Premed at Pepperdine?

[idemandeuphoria]

I was accepted to Pepperdine with the intention of being premed. I have a full-ride (tuition, room and board, and meal plan for all four years). My immediate family lives less than an hour from there. But it's such a small school I don't know if my opportunities will be limited.

If I don't end up applying to medical school, I want to get some sort of graduate degree, so research is important to me.

I was accepted to another school that's pretty cheap and my parents have offered to pay for (about $10,000/year and will be less each year if I get better scholarships as a continuing student). It's a much bigger school with lots of opportunities for research and volunteering (also a private school). Plus, my siblings go there and it's closer to my extended family. However, the class sizes are rather big until junior/senior year and I don't know how well I'll get to know my professors.

Thoughts?

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[Podstar]

Choose the school you will enjoy being at the most for 4 years.

 

[Fancy_Feast]

The only problem I foresee with Pepperdine is that it's a bit remote, which might make getting off campus for shadowing or volunteering difficult. But otherwise, I think you should go where you'll be happy for the next 4 years.

 

[idemandeuphoria]

The only problem I foresee with Pepperdine is that it's a bit remote, which might make getting off campus for shadowing or volunteering difficult. But otherwise, I think you should go where you'll be happy for the next 4 years.

The hospital I volunteer at currently has some Pepperdine students. I could probably even carpool with one of them next year. Nonclinical volunteering is definitely more limited though.

Yeah and I'm still trying to figure out where I'll be happy...it's hard.

 

[Helpful Troll]

I was accepted to Pepperdine with the intention of being premed. I have a full-ride (tuition, room and board, and meal plan for all four years). My immediate family lives less than an hour from there. But it's such a small school I don't know if my opportunities will be limited.

If I don't end up applying to medical school, I want to get some sort of graduate degree, so research is important to me.

I was accepted to another school that's pretty cheap and my parents have offered to pay for (about $10,000/year and will be less each year if I get better scholarships as a continuing student). It's a much bigger school with lots of opportunities for research and volunteering (also a private school). Plus, my siblings go there and it's closer to my extended family. However, the class sizes are rather big until junior/senior year and I don't know how well I'll get to know my professors.

Thoughts?

Research availability at Pepperdine depends on your major. If you are pursuing a chemistry degree you can start research day 1. You can present posters at local/regional conferences as early as freshman year. National conferences and reviewed publications 2nd author sophomore and jr year. Sr year if you are pursuing honors you will get 1st author publications. The faculty to student ratio for the science degrees in great. If you want a lot of research expect to work summers as a researcher with a stipend. Call one of the professors, regardless of discipline, that has research of interest to you and visit right away to plan for the school year. You can get extra cash as a 'grader/TA' for a professor too which is a good EC.. Plenty of medical EC's available in the LA area but like a previous poster said you have to be able to drive there.

The campus is remote but even freshmen can bring a car. Have your parents put their $ toward a car if you don't already have one.

Their premed advising sucks like most other schools but their class sizes are great.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Moving to hSDN

 

[Turkishking]

Go wherever you feel comfortable and where you can get the highest GPA possible.

 

[idemandeuphoria]

Research availability at Pepperdine depends on your major. If you are pursuing a chemistry degree you can start research day 1. You can present posters at local/regional conferences as early as freshman year. National conferences and reviewed publications 2nd author sophomore and jr year. Sr year if you are pursuing honors you will get 1st author publications. The faculty to student ratio for the science degrees in great. If you want a lot of research expect to work summers as a researcher with a stipend. Call one of the professors, regardless of discipline, that has research of interest to you and visit right away to plan for the school year. You can get extra cash as a 'grader/TA' for a professor too which is a good EC.. Plenty of medical EC's available in the LA area but like a previous poster said you have to be able to drive there.

The campus is remote but even freshmen can bring a car. Have your parents put their $ toward a car if you don't already have one.

Their premed advising sucks like most other schools but their class sizes are great.

I applied as a Biology major. However, I only like human bio haha. I really hate plants and ecology, though I can tolerate it. That's one of the downsides of a small school. My other option has tons of different biology majors, like human physiology or molecular biology. If I attended Pepperdine, I'd probably switch to either chemistry or psychology.

Hm I share a car with my older siblings, so if I don't attend college with them...I probably won't get the car.

 

[Helpful Troll]

I applied as a Biology major. However, I only like human bio haha. I really hate plants and ecology, though I can tolerate it. That's one of the downsides of a small school. My other option has tons of different biology majors, like human physiology or molecular biology. If I attended Pepperdine, I'd probably switch to either chemistry or psychology.

Hm I share a car with my older siblings, so if I don't attend college with them...I probably won't get the car.

Think hard about Psych - you can't do much with it if you don't get into medical school. If your parents planned to pay $10K for the other school each year then convince them to pay it once for a used car and add the car to their insurance. Like Turkishking said - go wherever you feel comfortable and can get the highest GPA. If your siblings are a big part of your support structure go there.