Hello Everyone. I am seeking some guidance on pre-med for my son. Which school will give him a better chance of succeeding in the undergraduate years… UCLA or USC? Personally, I am a UCLA alum from the 1990’s. Back then it was hard but not as difficult as I am hearing it is now with the curves. I’m concerned the curves may affect his GPA to stay competitive for medical schools. I know that at UCLA you are on your own to seek the research, counseling, clubs, etc. There will be no hand- holding here. My family also has USC alum and we also like USC very much. Both are wonderful schools. We just need more advise on how USC was for any pre-med students? What are your thoughts ? Thank-you very much!
The one he gets accepted to.
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Can’t answer - probably depends on the overall experience - you want to be where you want to be, etc.
But on this feeder list, UCLA is #10 but I don’t see them when you adjust for enrollment. Don’t see USC at all.
I’d be less concerned with grade inflation - I’m sure schools know who and who isn’t, etc. and more concerned with their in the environment where they can excel (and the one that you can afford since med school will be a boat load if they ultimately, pursue).
Best of luck to him - are these acceptances in or hypothetical? I assume the latter.
Top Feeders to Medical School (■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■)
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Great options - congrats!
I’d focus on affordability (especially with grad school in the future) and fit. This is a case where two reasonable people could make two different choices.
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Thanks. He got in to USC Early admissions but quite expensive. Waiting for UCLA.
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Not sure about pre med experience- but I graduated usc med 2000. Had classmates from usc and ucla (among many other schools). No matter the school - just have to do well in school, Mcat and extras. They seem to be both big schools so I’m not sure if either has advantage in terms of class size, research opportunities, volunteer experiences… prob need to pick where the student feels like they will personally do their best!
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Kids go to medical schools from all schools. My derm I saw last week went to Lipscomb.
I think when you see feeder lists they are usually the “top” schools. I’m not sure it’s school related vs. they let in the top students and those students want to go to graduate school.
I think it can happen from anywhere - but it’s the prep - shadowing, testing, etc. that is so important.
Yes, USC is pricey - and then there’s another four years at that same price - so if that doesn’t work for you, find a less expensive alternative.
Best of luck and congrats on a great entry.
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“pre-med” is going to be hard at either school. Neither schools has a “pre-med” major.
I went to UCLA in the 1990s and you are right, it was hard, but not impossible.
UCLA med school is on the main campus with ample research opportunities for UG. The old SRP is actually a 99 series course now that students can now earn units and not just a designation on transcript.
USC Med School is in east LA and to get there, you will need to take a shuttle. Not a deal breaker, but just another hour out of your day and takes more planning.
in 1990, USC would have been easier, but present day, may be the other way around as people who go to USC with scholarships are wicked smart.
Cost is a big consideration. COA at USC is pushing 100k whereas that may get you almost3 years at a UC. UCLA Med School has zero preference for its own UG. Not sure about USC.
If my kid is interested in med, between ucla and usc, no question I would have them go to UCLA. Actually, I’m bias, so for anything, it would still be UCLA over USC.
A tale of two daughters.
One D went to the state flagship U where she was on her own to find research, volunteering, leadership positions, etc. One D went to highly ranked private U known for its pre-med program.
Guess what? Both girls found terrific research opportunities, developed close mentoring relationships w/ professors (who then wrote those all important LORs needed or med or grad schools), Both were TAa/SIs at their respective schools and both ere hired by their university to be paid tutors in science/math topics. Both found off campus volunteering opportunities with organizations that resonated with them. Both received academic awards and other recognitions. Both applied to med school and both had multiple acceptances. Both are now physicians in their first choice specialty.
Moral: it’s the student not the university that gets an applicant into med school.
Pick the university that offers the best combination of
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FIT-- because happier students do better academically (and these research data to back that up)
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Cost-- because med school is horrendously expensive and financial aid comes in the form of loans, loans and more loans. Pre-meds are strongly advised to minimize any undergrad debt. (Also as CA applicant, realistically, your child will likely attend an OOS med school since more than 2/3rd of successful CA med applicants matriculate OOS. That means you’re looking at very expensive OOS rates or very expensive private med schools. Assume he will be paying around $120-$150K/year or more for med school. It’s already $100K/year at many schools.)
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Opportunities–including opportunities to explore interests that are NOT medicine-related (data says only ~16% of freshmen premeds even finish all their pre-reqs and apply. Of those that apply only 37% get an acceptance) Other opportunities include: the opportunity to develop mentoring relationships with professors (who will write their LORs for med/ grad school and job internships); the opportunity to expand their world view by meeting a wide range of diverse individuals from backgrounds very different from their own; the opportunity to grow as human beings and to develop people and leadership skills.
Medicine today requires excellent “soft” skills and med school look for way more than just academic success in applicants
See Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students
https://www.aamc.org/media/9636/download
UCLA is the single largest supplier of med school applicants in the country. USC is in the top 30 (and 6th largest private university supplier of med school applicants). So both schools will have support staff who are familiar with process and can competently advise your child on the details of applying.
One thing to consider-- UCLA does not use committee letters of recommendation for its med school applicants. USC does.
The health profession committee’s job is to pre-screen med school applicants and only allow those whom the committee feels have a very strong chance for an admission apply by either supplying or withholding their LOR. Applying without a committee letter from schools that offer one is a black mark against an applicant, and one that must have a very good explanation.
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Reading your original question, several things come to mind.
First of all, both UCLA and USC are great universities. Either one will be very demanding in general, and most likely even tougher for premed students (premed classes can be quite academically challenging). There will be a lot of strong students and strong professors at either of these schools.
I wonder what the cost of attendance would be for either school. Can you afford either one with no debt at all? Can you afford either one with no debt, and still leave some money in the bank for medical school?
The third thing that I wonder about is “plan B”. Most students who start off as premed end up doing something else. Does you son know which “something else” he might potentially be interested in? If so, are either of these schools better for whatever that something else might be?
The fourth thing that I wonder about is whether your son is currently looking at any acceptances from other universities, are are other acceptances likely to show up in the near future?
And finally, does your son have any idea which might be a better fit for him?
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Do you mean that this potentially a point in UCLA’s favor, because they do not use committee letters, and therefore a med school would not expect one from any applicant from that school?
Or a point in USC’s favor, because they do use these letters and therefore it might be helpful (if the committee feels they can recommend the student)?
I’d be asking a different question- which university is going to set your kid up for a rigorous education and provide solid opportunities in case med school doesn’t happen?
Lots and lots and lots of kids are “pre-med”. Some never get in to med school and have to find another path by default. Some never apply to med school- they have found something they love in even more and they pursue that. Some realize immediately that “being a doctor” isn’t what they thought it was- and for some, it takes the rejections to deliver that message.
I’d encourage my kid to put pre-med aside for now and focus on where the right environment, education, etc. is. Don’t shortchange getting a great education for the sake of pursuing a path which- at the end of the day- may not even be something he wants four years from now.
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Not really important. Fact is a student can take the required courses for medical school applicants at just about every four year college in this country…arts conservatories excluded.
Your son should choose a college where he will be a happy student for four years of undergrad school. Happy students do better in college than unhappy ones.
There is SOOOO much more about getting accepted to medical school…so much.
I personally would suggest taking medical school out of the equation…pick a college where your son will do well as a student in all ways. That is important.
@WayOutWestMom gave you great advice.
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It can be either.
By pre-screening applicants, a college “protects” it professional school placement percentages by only allowing the very strongest candidates to apply. (Like those whom the committee feels have a better than 80% chance for an admission. ) This means that some good, but not outstanding applicants will get denied committee letters. These applicants might be perfectly viable applicants who could get an acceptance if they have a strong “why medicine” narrative and apply strategically. But they will never get the chance.
However, if an applicant does qualify for a committee letter then the committee usually tries to present that student’s achievements in the most favorable context possible.
Without the prescreening step, anyone who wants to apply to medical school can, but they’re on their own to make sure that the LORs they obtain fit the requirements of every individual med school they apply to.
(NOTE: individual medical schools have different requirements for the number and types of LORs they require. However, all med schools will accept a committee letter in lieu of specific individual letters even if the committee letter doesn’t not include a specific type of letter they would otherwise require.)
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OP just wishing you luck!! I will say up front my kids didn’t go to medical school so I wouldn’t be providing you with any informed insight but the good news is you have several posters responding who are either doctors or have kids that attended med school and found themselves in your situation. You can count on them to draw on their first hand experience.
Either way congratulations on being in such an enviable position.
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Ty. My husband and I are both doctors, and our son is aware of the perils. He seems to really want it, so we are trying to find the best situation for him to succeed. All pre-med experiences are hard, some more than others with grade deflations or inflations. Just looking to optimize his chances like any parent would. Take care.
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Honestly, I think they are both great universities and I don’t think one is objectively better than the other. I do think that they have a different vibe and your son may prefer one over the other. Both will set him up to apply to med schools. It depends more on what he does while in college and which opportunities he chooses that can make him a stronger applicant for medical school. Good luck!
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I agree that both USC and UCLA are strong universities. At the end of the day, it could be personal preference.
These are both terrific options if he has been accepted to both.
Either way, depending on the student.
A premed with a poor chance of admission may prefer the lack of any committee letter at UCLA if they want apply anyway.
But one who wants to know if it is futile to apply early in order to stop wasting time and money on premed in order to find some other direction may prefer the committee letter prescreening at USC.
Probably most frosh premeds would prefer the UCLA method, but probably most rejected medical school applicants would prefer the USC method in retrospect.
My own experience is that UCLA and USC students headed for med school are very much similar. Smart, determined and mostly from affluent middle upper class families, most with one if not two professional parents.
Most people end up where they are because that’s where they got in.
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