Currently a high school senior dediding between UCR or CSULB.
For some background I currently am unsure whether or not I want to go to med school but I know I want to do something in the medical field. I was accepted into UCR for neuroscience and CSULB for molecuar cell/physio.
For both schools I will be moving from the bay down to socal. Thankfully the cost of tuition and living expenses is not an issue for me. In terms of area and weather I don’t have a huge preference for either.
I know both are considered commuter schools and with the recent shutdown of the student union at long beach I’m having concerns about making friends and finding things to do in general. I’ve heard that finding research opportunities and volunteer work will generally be easier at a UC campus, especially with UCR having its own hospital.
However from what I have seen online some say it will be easier to keep a high GPA at CSULB. I also have some friends that are currently attending CSULB and are in the area.
Finally I don’t really know if this will help me in any way but I was accepted into the honors program at UCR.
Either school will be fine, it’s really going to be on your shoulders to do the work to get high grades, get to know some profs so you get strong & personalized recs, do the expected volunteer work. Research is fine if you want but is no longer considered an unofficial requirement for med school (see https://www.rhodes.edu/sites/default/files/PreMed_Essentials.pdf). However UCs are designed to be research institutions so there may be more opportunities if that is what you want.
CSULB is in a densely populated area so there are hospitals and volunteer opportunities to be found. I wouldn’t try to game which is easier to get a higher gpa. Core math and science classes are going to be a challenge anywhere. And even if it were somehow easier at LB that’s why the MCAT is there, an independent measure that applies equally to all.
If I were deciding a tipping point might be that Honors at UCR gives priority registration so that (as I read it) you’ll get the classes you want at the times you want. You should call UCR to find out the details; is it priority for all your classes or just one class per term, or something else? Priority is mentioned at FAQ | University Honors under “Courses”.
In the end, pick the school you like better. Then it’s up to you to make it happen.
I don’t think the presumption of easier grading is a good reason to choose Long Beach. There are plenty of tough-grading profs in the CSU system. And in terms of peer competition, the difference in median stats between the two schools isn’t large, and the students who stick with a premed track beyond the first few classes are going to be strong students at either school. A student who’s going to be a successful med school applicant could earn a high GPA at either of these schools.
I agree that Honors at UCR further solidifies my sense that it would be the better choice here. Priority registration at a large public university is huge. You cannot fully appreciate how huge until you’re there. If you really want to game GPA, being able to pick and choose your profs and lab sections is probably a bigger aid to getting the grades and having the best possible learning experience than any other differentiator between the two campuses.
I don’t think you can go wrong here, but if it were me I’d go to Riverside.