UCLA vs Texas for Pre-med?

UCLAri
Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:45:44 +0000

The only reason to choose one school over another in such a similar bracket is if one state gives preference to state residents. California schools do not, so there is no advantage to attending a UC as far as admission to a UC med school goes. However, [Texas appears to give preference to residents over non-residents](http://www.uth.tmc.edu/med/catalogs/catalog-2005-07/admissions.htm), so being a resident of Texas may be an advantage as far as admission to a medical school there goes. Also keep in mind that Texas med schools run on an entirely different application than most others, who use AMCAS.

UCLA is not likely to be much more competitive than UT, as both schools accept a very similar cohort (read: excellent.) The most important factors for admission will be your GPA, science GPA, and MCAT. Achievement in the first two may be somewhat affected by the school you attend, but the MCAT is almost entirely exogenous of your undergraduate institution. You should attend the school, therefore, that you believe will offer you the best experience.

The undergraduate institution is nearly meaningless once you get to med school. Heck, the med school name is nearly meaningless. All that matters is getting the degree and how well you perform on boards and overall as a student. A good personality helps as well. Look at the placement records of some no-name med schools and you’ll see that you can get great residencies anywhere.

And in the end, that’s all that matters, right?