USC vs UCLA

[DG1102]

I currently attend a community college and plan on transferring to either USC or UCLA. Which university is better recognized by medical schools? I live in California and both universities are well known and have a very respected reputation, but my concern is in other parts of the US. Does anyone have any suggestions? Which school would be better to transfer to?

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[pntgrd]

UCLA probably has a somewhat better name and is a lot cheaper, but USC would probably give you a better education with smaller classes and a less huge premed pool.

 

[ORTHO4ME]

im a HUGE football guy, and i love the whole social greek scene. so i would choose usc, but ucla has a great academic program as well, alot cheaper, so make your pick wisely. ucla is stronger in the sciences, usc is a more well rounded university, so i dont know. depends on your type of people and your personality. i actually know alot of people (my circle of friends, except that its rather divided during blue and gold week/conquest week) from both universities and they are all happy with their choices. i see it as, USC is that sexy/dangerous but well rounded jock from high school, and ucla is your AP/honors prepsters that is loved by everyone.

 

[BlackDr2b]

I say FIGHT ON and GO TROJANS! USC, USC, USC! Especially if you are a huge football fan.

 

[XerxesMD]

They both have pretty big names. I think UCLA's name might be slightly bigger. But, I don't think going to either will be very different in terms of applying to medschool. Go to whichever you like, although UCLA would obviously be cheaper.

 

[DG1102]

Ya I feel the same way as you in regards to USC's scene (ortho4me) but in regards to the perceptions of med-schools, would both universities be as highly regarded? I'm leaning towards USC because I think I would be happier there but I'm not sure.

 

[ORTHO4ME]

Ya I feel the same way as you in regards to USC's scene (ortho4me) but in regards to the perceptions of med-schools, would both universities be as highly regarded? I'm leaning towards USC because I think I would be happier there but I'm not sure.

people on these boards try to say that the undergrad you go to has no effect on med school admissions, but it does play a role, though pretty small. I think that usc and ucla are comparable enough that going to either school wont give you an edge in admissions to med school, in comparison to one another. if your into the whole ranking/usnews thing at all, which i DONT think you should, it should be noted that USC has been climbing up the rankings faster than any other school, whereas, UCLA has dropped a few slots within the last few years. USC is behind by, 2 slots rite now?i wouldnt be surprised if SC slides right pass UCLA in the next few years, and even break top 20. But on the same token, i doubt ucla will slide down any more than it has, its a great school. this is just my opinion, i didnt go to either school, went to columbia myself, and i am truly envious of the trojan fans for having such a great social scen/football powerhouse with a solid academic rep. and the trojan school spirit is just phenomenal, only matched by the schools in the south and northeast. for example, during winter vacation, when my friends and i would get together, we'll all have our school sweaters on(ucla,usc,columbia..etc) and my friends always get the, "ALRIGHT!GO SC" from random people. Some people, believe it or not, havent even heard of columbia. Though i wouldnt trade my columbia degree for any other.

 

[DG1102]

people on these boards try to say that the undergrad you go to has no effect on med school admissions, but it does play a role, though pretty small. I think that usc and ucla are comparable enough that going to either school wont give you an edge in admissions to med school, in comparison to one another. if your into the whole ranking/usnews thing at all, which i DONT think you should, it should be noted that USC has been climbing up the rankings faster than any other school, whereas, UCLA has dropped a few slots within the last few years. USC is behind by, 2 slots rite now?i wouldnt be surprised if SC slides right pass UCLA in the next few years, and even break top 20. But on the same token, i doubt ucla will slide down any more than it has, its a great school. this is just my opinion, i didnt go to either school, went to columbia myself, and i am truly envious of the trojan fans for having such a great social scen/football powerhouse with a solid academic rep. and the trojan school spirit is just phenomenal, only matched by the schools in the south and northeast. for example, during winter vacation, when my friends and i would get together, we'll all have our school sweaters on(ucla,usc,columbia..etc) and my friends always get the, "ALRIGHT!GO SC" from random people. Some people, believe it or not, havent even heard of columbia. Though i wouldnt trade my columbia degree for any other.

A big reason why I want to go to USC is their alumni networking and less populated classes. I also think they are both great schools and wouldn't make much of a difference for med-schools but a lot of people have been telling me that UCLA would be a better choice if I want to go to med-school.

Thanks a lot for your opinion.

 

[SketchLazy]

people on these boards try to say that the undergrad you go to has no effect on med school admissions, but it does play a role, though pretty small. I think that usc and ucla are comparable enough that going to either school wont give you an edge in admissions to med school, in comparison to one another. if your into the whole ranking/usnews thing at all, which i DONT think you should, it should be noted that USC has been climbing up the rankings faster than any other school, whereas, UCLA has dropped a few slots within the last few years. USC is behind by, 2 slots rite now?i wouldnt be surprised if SC slides right pass UCLA in the next few years, and even break top 20. But on the same token, i doubt ucla will slide down any more than it has, its a great school. this is just my opinion, i didnt go to either school, went to columbia myself, and i am truly envious of the trojan fans for having such a great social scen/football powerhouse with a solid academic rep. and the trojan school spirit is just phenomenal, only matched by the schools in the south and northeast. for example, during winter vacation, when my friends and i would get together, we'll all have our school sweaters on(ucla,usc,columbia..etc) and my friends always get the, "ALRIGHT!GO SC" from random people. Some people, believe it or not, havent even heard of columbia. Though i wouldnt trade my columbia degree for any other.

In terms of name brand recognition, I don't think it would make a difference at either school. But I think by virtue of having more competition, you could hurt your chances by going to UCLA because there will be a lot more pre-meds there. As you mentioned, the class sizes at UCLA are also larger, so it will be harder to get to know your profs. for those all-important letters of recommendation too.

And if you actually care about US News rankings (it's up to you if you believe in that stuff), all the UCs are doing a relative downward sh.t spiral right now when compared to private universities in CA. Because of the budget crisis, funding is being cut across the board for the UCs which directly effects the US NEWS rankings in two categories (faculty resources and financial resources) and probably indirectly in some other categories as well. ORTHO4ME is probably right in regards to USC eventually overtaking UCLA on those rankings. I think most of the UCs have dropped at least 5-10 spots on the rankings over the past few years.

 

[pntgrd]

If money was of no concern, I might pick USC. UCLA is a brutal place to be premed and the hypercompetitive UCLA med school does not give any bonus to UCLA undergrads. USC is a school quickly rising and probably is a better place to learn and enjoy college. And while not so important for medicine as it is in some other fields, the USC alumni network is second to none.

 

[ORTHO4ME]

A big reason why I want to go to USC is their alumni networking and less populated classes. I also think they are both great schools and wouldn't make much of a difference for med-schools but a lot of people have been telling me that UCLA would be a better choice if I want to go to med-school.

Thanks a lot for your opinion.

yes, i hear that the whole "sc family" thing really is as big as its made up to be. from what i hear, you can walk into the alumni association office, tell them what you are interested in doing, what field, and they will give you a print out of contact information of alumni in that field that are more than willing to be of assistance to you. this is just what ive heard.

 

[Surferboy]

I go to UCLA. While the premeds here are pretty competitive and generally tend to isolate themselves from the world, being premed here doesn't have to be stressful. I'm a Classics major here and my typical class size is 10-15 for a department well in the top 10 nationwide. If you choose a general science major then yes the classes will generally be larger and more competitive. But even if you are a science major, it's easy to get away from the uber competitive premed circle. I'm in a frat and go out several nights of the week at the minimum. There is an incredible wealth of research opportunities- both in the general sciences and in the medical realm. I work 10-15 hours a week doing research/work in a clinical department and I know it is not a problem getting similar opportunities. Overall the people are pretty happy here. There might be more smiling faces on north campus (non-science majors), but there are a few here and there on south campus haha. In summary, there might be a million premeds here, but in the end you just have to be yourself, fight through the classes, and find hobbies and research/volunteering. The premeds I know/hang out with are the ones at work, a couple in my frat, and that's about it. I'd rather be working my butt off for my dream and then talk about other subjects with my friends in my free time.

I think there are a lot more of the frat/social premeds like me at USC, but I like being different here. With a school that has so many premeds, I find myself pretty unique which is nice. I think it's helped me find myself and be confident. USC is a great school. Both would be excellent choices. I don't want to give more opinions on SC because I don't go there.

 

[ItWasAllYellow]

I'm a USC grad heading to Keck in the fall. Ditto to those who said there is probably no difference between the schools. It all depends on what environment you're comfortable in and how much money you're willing spend. USC goes out of its way to help premeds and you will never have to scramble to get classes, whereas I've heard that getting into classes (like bio/chem) can be difficult at UCLA. However, I do think that the general public regards UCLA as a more academically rigorous institution (whether or not that's true is difficult to determine).

There are also intangibles to consider. For example, during one of my med school interviews, the interviewer and I spent some time talking about USC football, which relaxed the atmosphere and demonstrated that I'm a human being with interests outside of premed nonsense. Again, we could have easily discussed UCLA basketball (damn you Kevin Love). So choose the school that compliments you well.

I guess it comes down to this: pay less, maybe have a harder time getting classes or pay (a lot) more and be a little more comfortable.

The bottom line is students get into med school from both schools; choose the school that will make you the most successful, interesting applicant.

 

[DG1102]

I'm a USC grad heading to Keck in the fall. Ditto to those who said there is probably no difference between the schools. It all depends on what environment you're comfortable in and how much money you're willing spend. USC goes out of its way to help premeds and you will never have to scramble to get classes, whereas I've heard that getting into classes (like bio/chem) can be difficult at UCLA. However, I do think that the general public regards UCLA as a more academically rigorous institution (whether or not that's true is difficult to determine).

There are also intangibles to consider. For example, during one of my med school interviews, the interviewer and I spent some time talking about USC football, which relaxed the atmosphere and demonstrated that I'm a human being with interests outside of premed nonsense. Again, we could have easily discussed UCLA basketball (damn you Kevin Love). So choose the school that compliments you well.

I guess it comes down to this: pay less, maybe have a harder time getting classes or pay (a lot) more and be a little more comfortable.

The bottom line is students get into med school from both schools; choose the school that will make you the most successful, interesting applicant.

Thanks for the info. Just out of curiousity are you in the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention major? I'm planning on going into that major and I was wondering if you know anything about it?

 

[ItWasAllYellow]

Nope, I was a finance major. I don't really know anthing about the HPDP major.

 

[paranoid_eyes]

im a bruin...

if you are majoring in typical premed majors, there is not difference
if you are majoring in business, go with USC (marshall)

overall, neither gives you an edge, and class sizes are fairly big at both (ucla's might be a little bigger), especially for the lower div courses

on a side note, USC costs much more, but if you're parents are footing the bill then you have a choice. otherwise, if you are taking loans etc., id go to UCLA for the tuition alone.

 

[SiR99]

I usually dont post because I know what most people say on this thing is bs, but if you get into UCLA, you go to UCLA.

Alot of people get mad when I say this, and I even hate UCLA at times because of how hard it is and it know that if I went to an easier school it would not be so bad, but I honestly feel like its one of the greatest places in the world, but then again, most Universities are great places.

 

[TheRealMD]

I usually dont post because I know what most people say on this thing is bs, but if you get into UCLA, you go to UCLA.

Alot of people get mad when I say this, and I even hate UCLA at times because of how hard it is and it know that if I went to an easier school it would not be so bad, but I honestly feel like its one of the greatest places in the world. Its like living in a perfect city, like in a movie.

Typically actors don't get the impression that they're dying when casted into "the perfect city".

 

[SiR99]

okay the perfect city thing may have been too much , edited .Whoever you ask, they will most likely always say the school they attend is better, they are both great schools just go visit both of them and make a choice.

 

[illmattic]

Ya I feel the same way as you in regards to USC's scene (ortho4me) but in regards to the perceptions of med-schools, would both universities be as highly regarded? I'm leaning towards USC because I think I would be happier there but I'm not sure.

I also went to USC for undergrad and had a choice between UCLA and USC. I chose USC because when I visited I felt more comfortable with the students and environment (being OOS, this was very important to me). Although, I will admit that I started majoring in business (which also played a factor). I don't regret the decision at all.

Also, if this matters to you, one of my friends (not pre-med) also transferred from community college and loves USC because it was an easy transition due to the smaller, friendly student body. I can't compare this to UCLA since I don't know anyone that transferred there.

 

[TM2006]

People from LA are an interesting bunch. They sorta live in their own world. Half a decade they wear UCLA gear, the other half SC.

Outside of LA, a majority of informed people will never equate UCLA to USC. UCLA is perceived to be an academic/research powerhouse. USC is perceived as the party school/amazing alumni network powerhouse. USC is improving, but it has a long way to go.

It's the truth. You won't find many intelligent people claiming otherwise.

 

[Monkey House]

All I can saw is who I saw more of at my various interviews: UCLA.
I guess I saw a few USC kids on a few of my interview days, but almost always there was a UCLA student there.

 

[pntgrd]

All I can saw is who I saw more of at my various interviews: UCLA.
I guess I saw a few USC kids on a few of my interview days, but almost always there was a UCLA student there.

UCLA has over 2x the amount of students as USC and has more premeds than any other US university.