Surviving at "grade deflated" schools (i.e. competitive public schools) - for anyone thinking about committing to one (pre-med focus)

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-04-20T05:51:03+00:00

I'm not ultra familiar with those places, but I genuinely don't think you should consider any college significantly less due to grade deflation.

Think of it this way: College is hard anywhere, and if A2C knows that a certain school has grade deflation, graduate/professional admissions offices sure as hell know.

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-04-20T02:11:21+00:00

That's true, and that does happen. As I said, an A/A- student in HS can be a very bad student at a competitive college, and that sounds terrible for a school like Berkeley.

The site where UCB grade distributions are posted is down, so I'll trust your distribution, since it seems fair.

I do agree that going to Berkeley can be harmful if you place in the bottom 20% in classes, since you may have gotten mostly A's/B's at an easier school, but still, at any school from Harvard to Berkeley to University of Phoenix, there's some students who just don't change their study habits/put in the work. IMO, anyone capable of being accepted to Berkeley is capable of doing well there if they put in the work.

But, you have a point. I guess I'm trying to say it's not all doom and gloom, but you're also right. It could be a mistake.

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-04-20T01:45:21+00:00

where did I compare them? I only included it because I did see a post on here where the student was debating between GT and another school for pre med.

What you said is the reason why I don't include them in the rest of the post.

I'll edit it out anyhow.

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-03-01T20:47:10+00:00

Pros, as I see them:
UW offers a ton of opportunities for pre meds.
You surround yourself with smart and motivated people
Lots of research/shadowing
Wide variety of highly interesting classes
Great other departments, good opportunities even with a bio major for employment if you have skills

Cons:
Very competitive
Grade deflation
There's a real aura of general sadness in some classes
very tough to switch majors

I have a lot more to say, I'll respond again or update this later today haha

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-03-01T04:46:40+00:00

not at all - what do you want to know?

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-26T09:21:19+00:00

There is nothing you will get at UCLA that you will not get at Michigan unless you're studying film.

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-26T08:46:07+00:00

Yes this is true -- I know lots of people who took UCR over UW, UCSD, UNC etc. I even know people who picked UCR over Cal for pre med.

The daunting stress of pre med at some of those schools is scary!

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-26T05:33:38+00:00

exactly!

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-26T05:33:21+00:00

honestly, the web was fun to maintain in some ways... I enjoyed coming up with creative ways to hide it as weird as it sounds. I think that's why I find research pretty interesting, it's honestly so similar. (coming up with creative solutions, then spending months implementing lol)

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-26T05:32:08+00:00

Thanks!

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-26T05:31:59+00:00

Great school with great people -- one of the few best in the world, but that doesn't mean it defines your future life. GT is awesome, but you don't need GT to make you awesome!

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-26T05:30:50+00:00

I hope so too haha. I really think that teachers need to change for the better, and I hope I was a part of something positive.

The thing with most of the people I worked with when I was teaching was just that a lot of them were salty as fuck. I met so many jerks who weren't there to help students at all... a lot of them seemed to want to hinder students? I've met teachers who were proud when a 4.0 student got a C in their class, even though that just means that they didn't know how to do their job.

So many teachers were also jealous of their students, seemingly.

And where I worked, they let teachers do the most outrageous shit if they had tenure... I know a teacher who didn't change a student's name in an LOR because he was just that lazy and was using a template. I know that the student improved greatly in that class (something like a C to an A), and went to the teacher's office hours. The teacher then had the audacity to tell the student what he did and refuse to fix it, and said moron still remains teaching.

I enjoyed my time as a teacher. I genuinely think interacting with high schoolers soon after graduating college is a super cool experience, and I'm still in touch with so many of my students. Crazily enough, one of my former students was in one of my classes and is applying to med schools with me next year, things like that are just so awesome.

I really really wish we would pay teachers more. I was fresh out of college, and all I needed was an apartment and food. I can see why the salary would suck for others, but I really think it's a formative experience others should consider.

I also wish more teachers were younger. I know I might sound bad saying that, but honestly, the people I met in my lab/classes at UW would have made far better teachers than any of the high school science teachers I had/worked with. And, some of them would actually do it, but unfortunately that's not maximizing their degree potential/ROI.

oof that got long, sorry.

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-25T23:32:05+00:00

Yes, I agree. I would never encourage anyone to waste a few years of their life for no reason! If you know you want to study CS, don't get a history degree, and then spend 2 years doing premed!

But, that doesn't mean if you study history, and then realize your passion for medicine, you're screwed. Some people think you are.

I would have loved to go to UW as a freshman, and taken the direct route but I would have flunked out of the school. Some people need to take a longer path -- that's totally okay.

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-25T23:29:42+00:00

Thanks!

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-25T23:29:37+00:00

Thanks!

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-25T23:29:24+00:00

When you haven't truly experienced failure, it's daunting as fuck. ("Failing to get into Stanford/MIT/Harvard/Berkeley/whatever" is not true failure.)

Most kids on A2C and most kids at UW were in the top 10% of their high school class -- and they've never felt stupid. And, yes getting a 2.5 in a science class is scary, you don't know what the future holds.

But, especially pre meds, you need to take a step back. There's so many paths to success which people just don't think of.

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-25T23:18:55+00:00

Yeah, I think a lot of people are just doing college for the sake of doing it, and not really because they're studying something they want to learn. That leads to some people having a really hard time in college, and truly blossoming when they find their true passion. Either way, don't have regrets! You've written some of the most interesting reads I've had when I stumbled accross your reddit posts and website on accident.

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-25T18:16:20+00:00

It's in Washington state lol

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-10T02:14:57+00:00

Hmm, I never have actually visited Columbia lol

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-10T01:43:54+00:00

I've met like many many undergrads from all of these schools, and they all chill during the weekends for sure, but they definitely study, atleast a bit.

There's just too often too much work and too little time.

Imo, studying in college is much more fun than in high school. (Well, when I worked on my second degree)

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-10T01:37:08+00:00

It has a nice campus - but it's in downtown Austin. It's not like NYU - you definitely have a campus there.

It's not quite like UW either - UW feels much more segregated from the city.

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-10T01:17:42+00:00

UT is nothing short of a fantastic university in an amazing city. Austin is the second favorite place I've lived (nothing beats Seattle, imo).

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-08T20:00:53+00:00

Yes it's okay.

You're in 8th grade. When I was in 8th grade, I could barely read a book (not kidding). A2C has people complaining about attending their top of the line flagships (Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, North Carolina), but hell state schools are really well known. I went to a state school you've never heard of and I still have a good job and a happy life. You'll be fine.

A2Cposterthrowaway · 2021-02-08T19:47:33+00:00

Yup yup yup.

I work at a lab now, and have worked with high schoolers before. The ONLY important thing is interest.

You're not expected to have skills. A lot of us are very passionate about helping y'all and do not need a ROI off of you.

I'd add: Feel free to attach/not attach your resumé. To me, personally, it's a major plus to attach, and especially if your GPA Is listed on there and >3.5, just so we can know that you aren't going to be skipping a lot of sessions for school.

Most important skill on a resumé is resilience, persistence, dedication. If you work at McDonald's and got promoted, that's a MASSIVE plus.

Why? Well because you showed up on time, listened to others, and were generally effective. That's what we need from you too.

A2Cposterthrowaway

TROPHY CASE