Hopeful Pre-Medical Student- Need advice!

[netherbuoyant]

Hi Everyone,
I've been stressing out a lot lately because of my current situation. To provide some background about me, I am currently a California Community College student. Initially, I went to an out-of-state private school for 2-1/2 years as a computer science major, which I did not do so well (~2.8) due to a variety of reasons. After 1-1/2 years at the community college level, I am in the process of transferring out. I was just rejected by UCR as a biology major because I am a high unit transfer, i.e I have too many credits (They told me this after I contacted the admissions through email). Thus, my outlook for receiving admissions from any UC's I've applied to (UCD, UCB, UCSD, UCSB, and UCI) are not favored.

My next alternative is to transfer to Cal Poly Pomona as a biology major (which I've already received admissions), and from what I have heard, going to a CSU limits your chances of gaining admissions to medical school. At this point, I am feeling a bit depressed because I think I've done everything I can. I've done well in my classes(currently have a ~3.4 cumulative(CCC+ Private)). Furthermore, I am looking for research opportunities in the summer, and plan to look for volunteer opportunities once COVID restrictions go down. I know that I am still a long way when it comes to medical school; however, the idea of going to Cal Poly Pomona scares me because I am afraid that it will close the door to medical school. Can anyone provide me with some words of wisdom or experiential data?

Also, I've been thinking about biting the bullet and trying to apply to some out-of-state schools (University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities). Does this even sound reasonable? It will be 60k vs 6k, which to me sounds pretty unreasonable if the possibility exists in getting to medical school from CPP. Another thing, I've been thinking about is applying to a post-baccalaureate at a more prestigious school after I matriculate from Cal Poly Pomona. I haven't really given it much thought or research; however, I've heard that there are programs that almost guarantee acceptance to medical school programs as long as you do well in the program. My last question is do medical schools outside of California care? I am not really too picky about getting accepted into a particular medical school. I only want to be in a position to get accepted into a medical school program that will allow me to practice in the U.S. Please if anyone has advice for me, I would greatly appreciate it!

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[GreenDuck12]

Basic principles of getting into medical school:
1. Doing well in school is more important than where you go to school
2. Doing well in what you study is more important than what you study
3. Demonstrate your attributes and passion for medicine through a few experiences rather than by cultivating many experiences to check off boxes
4. This process is competitive and maddening at times - focus on the things you can control and let go of the rest

There are thousands of institutions of higher learning in the US. Outside of a few national powerhouse programs and some regional programs, there are too many for admissions committees to track. Students from all types of school gain admission to medical school. Likewise students from all types of schools do not receive an admission to medical school. For your next step, I would focus on finding a school that: 1. Has the field you want to study 2. Has resources/support system to help you succeed and 3. Is the least expensive. If you do well in school, perform well on the mcat, build up a decent CV, and write thoughtful responses in your applications I’m confident attending school X instead of Y or Z will not make an impact.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Temporal_weapon]

I’m a little lost in that acronym soup but I’m sensing an upward trend and that’s always looked upon favorably by adcoms.

Any particular reason you’re looking to transfer to college park? If you take a rejection from UMD, please don’t take it personally. It’s got one slippery acceptance rate. Out of 8 people I personally know that applied, I’m the only one that got in. Most had the same GPAs and far better SAT scores. It's actually kinda bizzare to watch them turn down hs kids with immaculate stats and 3.8 transfers on the megathreads.

Also... shadow, shadow, shadow. Try to weasel in where you can, even in these lean times. You may find something that you completely are enamored with that isn’t medicine but ties more in to research or tech. Its important to discover your preference sooner rather than later.

I find a lot of premeds get caught up in numbers but I feel like adcoms care more about what you learned and what your experiences are. If you’re north of 3.5, you’re generally ok.

I’m guessing from context clues that CPP is a CS-exclusive school. You’re going to want to venture into the sciences, and taking a more general curriculum will expose you to a biology-centered repertoire. It would be a real horror show if you discovered you hated science your first year of med school.

Just try to frame things as a learning experience. Try not to get too caught up in numbers or affiliations. It won't serve you in the long run. Keep hope alive. Take a deep breath, you'll be fine.