Need Advice !! San Jose State or UC Davis for Pre-Pharm ??

[NDYSA]

I am recently a senior in high school and currently live in San Jose. I feel indecisive and confuse about what school i will choose to attend next year for pre-pharm. I got admitted to UC Davis as well as San Jose State University. Anyone could give me an advice ?

Thank you,

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[confettiflyer]

UC Davis, that's a no brainer. They have a strong MCB/bio program if that's what you plan to major in. Plus, you might change your career plans later on, and UC degree >> state degree.

It's not *that* important when it comes to straight pre-pharm prerequisites, but if you decide to go into medicine, dental, opto, job, MA, PhD, etc.... UC will open more doors for you.

 

[sungieality]

UC Davis, that's a no brainer. They have a strong MCB/bio program if that's what you plan to major in. Plus, you might change your career plans later on, and UC degree >> state degree.

It's not *that* important when it comes to straight pre-pharm prerequisites, but if you decide to go into medicine, dental, opto, job, MA, PhD, etc.... UC will open more doors for you.

+1.

SJSU is a decent state school but UC Davis is definitely a better choice. Much stronger in the sciences than SJSU.

 

[NDYSA]

Thanks...

 

[musicman123]

Thanks...but is the name of undergraduate school important when it comes to applying to pharmacy school ?

It's the program that defines the school. I'm from SJ too. Personally, I'd choose UCD.

 

[NDYSA]

Will I have a higher acceptance rate to graduate school if I go to UC Davis instead of SJSU? Has anyone here goes to SJSU and also doing pre-pharm and planning to transfer after 4 yrs? Does SJSU has a good chemistry program or biology program or anyone in the same situation? I like USD but my parent don't really want me to go there. Can you give me some advices. Thanks

 

[Ice Queen]

Will I have a higher acceptance rate to graduate school if I go to UC Davis instead? Has anyone here goes to SJSU and also doing pre-pharm and planning to transfer after 4 yrs? or anyone in the same situation? Can you give me some advices. I'm deciding between UC Davis and San Jose State.Thanks

I currently attend San Jose State and I have to admit that I really like this school. I've enjoyed my 4 years here, during which I was able to get involved in many extracurriculars on campus and in the community. A lot of professors at SJSU did their PhD and/or Post-doc at Stanford, Berkeley and other great schools. I'd say that majority of my professors are always available to help students during office hours and by appointment. Another advantage of the state school over UC is that my science classes were rather small (70-100 students, rarely more than that) and were taught by professors with PhD rather than TA's. I also want to point out that SJSU offers rigorous science coursework with lots of hands-on experience. Being a bio or chem major, you'll learn a lot of techniques in your labs. And there are a lot of opportunities at SJSU to do research with faculty if this is something you are interested in.

With all of the above being said, I'm not sure about whether things will stay the same in the near future with all the budget cuts. A lot has changed over the last year since the university is cutting its staff, faculty, offers less classes, and smaller number of students can enroll in classes now. I believe you can no longer double major and you can't take forever to decide on your major anymore. Once you have a certain number of units, you'll have to declare a major and it'll be hard to change it from that point. You can PM me if you have more questions about SJSU.

At the same time, I believe that your education is what you make of it, and the school you'll choose for your undergrad won't be a deciding factor for the Adcoms at pharmacy schools. They will rather look at your personality, experiences, academic coursework, extracurricular activities, leadership, and community involvement that you bring to the table.

Last application cycle I applied to 7 CA schools, was offered an interview at all of them and got accepted to my top choice (see my signature ). I'd say weigh all pros and cons and decide which school will be best for you.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Passion4Sci]

As an Aggie alum, I have to say, UCD all the way. The quality of life alone will be so far superior from San Jose to Davis that, like Confetti said, it's a no brainer.

The UCD pre-pharm. club is awesome as well... I've spoken to a few of the students on a couple of occasions about the UoP application + interview and they're all very interested in success, so you'd be in with like-minded people, which is crucial, IMO.

 

[rxlea]

UC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> San Jose

 

[ljlindberg]

If you didn't want to leave the San Jose area you could do your first two years at De Anza or one of the other CC's and then transfer to UC Davis, Cal or UCLA. You will save some money and be well prepared for your second two years at one of the UC's.
I went to De Anza and then transferred to Cal and graduated with a BS. I highly recommend this approach.
But back to your original question, a degree from UC Davis would be more prestigious than from San Jose.