UC Riverside, is it a bad place to be????

[ERMED]

Hi
I am a Psychology major at UC Riverside. I still have two more years to go of my major and I am currently taking my premed pre-reqs. I read a post here from a student at UC Berkeley who placed UC Riverside very low as a university. Is that really true? I mean, I was accepted to UCLA and Berkeley but I liked more the RIverside atmosphere. You think attending UC R will really affect my chances of getting into med school? I have a good gpa ( 3.85) I have med. experience as a Phlebotomist and EMT-1. I am also very involved with school and non-school communities, I have quite a few amount of volunteer work done. What do you guys think? After reading that post I thought of PA school instead, but I truly want to be an MD. Do you guys think UC Riverside is that bad of an institution?

Premed student at UCR

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[lilycat]

Okay, to be honest, UCR just is not as prestigious as Berkeley or UCLA. But it still is a UC, and the UC system has an excellent reputation in general.

If you really want to go to med school, go for it. Your GPA sounds strong. Just make sure to take your MCAT very seriously -- if you score well (30+), you should be in good shape. Good luck.

 

[Street Philosopher]

dude you asked this in two different websites and three different forums!

 

[ERMED]

Hi

Thanks for your advices. Look schoolboy, I am posting this to diffrent places because I want diffrent opinions. If you dont like it or care about it, dont say nothing than. Say something if you have something productive to say, what kind of a physician you want to be if you get pissed when someone asks questions, will you also get mad with your patients?

 

[dido]

hi eduardo,

i don't think you have anything to worry about - ucr is a fine school. however, are you enrolled in the 7 year combined program with ucla med? if not, this question might come up during the interviews. correct me if i'm wrong, but a lot of premeds at ucr chose to go to ucr because of this joint program. in any case, this should encourage you because ucr graduates make up a large percentage of ucla med - one of the top med schools in the country.

so keep up the gpa, do well on the mcat (aim for 30+), and continue to work as an emt/phlebotomist for all 4 yrs (to show commitment). i dont think you should have any problem at all. good luck.

 

[Doctor Wyldstyle]

This type of question is always asked, but it doesn't really matter what school you go to. What matters is everything else, grades, extracurriculars, and rec letters. I turned down UC Berkely to attend a small private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Los Angeles for undergrad. I got med acceptances over people with similar stats who were from what some may say are more "prestigous" schools.

It doesn't really matter. Stay with the school that you think you will succeed at most.

Peace,
wyldstyle2000

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

I went to UCR for undergrad in the biomed program (got cut after 3rd year - very competitive program). Afterwards I got into medical school with no problem. I'm not at a top school, but thats more my fault than the school. There are actually 3 people in my class from UCR (on par with UCLA, Berkeley). I know a lot of people (mostly people who didn't make biomed) that got into really good medical schools from UCR. With a good GPA and good science GPA, combined with good MCAT scores, you will not be at a major disadvantage. Good luck.

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

I almost forgot, it may be better to be at UCR than at Berkeley, I hear their grading is much tougher than most schools.

 

[JD84]

Originally posted by DoctorB19:
•I went to UCR for undergrad in the biomed program (got cut after 3rd year - very competitive program). Afterwards I got into medical school with no problem. I'm not at a top school, but thats more my fault than the school. There are actually 3 people in my class from UCR (on par with UCLA, Berkeley). I know a lot of people (mostly people who didn't make biomed) that got into really good medical schools from UCR. With a good GPA and good science GPA, combined with good MCAT scores, you will not be at a major disadvantage. Good luck.•

Hi DoctorBi9-
I'm an incoming senior in HS and was considering applying to the UCR/UCLA program. Could you elaborate on how competitive it is. How was was it to get in? Thanks for any comments.

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

Hey JD84,

There are a few things I can say about the biomed program, some good, some bad. First the good. If you really like studying a lot and are very sure you want to go into medicine, it can get you there in 7 years instead of 8. Plus, you get to receive your MD from UCLA, a school with a great reputation. The education you get throughout is superb.

Now the negatives. Many of the people in the program are very very competitive. They cut half of the 200 biomeds the first year, so approx 100 are left. The next year 50 more are cut or drop out. Then, in 3rd year, you have three interviews and get letters of recommendation (basically apply to med school), and another 25 are cut. This was as far as I made it. I didn't socialize with many biomeds because many of them studied way too much. Not to say there weren't exceptions. If you don't make it, you are left to apply on your own for a regular med school.

My advice is to think twice about it. The classes you are required to take are competitive and may hurt your GPA if you don't study non-stop.

All of that being said, most people who make it to the third year end up entering medical school anyway, just not the shortened program and not UCLA. Its up to you to decide whether its worth it for 1 year gain. The chance of burnout from working straight through is a possibility. Good luck, and if you have any questions feel free to post again, I'll keep looking.

 

[Street Philosopher]

Eduardo,
I just don't see why you insist on asking questions you already know the answer to. Everyone knows Riverside is not in the same league as Cal or UCLA, so why do you even ask? If you want someone to pat you on the back, just say so.

 

[JD84]

DocB19
THanks for the respoonse. The main reason I'm considering UCR/UCLA is not because of the 7 year time period or the prestege of UCLA. The allure is the fact that my chances of getting becaoming a doctor are greatly improved, at least statistically. Since I'm a Califirnian resident. I would have like a 1 in 25 chance of attending med school(at least in Cal) if I took the traditional route. At UCR/UCLA I would have a 1 in 4 shot(in my 2nd year). I just really want to be a doctor. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of HS student were you(GPA, SAT?) How were your study habits in both HS and College? And how hard was it to get in? In sum, if i study hard, i should be fine? Thanks for all the help.

 

[relentless11]

My cousin went to UCR as a biological sci major. He got into UCLA. I believe that was a program or something at UCR.

As someone mentioned earlier, UCR yes isn't as prestigous as UCLA or UCB. But its still part of the most prestigous school system in the nation. You probably have as good of a chance of getting into any school as the rest of us personally.

I personally think the only difference it makes if you're say at UCLA or UCSC, is the opportunities to meet med faculty and work in a academic hospital. I personally enjoy volunteering at an academic hospital as the professors are much nicer than the doctors at a normal one(at least they talk to you).

So yea just to recap, does going to UCR keep you from getting to med school, no way! At most the difference between the UC's with med schools and the UC's without, are the opportunities you can have due to the med school and their respective med centers. But you can remedy taht by driving down to any of the UC's med centers......and even Loma Linda and USC. Tons of opportunities still available.