Anyone heading to Mills?

[notdeadyet]

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Just received my acceptance from Mills yesterday. The letters went out on Friday, in case anyone's applied from the east coast.

Anyone else heading to Mills in the Fall? Is anyone choosing a different Bay Area program, and if so, why? I'm debating between Mills and SFSU for reasons mostly financial...

 

[benelswick]

Just received my acceptance from Mills yesterday. The letters went out on Friday, in case anyone's applied from the east coast.

Anyone else heading to Mills in the Fall? Is anyone choosing a different Bay Area program, and if so, why? I'm debating between Mills and SFSU for reasons mostly financial...

My opinion, take it with a pound of salt, is that the only medical "prep" programs that are even marginally worth the price tag are the SMP's because they get you looked at for certain by atleast one adcom. Mills is probably an excellent program that recruits superb bay area teaching talent but i just have a hard time thinking that their name would justify the debt over SFSU where I am going now. SFSU science programs are generally good. Plus maybe I'm just an idiot but people have definitely hear of San Francisco itself in the very least, so you know, somebody looking at you app, sees you got a 4.0 from a state school in "San Francisco" one of the most progressive talented, science and technology oriented cities in the world....maybe they've
visited here and have fond memories and so forth.....But you know I don't have the money to even consider mills so what am I blabbing, about you'd be better served by talking to someone who could afford it and was weighing whether or not its was worth it.
Good Luck.--Ben.

P.S. I just thought of a real difference between the 2. SFSU is on a skeleton budget and will not take you by the hand thru the process. Barry rothman serves as the premed guru, he's awesome, but he's just one guy and he teaches undergraduate and graduate classes and advises on the side. I've heard Mills with walk you thru the process..shoot...for the money they ought to pick you up for school and make your lunch while they're at it.

 

[notdeadyet]

Yeah, I'm still toying with the decision between the two. I don't have any great desire to commute to east bay every morning. But I've heard a few advantages at Mills:

1. Smaller class sizes. I'm hoping this will make learning and meaningful interactions with the professors easier.
2. Enrollments. I have one year to take the classes I need, and I've just had too many bad experiences with not getting courses I'd've liked at SFSU.
3. Reputation. I don't think Mills is well known to the lay person, but two counsellor's I've talked to said that the reputation is very good among AdCons.
4. Track Record. Their med school admission rate was something like 83%, which is pretty high. And they have a very good record at getting folks into the UCs, specifically, which is where I'd like to stay.

But I'll see what the financial aid package looks like. Mills is steep and State is cheap (-ish, I liked the rhyme). I like SFSU and would have no problem attending there, but I'm not young and pretty much am giving myself one shot to do this, so I'm trying to load the dice wherever I can.

May see you at state in the fall...

 

[benelswick]

yeah...you just reminded me of that consideration that post-bac's have to deal with at state--GETTING THE CLASSES!. The reason i forgot about this is that I'm an 11th year senior degree-seeking student, in other words, I eat high on the registration priority hog. So some thoughts in closing...

1) Yes you're right classes may be frustrating to get. You're work at mills will be more focused more community oriented, probably, more interaction with professors so you can get the LOR's.

2) Besides me and a few other reformed degree seeking screw-ups turned uber nerd, Post Bacs rule the pre-med classes at state. Picture a few older, hard edged gunners who may have graduated from Berkley or Standford--although certainly not in my case--sitting in the first few rows cherry-picking test questions from some nuturing laid back hippy science instructors. while the back 3/4 of the class is nursing hangovers muttering about surfing or getting stoned or whatever else crosses the mind of 18 y/o partiers who have never busted a sweat to support themselves in the real world. what this amounts to is a 4.0 for any hard-working student with edge and a decent amount of intelligence. there's only a few teachers to avoid at state, the rest are all good and fair.

So come to state and be nerd-gangster or go to mills and get the benefit of its streamlined coursework and academic support and reputation. If you come to state PM me and I'll give you the skinny on who to take for what cause I got the joint dialed in.--Ben

 

[notdeadyet]

So come to state and be nerd-gangster or go to mills and get the benefit of its streamlined coursework and academic support and reputation. If you come to state PM me and I'll give you the skinny on who to take for what cause I got the joint dialed in.--Ben

After 11 years, I'd say you own the place. I'll definitely give you a shout when I make my decision (or finances make it for me). I know enough of State to know what a big pond it is, so I'll definitely drop you a line if I head that way. One bad professor can really put you through the grinder. Thanks much for the offer.