Enigma for me... UCI or SFSU?

[sephonly]

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I'm a student @ a community college at the moment and have to pick between these two schools to transfer: UC Irvine or San Fransisco State University. I'll be taking MCAT next spring then and applying in 2006 for Medschools. Will it look extremely bad that I went to a CC and transfered into a State and still end up around with a gpa of 3.5? Or is it beter that I go to UCI and fight hard to get that kind of a gpa or slightly less. I have no preference to which medschool I want to go to (as of now) and obviously I haven't taken the MCAT yet and will study madly starting summer+.

Any bit of advice? I'm asking this question purely from an academic point of view. Yes there are other things like city-life, finances, community, but I want to know the answer purely from the point of view that which one will better enhance whatever-chance-I have for med school (Consider that I'm in CC right now).

Thanks for any advice guys!

 

[notdeadyet]

UCI has a much better academic reputation than SFSU. SFSU is _very_ easy to get into and good grades are easier to come by. If you're looking to go to med schools in California, the reputations of SFSU and UCI are better known than they probably would be on the east coast, though. That's not to say that getting a 3.5 at UCI is better than a 4.0 at SFSU, just that all things being equal, UCI grades will carry you farther.

That said, this should not be the primary consideration. People who would be happy at SFSU would be miserable at UCI. People who really dig UCI would hate SFSU.

Can't stress enough, you would be hard pressed to find two schools more different academically and philosophically than UCI and SFSU. And I don't think it's possible to find two living environments that could be any different than Irvine and San Francisco.

Keep this in mind. If you are unhappy where you're living, you won't do as well academically. If you'd truly love either UCI or SFSU, the other would probably feel like crawling through broken glass. Trust me, I grew up 5 miles from UCI and moved to the Bay Area years ago. Can't find two places more dissimilar.

 

[sdnstud]

I'd go with UCI as well, simply because UCI has a medical school and SFSU does not. Once you're at UCI, you can conduct research at the medical school, shadow a UCI clinican, and or volunteer at its student-run clinic. You can get a letter of recommendation from someone associated with the college of medicine and this letter can be a tremendous asset to your application.

But, you're talking about living in irvine vs SF 🙄

 

[Uegis]

I have no opinions on which place to go. I think if you have the drive to do what you want, you can go to either school and still make it to a great program.

I do know of someone who did the informal post-bacc program at SFSU and got into GREAT medical schools. The classes she took were just regular ugrad pre-req courses, nothing out of the ordinary, similar to the courses you will take there. She said the pre-med advising is not that great there, but do provide you with resources to go do your own thing. The opportunities in SF itself is invaluable. Volunteering at SF General or UCSF, numerous volunteer organizations are HQ'ed in the city, and the multi-ethnic population allows for some unique experiences in volunteering/life experiences. I would not discount SFSU just because of its reputation as being "easy to get into" I am also not saying it will be a better choice for you personally. But I just want to present the positives of SFSU before you completely rule out the school. Oh yea, it's freaking expensive to live in SF, but I guess that is equalized by the higher tuition at UCI and its pretty expensive to live in orange county anyway.

 

[USCTex]

The opportunities in SF itself is invaluable. Volunteering at SF General or UCSF, numerous volunteer organizations are HQ'ed in the city, and the multi-ethnic population allows for some unique experiences in volunteering/life experiences.

UCI is an hour something south of the most diverse city in the world 🙂


The truth is, if you do well at your four year, no matter where you go, you'll have oppurtunities for medical school.
But man, I feel sorry for all cali residents...tough state schools to get into. Maybe you should move to Texas. 🙂
Plus, if you're not already in nor cal and you move up there you'll have to learn to say things like, "Hella Nor Cal"...which just makes you sound stupid.

 

[sdnstud]

"Hella Nor Cal"....

dude, that's hella not true!!!

 

[notdeadyet]

UCI is an hour something south of the most diverse city in the world 🙂

Yeah, but it's LA... (couldn't resist). I knew a slew of UCI folks and few of them went to LA with any regularity. Most UCI students hail from southern california anyway, so it tends to get pretty localized.

You're dead right about the important thing to do well.

Plus, if you're not already in nor cal and you move up there you'll have to learn to say things like, "Hella Nor Cal"...which just makes you sound stupid.

Lived here in SF for 11 years and never heard the expression aside from folks making fun of youngsters. I think it's more a kid thing than a Northern California thing. My nephews in LA use it all the time.

Could be worse. California could be afflicted with the "wicked" thing that seems to be rampant on the east coast.

 

[Code Brown]

People at more "prestigious" schools won't like this, but here goes.

Pick the environment you want to go to school in. If you go to UCI, you'll be in a competitive pre-med environment where you have 300-400 pre-meds to deal with in every class. At SFSU, my guess is that only 30-40 will be applying to med school each year and so interaction with professors for those coveted LOR's will be easier, it will be easier to get research, and it will be easier to get a higher GPA. UCI will make getting into the top-10's a lot easier but going to SFSU could help inflate your GPA, making entrance to medical school in general easier. Medical schools like to accept people with high GPA's/high MCAT's so they can fluff up their entrance numbers as this helps in the rankings. The people at BU or MCW or Wake won't care which one you went to, only what your MCAT/GPA were. The people at Yale and Columbia will. On another note, with a 3.9+/34+, no one will care where you went. IMHO, this is the major point you need to consider. As for pre-health advising, they are both gonna be lousy, so don't worry about that. That's what SDN is for 👍 .

 

[notdeadyet]

At SFSU, my guess is that only 30-40 will be applying to med school each year and so interaction with professors for those coveted LOR's will be easier, it will be easier to get research, and it will be easier to get a higher GPA.

Keep in mind that SFSU is a pretty impacted school and getting the classes you want can sometimes be a challenge. Class sizes can run large (though instructors are usually very approachable) and there is not nearly the amount of research at SFSU as you would have at a comparable sized UC.

On another note, with a 3.9+/34+, no one will care where you went. IMHO, this is the major point you need to consider.

Too true. To the OP: Go where you'll be happiest. You'll enjoy your student years better, will be happier, will perform better in classes and will be a better all around candidate. You can make either _school_ work for you, but there's not much you can do to be happy with where you're studying. SF is very northern californian and Irvine is very southern.

 

[USCTex]

Lived here in SF for 11 years and never heard the expression aside from folks making fun of youngsters. I think it's more a kid thing than a Northern California thing. My nephews in LA use it all the time.
.

It's probably not even used that much in northern cali 🙂 It's just all these northen kids who move down to LA for school...and try to remind themselves of their nor cal identity by over using it but man, I HATE THAT PHRASE.

 

[Uegis]

UCI is an hour something south of the most diverse city in the world 🙂

Hahah, yea. But both cities are very different in terms of atmosphere/culture. Neither one is better, but its just something different. Life in SF just feels a bit less hectic and relaxed, espeically in the area where SFSU is at next to the Mall and Lake Merced. I went to high school around the corner from SFSU.

Going back to the OP, like everyone said, get a high MCAT/GPA good letters and you're set.

 

[sephonly]

Thanks for all the advice so far guys and keep all the personal experiences coming as to when you had to decide between some prestigious school vs. a school like SF state.

I live in concord, I'm practically in SF (30 mins away). In terms of where I'd rather live, I'd rather stay here near SF because my parents are here and I'm very family-oriented. But on the other hand, moving away to UCI will offer the personal college experience or whatnot and maybe, just maybe[/i make me more responsible 😉 So either would be good in that sense.

Parents would rather me go to UCI since its more prestigious and everyone knows parents... As for the academic reasons, I liked so far what u guys said. Basically UCI will offer me more research oppurtunitie and clinical experience and references whiel SFstate wont? Is that the gist of it or can I also go to UCSF or something from SFSU for these type of exp/references. THx for all the information guys, i'm going to be hooked on tot his forum from now till.. a long time =) (lets not make it any longer than 2 yrs... 😀).

 

[sephonly]

On another note, with a 3.9+/34+, no one will care where you went.

Haha, I wouldn't get carried away.. my GPA is pathetically sitting at 3.2 at the moment and I will have summer, fall, and then spring to improve upon it, and the most I will be realistically be able to raise it is to the 3.4-3.5 region. MCAT though is open game I guess =)

 

[sephonly]

"Hella Norcal"??

C'mon that's so not true. At best we say WEST COAST. But not Hella Norcal... you must've met a wacko

 

[USCTex]

You must've met a wacko

Or 20 🙂

 

[Code Brown]

Haha, I wouldn't get carried away.. my GPA is pathetically sitting at 3.2 at the moment and I will have summer, fall, and then spring to improve upon it, and the most I will be realistically be able to raise it is to the 3.4-3.5 region. MCAT though is open game I guess =)

With a 3.2 GPA, my suggestion would be to go to whatever school allows you to boost it up as high as possible, which will probably be SFSU. A 3.2 will make it a lot tougher to get in. UCI may not be the best place to do that if you're only pulling a 3.2 in JC. The material is the same, but the competition will be higher at UCI for those A's. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[notdeadyet]

It's probably not even used that much in northern cali 🙂 It's just all these northen kids who move down to LA for school...and try to remind themselves of their nor cal identity by over using it but man, I HATE THAT PHRASE.

I read that. My personal bete noire is "Cali". At first it was just the transplants that used that term, but it seems to have infected the young California natives as well. It's hard to pull that one off unless you're a rapper. Annoying.

 

[notdeadyet]

With a 3.2 GPA, my suggestion would be to go to whatever school allows you to boost it up as high as possible, which will probably be SFSU. A 3.2 will make it a lot tougher to get in. UCI may not be the best place to do that if you're only pulling a 3.2 in JC. The material is the same, but the competition will be higher at UCI for those A's. Just my 2 cents worth.

I can't agree with CB more. If you're getting a 3.2 at the JC, for whatever reason, you might be better off at SFSU. Not that you couldn't do fine at UCI, but State will be loads harder than your JC and UCI will be loads harder than State. And unfortunately, getting into med school is very much the numbers game and you'll have to hedge your bets to do well and get your grades up.

And in spite of what you may tell yourself, if you're leaving home for the first time, the odds of being _more_ responsible your first year at college are pretty remote. Living on your own in a new place with new friends can make it hard to focus on pure academics.

And also keep in mind that while SFSU may not spoon feed you great research/volunteer opportunities, that doesn't mean they don't exist. SFGH has a fantastic volunteer program, some of which (I'm thinking of the ER and Tom Wadell clinic) are quite clinical. And if you can't find the research possibilities at state, there are other hospitals that are research oriented (CHOak, etc.). Experiences are what you make of them.

But GPA is king.

 

[Loco Loki]

I did waaaaayyy better in UCI than my JC. I'll tell you why:

UCI is filled with people who memorize, memorize, memorize. If you are good at, you know, thinking, just pick the "hardest" teachers who are known to ask "tricky" questions. That way, you can study a whole semester's worth of materiel in one night, and still set the curve.

I dunno, but that is just my rant, don't mind it. I say go to where you think the most opportunities are though.