Why is California considered a bad premed state?

[moldydorito]

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You guys have awesome schools like ucla and ucsf. Yes, they take oos people, but they are also the best state med schools in the country.

 

[imbesrs]

Huge population, huge premed population, amazing state schools that dont completely favor them. To stand out you cant just be a decent premed applicant, you gotta be an outstanding one. They also end up having to travel OOS to attend med school because of how competative IS schools are

 

[gyngyn]

Combine the low IS matriculation percentage with the high gpa and MCAT required and you have a perfect storm.
We are the biggest exporter of pre-meds in the nation...no matter how good you are.

https://www.aamc.org/system/files/reports/1/factstablea5.pdf

https://www.aamc.org/system/files/reports/1/factstablea20.pdf

 

[Obnoxious Dad]

California has approximately 12% of the U.S. population and now has about 8% of the medical school seats. That's why CA is a miserable place to call home if you want to go to medical school.

 

[gyngyn]

Despite having a boat load of schools, Californian undergraduates are all taught from a young age to follow their dreams, anything is possible, go become a doctor, so er'body takes the MCAT and er'body applies. This means that a very very very VERY large number of Californians are underqualified come application time, but the same amount of Californians are also over qualified. This means that Californian applicants, even high stats, are a dime a dozen.

If this were true, it seems unlikely that more than 1,500 would get into OOS schools.

 

[gyngyn]

The same amount that are overqualified (which make the state very difficult to be an applicant from) will be under qualified just based on a standard distribution (at least strictly MCAT wise). Vague blanket statement with gaps filled in by assumptions does not good advice make.

I have seen the distribution. It skews well into the zone deemed completely acceptable and well above what would be considered "good" in many other states.

 

[allantois]

Smart Asians

 

[907914]

I have seen the distribution. It skews well into the zone deemed completely acceptable and well above what would be considered "good" in many other states.

My bad. Half-assed information search on my part. not credible comment removed!

 

[Goro]

You guys have awesome schools like ucla and ucsf. Yes, they take oos people, but they are also the best state med schools in the country.

You guys have awesome schools like ucla and ucsf. Yes, they take oos people, but they are also the best state med schools in the country.

UCLA premed grads alone could fill every MD seat in CA.

The CA surplus explains why Touro-CA has close to the highest matriculant stats of all the DO schools (much to the chagrin of my Dean), and why my own school could snare so many talented Californians simply because we are west of the Missouri River.