CSU Differences

[Jman35]

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Ok so if I want to do a postbac at a CSU, is there any difference between which I choose? I live very close to CSU Northridge, but am within driving distance of CSU Los Angeles and CSU Long Beach. Is there any "ranking" or anything that would make either of these more preferable than the others? Right now I am weighing the differences of a 10min drive for CSU Northridge vs. class choices/research opportunities at CSULB and CSULA (both of which would probably be 1hr drives or more for me in traffic).

 

[DrMidlife]

I would choose on convenience, honestly. I seriously doubt that an adcom is going to rank one over another. Sounds like Northridge is easiest to get to - how about parking? Is it expensive?

Also, look at the class schedules, and see what you can find out about getting admitted or taking classes as a non-matric. If one of the 3 close campuses has a vibrant pre-med community, that might be an interesting factor. If one of the campuses is notorious for students NOT being able to get into science classes, that's quite relevant.

Caveat: I graduated from a CSU, but I left California 15 years ago. My little sister graduated from Northridge and liked it.

Best of luck to you.

 

[drizzt3117]

I'm sure northridge will be just fine. There aren't that many differences between the Cal-states.

 

[Jman35]

Yea my sister graduated from Northridge too and loved it, but she did have trouble getting into pharm programs even though she had a great gpa and LOADS of research/pubs/volunteering.

As far as finding out about the pre-med community at the schools, and the difficulty of getting into science classes, what would be the best way of getting this information?

 

[Jaded03]

Yea my sister graduated from Northridge too and loved it, but she did have trouble getting into pharm programs even though she had a great gpa and LOADS of research/pubs/volunteering.

As far as finding out about the pre-med community at the schools, and the difficulty of getting into science classes, what would be the best way of getting this information?

Well, CSU's are jammed packed. I was walking around there as a UC student and I thought I had it bad. I was there on the first day and there were at least 15 students waiting for some code to get in. 😛 It's really weird. As for your sister, Pharm schools are competitive in Cali. Most CSU's have a harder time with being competitive in general unless they apply broadly. I don't see this as too much of a problem for a post-bacc though.

 

[flaahless]

I just graduated CSULB with a microbio degree. Representatives from UC Irvine and USC said they look favorably upon individuals that complete our masters program and recommend it for its low cost and rigorous curriculum. I don't know much about CSULA or CSUN.

I've seen some "rankings" that consider long beach to have the best masters programs in the west, but then again, I think rankings are a pile of BS. What I do know for sure is that Long Beach has the cheapest tuition out of any school in California.

As far as med school goes, I know a few masters students in my research lab who got into med schools, UCI and UCSD, and some others that got into Stanford, Hopkins, Duke, Vandy and Yale.

 

[Jaded03]

I've seen some "rankings" that consider long beach to have the best masters programs in the west, but then again, I think rankings are a pile of BS. What I do know for sure is that Long Beach has the cheapest tuition out of any school in California.

Really? How much? 😛 My CSULB engineer friend looked up that it'd be pay by the unit for any postbacc classes and we opted for the cheap route: LBCC. 😛

 

[flaahless]

For full-time undergrad its like 2500 a year. I'm not sure how much part-time or masters students pay.

 

[Jaded03]

For full-time undergrad its like 2500 a year. I'm not sure how much part-time or masters students pay.

LoL. Wowzers. My microbio degree costs about 3x that. 😛 Oh well, hope my extra minor was worth it 😀. GL, btw! 562!

 

[drizzt3117]

I took my MCAT at LBCC. Suffice it to say, I wouldn't go back there again voluntarily. I take back what I said in the other thread, I think taking your classes at CSULB might be a worthwhile option over LBCC at least from a safety standpoint.

 

[Jman35]

Do the CSUs offer similar classes? I was looking into CSULB because it looked like they offered more classes that I could take vs Northridge. Northridge is very close to my home though, and it would be easier to volunteer/work/do research closer to my house. Does CSULB or CSUN have good research opportunities (which is better?..)? I would like to volunteer or do paid work in a lab and get a few publications under my name in the next 3 years.

 

[Jaded03]

I took my MCAT at LBCC. Suffice it to say, I wouldn't go back there again voluntarily. I take back what I said in the other thread, I think taking your classes at CSULB might be a worthwhile option over LBCC at least from a safety standpoint.

LoL. Haha. I took the MCAT at LBCC. That is NOT LBCC. At least not hte main campus. You saw the extension campus on PCH. I totally recommend LBCC as long as you stay on the LAC (liberal arts college) campus. It's close to Lakewood Mall 😛.

 

[flaahless]

Do the CSUs offer similar classes? I was looking into CSULB because it looked like they offered more classes that I could take vs Northridge. Northridge is very close to my home though, and it would be easier to volunteer/work/do research closer to my house. Does CSULB or CSUN have good research opportunities (which is better?..)? I would like to volunteer or do paid work in a lab and get a few publications under my name in the next 3 years.

I don't know which school offers better research, but the research at CSULB is pretty strong.
In my lab, we are studying ways to improve humoral protection against disseminated fungal infections. Both by increasing antibody binding affinity and specificity as well as complement activation. I love my research and hope to continue. As far as publications go, we are writing up the manuscript as we speak and will submit it some time next month. However, my PI is a real hardass and although it definitely helps you stay on task and get very promising results, very few people have actually survived his lab.

However, I know another lab is working in conjunction with the VA Hospital to treat brain cancer using viral gene therapy.

But there are some labs here that reserach stuff most pre-meds don't really care about, like "flagellar motility of marine archeae" and "bottle neck population patterns of gobi." But at the same time there is some pretty strong medically significant research going on as well.

 

[drizzt3117]

LoL. Haha. I took the MCAT at LBCC. That is NOT LBCC. At least not hte main campus. You saw the extension campus on PCH. I totally recommend LBCC as long as you stay on the LAC (liberal arts college) campus. It's close to Lakewood Mall 😛.

Yeah, that's the one I took it at too... it was pretty sketchy to say the least.

 

[DrMidlife]

Do the CSUs offer similar classes? I was looking into CSULB because it looked like they offered more classes that I could take vs Northridge. Northridge is very close to my home though, and it would be easier to volunteer/work/do research closer to my house. Does CSULB or CSUN have good research opportunities (which is better?..)? I would like to volunteer or do paid work in a lab and get a few publications under my name in the next 3 years.

I wouldn't overestimate the school's ability to "set you up" with a full smorgasbord of premed activities. You'll most likely have to roll your own. No CSU owns a hospital, unlike the UC's. It's not hard to get started on your EC's, but your school won't hand it to you. Look into a structured postbac (such as Scripps) if you want more hand-holding.

Will you be applying for regular admitted full time status? 3 years is a lot - I'd suggest doing a 2nd bachelors if you're going to be at it that long. That way you're possibly eligible for more financial aid, and easier course registration.

 

[Jman35]

I wouldn't overestimate the school's ability to "set you up" with a full smorgasbord of premed activities. You'll most likely have to roll your own. No CSU owns a hospital, unlike the UC's. It's not hard to get started on your EC's, but your school won't hand it to you. Look into a structured postbac (such as Scripps) if you want more hand-holding.

Will you be applying for regular admitted full time status? 3 years is a lot - I'd suggest doing a 2nd bachelors if you're going to be at it that long. That way you're possibly eligible for more financial aid, and easier course registration.

I'm not looking for any hand-holding. As long as the opportunities are there I will seek them out. I just need access to research positions and things like that. I actually am looking to apply for a 2nd bachelors so that I can register for classes earlier and possibly get some financial help. I want to establish myself in a research position for a couple of years, get some pubs, and interact with professors enough to get good LORs. If a school has a certain reputation for having a good science program I would like to go there. I went to a very rigorous and competitive undergrad, so I want to make sure that the school I go to isn't considered "easy" by the adcoms...if that is a posibility. I assume that as long as its a 4-year, Im ok.

 

[sle3pyguii]

Wasn't there some type of bias against the CSU's from one of the UCs? I think it was UCSF.

 

[Nasrudin]

Ok so if I want to do a postbac at a CSU, is there any difference between which I choose? I live very close to CSU Northridge, but am within driving distance of CSU Los Angeles and CSU Long Beach. Is there any "ranking" or anything that would make either of these more preferable than the others? Right now I am weighing the differences of a 10min drive for CSU Northridge vs. class choices/research opportunities at CSULB and CSULA (both of which would probably be 1hr drives or more for me in traffic).

Wassup. I have my 2 cents on this. Comparing ranking of CSU's is like comparing dog poo to cat poo. Sure there might be some differences but we're still in the poo department. I think your own convenience should take the drivers seat.

Secondly, sometimes at big research schools there is a huge pool of premeds that want to stand in line to kiss booty. You might have just as good of a chance in getting a good spot in a lab somewhere where it will be easier to distinguish yourself.

Good luck.

P.S. I go to a CSU. I'm not trying to knock them. But they are what they are--2nd rate underfunded dumping grounds for all the blue collar or just dumber kids out there (cheers to CA's horrible secondary education infrastructure) who are looking for their sliver of the American dream.

 

[Jman35]

Wasn't there some type of bias against the CSU's from one of the UCs? I think it was UCSF.

Even as a postbac?

Wassup. I have my 2 cents on this. Comparing ranking of CSU's is like comparing dog poo to cat poo. Sure there might be some differences but we're still in the poo department. I think your own convenience should take the drivers seat.

Secondly, sometimes at big research schools there is a huge pool of premeds that want to stand in line to kiss booty. You might have just as good of a chance in getting a good spot in a lab somewhere where it will be easier to distinguish yourself.

Good luck.

P.S. I go to a CSU. I'm not trying to knock them. But they are what they are--2nd rate underfunded dumping grounds for all the blue collar or just dumber kids out there (cheers to CA's horrible secondary education infrastructure) who are looking for their sliver of the American dream.

I know what you mean. I did my undergrad at a research school and it was very cutthroat as far as getting in with labs and research. I just want the CSU I choose to give me the chance to rebuild my grades and get in research. Are you saying that convenience should be my only concern?

 

[Nasrudin]

Even as a postbac?



I know what you mean. I did my undergrad at a research school and it was very cutthroat as far as getting in with labs and research. I just want the CSU I choose to give me the chance to rebuild my grades and get in research. Are you saying that convenience should be my only concern?

I also understand, in kind, your point. I am in a city that has numerous opportunities that would benefit you outside of the school that would provide you with a lot of things for you to get into, so my perspective is limited. I don't know anything about the the communities you mention, however, if there are any large hospital systems or any UC affiliates or VA hospitals in these areas maybe you could find clinical research outside of school perhaps mitigating the need to drive long distances.

Maybe you could contact some PI's at different schools explaining your interest and how it effects your decision. If I was a PI and I had an open spot that might be an impressive show of initiative and drive.

Just some comments from the peanut gallery. Sorry. I just really wanted to express my views on the decaying state of disrepair in the CSU system at large.

 

[OCPreMed]

CSU Fullerton has the best CSU program for post bacs and undergrads. They have a health professions advising office, the director taught at harvard med amongst other places. The rate of acceptance is over 85% if you get a letter from the comm. People from CSU Fullerton got accepted to several tier 1 schools. I'm going to UCLA (Not the Drew program), my buddys going to UCSF, full ride to USC as well. Amongst other acceptances would be Tufts, Dartmouth, Yale, UC Davis, Stanford.. the list goes on. They have a lot of NIH funded research labs as well in almost all fields of natural sciences.

Fullerton has a great program, you'd be suprised. Message me if you have any questions.

 

[Jman35]

I also understand, in kind, your point. I am in a city that has numerous opportunities that would benefit you outside of the school that would provide you with a lot of things for you to get into, so my perspective is limited. I don't know anything about the the communities you mention, however, if there are any large hospital systems or any UC affiliates or VA hospitals in these areas maybe you could find clinical research outside of school perhaps mitigating the need to drive long distances.

Maybe you could contact some PI's at different schools explaining your interest and how it effects your decision. If I was a PI and I had an open spot that might be an impressive show of initiative and drive.

Just some comments from the peanut gallery. Sorry. I just really wanted to express my views on the decaying state of disrepair in the CSU system at large.

Yea there is a VA and UCLA/USC/Caltech within driving distance. I have been meaning to contact them but I still havent moved down to socal yet. If I wanted to do research and postbac at the same time, should I only try to get volunteer positions at labs or should I seek out paid spots? Although I would love paid work for financial support, I don't know if I could take a full course load (making sure I got all As), have a job, and do significant volunteering. Whats everyones take on this?

OCPremed, that is some good news. Fullerton is definitely farther from me than I'd want to commute. Do you think the program there is worth it for me to pass up living at my parents for free and going to CSUN, and instead getting an apartment and job to support myself? If I were to drive it would probably be 1 hour w/o traffic, but more realistically 2-3 hours coming from the Northridge area. Although I'm not against the commute, I do feel that going 2 hours each way would take away valuable time in the day that I could use to study/volunteer/research etc. What do you think, would Fullerton be worth the move? And would they give a committee letter to a postbac like me?