how Undergraduate school affect your admission ?

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swaglhighlevel

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I want to become a doctor, i know it depends about your GPA ,MCAT activities and community services
.
I want to ask how people choose their undergraduate on which base you choose at the end of your high school year to attend school A instead of school B. (no one of my family graduate from high school, or attend a college) that's why i don't know how to choose one. I'm actually religious and i want to go to a christian school, it's my dream since junior high but because the cost of education. it's almost impossible :(

I live in CA, my question now "How undergraduate school help you to attend a dental school?". I don't have much money, so right now i have two choice:

Choice A:

I'm leaning towards doing my first two years of my pre-med at a community college and then transferring over to a public university in CA to finish things up.
Would starting out at a community college really come to bite me in the back later when I'm applying for dental schools though? especially i might take 1 year bio, 1 year organic and inorganic chem at CC

Choice B
is to attend a local school, it's actually a CSU, (this not a comparison btw CSU or UC ) it cost only 7,625 for the year, but can i know that this school have a big pre-medical community or the adviser are professional and would help
i check their website and it's from 2011, and the links are old and they doesn't give any information about there organization or if anyone attend a dental school from this school, and the adviser told me when you become a freshman and got admitted we will assist you, but you're not a student so we will not be able to guide you.

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Most people will say that where you go to school doesn't matter, and I disagree. I went to a large state school that everyone has heard of, and many (most?) of my classmates went to large publicly recognized schools. Asking friends elsewhere, it's the same at their school too. There are definitely people from no-name liberal arts schools, but the connections and accountability put out from bigger schools has to hold some weight. Getting a 3.7 at vanderbilt or UCLA is a lot different from getting a 3.7 at upper east virginia college.
 
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Most people will say that where you go to school doesn't matter, and I disagree. I went to a large state school that everyone has heard of, and many (most?) of my classmates went to large publicly recognized schools. Asking friends elsewhere, it's the same at their school too. There are definitely people from no-name liberal arts schools, but the connections and accountability put out from bigger schools has to hold some weight. Getting a 3.7 at vanderbilt or UCLA is a lot different from getting a 3.7 at upper east virginia college.

as a medical student what do you think about the second choice
i think to go there and start having connection with other people who are interesting in becoming doctors ?
can you advice me
 
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I want to become a doctor, i know it depends about your GPA ,MCAT activities and community services
.
I want to ask how people choose their undergraduate on which base you choose at the end of your high school year to attend school A instead of school B. (no one of my family graduate from high school, or attend a college) that's why i don't know how to choose one. I'm actually religious and i want to go to a christian school, it's my dream since junior high but because the cost of education. it's almost impossible :(

I live in CA, my question now "How undergraduate school help you to attend a dental school?". I don't have much money, so right now i have two choice:

Choice A:

I'm leaning towards doing my first two years of my pre-med at a community college and then transferring over to a public university in CA to finish things up.
Would starting out at a community college really come to bite me in the back later when I'm applying for dental schools though? especially i might take 1 year bio, 1 year organic and inorganic chem at CC

Choice B
is to attend a local school, it's actually a CSU, (this not a comparison btw CSU or UC ) it cost only 7,625 for the year, but can i know that this school have a big pre-medical community or the adviser are professional and would help
i check their website and it's from 2011, and the links are old and they doesn't give any information about there organization or if anyone attend a dental school from this school, and the adviser told me when you become a freshman and got admitted we will assist you, but you're not a student so we will not be able to guide you.

Depends on the medical school. The dean of admissions at a medical school I visited was asked this question. She said that she looks for applicants to be successful with the opportunity they have. If they went to a less competitive institution they expect good grades in more advanced classes (biochem) and good MCAT scores.
 
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Most people will say that where you go to school doesn't matter, and I disagree. I went to a large state school that everyone has heard of, and many (most?) of my classmates went to large publicly recognized schools. Asking friends elsewhere, it's the same at their school too. There are definitely people from no-name liberal arts schools, but the connections and accountability put out from bigger schools has to hold some weight. Getting a 3.7 at vanderbilt or UCLA is a lot different from getting a 3.7 at upper east virginia college.
Someone understands finally haha
 
Wherever you decide, just make sure you can maintain a high GPA (and swaglevel?) there. Good luck and hope all works out well for you and your family.
 
OP are you confused or just keeping your options open? Because you cross posted this thread on hSDN but with "I want to be a dentist "
both i do some shadowing at a dental office and i like it, same for at a doctor !
 
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OP are you confused or just keeping your options open? Because you cross posted this thread on hSDN but with "I want to be a dentist "
as you are a medical student what do you think about the second choice ?!
 
both i do some shadowing at a dental office and i like it, same for at a doctor !

My bad!

as you are a medical student what do you think about the second choice ?!

I dig the second choice because you have more access to pre professional things. CC is great for saving money but limits your ability to pursue medicine to about the allied health professions.

Do option one if money is right. If not, option two.
 
Do the second option. After graduating from a state university with little debt, and having no problems getting into med school I am happy I did. I don't think CC is a good idea unless you have too. We had some transfers from CC to my state school Ochem class, but they were way behind everyone else and said their labs left much to be desired. Its really important to get a solid science background so don't cheat yourself if you don't have too. Especially since you have a cheaper state school option.
 
Most people will say that where you go to school doesn't matter, and I disagree. I went to a large state school that everyone has heard of, and many (most?) of my classmates went to large publicly recognized schools. Asking friends elsewhere, it's the same at their school too. There are definitely people from no-name liberal arts schools, but the connections and accountability put out from bigger schools has to hold some weight. Getting a 3.7 at vanderbilt or UCLA is a lot different from getting a 3.7 at upper east virginia college.
There's a whole lot less people that graduate from small liberal arts colleges though. I went from community college to a medium-sized no name liberal arts school and got piles of IIs.
 
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Do the second option. After graduating from a state university with little debt, and having no problems getting into med school I am happy I did. I don't think CC is a good idea unless you have too. We had some transfers from CC to my state school Ochem class, but they were way behind everyone else and said their labs left much to be desired. Its really important to get a solid science background so don't cheat yourself if you don't have too. Especially since you have a cheaper state school option.
It really depends on the CC and how seriously you take the work. I had some very difficult CC professors that really helped prepare me for the MCAT and university-level sciences. My score reflects that. I mean, my CC had 30 students per class and professors that were highly available, with lands taught by professors instead of TAs. It was a much better experience than lecture halls with 120 students and labs taught by other students. Most of my university science professors didn't even know my name lol.
 
It really depends on the CC and how seriously you take the work. I had some very difficult CC professors that really helped prepare me for the MCAT and university-level sciences. My score reflects that. I mean, my CC had 30 students per class and professors that were highly available, with lands taught by professors instead of TAs. It was a much better experience than lecture halls with 120 students and labs taught by other students. Most of my university science professors didn't even know my name lol.

For sure. I think the main factor is how motivated you are, CC or university. I also took one class at a CC and had a really great teacher, but the labs were really bad with old equipment. I'm sure its not the same at every CC, but that was my experience. In OP's situation I think it would be best to start at the state school. If not for the courses definitely do it for the college experience. Some of my best memories so far are from freshman and sophomore years in undergrad.
 
For sure. I think the main factor is how motivated you are, CC or university. I also took one class at a CC and had a really great teacher, but the labs were really bad with old equipment. I'm sure its not the same at every CC, but that was my experience. In OP's situation I think it would be best to start at the state school. If not for the courses definitely do it for the college experience. Some of my best memories so far are from freshman and sophomore years in undergrad.
I agree that his best option is state school for a few reasons. Social life is one, research and EC opportunities, connections, reputation, and the course transfer issues that are inherent with the CC portion that you avoid. Just saying that CC is a viable option that can provide an excellent educational experience.
 
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Do whatever saves you money. There are literally countless people who become dentists and doctors from large public universities, and then there are countless people who do the same thing from a community college and then transfer. About 90% of your opportunities will fall on you and your ability to get good grades and thats about it.

I mean if its a couple thousand dollar difference then it doesnt matter, go with whatever you feel is better. But if we are talking $30,000 different over a couple years then you really should consider the cheaper options. Lets say best case scenario, you end up eventually becoming a doctor or dentist, thats like 40K less of debt in the long haul, which in the end doesnt seem like a big deal... But now lets discuss the worst case scenario: you go through college and either bomb it so you cant become a doctor/dentist, or choose something else (which is 100% fine!). That is some HEFTY money to pay back on a normal salary. I would know... about half my paycheck every month goes straight to "the man's" pocket... it actually makes living on your own considerably harder. It has caused legitimate hardship for my wife and I who have been unable to see family, do things we wish we could do, see places we would wish to see, buy the types of groceries we wish we could eat, fix our car, buy tires, tons of stuff... Money is very real at the end of the day.

In college I basically had a "put it on my tab" kind of mentality, but that was so unhealthy to have. I am now having to pay it back every month and it hurts. If I could go back I would have done 2 years at a community college, destroyed my classes. Then transferred with better grades (can we say better access to scholarships?) to a cheaper school than I attended and would have built up the same types of relationships with professors that I had anyways. Most of my solid long term relationships and opportunities with professors that resulted in internships and jobs did not occur until my 3rd and 4th years anyways, since most labs would prefer having an upper classman with more knowledge than a freshman. Literally every single internship I had but ONE said you have to be a junior and/or have taken class A, B, or C which were all 300 or 400 level classes - AND you had to do well in those classes obviously (so again this falls on YOU not the school you are at)... I currently have over 4,000 hours of research experience between interning at my school, interning and working at the USDA, and now working at the medical college of Wisconsin. So again, just trying to say I am coming from legit experience. All of those experiences, except for 1 summer internship, happened during or after my junior year in college specifically for the reasons mentioned above.

So in the end, just do whatever is cheapest. If you want to become a dentist or doctor, you will make it work regardless of where you are, just as the tens of thousands of people before you did. So your best option is to go to a community college or state school or whatever is cheapest.

While we are on this topic, read this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Dr-Journey-Migrant-Surgeon/dp/0520271181

Guy started as a first generation student at a community college in California and now he is a neurosurgeon at Hopkins.
 
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I spent 2 years in a community college going from engineering to health science, then transferred into a 4 year college.

If your high school grades aren't too hot, you can be like me: CC was my second shot at proving myself I could do well in school. I metaphorically graduated from high school in college. If your high school grades are at a level where you can attend a senior college and you feel motivated to upkeep that studying then take it and run. The curriculum will 100% set you in the right track towards medicine and the MCAT.

College is like an investment. You throw tons of cash in, you don't know if you as a stock will go up, but you keep throwing money into it. A bunch of people profit from investing in college; and sadly, the same for the opposite end, as well.

If I could go back, I'd go straight into a senior college.


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Do the second option. After graduating from a state university with little debt, and having no problems getting into med school I am happy I did. I don't think CC is a good idea unless you have too. We had some transfers from CC to my state school Ochem class, but they were way behind everyone else and said their labs left much to be desired. Its really important to get a solid science background so don't cheat yourself if you don't have too. Especially since you have a cheaper state school option.
Don't agree with the your cc analysis. It all depends on which cc you go
To, the classes you take, your profs, and how much you put in. I took ALL of my science prereqs at my cc and they were all much tougher than any class I took at ucla. I then also did well on the sciences on the Mcat so I really don't think going to cc was a bad idea. Plus I saved a load of cash.
 
Do the second option. After graduating from a state university with little debt, and having no problems getting into med school I am happy I did. I don't think CC is a good idea unless you have too. We had some transfers from CC to my state school Ochem class, but they were way behind everyone else and said their labs left much to be desired. Its really important to get a solid science background so don't cheat yourself if you don't have too. Especially since you have a cheaper state school option.
I'd also like to add that I do agree however that taking all science courses or a lot of CC credits can limit chances at an MD school. However, since this is a DO thread, I assume the Op was interested in DO and they don't care at all.
 
Don't agree with the your cc analysis. It all depends on which cc you go
To, the classes you take, your profs, and how much you put in. I took ALL of my science prereqs at my cc and they were all much tougher than any class I took at ucla. I then also did well on the sciences on the Mcat so I really don't think going to cc was a bad idea. Plus I saved a load of cash.
After re-reading my post, I may have came off as more harsh on CC's than I intended. In order to do good in class at CC, UG University or med school it takes self-motivation. Both will prepare you for the MCAT if you spend the time and develop a good understanding of the material/concepts.

What I should have said is that Universities tend to have more resources which may help you understand lecture concepts better when you are in lab. Additionally, many CC's tend to have more commuter students, career changing students and a mix of people using it as a stepping stone to university for whatever reason (money, low HS grades etc). I do think that if they have the chance to start directly in a university that is ~ 8,000/yr then they should take that opportunity. You cant deny it, university is a unique experience that should be taken if given the chance. You will be at a place with a bunch of people your age who want to meet new people, party, attend school events etc all while getting an education. If you can find a balance between your social life and school you will have an awesome experience. Just make sure to not let school consume your life. You are young and should enjoy that time. I am happy I did. I made great friends and had some pretty crazy experiences at university. If I only focused on school I would be miserable in Med school since there is a lot less time for fun (there still is time though). Good luck!
 
Even with OP not around, I wanted to add some info about this topic (and a little bit tangentially related to admissions). This morning, I spoke with a school, who rejected me, about weaknesses within my application. Two somewhat surprising things came up:

1. Of my recent coursework, the fact that some of it was at a community college was at least noted. Though I was told they don't penalize people for that at this stage, I'm not sure why else it would have been brought up. They were impressed with my grades at my large public university, but said sometimes CC is less rigorous. They also added that the amount of hours I took didn't look great. I found this part strange as I took full loads (<12 hours) each semester, including summers, while working.

2. My overall MCAT is a 32, so the rep told me it was an impressive score, but kind of all over the place. My subsections were 14P 10B and 8V, all which I figured were plenty high enough to not worry about the unbalanced nature of the score. Though my PS was great, they felt like my BS and V should have been higher.

I'll reserve mentioning the school out of respect, but I wanted to mention that at least one (likely more) admissions committee is considering some things it had somewhat taken for granted.

I should note, my cGPA is quite low (3.15ish), and I had an uphill battle from the start.
 
For most MD schools, a 9VR is at the 10th %ile, that combined with a cGPA that is far below the median of 3.6, would be enough to be lethal, unless you had had some significant upward trending, and/or did a post-bac.

If the latter, then targeting the right schools (which believe in reinvention) is crucial, long with having a stellar MCAT (>33).

You're fine for DO schools, nontrad. Mine would take you seriously, VR score, CC coursework and all.

And yes, I was asking about swaggie. I could see that s/he made a duplicate post in the pre-allo forum, but that usually doesn't trigger the banhammer.

Even with OP not around, I wanted to add some info about this topic (and a little bit tangentially related to admissions). This morning, I spoke with a school, who rejected me, about weaknesses within my application. Two somewhat surprising things came up:

1. Of my recent coursework, the fact that some of it was at a community college was at least noted. Though I was told they don't penalize people for that at this stage, I'm not sure why else it would have been brought up. They were impressed with my grades at my large public university, but said sometimes CC is less rigorous. They also added that the amount of hours I took didn't look great. I found this part strange as I took full loads (<12 hours) each semester, including summers, while working.

2. My overall MCAT is a 32, so the rep told me it was an impressive score, but kind of all over the place. My subsections were 14P 10B and 8V, all which I figured were plenty high enough to not worry about the unbalanced nature of the score. Though my PS was great, they felt like my BS and V should have been higher.

I'll reserve mentioning the school out of respect, but I wanted to mention that at least one (likely more) admissions committee is considering some things it had somewhat taken for granted.

I should note, my cGPA is quite low (3.15ish), and I had an uphill battle from the start.
 
For most MD schools, a 9VR is at the 10th %ile, that combined with a cGPA that is far below the median of 3.6, would be enough to be lethal, unless you had had some significant upward trending, and/or did a post-bac.

If the latter, then targeting the right schools (which believe in reinvention) is crucial, long with having a stellar MCAT (>33).

You're fine for DO schools, nontrad. Mine would take you seriously, VR score, CC coursework and all.

And yes, I was asking about swaggie. I could see that s/he made a duplicate post in the pre-allo forum, but that usually doesn't trigger the banhammer.
This actually was a DO school. I understood their reasoning, and still have some options I'll do my best to capitalize on. I've applied to some state MD schools, but hold out no real hope there. I appreciate the feedback very much.

Regarding swaggie, I was saying I thought it was his very high level of swag that got him removed.
 
After re-reading my post, I may have came off as more harsh on CC's than I intended. In order to do good in class at CC, UG University or med school it takes self-motivation. Both will prepare you for the MCAT if you spend the time and develop a good understanding of the material/concepts.

What I should have said is that Universities tend to have more resources which may help you understand lecture concepts better when you are in lab. Additionally, many CC's tend to have more commuter students, career changing students and a mix of people using it as a stepping stone to university for whatever reason (money, low HS grades etc). I do think that if they have the chance to start directly in a university that is ~ 8,000/yr then they should take that opportunity. You cant deny it, university is a unique experience that should be taken if given the chance. You will be at a place with a bunch of people your age who want to meet new people, party, attend school events etc all while getting an education. If you can find a balance between your social life and school you will have an awesome experience. Just make sure to not let school consume your life. You are young and should enjoy that time. I am happy I did. I made great friends and had some pretty crazy experiences at university. If I only focused on school I would be miserable in Med school since there is a lot less time for fun (there still is time though). Good luck!
Couldn't agree more.
 
Most people will say that where you go to school doesn't matter, and I disagree. I went to a large state school that everyone has heard of, and many (most?) of my classmates went to large publicly recognized schools. Asking friends elsewhere, it's the same at their school too. There are definitely people from no-name liberal arts schools, but the connections and accountability put out from bigger schools has to hold some weight. Getting a 3.7 at vanderbilt or UCLA is a lot different from getting a 3.7 at upper east virginia college.

As someone who attended two SMALL liberal arts schools for two separate degrees, I find this post incredibly offensive. I attended a major university for my first year and transfered to the smaller school. I can safely say that the course work was equally difficult but the small school allowed me more one-on-one attention. I am also surprised such a statement is coming from a DO. You should know better then to put stock into a school or degree. All that matters is how well you do in school and how well you apply that knowledge. To add some credibility to this, I am currently applying to schools. I have 7 ii total and 1 acceptance so far. I would say i'm doing pretty well and I didn't need a bigger school behind me.
 
Apply broadly to more DO schools, especially the newer ones.

This actually was a DO school. I understood their reasoning, and still have some options I'll do my best to capitalize on. I've applied to some state MD schools, but hold out no real hope there. I appreciate the feedback very much.

Regarding swaggie, I was saying I thought it was his very high level of swag that got him removed.
 
so much banning on this site, wow.
 
Apply broadly to more DO schools, especially the newer ones.
I did. For the DOs, I have 3 rejections, 2 interviews, and 8 where I'm complete. The interviews are at Touro NV and ACOM. Many of these were new, including the one discussed above. Hoping to hear from TouroNY after submitting secondary, and like my chances at a few others, but we'll see. Focusing on interviews I do have for now.
 
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