<p>Ive never made a post here, so please bear with me. I have been attending DVC for 3.5 years and I have been pursuing a major in Molecular Cellular Biology recently I applied to UCs and wasnt admitted because my GPA is a 3.15, I have exceptional extra curricular activities and have been the president of many clubs and have recently been studying under a mid wife and work at the county hospital. I called every UC I applied to and they told me I was a borderline candidate and that they were only accepting students who exceeded the minimum qualifications. Im now taking a speech class over the summer, which is the last pre-rec needed to transfer to a state college.</p>
<p>Here is my dilemma, and where I am seeking the input from all of you.
This fall I will be able to apply and will be accepted to San Francisco State or Cal State Long Beach for Spring admissions in my major of Molecular Cellular Biology. So I will now just have a gap semester this fall.
Or
Since I will already have a gap semester I can take the last 5 classes I would need to major in Political Science at UC Davis. Most of the general ed courses I took were already pre-recs for a political science major and taking the other courses will increase my GPA so I can TAG for the Fall of 2014.</p>
<p>What would be the better option a BS from a Cal Sate University or a BA from a UC?
In the long run I would like to go to medical school. I so going to a UC in Poli sci could increase my GPA more and then having taken all the science classes at DVC I will have finished all the pre-recs for medical school. But I dont know what would be the best option at this point.</p>
<p>For med school, you will need to take upper division science courses at your 4-year (to validate those DVC grades). And the best place to take those upper division science couses is a UC. (Sorry.)</p>
<p>However, you will likely be able to major in political science and have elective space to take some upper division biology and/or chemistry courses at the four year school you transfer to.</p>
<p>Those poly sci classes aren’t going to raise your important BCMP GPA.</p>
<p>The fact that your GPA is modest at a CC may be a problem for med schools unless you take higher level courses at a UC or CSU and really ace them.</p>
<p>This fall I will be able to apply and will be accepted to San Francisco State or Cal State Long Beach for Spring admissions in my major of Molecular Cellular Biology. So I will now just have a gap semester this fall.</p>
<p>??? Do those CSUs accept spring admits for transfers? I was thinking that they don’t, but maybe I’m confused?</p>
<p>I think you need to get yourself into a UC. </p>
<p>What is Merced saying? I’m surprised it didn’t accept you.</p>
<p>I think Merced is a good option and this is why: </p>
<p>Small, so more like a private univ
Small, so you might get more help to improve your GPA and get some research opps and good LORs.
Likely easier to improve your GPA</p>
<p>A med school applicant who was graduated from a not well known college was interviewed at a first tier med school in midwest, likely due to his other excellent qualification (e.g. Very high MCAT). His college might have not sent any student to a med school before, let alone a first tier one (likely U of Mich).</p>
<p>Before the interview started, there was a round table session in which each interviewee introduced himself. He posted on SDN that he felt he were a salesman of cheap used car (to sell himself to the med school) and felt somewhat discouraged when most interviewees were from a more recognizable school or “brand name” school.</p>
<p>When people said the prestige of the school does not matter , I think they meant the school does not have to be a top-30 or even 50. But the school should be still recognizable in the sense that an adcom might think: yeah, I have admitted a couple of students from this school in recent years and they were good. In other word, the school had better had a good track record of sending a reasonable number of their premeds to medical school year after year. Otherwise, it is more an uphill battle.</p>
<p>I think in term of academics, the preparation of being a successful premed really start before college. This is the reason why many less prepared students from a less competitive high school are more likely to be weed out - they were not given time to catch up.</p>
