Cal State pre meds...

[scota]

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I was just wondering if there are many CSU pre med students out there. Specifically, I would like some feedback from CSULB students. I will be doing my post bac classes there starting in August. Thanks...

 

[tacrum43]

I was just wondering if there are many CSU pre med students out there. Specifically, I would like some feedback from CSULB students. I will be doing my post bac classes there starting in August. Thanks...

There are a few of us out there. I went to Cal Poly. Do not expect ANYONE on the East Coast to have ever heard of your school. Also expect the UC's to look down at you for having gone to a CSU and not a UC. The tuition is right though, and I liked the much smaller classes (vs. UC's).

If you're looking for post-bacc info specifically, the post-bacc forum might be better.

 

[coco]

yay!! represent! haha. Even in California, no one's heard of my CSU, CSU San Marcos, so on the east coast, they were like absolutely clueless about it, but still very respectful. I absolutely LOVED CSUSM and i am SO glad i went to school there. the 4 years i've been there have been the best 4 years of my life!! The small classes are just great! i could not have asked for a better undergrad experience! sorry i know nothing about the post bac program at csulb.

 

[Medikit]

I love Chico state, I actually went back and talked to my professors for hours last break. We're really lucky in California.

The downside is that at a couple of interviews they just sort of let my school name run off the nametag: "California State Univer", and no one had ever heard of Chico anyways. Make sure when you get into medical school that you spread the good word about your CSU 🙂.

Cool facts:
Both of my Physical Chemistry classes has less than 12 people in it.
My Biochem II class had 5 people in it.
My Organic Synthesis class had 3 people in it.

 

[wildcatbio06]

Chico State as well. Loved my experience and would not have gone anywhere else. And as was said earlier no one one the east coast knows about CSU vs. UC. I think I got a few interviews based on this mis-conception. And I second that the UCs look down on you, but I have a classmate going to SF and one going to SD next year so not sure if it was just me.

 

[EndSong]

I went to a Cal State Los Angeles for my BS. It was a huge mistake. In prestige, amount of resources, etc. the CSU system just plain sucks. The bureaucracy of the CSU system is truly abominable. For example, it's taken the school more than 6 months to mail me a scholarship check back-owed in August. It took them another 3 months to correct mistakes to my transcript. And this is taking me frequently calling, going to the office, and talking to many, many secretaries to correct the problem.

While the class sizes are smaller, a lot of the Cal State L.A. professors are similarly awful. Many of them are tenured and are difficult to remove. I had one math professor who showed up 20 minutes late to every lecture and only managed to cover 1.5 chapters of math by the end of the quarter. I had another ochem professor who would spend 15-45 minutes of every class berating the class about its poor quiz, test or lab performance.

I wouldn't recommend the CSU experience to anyone who is serious about getting a good education. While there are some truly wonderful faculty and classes in the CSU system - it does little to actually fix a subpar system.

 

[Medikit]

Chico State as well. Loved my experience and would not have gone anywhere else. And as was said earlier no one one the east coast knows about CSU vs. UC. I think I got a few interviews based on this mis-conception. And I second that the UCs look down on you, but I have a classmate going to SF and one going to SD next year so not sure if it was just me.

Awesome, we had a student go to Davis last year so it's not like they are turning all of us down.

 

[wildcatbio06]

I went to a Cal State Los Angeles for my BS. It was a huge mistake. In prestige, amount of resources, etc. the CSU system just plain sucks. The bureaucracy of the CSU system is truly abominable. For example, it's taken the school more than 6 months to mail me a scholarship check back-owed in August. It took them another 3 months to correct mistakes to my transcript. And this is taking me frequently calling, going to the office, and talking to many, many secretaries to correct the problem.

While the class sizes are smaller, a lot of the Cal State L.A. professors are similarly awful. Many of them are tenured and are difficult to remove. I had one math professor who showed up 20 minutes late to every lecture and only managed to cover 1.5 chapters of math by the end of the quarter. I had another ochem professor who would spend 15-45 minutes of every class berating the class about its poor quiz, test or lab performance.

I wouldn't recommend the CSU experience to anyone who is serious about getting a good education. While there are some truly wonderful faculty and classes in the CSU system - it does little to actually fix a subpar system.

I think it is kind of hard to judge a whole system based on a bad experience at one of the schools. Similarly I guess my good experience at one school doesn't mean the whole system is great. It must just be dependant on the school. From the other pre-meds I know and have met throughout this process I don't feel like I have a sub-par education in any respect. Personally, I would recommend the CSU system, maybe not CSULA, but I think for the money it is a great deal. I have been accepted to four medical schools so it hasn't worked out too bad for me.

 

[LuisitoMD]

I have experience in both worlds... I got my BS from a UC and did a post bacc at Cal Poly... and yes, no one knows about the CSU's... I will tell you, it's implied that Poly's are more math, science and engineering oriented... my buddy got his bs at cal poly too and is now at UCI SOM. I have been asked to compare the two schools, at a UC interview... I told the interviewer that classes at cal poly are more difficult because grades aren't curved and that it's easier to get to know your professors... I hope I left a good impression about the CSU's

 

[Bikeage]

2nd year @ CSULB (microbiology major).. decided not to go to a UC because of the cost of tuition & at the time I didn't think it mattered much. your experience will be very dependent on the quality of your teacher, so I advise you to find out what you can about the instructor before hand. I'd rank it right behind cal poly

if you have any other questions let me know, this was a brief reply

 

[Bikeage]

I think it is kind of hard to judge a whole system based on a bad experience at one of the schools. Similarly I guess my good experience at one school doesn't mean the whole system is great. It must just be dependant on the school. From the other pre-meds I know and have met throughout this process I don't feel like I have a sub-par education in any respect. Personally, I would recommend the CSU system, maybe not CSULA, but I think for the money it is a great deal. I have been accepted to four medical schools so it hasn't worked out too bad for me.

Mind me asking, what med schools?

 

[tacrum43]

I have experience in both worlds... I got my BS from a UC and did a post bacc at Cal Poly... and yes, no one knows about the CSU's... I will tell you, it's implied that Poly's are more math, science and engineering oriented... my buddy got his bs at cal poly too and is now at UCI SOM. I have been asked to compare the two schools, at a UC interview... I told the interviewer that classes at cal poly are more difficult because grades aren't curved and that it's easier to get to know your professors... I hope I left a good impression about the CSU's

Yay for Cal Poly! 🙂 Man, I would like to be in your buddy's shoes. UCI SOM. They hate me, but that's just me. And that's interesting that you found CP's classes to be harder. I thought they were challenging (since they are either not curved or curved to a C+ average). That's probably the worst part about Cal Poly, grade deflation without any name recognition to go with it. But whatever, I would go there again in a heartbeat. It was the right place for me. I loved it.

I'd rank it right behind cal poly

Just like every other school. 😉

 

[Medikit]

Yay for Cal Poly! 🙂 Man, I would like to be in your buddy's shoes. UCI SOM. They hate me, but that's just me. And that's interesting that you found CP's classes to be harder. I thought they were challenging (since they are either not curved or curved to a C+ average). That's probably the worst part about Cal Poly, grade deflation without any name recognition to go with it. But whatever, I would go there again in a heartbeat. It was the right place for me. I loved it.



Just like every other school. 😉

On the flip side if they were to curve them then there would be some major grade inflation, so I think it evens out.

 

[kirexhana]

CSULA-er here. I've got a few points that i'd like to make too:

1. I really do feel like the lack of "prestige" at my school made it harder for me as an applicant. My Vanderbilt interviewer said that it was probably the only thing holding back my application (which made me cringe inward). I ended up getting waitlisted 🙁

2. The administration SUCKS! If you want the definition of slow-moving, ass-dragging bureaucracy, look at CSULA (btw, they get paid way too much for the amount of work they do too). Luckily I've never had any problems, but I know a large number of people who have.

3. Faculty can vary, but that's probably true for almost every school. You're going to have your egotistical bastards who only care about their research ( I can think of... 2-3 ) but at the same time, you have a lot of wonderful people that really care about you and want to see you succeed and will help you (I can think of at least 10). The small class sizes are definitely a plus. When a professor remembers you from 4 years ago and asks if you're going to bring your brother to his lab party, you know that you're getting enough facetime 🙂 .

In short, I wouldn't change my undergrad for the world. I find that the prestige of a school is much less important than what you make of yourself in regards to applying for med school.

 

[PittBruin]

Don't know much about CSULB, but I did take post-bacc classes at Cal State Fullerton. In my experience, the classes weren't as difficult, but the professors were great. I liked the small classes, but I wasn't all that impressed by a lot of the students. They did have a great health professions office, which helped out a lot.

 

[wildcatbio06]

Mind me asking, what med schools?

Not at all, RFUHS, Drexel, Temple and AECOM where I will be attending next year. I am still waiting for final decisions from the other five schools I've interviewed at but my mdapplicants has all of my info.

 

[tacrum43]

Not at all, RFUHS, Drexel, Temple and AECOM where I will be attending next year. I am still waiting for final decisions from the other five schools I've interviewed at but my mdapplicants has all of my info.

I was just checking out your profile. Congrats on all the medical school love. Would you really go to AECOM over the UCSD or UCD? It's almost twice the price. Still, I guess it could be worth it if that's where you really want to be.

 

[wildcatbio06]

I was just checking out your profile. Congrats on all the medical school love. Would you really go to AECOM over the UCSD or UCD? It's almost twice the price. Still, I guess it could be worth it if that's where you really want to be.

Thank you. I agree that leaving CA would not be the best financial decision but I am ready to experience something else. I grew up in nor cal and have attended college here so UCD isn't that appealing, and I am fully aware that so cal rocks but its just not my cup of tea, hence the little to no enthusiasm about the possibilty of UCSD. If UCSF were still waiting to tell me their final decision it would be a different story but that is old news at this point. This is all in addition to my wife being a journalist and wanting to live in New York. So that is where my head is at.

 

[Bikeage]

congrats wildcat.. nice to see some love to the CSUs. There's only a few out of state schools that have a higher priority with me than the UC system (Hopkins namely), but I'm a few years away. Good luck

 

[redorkulated]

I did my undergrad at CSUF. I agree with pitt bruin, you do meet a wide range of students, One of my proffessers at CSUF went so far as to say that some of the students at CSUF are just as good or better as those at the UC's however, some of the students he's just not sure how they made it into college (they are really bad). I think this stems from fact that some students made the choice to go to a csu based on a financial decision while others went becuase they had no choice. At CSUF we have a kickass Health proffessions office, that handles all of our advising and application stuff which was great. Many of my friends that went to UCLA, and UCI were jealous of everything the office did for me (i.e. letter of rec proccessing, committee letter, interview prep, advising, personal statement advice/editing etc.)

at my interviews I didn't feel looked down on by my interviewers, but I did feel snubbed by the other candidates becuase of my school.

 

[Moto]

CSU student here. The only place where my school was negatively brought up was at UIC. But then again, my interviewer probably thinks that anyone who didn't go to an Ivy is a looser.

 

[wildcatbio06]

I think this stems from fact that some students made the choice to go to a csu based on a financial decision while others went becuase they had no choice.

Very well put. This is exactly why there is a discrepency between the quality of students at CSUs.

 

[PittBruin]

I think this stems from fact that some students made the choice to go to a csu based on a financial decision while others went becuase they had no choice. At CSUF we have a kickass Health proffessions office, that handles all of our advising and application stuff which was great.

That's definitely true. I've met some brilliant students at CSUF, but many of them chose to be there for financial reasons. One of the health professions advisors there said that the biggest difference that he saw between CSUF and the UCs was writing ability, which was reflected by the personal statements he had to edit. The health professions office is truly awesome, though.

I didn't feel looked down on by my interviewers, but I did feel snubbed by the other candidates becuase of my school.

Most of my interviewers had heard of CSUF because of baseball. None of them really mentioned anything about the school itself. I do suspect that I would've gotten more looks if I had completed one of the more well-known post-bacc programs, but I can't be sure. There were so many other mitigating factors in my application that I have no idea how any of the schools saw me. Out of all the schools that I applied to, I only received one interview from a "low-tier" school.

 

[Bikeage]

after reading some threads on these boards from different CSU graduates & their experiences w/interviews & the application process, i'm thinking heavily on trying to transfer into UCLA (currently, i go to CSULB)... thoughts?

 

[redorkulated]

after reading some threads on these boards from different CSU graduates & their experiences w/interviews & the application process, i'm thinking heavily on trying to transfer into UCLA (currently, i go to CSULB)... thoughts?

I don't think you need to go so far as to transfer. If your already at a csu, just strengthen your application in other areas. You'll lose a substantial amount of time, since many of our courses do not transfer over to the UC system (correct me if I'm wrong). CSU students do get in, and so do many other students from other universities accross the country whose names aren't prestigous enough to invoke instant recognition. We just have to elaborate a little more about our schools.

 

[Bikeage]

I don't think you need to go so far as to transfer. If your already at a csu, just strengthen your application in other areas. You'll lose a substantial amount of time, since many of our courses do not transfer over to the UC system (correct me if I'm wrong). CSU students do get in, and so do many other students from other universities accross the country whose names aren't prestigous enough to invoke instant recognition. We just have to elaborate a little more about our schools.

i see... well other than gpa/mcat & clinical exp & research, what other ways do you suggest? (i'm aiming for john hopkins, my #1 school).

 

[PittBruin]

after reading some threads on these boards from different CSU graduates & their experiences w/interviews & the application process, i'm thinking heavily on trying to transfer into UCLA (currently, i go to CSULB)... thoughts?

Transferring's a bit drastic. There are plenty of students in my class from schools I've never heard of. Maintain good grades and score well on the MCAT and you'll be fine. My cousin was on the adcom at UCLA for awhile and he told me to differentiate myself by doing something interesting other than the typical research/volunteering at a hospital/etc. He recommended starting a non-profit organization or doing some charity work in Uzbekistan.

 

[Medikit]

after reading some threads on these boards from different CSU graduates & their experiences w/interviews & the application process, i'm thinking heavily on trying to transfer into UCLA (currently, i go to CSULB)... thoughts?

If you really want to go to Johns Hopkins I think transfering to UCLA might be a good idea along with doing what PittBruin suggested. Just don't be surprised if you miss CSULB 🙂

 

[redorkulated]

i see... well other than gpa/mcat & clinical exp & research, what other ways do you suggest? (i'm aiming for john hopkins, my #1 school).

Since your intrested in a specific school, I'd try to make connections with Johns Hopkins like entering one of their summer research programs.

 

[kirexhana]

If you really want to go to Johns Hopkins I think transfering to UCLA might be a good idea along with doing what PittBruin suggested. Just don't be surprised if you miss CSULB 🙂

i wouldn't go that far. i interviewed at hopkins so i think they were fine with the name of the school.

 

[Bikeage]

Since your intrested in a specific school, I'd try to make connections with Johns Hopkins like entering one of their summer research programs.

That's a great idea. Would it be possible to take summer courses there as well while doing research?

I'd still have a year left of course work if I wanted to transfer, guess I'll have to mull it over. Anything to increase my chances for JH (well, almost anything 😉)

 

[HigHal320]

after reading some threads on these boards from different CSU graduates & their experiences w/interviews & the application process, i'm thinking heavily on trying to transfer into UCLA (currently, i go to CSULB)... thoughts?

I transfered from San Jose State University --> Community College --> UCB.
The main problem is that most of my SJSU courses do not articulate with UCB so i ended up having to take extra classes leading to delay in graduating. You might want to pick up a new UC application because there's a page inside that will list out the unit cap that each UC put over students who want to transfer from a 4-yr institute. I didn't know about this unit cap until the semester before I applied. I ended up having to drop some classes just to make sure my total units from SJSU+CC is below 125. Even with careful planning, I was still rejected by UCSC for having excess units. Hope this help. PM me if you need more info.

 

[zellantus]

I'm a post-bacc and I'm trying to find a CSU to do my premed requirements with. I did some research and so far I've come across CSU-East Bay, CSULA, and CSUF as having the best and most extensive health advisory committees. What are your guys' experiences with your health committees? Would you recommend your school? I was going to attend SFSU originally, but I found that their health advising is quite limited compared to these other CSUs.

 

[redorkulated]

I would definitly reccomend CSUF, I described my experiences with the Heath Proffessions office earlier this thread. I would, if possible, visit the various campuses your considering and schedule meetings with the advisors and see what they can offer you (and where ppl who completed their programs have gone).

For CSUF you can contact Barb by e-mailing her at [email protected] she runs the Health proffessions office , and can set you up with an appointment with Dr. Drath the health proffessions advisor (he also does phone appointments if you can't come down to fullerton).

 

[scota]

Anyone else care to share their experiences at CSULB?

 

[MissMD'10]

Anyone else care to share their experiences at CSULB?

I went to two UCs for undergraduate and then did my post bacc at a CSU (not long beach). I would recommend going to a more well known school for post bacc if you have the chance. I had an interviewer ask me if the CSU was "competitive" and I think that it helps with applications if they know what your gpa represents... Just my 2 cents. Good things about CSU are that classes are much, much smaller, the student body is more diverse than the UCs, and of course, it is less expensive.

 

[zellantus]

I went to two UCs for undergraduate and then did my post bacc at a CSU (not long beach). I would recommend going to a more well known school for post bacc if you have the chance. I had an interviewer ask me if the CSU was "competitive" and I think that it helps with applications if they know what your gpa represents... Just my 2 cents. Good things about CSU are that classes are much, much smaller, the student body is more diverse than the UCs, and of course, it is less expensive.

Which CSU did you go to? I would like to go to CSU East Bay/Hayward since it's closest to where I live, but I haven't heard anyone talk about their experiences there. Their health advisory committee website seems pretty good: http://www.sci.csuhayward.edu/PPHA/index.html

 

[MissMD'10]

Which CSU did you go to? I would like to go to CSU East Bay/Hayward since it's closest to where I live, but I haven't heard anyone talk about their experiences there. Their health advisory committee website seems pretty good: http://www.sci.csuhayward.edu/PPHA/index.html

I went to SFSU. PM me if you want to hear about my experience there.

 

[nikibean]

I went to SFSU. PM me if you want to hear about my experience there.

Hey MissMD, I just wanted to tell you that I love AquaTeenHunger Force, and your Mooninites rock the house. In fact, my friend James that you met? His personal ringtone on my phone happens to be the Aquateen theme...

On the topic of CSU postbacs, I was at Mills, and I know many people who did classes at CSU as well, because they could simultaneously enroll in Ochem/Gen Chem and reduce the two years to one. It was much cheaper. I also know a woman who did all of her post-bac classes at Hayward and is now a UCSF trained surgeon.
I think it's truly individual, but you know, it doesn't hurt to call the Dean and ask these questions- we can speculate all we want, but I really think going straight to the source is the best protocol.