont question me. its most MISERABLE cities. stockton was second, and yes, foreclosure was ONE of the factors considered. i actually grew up in stockton, went to bear creek. and yes, the city is as bad as they say and continues to get worst, crime, education and unemployment wise. although they have been building and re building portions of the city.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1962662/posts
http://www.forbes.com/2008/01/29/detroit-stockton-flint-biz-cz_kb_0130miserable.html
 
stockton is one of the most *********** ghetto *** cities in california. It's worse than berkeley, at least berkeley has good food and culture. Stockton has prostitutes, gang problems, crime, ****ty food....you name it.

And yes...CA schools are harder to get into. I'll add to the list:

1) California students are more competitive and want to stay in-state.

But hey, UOP is a good school. If I applied and only got in there...of course I'd go, but I'd probably find a place to live in a gated community in a better part of town and leave every weekend.
 
As long as you do well, it doesn't matter if you graduate from UCB or UCD. What most undergraduates don't understand is that once you are granted an interview, grades and the university you are attending do not matter much. Your interview and experiences are ultimately the deciding factors.
 
confettiflyer said:
stockton is one of the most *********** ghetto *** cities in california. It's worse than berkeley, at least berkeley has good food and culture. Stockton has prostitutes, gang problems, crime, ****ty food....you name it.

And yes...CA schools are harder to get into. I'll add to the list:

1) California students are more competitive and want to stay in-state.

But hey, UOP is a good school. If I applied and only got in there...of course I'd go, but I'd probably find a place to live in a gated community in a better part of town and leave every weekend.
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Good thing I turned down UOP for USC then. But wait, Los Angeles made #7 on that Forbes most miserable cities list. :laugh:

Honestly, if you plan on a higher degree, ie. PharmD, then your undergrad school really doesn't matter much in the end. To me, I'd rather go to a prestigious grad school and a mediocre undergrad, rather than the other way around.

So to the OP, go to where you can get a full-ride, even a CSU, and save up your money for pharm school. Who knows what tuition for pharm school will be like in 5+ years. :scared:
 
^^^ mmm but your undergrad can affect what school you get into.

Are you comparing a CSU to a UC? Oh please....it's like comparing McDonald's to Ruth's Chris. Tip for the OP...DO NOT go to a state school where, last i checked, had practically no admission standards (exceptions: Sonoma, San Diego, SLO) and you could show up on the first day and register for classes provided you had a HS diploma/GED.

And yeah...USC Health Sciences campus is kind of in the ghetto. Actually...very much in the ghetto, but most of my friends that go to USC live in Burbank or other nicer areas.
 
confettiflyer said:
^^^ mmm but your undergrad can affect what school you get into.
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I honestly feel that it plays a very minute part, if any, in pharmacy admissions. There's just so many more things that are more important in the application: GPA, PCAT for non-CA schools, interview, work/pharm experience, personal statement, LORs, supplemental essays, leadership experience, passion, maturity, and the list goes on. Your undergrad school would be at the bottom of that list.

I've seen MANY people that went to cal states and got into USC and other CA schools. There is nothing wrong with going to a cal state, as long as you focus on what I listed above.
 
Well, obviously, like I said...it isn't a hard and fast rule that a CSULA student is doomed to failure while his/her UCLA counterpart is sailing through to UCSF. I'm just saying, on average, higher tier UC students do better than their lower tier counterparts.

On that note, on average, Ivy Leaguers are doing better than UC students (but for other reasons than prestige).

So before anyone else starts typing "but but but...my cousin went to CSUS and got into med school!" remember, this is most people, not everyone.

Remember...if you're picking undergrad right now, there's a good chance you won't want to go into pharmacy. If you choose medicine...school prestige DEFINITELY counts; PhD programs tie right into your research opportunities, which are limited in the CSU system (as they are not research institutions by a long shot, heck...they're forbidden by law from awarding doctorates like a UC).

Anyway, before this gets too long. School reputation counts, though not quantified on an application, the halo effect is there when selecting students for an interview. With my dismally low GPA, I believe I received interviews based on my school's reputation.
 
i did my first 2 years at ucsd, then transferred to columbia in new york.. i thought the ucsd sciences were on par, if not a little bit harder. but i took my upper divisions at columbia, which were much more interesting, so maybe thats why i did better in my upper div courses. the difference ive seen is, the top students at ucsd would most likely be the top students at columbia as well, but everyone at columbia seems to be a top student. lol, whereas at ucsd, i met alot of people where i just thought to myself, how'd u get into this school?, or any uc for that matter.
 
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haha....affirmative action bull****? now implemented as "comprehensive review?"
 
FYI, CSU schools do have admission standards, although not as rigorous as the UC sysem. Junior colleges do not have any admission standards.

I wouldn't knock CSU schools, and the students that attend them. I know more than a few CSUN, CSUF, CalPoly students who've gone on to UCSF pharmacy school, UCSF med school, and UCLA Law school. To say they were somehow under prepared, doom for failure, or not of the same caliber as their UC counterparts, is a pretty far fetching and generalized statement.

Again, I stand by my previous statement. of the schools the OP mentioned and with all things being equal (GPA, LOR, EC, ect), he isn't going to be denied admission or gain admission to the pharmacy school of his choice because his school wasn't prestigious enough.

Most of my friends, including myself, state that its more important to get higher grades at a less prestigious university than lower grades at a more prestigous school, during your undergrad. years. Just remember it is just my opinion, and I'm sure people have different experiences and opinions than I do, and I respect that also.

Here is a link to a similar thread in teh MD forum:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=6316122

they have some pretty valid points also.
 
uh. Go mrblah. Go CSULB. 😀
 
Interesting confettiflyer, but methinks you're just being humble with respect to your achievements 😉.

I'm sure the ad-coms gave you interview opportunities with respect to your other achievements... but perhaps you'd like to elaborate?
 
I currently attend UOP and I don't know why everyone is saying it's so bad. I live on campus, I shop near campus, I don't really have that much 'time' to go anywhere else. While it's true that the surrounding area is 'ghetto', I hardly go to that part of Stockton.

In 2002, CNN ranked LA, NY, and Chicago the top 10 best places to live. In 2008, Forbes ranked them the 7th, 4th, and 6th WORST places to live, respectively. These are too contradictory. All you need to do is search on their site and it pops up.
______


In regards to the topic, I would rather go to UCLA over UC Berkeley.
1. the food rocks
2. the weather is better (bay area gets pretty damn cold and the streets are annoying to drive especially hills. I drive a manual)
At the end, I think they are both equally ranked. UCLA DOES have a medical program though!
 
>>>>>> STATE system >>>> Community College
Click to expand...



Actually, they should be about the same difficult wise.
 
aznkukuboi said:
I currently attend UOP and I don't know why everyone is saying it's so bad. I live on campus, I shop near campus, I don't really have that much 'time' to go anywhere else. While it's true that the surrounding area is 'ghetto', I hardly go to that part of Stockton.

In 2002, CNN ranked LA, NY, and Chicago the top 10 best places to live. In 2008, Forbes ranked them the 7th, 4th, and 6th WORST places to live, respectively. These are too contradictory. All you need to do is search on their site and it pops up.
______


In regards to the topic, I would rather go to UCLA over UC Berkeley.
1. the food rocks
2. the weather is better (bay area gets pretty damn cold and the streets are annoying to drive especially hills. I drive a manual)
At the end, I think they are both equally ranked. UCLA DOES have a medical program though!
Click to expand...

Are you kidding me, food in the Bay Area >>>>>>> food in LA. Tell me where I can get good Indian food in LA near campus at 11pm at night. Thought so!

As for the rankings for LA being a bad place to live....sure, if you live in East LA! I'm sure people living in Bel-Air and across the Westside were laughing when they read that Forbes listed LA as a bad place to live.


Now that I think about it, EVERY pharmacy school in CA is in someplace that is ghetto except one.

Touro -- GHETTO VALLEJO. Enough said.
[b/]Western[/b] -- Pomona is ghetto.
UOP -- Stockton is ghetto, wear a bullet proof vest and don't buy a house there.
USC -- Ghetto East LA next to the juvenile court and lincoln heights. Pepper spray is a must.
UCSF -- Is okay....if you like homeless people defecating next to your car and barefoot hippies protesting something
CNCP -- Sacramento Area? Are you kidding me? Even our own governor refuses to live at the Governor's mansion in Sac. He commutes via private jet from his home in Brentwood. This technically isn't even a school yet either.
LLU -- 909? Ew!

which leaves me the last school, which is the only school in CA that is in a decent location....

UCSD -- La Jolla, CA. By the beach, nice area, good Mexican food, and where the median home price is about $1.2M. :luck:
 
Hey, I never said anything about boring. Heck, dodging bullets is probably more fun than hanging around La Jolla shores with a bunch of rich, old, and retired men in their 70's.
 
confettiflyer said:
Are you kidding me, food in the Bay Area >>>>>>> food in LA. Tell me where I can get good Indian food in LA near campus at 11pm at night. Thought so!

:luck:
Click to expand...

oh man...whenever i go to berkeley....gourmet ghetto!!!o love everything they have there. But manhattan food is the best to me. i think it goes, manhattan>>bay area>>>>>>>>>>>LA. You cant knock manhatta food, i used to eat a toms diner for lunch for christ sake(seinfeld tv show diner)
 
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