Choosing a pre-med university/college

[wyrickkatelynn]

What are some of the best universities for pre-med that I have a shot at being admitted to? I am a California resident. My stats are pretty average; I have an unweighted 3.69 gpa and a 1200 SAT. I’m taking the ACT this month

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[kellyk12]

they're all the same. just go where you'll be happiest. Or harvard

 

[Cornfed101]

Not California

 

[electropartyogram]

Wherever you can get the best grades.

 

[getdown]

There is no such thing as a premed university or college. EVERY university and college is full of bright eyed freshman thinking they're the next Sanjay Gupta until they realize they're not. For medical school it absolutely does not matter where you go to undergrad. What matters is your GPA, MCAT and doing all the usual things for the application. Now if you think you may go or do something else than the college name will matter. If you want business or high end investment banking or something going to certain schools will leverage you more into internships and eventually offers.

 

[tessellations]

The three things I would consider:
1. Where you will be happiest
2. Where you will be challenged, but not too challenged (i.e. you won't be bored but you also will do well)
3. Where the cost is low

 

[deleted688779]

The school where you will be able to earn the highest GPA. Usually that means where your stats are above the school’s averages but you should also consider whether the schools provides an environment where you will be happy (but not so happy that you don’t focus on your work, if you know what I mean)

If you’re not 90-100% set on medicine, I would also consider a school with a strong program in a “backup” career of your choice.

 

[u_raptor]

Honestly just pick where you will be happiest, and where it is cheapest. I chose to go to my state school bc my friends were there, and 4 years at my school was 1 year at more competitive schools I had acceptances to (such as vandy, UVA). Going to a state school will in no way hinder your success! You are going to be paying loads for med school, why not try to have the least amount of loans going into it as possible, especially since it wont kill your app to not go to a prestigious school vs. a state or cheaper private? Having friends meant I had a support group, and people to help relieve my stress. This, in my opinion, helped immensely in how I fared in college. If I went somewhere where I knew no one, I know I wouldn't have done as well. Happiness and cost are extremely important factors imo. Once you have that sorted, then and only then would I suggest looking at the resources available to you as a premed!

As a premed, the 4 years of undergrad is honestly just building up your resume for med school. Beyond GPA (this is where happiness comes into play, as being somewhere you are happy at will mean you do better in class!), you will need EC's, shadowing, and research. Going off that and what the school offers, look to see if they have:
- research labs (where you could volunteer or work as an undergrad),
- Hospitals or clinics nearby (so that you can more easily find doctors to shadow),
- Volunteer opportunities (such as a free clinic supported by the school or a third party organization, salvation army, big brother big sister, etc).

Happiness and cost comes first imo, and it didn't do me any wrong to go by this rule. After you have built a tiered list based off that, start looking at the resources! Your college will, hopefully, end up being the one that hits the sweet spot bw all these!

Good luck 🙂

 

[acsb_21]

Don't worry too much about the name of your undergrad, focus on choosing the best fit for you and doing the best you can there.

 

[allantois]

Move to Texas

 

[and 99 others]

I think the importance of undergrad prestige is being a LITTLE understated here and I am saying this as someone who went to a state school. In essence I agree that you should go where you think you'll be happier and definitely avoid taking out loans for undergrad. But med schools have reported that they place medium to high importance on prestige of undergrad institution. Beyond the bump that name alone provides when it comes to admissions, one thing I think that needs to be considered too is the fact that ivy/high ranked undergrads simply offer more resources/opportunities and essentially pipelines to other great opportunities like competitive internships, scholarships, research experience, etc. that are really great for your CV that you may not be able to get elsewhere (at least not as easily).

This isn't to say that you can't do very well in college and the app cycle if you don't go to a high ranked school, just that there are some things that come a lot easier when you're in those higher tiers. I would, again, not prioritize prestige over things like cost, course rigor, or support network though. You know yourself, your situation, and your goals best and you should take all of these factors into account when deciding where you go.

 

[askingforafriend4]

But med schools have reported that they place medium to high importance on prestige of undergrad institution.

This isn't true. From https://www.aamc.org/system/files/c/1/498250-usingmcatdatain2020medstudentselection.pdf, table 1 (Mean Importance Ratings of Academic, Experiential, Demographic, and Interview Data Used by Admissions Committees for Making Decisions About Which Applicants Receive Interview Invitations and Acceptance Offers1), "Selectivity of Undergraduate Institution(s)" is low importance.

 

[u_raptor]

I think the importance of undergrad prestige is being a LITTLE understated here and I am saying this as someone who went to a state school. In essence I agree that you should go where you think you'll be happier and definitely avoid taking out loans for undergrad. But med schools have reported that they place medium to high importance on prestige of undergrad institution. Beyond the bump that name alone provides when it comes to admissions, one thing I think that needs to be considered too is the fact that ivy/high ranked undergrads simply offer more resources/opportunities and essentially pipelines to other great opportunities like competitive internships, scholarships, research experience, etc. that are really great for your CV that you may not be able to get elsewhere (at least not as easily).

This isn't to say that you can't do very well in college and the app cycle if you don't go to a high ranked school, just that there are some things that come a lot easier when you're in those higher tiers. I would, again, not prioritize prestige over things like cost, course rigor, or support network though. You know yourself, your situation, and your goals best and you should take all of these factors into account when deciding where you go.

Unless I'm misreading, undergrad prestige ("selectivity of undergrad institution") is ranked in the LOWEST category. Yeah, going to Harvard helps may a *tiny* bit. But one is in no way hindered going somewhere cheaper (I am a case in point of that, went to state school, 9 or so II to T20s). In other words, it's really not worth spending 60k+/yr for 4 years for the name instead of 20k/yr at a state school.

 

[and 99 others]

This isn't true. From https://www.aamc.org/system/files/c/1/498250-usingmcatdatain2020medstudentselection.pdf, table 1 (Mean Importance Ratings of Academic, Experiential, Demographic, and Interview Data Used by Admissions Committees for Making Decisions About Which Applicants Receive Interview Invitations and Acceptance Offers1), "Selectivity of Undergraduate Institution(s)" is low importance.

View attachment 288435
Unless I'm misreading, undergrad prestige ("selectivity of undergrad institution") is ranked in the LOWEST category. Yeah, going to Harvard helps may a *tiny* bit. But one is in no way hindered going somewhere cheaper (I am a case in point of that, went to state school, 9 or so II to T20s). In other words, it's really not worth spending 60k+/yr for 4 years for the name instead of 20k/yr at a state school.

Oh whoops. Yeah i was referring to this chart but clearly I misremembered the stats. Thanks for clarifying!

But I still stand by what I said about the extra, really helpful resources available at top ranked schools. But also maintain that it is not worth a huge difference in tuition.

 

[u_raptor]

Oh whoops. Yeah i was referring to this chart but clearly I misremembered the stats. Thanks for clarifying!

But I still stand by what I said about the extra, really helpful resources available at top ranked schools. But also maintain that it is not worth a huge difference in tuition.

Yeah I can understand the importance of resources at least! I think most public state schools will suffice though (at least in NC I've seen this). That's why I think after one ranks schools based on cost + happiness, they should look closely at resources available!

 

[Cornfed101]

But I still stand by what I said about the extra, really helpful resources available at top ranked schools. But also maintain that it is not worth a huge difference in tuition.

Most state public schools are huge and have lots of resources. I think I would choose a state public school over a small liberal arts college though, even if the cost was comparable.

 

[dunkey]

Yeah I can understand the importance of resources at least! I think most public state schools will suffice though (at least in NC I've seen this). That's why I think after one ranks schools based on cost + happiness, they should look closely at resources available!

I agree with this. And it feels like people in this topic don't understand that California is unique in their "state schools". It's not like other states because in addition to "state schools" we also have UCs which are also "state schools" but of significantly different caliber. So by just saying "state schools" could be confusing for California high school students.
I emphatically would recommend going to any UC over a state school like, for example, Cal State Long Beach.

I also agree that the name of the school does get understated. It's a minimal benefit, but it's still a benefit. GPA and MCAT still matter the most, and a 3.5 at Cal vs a 4.0 at Santa Barbara is a difference where the name won't matter. But a 3.6 at Cal and a 3.7 at SB, with all else equal? I'm picking the Cal student.

My advice will always be shoot for the best. Fit is definitely important, but I would rank them by tiers. Shoot for the highest tier and then pick amongst that tier for the best fit. Don't choose a "lower-tier" school because you think you'll have an easier time getting a 4.0. That's no guarantee and it won't necessarily even be easier. Amongst the UCs, I would rank them as:

Tier 1
Berkeley
LA

Tier 2
San Diego
Davis
Irvine

Tier 3
Riverside
Santa Barbara
Santa Cruz

Tier 4
Merced

So if you get into say Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Davis. Take SB off the list and choose among SD and Davis of which is the better fit.

And just from personal anecdotes, I went to Stanford and my undergraduate name was actually a pretty big mentioning-point during my medical school interview. My interviewers saw it in my file and it's as if it gave me an immediate "good first impression" before walking in the door. And in my medical school class, I saw students from Berkeley, LA, Davis, SD, etc. I never saw anyone from my unofficial Tier 3/4 in any of the graduating classes, and just a minimal amount of them in the surrounding med schools. Same goes for Cal State schools.

I also don't necessarily agree with this mentality, but like medical school, your undergraduate school name also follows you for life. It's why medical school websites publish where their students came from. And why even residency programs and physician profiles still show your undergraduate name. Again, shoot for the best and choose amongst the best. Californians have the benefit of having the UCs. They are a great system with some associated prestige, and the price isn't that different from the other "state schools".

 

[wyrickkatelynn]

I agree with this. And it feels like people in this topic don't understand that California is unique in their "state schools". It's not like other states because in addition to "state schools" we also have UCs which are also "state schools" but of significantly different caliber. So by just saying "state schools" could be confusing for California high school students.
I emphatically would recommend going to any UC over a state school like, for example, Cal State Long Beach.

I also agree that the name of the school does get understated. It's a minimal benefit, but it's still a benefit. GPA and MCAT still matter the most, and a 3.5 at Cal vs a 4.0 at Santa Barbara is a difference where the name won't matter. But a 3.6 at Cal and a 3.7 at SB, with all else equal? I'm picking the Cal student.

My advice will always be shoot for the best. Fit is definitely important, but I would rank them by tiers. Shoot for the highest tier and then pick amongst that tier for the best fit. Don't choose a "lower-tier" school because you think you'll have an easier time getting a 4.0. That's no guarantee and it won't necessarily even be easier. Amongst the UCs, I would rank them as:

Tier 1
Berkeley
LA

Tier 2
San Diego
Davis
Irvine

Tier 3
Riverside
Santa Barbara
Santa Cruz

Tier 4
Merced

So if you get into say Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Davis. Take SB off the list and choose among SD and Davis of which is the better fit.

And just from personal anecdotes, I went to Stanford and my undergraduate name was actually a pretty big mentioning-point during my medical school interview. My interviewers saw it in my file and it's as if it gave me an immediate "good first impression" before walking in the door. And in my medical school class, I saw students from Berkeley, LA, Davis, SD, etc. I never saw anyone from my unofficial Tier 3/4 in any of the graduating classes, and just a minimal amount of them in the surrounding med schools. Same goes for Cal State schools.

I applied to Davis, Irvine, LA, and Santa Barbara. I’m really hoping to get into Davis.

 

[dunkey]

I applied to Davis, Irvine, LA, and Santa Barbara. I’m really hoping to get into Davis.

Davis is a great school. If you got into all of them, I'd probably recommend going to UCLA. If you get into all except UCLA, I'd recommend choosing between Davis or Irvine whichever is the better fit for you. Santa Barbara only if you don't get into anywhere else.
You can still do well at any school you get into, so don't get discouraged if you're just "left with SB". UC prestige won't hold you back if your premed stats and MCAT are killer. I just recommend again shooting for the best.

 

[DaniSB67]

I recommend also looking at Early acceptance programs for MD or DO schools in your state if you are 90% sure that you want to pursue medicine. Having a medical school spot secured out of high school, not having to apply to lots of med schools, not having to stress over taking a real MCAT, and only focusing on your studies and grades will make life easier for the first 4 years. The undergrad shchools to apply to will be driven by what affiliate schools does that EAP program collaborate with.

 

[SweetBurger]

i go to a "no-name cardinal direction" university. School was easy to maintain 3.95+. Did it help or hurt me? who knows lol. Pick where you are happiest.
Also i want to say many of the people from CA ive met on the interview trail went to UCLA for UG so seems like it has some type of pull (just my n=1 experience)