HS Senior! Help With College Search!

[Future_M.D]

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I don't need advice anymore, I just don't know how to delete this.
Thank you once again to those who gave me good advice.

 

[Developer]

Eh I'd avoid going to a CSU for two reasons in your case. If you plan to transfer, it'll be much harder to do a CSU -> UC transfer than a California Community College (CCC) -> UC transfer. CCCs have transfer priority to UCs and they offer many programs such as TAP and TAG which can easily get you admission to a great UC.

Second reason is that a CSU isn't the best choice for a premed. CSUs won't have that many (or maybe even any) research opportunities available.

If I were you, I'd apply to a few UCs and any other universities of your choice, see where you get in and if you're happy with an acceptance from a college offering you financial aid or anything of that sort, attend there. If not, go to a CCC, keep a high GPA and you'll most likely be able to get into a UC of your choice. I have friends that transfered to UCs like Berkeley and LA from my CC.

Good luck in your college app cycle!

 

[Future_M.D]

Thank you! This was the best advice I've received so far.

 

[fireflygirl]

Hello everyone, I am a high school senior who is having a hard time in deciding on a good path to medical school. What I mean by that is, as we all know, students from Ivy League schools and UC's have better chances of getting into medical school, however, I do not have good enough grades to get into an Ivy League or UC since my grades freshman year and half of my sophomore year of high school wasn't really up to par.

So please don't think like this because it's totally untrue! I did not go to an Ivy League or a UC school and I did just fine. I think @Developer gave you great advice. It's just a pet peeve of mine for people to think that they have to go to some Top 10 school to get into med school. Work hard, make the right choices about where you go to school, and you'll be fine!

 

[Future_M.D]

So please don't think like this because it's totally untrue! I did not go to an Ivy League or a UC school and I did just fine. I think @Developer gave you great advice. It's just a pet peeve of mine for people to think that they have to go to some Top 10 school to get into med school. Work hard, make the right choices about where you go to school, and you'll be fine!

That's exactly how I felt at first! But I've been hearing that any UC student or Ivy League student would get picked over a CSU student with the same stats. Maybe I will just go to a university out of state to get my undergraduate degree then come back to California for med school IF I don't like it too much being out of state.

Thanks so much for the advice!! I needed that.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Hello everyone, I am a high school senior who is having a hard time in deciding on a good path to medical school. What I mean by that is, as we all know, students from Ivy League schools and UC's have better chances of getting into medical school, however, I do not have good enough grades to get into an Ivy League or UC since my grades freshman year and half of my sophomore year of high school wasn't really up to par. When I told one of my teachers about this and stated that I should go to a community college first and transfer to one of the "higher ranked" universities, she completely cut me off and stated that I am "too mature" and "too hard-working" to go to a CC first and that if anything, I should go to a CSU first.
I took into account what she said,but, I am also aware that it is quite easier to pull off a high GPA at most, if not all CSU's. I want to actually learn and have challenging classes and professors throughout my college life as an undergrad; I don't want to go to a university that is easy. I am also worried that going to a university that is easy to get into such as the University of Hawaii,Manoa or University of Nevada, Las Vegas will potentially lessen my chances of getting into a good medical school.

I planned on applying to the University of Hawaii,Manoa since I would love to live and get to experience Hawaii itself and everyone's culture within it. BUT, their acceptance rate is around 80% which is pretty high, and i'm not sure if their classes are even challenging because of the fact that it is so easy to get into. Although I would love to experience four years of college in a place as beautiful as Hawaii, I do not want its "lower standards" to interfere with my competitiveness as a future med school applicant.

Now, I know some of you may be thinking "if she can't do high school work what makes her think she's good enough to go to med school?" Good Point! Thing is, I CAN do high school work, no problem, easy peasy! I CHOSE not to when I was younger. My second semester grades of my sophomore year in high school drastically changed from my previous grades. I got 1.0-2.8 in my starting years and after that, my grades have never went below a 3.0 GPA!

I don't really know what to do at this point, since my grades are only competitive for CSU's,out of state universities, and possibly a few UC's, but I have been in California all my life and I've never actually planned on going to college in California until I found out it's way cheaper than going to one out of state.

Any suggestions? Advice?

"What I mean by that is, as we all know, students from Ivy League schools and UC's have better chances of getting into medical school,"

This is why hSDN is what it is.

 

[akram_laiq]

I mean, you should go to a college where you will like and where you will excel. Just like what others have said, don't feel pressured that you should go to a brand name college. By the time you'll get into med school, nobody would care! So pick somewhere affordable, nice and credited and go from there! Good luck!😉

 

[Future_M.D]

"What I mean by that is, as we all know, students from Ivy League schools and UC's have better chances of getting into medical school,"

This is why hSDN is what it is.

Awesome.

 

[S0CaLGuY]

Students from top schools have better chances because they are stronger in general. The average Ivy student is much stronger than the average CSU student so they're most likely going to have higher MCAT scores, a better GPA, and would have had access to better opportunities. Just the "name" of the school doesn't mean that much.

Are you going to be able to get quality ECs and succeed at a CSU? Most CSUs are commuter so it doesn't feel much different from a community college. I'd do the CC->UC route if you don't get into a UC outright.

Aren't most Calif med schools associated with UCs? I'd think they'd give preference to UC students over CSU students.

 

[akram_laiq]

Aren't most Calif med schools associated with UCs? I'd think they'd give preference to UC students over CSU students.

Yeah UC Davis has their own med school and probably plenty of others.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Students from top schools have better chances because they are stronger in general. The average Ivy student is much stronger than the average CSU student so they're most likely going to have higher MCAT scores, a better GPA, and would have had access to better opportunities. Just the "name" of the school doesn't mean that much.

All of you are completely uneducated in this process, so please don't act like you're a medical school admissions officer. It doesn't matter where you go. Only what you do. So instead of wasting your summer trying to live your life according to an incorrect mindset of another person, go do something more productive. Stop spreading incorrect knowledge on SDN. Especially hSDN.

 

[Sed8&Intub8]

All of you are completely uneducated in this process, so please don't act like you're a medical school admissions officer. It doesn't matter where you go. Only what you do. So instead of wasting your summer trying to live your life according to an incorrect mindset of another person, go do something more productive. Stop spreading incorrect knowledge on SDN. Especially hSDN.

This. Doesn't matter where you do. All that matters is GPA. 3.8 GPA from a no name school is way better than a 3.5 from Harvard. And that 3.5 GPA is probably going to require you to work harder, and will also make you pile on more debt (unless your parents are paying for it). Work smarter not harder. Spend that extra time getting good ECs. Where you go to school doesn't really matter for medicine. In medicine it's all numbers. GPA, MCAT, USMLE scores, etc.

 

[TheRelevant]

I don't understand this. 3.0 in high school is nothing to brag about. Ivy league competition? I am at UofT, which is considered globally on par to an "Ivy League." And you have people that come in with 95% averages from high school, expecting to do the same in university and proceed to getting their souls crushed with 60s and 70s. So if you're only in it for the "challenge" and aren't passionate about what you're studying at your "challenging school," then you're in for a rude awakening.

University should not only be about academic growth, but also personal growth. And if you're going to try to torture yourself by finding the hardest curriculum, you're missing the point.

 

[Future_M.D]

I don't understand this. 3.0 in high school is nothing to brag about. Ivy league competition? I am at UofT, which is considered globally on par to an "Ivy League." And you have people that come in with 95% averages from high school, expecting to do the same in university and proceed to getting their souls crushed with 60s and 70s. So if you're only in it for the "challenge" and aren't passionate about what you're studying at your "challenging school," then you're in for a rude awakening.

University should not only be about academic growth, but also personal growth. And if you're going to try to torture yourself by finding the hardest curriculum, you're missing the point.

I wasn't bragging, even though I've never gotten a 3.0 exactly (which is why I put 3.0+ because sometimes it's at the higher end sometimes it's at the lower end, I may get a 3.8 one semester and a 3.2 the next, get me?) I know I could have done better but I have a lot of absences from school because I have to stay home sometimes to take care of my mom who is extremely ill, so it's not about me not being "smart enough" to be competition. I'm not only in it for the challenge, I feel as though if a school is not challenging I won't ACTUALLY learn all I need to learn, that's all. I am extremely passionate about medicine. I know a lot of doctors that I talk to about my passion for medicine, doctors who are friends of my mother who was a nurse but couldn't work anymore because of her disabilities!

Good for you that you're up to par to getting into an Ivy League, but that doesn't mean you must belittle me just because I'm not, having to stay home and take care of my mom and baby brother while keeping up with school work and doing community service is quite difficult for me at least. Staying up in hospitals all night missing school the next day and days after, I have a lot on my shoulders yet I still MANAGE to do well in my high school courses.

Goodbye.

 

[Future_M.D]

This. Doesn't matter where you do. All that matters is GPA. 3.8 GPA from a no name school is way better than a 3.5 from Harvard. And that 3.5 GPA is probably going to require you to work harder, and will also make you pile on more debt (unless your parents are paying for it). Work smarter not harder. Spend that extra time getting good ECs. Where you go to school doesn't really matter for medicine. In medicine it's all numbers. GPA, MCAT, USMLE scores, etc.

Thank you for not belittling me for not being up to par for an Ivy League education like the last guy,haha! Thank you for the advice as well, I'll just do what I believe is best for me and the situation that I am in. 🙂

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Thank you for not belittling me for not being up to par for an Ivy League education like the last guy,haha! Thank you for the advice as well, I'll just do what I believe is best for me and the situation that I am in. 🙂

No one was belittling you, you simply got a taste of reality; which is that it matters more what you do in the school you go to, rather than the school itself. We've got more experience than you, so it's a little irritating to read a future premed/prewhatever student say that "everyone knows ivy league schools = better chances".

and don't think you get the hardest curriculum at certain schools. There are professors at state schools and even at CC's that have graduated from Harvard and grill their students on exams

 

[Future_M.D]

No one was belittling you, you simply got a taste of reality; which is that it matters more what you do in the school you go to, rather than the school itself. We've got more experience than you, so it's a little irritating to read a future premed/prewhatever student say that "everyone knows ivy league schools = better chances".

and don't think you get the hardest curriculum at certain schools. There are professors at state schools and even at CC's that have graduated from Harvard and grill their students on exams

Okay, I see. I didn't mean to irritate anyone. I'll word it differently.

 

[TheRelevant]

I wasn't bragging, even though I've never gotten a 3.0 exactly (which is why I put 3.0+ because sometimes it's at the higher end sometimes it's at the lower end, I may get a 3.8 one semester and a 3.2 the next, get me?)

Inconsistencies destroy GPAs

I have to stay home sometimes to take care of my mom who is extremely ill, so it's not about me not being "smart enough" to be competition.

having to stay home and take care of my mom and baby brother while keeping up with school work and doing community service is quite difficult for me at least. Staying up in hospitals all night missing school the next day and days after, I have a lot on my shoulders yet I still MANAGE to do well in my high school courses.

But what's going to change once you get into a program where your highschool grades fall to the bottom of the bell curve?

I am extremely passionate about medicine. I know a lot of doctors that I talk to about my passion for medicine, doctors who are friends of my mother who was a nurse but couldn't work anymore because of her disabilities!

I am really sorry to hear about your mother. I wish her a speedy recovery. I know you must be driven to want to help in a medical capacity because of what you've seen your mom go through. But here's the thing: with your track record, the chances of you failing are fairly high. I've witnessed so many classmates/friends/students/myself go through the "I'll work hard next year" cycle. It's a hard cycle to beat. And I am being harsh because I've been where you have. I resent my past mentality of "I want to beat the biggest and baddest fish in the ocean to prove to med school adcom to let me in." No don't spend your precious undergraduate years tunnel-visioned like that. Use them to better yourself.

You're not doing this for the competition. You're doing this to be the best person that YOU can be. There are people who've been cultivated from birth to be all-star surgeons. Some of these individuals are at a level you or I can never objectively compete with. But what you can do is be YOUR best. So forget about going to the most competitive school in the world. Focus on how you can be the best person and learn the most from you undergraduate years - things that will allow you to become a good and caring physician.

And I don't mean to be overly critical, but if you're staying up all night at a hospital, take that as an opportunity to learn things. Take your textbooks with you and get ahead in your classes. Read all kinds of books (humanities, science, language: whatever).

P.s. I am not sure how you misconstrued that remark about "Ivy League" schools. What I was trying to highlight is that there were 1700 students in my entering biology class all with 85%+ averages thinking "I am here to destroy the competition." Most of us weren't thinking about learning the most, or being the best that we could be FOR OURSELVES. Most of the class was there to beat the competition. And when you're not super interested in what you're learning and have to pull multiple all-nighters across multiple semesters, it makes your life hell. So don't do that.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

^ on top of all that great advice, take a minute to look into the books written by Cal Newport, esp. the "how to make straight A's" or something like that name. It's gold

 

[Future_M.D]

^ on top of all that great advice, take a minute to look into the books written by Cal Newport, esp. the "how to make straight A's" or something like that name. It's gold

Will do! 🙂