A lot of high school seniors who got admitted to UC Berkeley asked me about whether they should or should not choose to come to Berkeley when they're premed, prepharm, predental, or any pre-health track. The one thing that everyone seems to be worried about is academics. YES, berkeley is a hard school, especially for premeds. BUT, that just means you're going to rise to the challenge. If you shy away from a school just because you think it's going to be hard, how are you going to survive med school, residency, etc.? Trust me on this one- I had panic attacks at the thought of coming to berkeley and failing my classes and not getting into any med school. I was torn between cal and UCLA because UCLA was a bit easier than berkeley: better gpa = better chance at med school right? However, I realized that UCLA wasn't the school for me, and today, I can say that I've made the right choice. I was scared coming into berkeley- absolutely terrified. I bombed my first tests, cried for a week, and then had to motivate myself to keep going. If I can do it, then you can too. It won't be easy, but you'll grow so much in the process. Berkeley teaches its students to really work for what they want. No easy rides here. But the teachers are amazing (for the most part) and they're so passionate about their subjects. Don't be afraid of a challenge. Rise up to it.
Another thing that future college students are worried about when thinking about coming to cal is the balance between social life, academics, and extra currics. If you're smart enough to make it into cal, then you're smart enough to manage your time wisely. People here go to frats, clubs, etc, while researching in labs, and still manage to pull off a decent gpa.
So when you're making your final decisions about a college, don't think about the difficulty because no matter where you go, it's going to be difficult (although not thinking about it might be hard since pre-health students are always looking for higher gpas). Think about where you're going to be the happiest at for the next 4 years. Think about the possible opportunities each college has and what you can make out of it.
Best of luck, and please leave a comment if you have any questions!
-K
Hey K!
ReplyDeleteLOVE YOUR BLOG! Its EXACTLY what I've been googling for these past few months! I have a few questions and concerns, and would love some advice in return!
Well, I've been accepted 2 UCB as a fall freshman as a MCB major, on the obvious PREMED path.. I'm definitely, definitely, without a doubt, interested in GOING to med school. Becoming a doctor is my goal and I won't survive without becoming a doctor. I graduated as salutatorian, at a pretty competitive private school, with 4 APS and a 2100 on my SAT.
I LOVE Berkeley... its always been my dream school (after Brown- but didn't get accepted :( ). As much as I really want to go to Berkeley, I'm really frightened by premed, as a whole. Premed is just an undetermined path to medicine- I'm constantly worried over whether or not I'll get into med school (ANY MED SCHOOL) after four years of studying hardcore like a maniac. I'm going to take a huge risk, for something that is very out of reach. According to the stats found in UCB's Career Center, only 50/120 students actually get into med school and thats ABOVE THE NATIONAL PERCENTILE! Woowzer! Those statistics are just hard to get over! A safe school, like USC, only accepts 11/100 students that actually apply!
You see, I have the chance of going to a 7-year med program (definite entry into medicine the moment I enroll) in an international country. The problem with such a school is that I HATE it! The environment, the people, the quality eduction- is just unbearable! But on the up side, its a straight away ticket to medicine (a huge bonus in my factor)...
Now, my problem is this, should I go and risk my career by going to Berkeley (and possibly not get into med school) or go to a 7-year, decent, program that declares me a physician the moment I enter (because failing is not an option!)...? So, to you I ask, how is premed really? Is it possible to get As and maintain a 3.9 gpa at Berkeley, without losing your mind? does grade deflation actually exist? What choice would you make? DETAILS please and thank you!
-Erica
PS Sorry for the length of the message! and LOVE THE BLOG!
Hi! I really love how informative your blog is. I'm a FPF student so I plan to take Chem 3A and 3AL in the summer. However, there's only N3AL (online lecture). Would some medical schools not approve of this?
ReplyDeleteAlso my second question is what do you think about double majoring in MCB and Public Health? Would that be too much to handle?
I really love your blog and especially this entry about being a pre-med student in Cal. I do really want to get into a good pre-med school and since I'm living here in NorCal, UC Berkeley is my first choice. Been reading a lot of threads about how hard to be a pre-med student in Cal etc. etc. However, I really want to pursue my pre-med in Berkeley despite of how hard it would be. I already have my Bachelor's degree, major in Nursing but I finished it in a foreign school so I think I have to study more courses in Biology and Chemistry.
ReplyDeleteI'm goin' to apply this start of the year because I'm really decided that this is the track that I want to walk into. I am a nurse already but still, I want to pursue my first love --- MD. :)
Thanks for your wonderful blog! :)
Getting a 3.9 at Berkeley is very, very hard FYI... unless you're super smart, and even that, you need to be extremely disciplined and not have miscalculations on your math-related exams. If you study really hard, 3.75 or 3.8 is achievable but 3.9 is damn hard.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and grade deflation at Berkeley is not a myth, it's a fact. Be well prepared for evil surprises on the exams as there are many professors that likes to do that at Cal.
ReplyDelete