will going to a state college hurt my chances?

[neskalee]

So I am currently an anthropology major (emphasis on biological anthropology) and could technically graduate in the Spring 2010 with a 3.8 gpa. My original goal was to go to graduate school and obtain a Ph.D so I could become a forensic anthropologist or do something related to osteology. But by comparing salaries and speaking with some of my anthropology professors I decided that I will spend 7 years in graduate school only to get out and never be able to pay off my loans and have to try and live off of a salary of 50-60k for the rest of my life, working at a university.

So I have begun to consider going to med school and becoming a forensic pathologist. Chops about 3 years off my graduate school time, and gives me a much better chance of making enough to pay off my loans when all is said and done.

Like I said my GPA is 3.8. In order to get into medical school I need to do most of the pre-requisites (chem, calc, organic chem, physics, etc) and because I've never taken chemistry it will take me at least 2 years (doing summer semesters on top of fall and spring) in order to hit chem 1a, chem 1b, organic chem 1, organic chem 2 and them biochemistry in sequence. In that time I can easily get myself a biology degree in either microbiology or forensic biology without too much more work because the pre-reqs map to that degree well. Also I might need to go take some courses at community college on the side at the same time to get things done, is that going to look bad?

In summation, do you think its possible for me to get into medical school since its going to take me 6 years (total) to graduate from regular college? I will have a B.A. and a B.S... I know I need to work on my ECs and volunteer work of course, but I think if I volunteer at a local hospital for the next 2 years that would look pretty good.

Also I am a student at a California State University. Does anyone know how they look upon applicants graduating from state colleges as opposed to private universities?

Any response is appreciated. Thanks!

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[DRIN]

Question: Will going to a state college hurt my chances?

Answer: No, not if you do well which it sounds like you have done well so far. So, keep it up!

 

[Stratego]

As long as you attend a four-year accredited college, you'll be fine, whether it be state or private. Try to take most of the prerequisites at such a school rather than a CC, to assure sufficient rigor so that you'll do well on the MCAT. If you need to take a few at a CC due to scheduling issues or expense, most schools will understand (some won't). Just do your best, keep your GPA high, get a great MCAT score, and accumulate the usual ECs. Med schools won't care if you spend six years getting two degrees. They do like to see that you can carry a heavy load and demonstrate good time management. They don't care if you have two majors. They do care if you have a low GPA.

 

[J ROD]

Just wanted to add make sure to do well on the MCAT. I think you have a very good plan and I like it. But, Cali is one of the hardest states to get into med school.

You have no room for error there....your state school is fine!

 

[riverjib]

Just wanted to add make sure to do well on the MCAT. I think you have a very good plan and I like it. But, Cali is one of the hardest states to get into med school.

You have no room for error there....your state school is fine!

There are infinite criteria for what gets you into med school. I know a 4.0 student with a 39 MCAT who got into a surprisingly limited number of schools, and then the less-than-average student who got into some elites. We've all heard about the "not-so-urban-legands" on both extremes.

State school will NOT hinder anything! In fact, sometimes the Ivy and top-tier applicants are at a disadvantage for maintaining less than nearly perfect numbers. Sometimes they're not...schools like Hopkins frequently curve down, meaning that the average of 89 is set at a B-. All told, nothing is written in stone.

I completed physics, chem, and organic chem 12 years ago at a top-tier engineering university. I was advised to re-take all my prerequisites due to a long hiatus, and I completed some at a community college that was quite honestly FAR more difficult and demanding than said top-tier university, particularly in chemistry. I earned A's in everything except the first semester of orgo...B+ there, and I definitely put in more time than I did the first time around, which says a lot considering I had already seen (and mastered) the material.

This is why the MCAT is the great equalizer. Your chemistry class may be a joke at YOUR community college, state school, or top-tier institution. It's so variable (even from one department to another) that it's hard to accurately gauge how valid an A or a C really is.

 

[Dral]

I remember interviewing at Michigan. There were like 60 people there. We all had name tags with out undergrad schools on them. I remember thinking...OMG, here is my state school, and everyone else is all Yale, Stanford, UPenn, etc.

Don't fret...I didn't end up in Michigan, but I'm at a great school and have done well.

Forensic Path is an awesome field too. It's not difficult to land a residency spot in pathology, so you just need to get into Med school, keep up the work, stay the course, and end up meeting your goal. GL!

 

[neskalee]

Thank you for all the great responses.

I will have to take at least chem 1a and chem 1b at community college during the upcoming summer or I will be adding another entire year onto my undergraduate degrees. I am not trying to get into a top medical school by any means.. Im shooting for UC Davis since it is extremely to close to where I am now, but of course I will apply to other schools. I'm fairly certain its not considered a top school.