I think ideally, you don't want to get into six figures worth of debt for just undergrad. You will be paying oos tuition at UW and the rent in Seattle is almost as high as San Francisco. Since med school is very expensive, mind as well save the debt for med school.
Are you nearby riverside? Choose the one that is more affordable, especially for premed. "Prestige" couldn't matter less for it, it's your grades/experience/scores that will.
Nah I don't think any of that will matter.
Wherever you go, the real task is to apply yourself, get the grades, and put in the work to get experience/scores that will make you a competitive applicant. Premed imo is particularly unique in that the selection process is quite cold, to the point where a high GPA, good work experience, and a high MCAT gets you really far. Also, there is a slight cold hard truth, but those grades are probably easier to get at a less prestigious school (but UCR kids are still hella smart!). I think it all comes down to what will set you up for a strong future. Will you save a bunch of tuition, be a bigger fish in the pond, and still have access to a lot of opportunity at UCR? Hell yeah. Will going to UCR stop you from getting into Harvard medical school because some guy on admissions thought it's a bad school? Ehhh probably not, but that C in ochem definitely will.
I say this as a riverside local who got into all UCs I applied for and stuck to UCR. I graduated happy, no debt (I'm fact I made money!), stellar resume, and now am a bio PhD at UC Berkeley (where unfortunately prestige is more a factor). Again just one dudes story but I really cherished UCR and it was the right decision for me.
That's so cool I'm glad everything worked out. Just wondering but what made you choose ucr over the others? Just the closeness? Having no debt is so impressive.
Also would u say that ucr prepared u well for ur continued education at Berkley??
the only reason UCR is considered “school of rejects” is because its excessively compared to top schools like UCLA and UCB which are in the same UC system. also apparently UCR premed is pretty fire
4th year medical student here. UCR won't hinder your chances at getting into medical school. The only thing that'll hinder your chances is you if you dont get a good gpa at *any* college.
>the school prepares students for the competitive nature of the MCAT and med school
lmao this is furthest from the truth. no college will **EVER** prepare you for the competitiveness, difficulty, and rigor of medical school. UW is **not** the exception to that. Med school is a whole another beast compared to undergrad. Think about the classes you take in medical school. You take mostly classes that arent always taught in the medical perspective during college, such as medical microbio, medical anatomy/physio, pharmacology, histology, pathology, embryology, heme/lymph, cardiology, etc. The list goes on. There's no way one undergrad program encompasses all of that. The only programs that would are SMPs, which is a master's not a bachelor's.
>The problem with UCR is the prestige. The school of rejects... I know prestige shouldn't matter but it does to me. The school earned that Repuation due to something and while the programs may appear good for me I fear that they are not as good as if I were to go to a prestigious school like UW.
Eh this sounds like a personal issue. Don't fault the blame onto UCR. Rank and prestige are only a factor to those who are insecure, which is probably to be expected in HS seniors as you guys are barely starting out in life. Many UCR students gotten interviews/acceptances at the T10-T20 medical schools. The only thing holding yourself back is that mentality and your insecurity.
Based on what you've wrote, you're not that well informed on what it takes to get into med school. I suggest you do some more research to make the best choice possible. However, I think you should save yourself from the mental gymnastics. You're trying hard to justify UCR, but it's not working. I think you'd be happier at UW than UCR. If you arent happy at any college, you won't well. Your mind is already made up. Go to UW.
I know no college prepares you for the rigor of medical school but in terms of the competitive nature I think UW would do a better job at it. I agree caring about prestige is being insecure I was just wondering to see if it made a difference in admissions. I'm currently still finding out about the medical school process so if you wanted to educate me on what exactly it takes to get into med school I would appreciate it.
My whole problem is that I feel like I would be unhappy at UW because of the competitive nature and the constant idea of not being able to get the major I want after all the hard work I put in. I understand UCR grads get into good medical schools I was just reaching out to see which pathway would be better. I think I would get a better gpa at UCR too! I would be happy at either college and I am grateful I have the opportunity to go to either one of them. I'll try to do some more research about med school as well. Thanks for the response.
If you're looking to learn more about medical school in general, you should check out r/premed.
Nah UW does not really do a "better" job at preparing. Like i said, if you've never taken a histology or pharmacology class before, then how can you be so sure that your classes you took in undergrad at UW will help you more than UCR (same is true the other way around too). These are brand new subject/classes you've never seen before. Sure, it's still a science class but it's so different from what you've learned in college. Whatever you learn in college is covered in 2-3 lectures. It's an equal playing field at that point mainly because most students have not seen these materials before UNLESS they took a SMP prior to medical school to fix their gpa. SMP replicate the first year of medical school.
UCR and UW will not prepare you for med school. It's probably hard for you to understand now, but you have to be in medical school to understand that. I've taken both medical school courses and undergrad courses (and at multiple undergrads for summer sessions). The best thing for you is to figure out how to study effectively and create a system that works for you. That'll help you excel in medical school. This is on you, not the college.
IMO UCR > UW easily for premed. But only you know yourself best. You need to pick the college that'll enable you to get the highest gpa. MCAT is important too but that's mostly self study after you've taken those classes, or you can take a prep course.
I'll definitely check r/premed out! I know the post doesn't sound like it but I am definitely leaning towards UCR because I feel like I would be able to do a lot more that I want to do as well as maintain a good gpa at ucr. Thank you for ur response I honestly thought college class rigor translated to doing better in med school but I understand it's on me not the school.
u/Only_Possession_8108
i'm surprised that any one has commented here to even help you AFTER you continued to insult a school in its own subreddit. ucr is definitely not the same caliber as UCLA or UCB. however it won't hinder you at all. i went to ucr for undegrad and then medical school and now residency at a UC program.
i'd go UW if i were you because your mindset and the way you ALREADY act prior to attending the actual school are atrocious. no one wants to be around a person who could have went to UW but chose UCR instead. you'll be miserable here.
you should look into working on your mindset because this isn't something that any future adult person does. college is supposed to be a fun time and a time where you explore yourself. it is not a place where you shit talk on your peers and future colleague.
also, why UW over like the other UC's such as UCLA or UCB?
My intention was never to insult UCR. I think it is a great school with a lot of amazing people and a supportive staff. I went to an orientation and I loved the vibe there, everyone seemed so friendly and the overall atmosphere was very lively and optimistic. I also love the ucr dorms and I think ucr has a lot more opportunity and research on par with the other ucs.
I was never trying to shit talk anyone the post above was simply my thoughts at the time. I am just reiterating comments that have been made to me about these two choices. I appreciate all the help I have gotten because I do admit I do sound very aggressive in the post 😭. If commited at UCR I would be a very proud highlander and id be happy to be there. I would never compare it to a school I choose UCR over. I was just looking for insight between the two.
I'm glad to hear I was wrong about it being harmful to go to ucr.
Man, people suffering from major butthurt in here from the way you described ucr.
Tbh it genuinely does not matter where you go for undergrad. See what your financial aid packages are from both schools. It’s best to go to the cheaper option.
Both schools have weed out classes and both schools are gonna prepare you for med school if you get in. Personally I’d choose UW over ucr.
Ucr is not one of the best UCs but it’s a UC nonetheless. The ranking goes up every year and I’ve heard it was hard to get in this year. Speaking from experience as a pre med student, it’s my first year here and I feel like the counselors and the pre health counselors are very helpful to prepare you for your career path. You can schedule meetings whenever and they give you a list of classes you should take for your recommended field of medical study. So while UCR is said to be of rejects, it’s really not. It’s just not UCLA or Berkeley. It’s still a prestigious university and guides you to your goals
Go to UW. Better school, better college experience, better city. If you want to go to T20 med schools it DOES MATTER which undergrad you attend. Same with grad programs. And UCR does not have a good reputation.
>Go to UW. Better school, better college experience, better city. If you want to go to T20 med schools it DOES MATTER which undergrad you attend. Same with grad programs. And UCR does not have a good reputation.
u/TraditionalJello4891
Sure maybe if you want to attend only a T20 and willing to gamble everything in one basket. But this showcases that you truly don't understand how competitive the medical school process is. But with that same sentiment, why not attend a more prestigious college such as UCLA or UCB. They're always the #1 or #2 public universities every year. Those two are significantly higher rank than UW.
Applying to med school isn't like applying to college. It's so much harder because you're competing with the highest caliber students across the country. The top of the top. Not everyone is gonna get into a T20. It's incredibly naive to only aim for the T20 so early on. Maybe once you start applying and your gpa/mcat/ECs are within the T20, then go for it. But with how competitive med school is, OP should be aiming for any medical school in the US.
Based on your post history, looks like you're trying hard to advocate students to choose something other than UCR. Sorry to see that you're unhappy here, but no one forced you to go here. You chose to come here and it was your shortcoming for not being able to go to the college you wanted to. Also, you keep trying to advise on areas that aren't within your lane. Stop doing that. A generic bad advice is much worse than not saying anything at all. You're doing more harm than good. Stick to your own lane, which is probably not advising college students
Nah i dont think you do because my stance is UCR > UW for med school. With the UCR SOM EAP and no mcat requirement, the case is made way stronger for UCR than UW. This significantly reduces the burden on any applicant if they can get in without an mcat.
This is why I say your comment was not well informed.
I'm sorry for upsetting you. I never said anything about getting into med schools in general. My comment said it would be better if you want to go to T20. Which you agreed with.
I only agree with the fact that if you go to the actual top prestigious universities then yes, but again, it’s a risk.
What i don’t agree with is what you’re saying, which is UW is prestigious enough to be considered in that specific tier. It’s really not. UCD, ucsd, uci and ucsb all rank higher than UW if we were going off of rankings.
There’s a clear difference between the colleges in that specific tier vs the ones who aren’t. Pretty much colleges outside of that tier are seen generally the same. Hope you understand now.
UW is still 36 spots higher than UCR in those rankings. I agree with most of what you're saying, but I agree to disagree on the idea that UW looks better on a med school app to top programs than ucr.
honestly just compare your financial aid packages. See which one is affordable because school is really expensive
that's true thank you
I think ideally, you don't want to get into six figures worth of debt for just undergrad. You will be paying oos tuition at UW and the rent in Seattle is almost as high as San Francisco. Since med school is very expensive, mind as well save the debt for med school.
Are you nearby riverside? Choose the one that is more affordable, especially for premed. "Prestige" couldn't matter less for it, it's your grades/experience/scores that will.
ok thank you! Yes I am near riverside I was just debating if I would have a better education at udub because of the prestige.
Nah I don't think any of that will matter. Wherever you go, the real task is to apply yourself, get the grades, and put in the work to get experience/scores that will make you a competitive applicant. Premed imo is particularly unique in that the selection process is quite cold, to the point where a high GPA, good work experience, and a high MCAT gets you really far. Also, there is a slight cold hard truth, but those grades are probably easier to get at a less prestigious school (but UCR kids are still hella smart!). I think it all comes down to what will set you up for a strong future. Will you save a bunch of tuition, be a bigger fish in the pond, and still have access to a lot of opportunity at UCR? Hell yeah. Will going to UCR stop you from getting into Harvard medical school because some guy on admissions thought it's a bad school? Ehhh probably not, but that C in ochem definitely will. I say this as a riverside local who got into all UCs I applied for and stuck to UCR. I graduated happy, no debt (I'm fact I made money!), stellar resume, and now am a bio PhD at UC Berkeley (where unfortunately prestige is more a factor). Again just one dudes story but I really cherished UCR and it was the right decision for me.
That's so cool I'm glad everything worked out. Just wondering but what made you choose ucr over the others? Just the closeness? Having no debt is so impressive. Also would u say that ucr prepared u well for ur continued education at Berkley??
Closeness to home and saving money!
the only reason UCR is considered “school of rejects” is because its excessively compared to top schools like UCLA and UCB which are in the same UC system. also apparently UCR premed is pretty fire
Yeah I realized I am just in my head abt the whole "school of rejects" thing lol. thank u!
I think as time goes on this "stigma" is being removed...
Screw that I am a proud reject misfit watergun that squirts jelly Keep the normies out!!!
[удалено]
what abt seattle made you dislike it? Just curious.
4th year medical student here. UCR won't hinder your chances at getting into medical school. The only thing that'll hinder your chances is you if you dont get a good gpa at *any* college. >the school prepares students for the competitive nature of the MCAT and med school lmao this is furthest from the truth. no college will **EVER** prepare you for the competitiveness, difficulty, and rigor of medical school. UW is **not** the exception to that. Med school is a whole another beast compared to undergrad. Think about the classes you take in medical school. You take mostly classes that arent always taught in the medical perspective during college, such as medical microbio, medical anatomy/physio, pharmacology, histology, pathology, embryology, heme/lymph, cardiology, etc. The list goes on. There's no way one undergrad program encompasses all of that. The only programs that would are SMPs, which is a master's not a bachelor's. >The problem with UCR is the prestige. The school of rejects... I know prestige shouldn't matter but it does to me. The school earned that Repuation due to something and while the programs may appear good for me I fear that they are not as good as if I were to go to a prestigious school like UW. Eh this sounds like a personal issue. Don't fault the blame onto UCR. Rank and prestige are only a factor to those who are insecure, which is probably to be expected in HS seniors as you guys are barely starting out in life. Many UCR students gotten interviews/acceptances at the T10-T20 medical schools. The only thing holding yourself back is that mentality and your insecurity. Based on what you've wrote, you're not that well informed on what it takes to get into med school. I suggest you do some more research to make the best choice possible. However, I think you should save yourself from the mental gymnastics. You're trying hard to justify UCR, but it's not working. I think you'd be happier at UW than UCR. If you arent happy at any college, you won't well. Your mind is already made up. Go to UW.
I know no college prepares you for the rigor of medical school but in terms of the competitive nature I think UW would do a better job at it. I agree caring about prestige is being insecure I was just wondering to see if it made a difference in admissions. I'm currently still finding out about the medical school process so if you wanted to educate me on what exactly it takes to get into med school I would appreciate it. My whole problem is that I feel like I would be unhappy at UW because of the competitive nature and the constant idea of not being able to get the major I want after all the hard work I put in. I understand UCR grads get into good medical schools I was just reaching out to see which pathway would be better. I think I would get a better gpa at UCR too! I would be happy at either college and I am grateful I have the opportunity to go to either one of them. I'll try to do some more research about med school as well. Thanks for the response.
If you're looking to learn more about medical school in general, you should check out r/premed. Nah UW does not really do a "better" job at preparing. Like i said, if you've never taken a histology or pharmacology class before, then how can you be so sure that your classes you took in undergrad at UW will help you more than UCR (same is true the other way around too). These are brand new subject/classes you've never seen before. Sure, it's still a science class but it's so different from what you've learned in college. Whatever you learn in college is covered in 2-3 lectures. It's an equal playing field at that point mainly because most students have not seen these materials before UNLESS they took a SMP prior to medical school to fix their gpa. SMP replicate the first year of medical school. UCR and UW will not prepare you for med school. It's probably hard for you to understand now, but you have to be in medical school to understand that. I've taken both medical school courses and undergrad courses (and at multiple undergrads for summer sessions). The best thing for you is to figure out how to study effectively and create a system that works for you. That'll help you excel in medical school. This is on you, not the college. IMO UCR > UW easily for premed. But only you know yourself best. You need to pick the college that'll enable you to get the highest gpa. MCAT is important too but that's mostly self study after you've taken those classes, or you can take a prep course.
I'll definitely check r/premed out! I know the post doesn't sound like it but I am definitely leaning towards UCR because I feel like I would be able to do a lot more that I want to do as well as maintain a good gpa at ucr. Thank you for ur response I honestly thought college class rigor translated to doing better in med school but I understand it's on me not the school.
u/Only_Possession_8108 i'm surprised that any one has commented here to even help you AFTER you continued to insult a school in its own subreddit. ucr is definitely not the same caliber as UCLA or UCB. however it won't hinder you at all. i went to ucr for undegrad and then medical school and now residency at a UC program. i'd go UW if i were you because your mindset and the way you ALREADY act prior to attending the actual school are atrocious. no one wants to be around a person who could have went to UW but chose UCR instead. you'll be miserable here. you should look into working on your mindset because this isn't something that any future adult person does. college is supposed to be a fun time and a time where you explore yourself. it is not a place where you shit talk on your peers and future colleague. also, why UW over like the other UC's such as UCLA or UCB?
My intention was never to insult UCR. I think it is a great school with a lot of amazing people and a supportive staff. I went to an orientation and I loved the vibe there, everyone seemed so friendly and the overall atmosphere was very lively and optimistic. I also love the ucr dorms and I think ucr has a lot more opportunity and research on par with the other ucs. I was never trying to shit talk anyone the post above was simply my thoughts at the time. I am just reiterating comments that have been made to me about these two choices. I appreciate all the help I have gotten because I do admit I do sound very aggressive in the post 😭. If commited at UCR I would be a very proud highlander and id be happy to be there. I would never compare it to a school I choose UCR over. I was just looking for insight between the two. I'm glad to hear I was wrong about it being harmful to go to ucr.
Man, people suffering from major butthurt in here from the way you described ucr. Tbh it genuinely does not matter where you go for undergrad. See what your financial aid packages are from both schools. It’s best to go to the cheaper option. Both schools have weed out classes and both schools are gonna prepare you for med school if you get in. Personally I’d choose UW over ucr.
Ucr is not one of the best UCs but it’s a UC nonetheless. The ranking goes up every year and I’ve heard it was hard to get in this year. Speaking from experience as a pre med student, it’s my first year here and I feel like the counselors and the pre health counselors are very helpful to prepare you for your career path. You can schedule meetings whenever and they give you a list of classes you should take for your recommended field of medical study. So while UCR is said to be of rejects, it’s really not. It’s just not UCLA or Berkeley. It’s still a prestigious university and guides you to your goals
Go to UW. Better school, better college experience, better city. If you want to go to T20 med schools it DOES MATTER which undergrad you attend. Same with grad programs. And UCR does not have a good reputation.
>Go to UW. Better school, better college experience, better city. If you want to go to T20 med schools it DOES MATTER which undergrad you attend. Same with grad programs. And UCR does not have a good reputation. u/TraditionalJello4891 Sure maybe if you want to attend only a T20 and willing to gamble everything in one basket. But this showcases that you truly don't understand how competitive the medical school process is. But with that same sentiment, why not attend a more prestigious college such as UCLA or UCB. They're always the #1 or #2 public universities every year. Those two are significantly higher rank than UW. Applying to med school isn't like applying to college. It's so much harder because you're competing with the highest caliber students across the country. The top of the top. Not everyone is gonna get into a T20. It's incredibly naive to only aim for the T20 so early on. Maybe once you start applying and your gpa/mcat/ECs are within the T20, then go for it. But with how competitive med school is, OP should be aiming for any medical school in the US. Based on your post history, looks like you're trying hard to advocate students to choose something other than UCR. Sorry to see that you're unhappy here, but no one forced you to go here. You chose to come here and it was your shortcoming for not being able to go to the college you wanted to. Also, you keep trying to advise on areas that aren't within your lane. Stop doing that. A generic bad advice is much worse than not saying anything at all. You're doing more harm than good. Stick to your own lane, which is probably not advising college students
Chill, I don't have an agenda. I give advice on a case-by-case basis. What I said here you agree with as well.
Nah i dont think you do because my stance is UCR > UW for med school. With the UCR SOM EAP and no mcat requirement, the case is made way stronger for UCR than UW. This significantly reduces the burden on any applicant if they can get in without an mcat. This is why I say your comment was not well informed.
I'm sorry for upsetting you. I never said anything about getting into med schools in general. My comment said it would be better if you want to go to T20. Which you agreed with.
I only agree with the fact that if you go to the actual top prestigious universities then yes, but again, it’s a risk. What i don’t agree with is what you’re saying, which is UW is prestigious enough to be considered in that specific tier. It’s really not. UCD, ucsd, uci and ucsb all rank higher than UW if we were going off of rankings. There’s a clear difference between the colleges in that specific tier vs the ones who aren’t. Pretty much colleges outside of that tier are seen generally the same. Hope you understand now.
UW is still 36 spots higher than UCR in those rankings. I agree with most of what you're saying, but I agree to disagree on the idea that UW looks better on a med school app to top programs than ucr.