California Med Schools

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So I've been thinking about this and doing a bit of research but I've gotten mixed responses..

Anyways my question is; would attending, completing pre-reqs, and graduating from a CSU campus (such as CSU Channel Islands or San Diego State University) rather than a UC campus be a detriment to my medical school applications to UC campuses and other CA medical schools? To be honest I don't want to go to school out of state unless I have no other choice.

Thanks in advance!

 

[justAstudent]

I believe the answer is no.

 

[lobo.solo]

No. There are CSU grads in medical school though fewer than UC grads. It's all about how strong your application is. GL

 

[justAstudent]

No. There are CSU grads in medical school though fewer than UC grads. It's all about how strong your application is. GL

I think the reason there are more UC grads is because of the resources offered at these campuses (mainly research). This results in stronger applicants. It's not that the med schools are favoring UC grads but it just so happens that UC grads have more resources available to them to improve their application. Hope that helps.

 

[lobo.solo]

I think the reason there are more UC grads is because of the resources offered at these campuses (mainly research). This results in stronger applicants. It's not that the med schools are favoring UC grads but it just so happens that UC grads have more resources available to them to improve their application. Hope that helps.

Yeah, I agree.

 

[Raryn]

I think the reason there are more UC grads is because of the resources offered at these campuses (mainly research). This results in stronger applicants. It's not that the med schools are favoring UC grads but it just so happens that UC grads have more resources available to them to improve their application. Hope that helps.

It's because of a mix of factors.

There are more students capable of getting into med school at your average UC compared to your average CSU simply because those are the caliber of students that go to the schools. That said, it's entirely possible that the same student would get into med school regardless of where they went to undergrad, or it might be that the UC's greater resources might provide just enough edge to get in. It depends far more on the individual than the school.

(I say this as a CSU grad who graduated med school last year, have known more than a dozen of my former college classmates that ended up in med school one way or another. Some in CA, some outside)

 

[bunnyg]

While it is certainly possible that someone from a CSU campus could get into medical school, it will be much more difficult because, as mentioned above, the lack of resources. I also do not think CSU campuses have quite the rigor as UC schools, which could affect one's MCAT score

That being said, SDSU and Cal Poly SLO are good schools, so going to one of them might not be a disadvantage. But I might think about going to a community college and transferring in two years if those are not an option.

 

[Goro]

Nope.



Anyways my question is; would attending, completing pre-reqs, and graduating from a CSU campus (such as CSU Channel Islands or San Diego State University) rather than a UC campus be a detriment to my medical school applications to UC campuses and other CA medical schools? To be honest I don't want to go to school out of state unless I have no other choice.

 

[gyngyn]

To be honest I don't want to go to school out of state unless I have no other choice.

2/3's of matriculants from CA have to leave the state to attend medical school (without regard to their undergrad institution!).

 

[alpinism]

So I've been thinking about this and doing a bit of research but I've gotten mixed responses..

Anyways my question is; would attending, completing pre-reqs, and graduating from a CSU campus (such as CSU Channel Islands or San Diego State University) rather than a UC campus be a detriment to my medical school applications to UC campuses and other CA medical schools? To be honest I don't want to go to school out of state unless I have no other choice.

Thanks in advance!

Lol there's a few of us out there from CSU who've made it to med school. I've got friends from ugrad at UCLA, UCI, Gtown, and Einstein med.

Your stats are far more important than where you went to undergrad. That being said, you'll have far fewer resources as a CSU pre-med than at UCLA or UCSD (less opportunities for research, clinical experience, community service, and shadowing). In addition, regardless of what some people may think, school reputation does play a role in med school admissions. This is especially true at top research schools.

So to answer your question, yes it would be a detriment to attend SDSU instead of UCSD if given the choice.

How significant of a detriment depends on your grades and MCAT.

 

[DokterMom]

Lol there's a few of us out there from CSU who've made it to med school. I've got friends from ugrad at UCLA, UCI, Gtown, and Einstein med.

Your stats are far more important than where you went to undergrad. That being said, you'll have far fewer resources as a CSU pre-med than at UCLA or UCSD (less opportunities for research, clinical experience, community service, and shadowing). In addition, regardless of what some people may think, school reputation does play a role in med school admissions. This is especially true at top research schools.

So to answer your question, yes it would be a detriment to attend SDSU instead of UCSD if given the choice.

How significant of a detriment depends on your grades and MCAT.

The California post secondary education system is widely known to be tiered. The top tier comprises the UCs. CSUs are second tier. Community Colleges are third tier.

Without a doubt, you can get a terrific education at many (most?) CSUs, just as you can at many CCs. But there will be some (many?) in academia who will look down their noses at a CSU degree compared to a UC degree. The competition at CSUs is generally much less stringent and the research opportunities are relatively modest.

Outside California, the tiering system is less widely known -- but far more widely known than a CSU student would prefer.

 

[Raryn]

The California post secondary education system is widely known to be tiered. The top tier comprises the UCs. CSUs are second tier. Community Colleges are third tier.

Without a doubt, you can get a terrific education at many (most?) CSUs, just as you can at many CCs. But there will be some (many?) in academia who will look down their noses at a CSU degree compared to a UC degree. The competition at CSUs is generally much less stringent and the research opportunities are relatively modest.

Outside California, the tiering system is less widely known -- but far more widely known than a CSU student would prefer.

The characteristics of the individual graduating matter far, far more than the characteristics of the overall opportunities available at the school.

 

[Jennyfishy]

There tends to be a lot more opportunities for Pre-meds to pursue who are attending a UC, but it does not give them an absolute edge over CSU students. Research positions are more readily available, but California does not give any in-state preference or real "preference" to their alum (unless you attended UC Riverside and are applying to UCR). If your application is competitive enough, graduating from a CSU will not stop you from landing interviews or acceptances to California schools. Just keep in mind that most of us do not have such luck or stats

 

[pDeluxe]

n=1, but I have a friend who attended a CSU because they gave her a full ride scholarship. >37 MCAT, minimal research. she submitted late in the cycle (I think complete in late Sept.), got into 1 or 2 "low ranked" (if you follow USNWR) schools in the spring, and got in at a "top 20" school off the waitlist in the summer.

Point is everyone's situation is different, including reasons for attending a "lower tier CA school" but in the end, its what you make of your college experience (esp. GPA and MCAT) that will determine your chances much more than what school you attended. I agree that resources might be more scarce at non-research institutions, so you might have to turn to summer programs or community based initiatives to get some noteworthy extracurriculars.