UC Berkeley?

Question

is cal a good school for pre-med? all i have been hearing is it's too big, too competitive, and even with intense studying i might not be able to get the grades i need to go to a top med school. does anyone have any information about this? is all of this true, or would berkeley be a good stepping-stone to where i want to go? i am more than willing to work hard for my grades (as i would have to at any college to get to med school), and i'm hoping that a berkeley degree really will open doors for grad school. my other choice is boston college, where i would probably receive more personal attention, seeing as it has <10,000 kids. i am a CA resident and money is not an issue. i just don't think BC is as impressive... any advice as to what i should do? thank you in advance for helping!

hey thanks so much for the input... do you know where usc falls; is cal a better choice?

again, thanks for answering! i just have one more question though... you seem to dislike the social environment at usc - i'm visiting for the first time next week; what's bad about it?

Answer 1

UC Berkeley is one of the top 5 engineering schools in the country. I went there for undergrad, worked my tail off, and graduated with a 3.5. Not that spectacular. When I applied for grad school I got into Univ of Illinois, another top 5 engineering school. By shear luck, one of my thesis advisers (I had two) was on the student selection committee.

I asked him why I was accepted when my GPA wasn't all that stellar. His response is that the acceptance committee understands that competition and grading are very different between school. He told me, point blank, that schools like MIT and Harvard are KNOWN to have grad inflation, so that they maintain their reputation. You'll never find it written anywhere, but the level of understanding of core material is simply not the same between a 3.5 from MIT and a 3.5 from Berkeley. He told me that Berkeley is known for having one of the lowest average GPAs for graduating seniors, but with a reputation for very deep understanding.

It is not true that a 4.0 from a mediocre school, or even a good or great school known to have grade inflation, will be equal to Berkeley. I don't know at all about pre-med, but some of the smartest people I've ever met were premeds at Berkeley, and they went on to some of the absolute best med schools in the world. Not all of them were 4.0s (but a couple were).

I think if you choose Berkeley, and do the very best you can, you will maximize your learning, which will maximize your chances for med school.

Answer 2

I agree with Gumdrop Girl, and not just because she helped me with some Chinese food advice last year. [By the way, GG, I had some epic dim sum in Alhambra at a place called "The Kitchen" while visiting a friend in LA. Check it out.]

Cal defined me. I enrolled with some very specific ideas about my major and grad school -- I emerged with a completely different plan. After graduation, I got into several top law schools. I am sure that I was an attractive candidate for those schools because I came from Cal.

Cal is exactly what I needed. I needed to learn to fight to get into classes, find my own housing, make my own friends, and learn the urban jungles of Berkeley and SF. The social atmostphere is what you make it.

Answer 3

Here are some facts:

1. The best schools are also the best schools for pre-med.
2. Going to a good school increases your chances of getting into a good medical school.
3. If you can't do well at a school like Berkeley, it is unlikely that you will succeed in medical school.
4. Berkeley isn't just one of the best universities in the country -- it is one of the best universities in the world.
5. Just because Berkeley is large, doesn't mean you won't get individual attention.
6. As good as BC is -- Berkeley is better.
7. Berkeley is, indeed, a great school for Pre-Med

UCB will indeed open doors for graduate school.

Answer 4

I would suggest linking you undergraduate program with a UC school that hasa good medcal school attached - UCLA - UCSF - medical school depends on may factors - school name is not oftem one of them - good grades- especially in pre-med subjects, a high MCAT score , strong statement of purpose - good references - and some experience - also you may want to think about off-shoring your medical school - many medical schools have links with medical schools in the Carribean - to include several Californian medical schools - so start with the ultimate end in mind and work back - if money is not a problem - then I would look at John Hopkins, Harvard or Yale - Boston College is also a good choice to get the connections you would need for decent references as is Northwestern

Answer 5

Berkeley of course!

Answer 6

Where you go for your undergraduate degree matters a whole lot to medical school. UC Berkeley is the feeder school for UCSF, ranked #5 for research and #8 for primary care by U.S. News.

Besides, just in case medicine doesn't pan out (you change your mind), a degree from Berkeley beats all the other schools.

Answer 7

Why does UC Berkeley want to deny free speech?

Answer 8

/raises hand

Taranto, you know I generally LOVE your answers, but this is one question where I am really compelled to interject.

I am a pre-med from UC Berkeley. I say "am" because you're still pre-med till you either get in or give up. I graduated in 2002, and let me tell you about my experiences at Cal.

Yes, Cal is a good school if you're pre-med, but God help you. Cal is EXTREMELY competitive. No one will ever deny it, but I doubt you will ever understand the level of competition unless you are neck deep in it.

I made a LOT of mistakes at Cal, and it cost me a good shot of getting into med school right away.

My very first class at Cal was Chem 1A. There were 600+ in my class, and it's taught in two classes (MWF 9-10am, or TTh 9:30-11am). That's a lot of freshman taking chem. About 20-30% get A's, which is a pretty wide curve, but that's 70-80% who aren't going to ace the class. The other core classes were more of the same.

But it really does beat BC by a long shot. Weather is much better. You can't beat the level of prestige. Department selection is amazing; Cal has majors you can't find anywhere else, and even allows you to craft your own curriculum. And the struggle is good for your character. Besides, the alumni are the proudest lot I have ever had the privelege of knowing.

My advice is, if you choose Cal (and I really hope you do), do NOT declare MCB as your major. Pick something else so you can avoid some competition. Focus on the pre-med core classes, and study something a little *different* to show that you're well-rounded. And it really isn't as hard to get to know your professors as they say it is. Show up to office hours regualrly. Develop a rapport with the prof. Participate heartily in class. My professors knew me by name even though I wasn't a stellar student because I showed that I cared about the material.

Oh, and Cal is good even for MCAT prep, because the courses (Berkeley Review, Princeton Review and Kaplan) are usually taught by Cal grad students.

As for grad school, even with my mediocre grades at Cal, I had no trouble getting into grad school. I earned a masters degree in public health at USC. A lot of Cal undergrads go to USC for grad programs or med school USC Keck School of Med is the #1 acceptor of med applicants from Cal.

Speaking of USC, the USC pre-meds I knew from public health were a bright group. While USC isn't as highly-ranked as Cal, and while I'd veto USC based on social climate alone, I have to admit, USC is good for pre-meds. They use a letter committee for pre-med evaluations at USC. There is a 7-year programs at USC (seems not a lot of people know about it!). Keck School of Med takes legacies and children of faculty and staff. and there are a lot of med research opportunities for students at USC (Norris Cancer Center, Keck SoM, etc.).

Oh lord, I said too many good things about USC. Let me temper those remarks by saying: if you like the social environment at Cal, you will HATE USC. The two schools are antipodal in terms of their students' lifestyles. Also, 3 semesters at USC cost me more than 4 years at Cal. While you say money is not object, really it is considering med schools cost $150k.

ABOUT SOCIAL CLIMATES: Dang near everybody at USC is in a frat or sorority. There's a reason why they call it the University of Spoiled Children. If you didn't come in on a scholarship, you came in from a life of privelege. Lots of rich kids. Lots of luxury cars. Lots of designer clothes. The students are very image concious, and many are social climbers (especially the students seeking careers in the Entertainment industry). The place is totally preppy. I was a goth in high school, and always a bit of a geek. I would have slit my wrists after 2 semesters of undergrad at USC.

Berkeley does have some Greek activity, but it doesn't dominate the student body. Not everyone's a hippie, but there are a lot of eccentrics about (in a really good way). The student body is less preoccupied with keeping up appearances because they're generally more wrapped up in their studies. Are they always studying? No, but students generally really like what they do and immerse themselves in it. Cal students get around on buses and BART, so it's not important to have a car. In general, I liked it because people were obviously really smart without being pretentious, quirky, and tolerant.