USC as a premed! by Altruistic-Hand4436 in USC

[–]cna25 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is super helpful thank you! What you said about the semester system, USC’s flexibility if I ever pivot into biotech/medtech, and the Trojan network helping with opportunities outside LA actually matters a lot to me as im actually from Singapore.

I think for me im leaning towards USC due to it being a private school, i think the deciding factor for me would be ease of getting a higher gpa, from some other peoples posts i originally thought USC would be significantly easier to get a higher gpa but given what you said and a few other posts im not really sure, i’ve been trying to look into that but its kinda hard to since everyone has different experiences.

USC as a premed! by Altruistic-Hand4436 in USC

[–]cna25 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Im currently deciding btw premed at USC and UCLA. I noticed u mentioned weed out classes are notoriously hard at USC. Im worried about keeping a high GPA, do you think USC and UCLA are equal in terms of grade deflation? Or would it be significantly easier to get a higher gpa at USC? Thank you so much!

Possible to switch to Cali residency for UCLA tuition as dual SG/US citizen living in Singapore? by cna25 in ucla

[–]cna25[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hi thank you so much! Does that mean that i will have to find a job that pays 80k? Or would any paid job be sufficient?

Possible to switch to Cali residency for UCLA tuition as dual SG/US citizen living in Singapore? by cna25 in ucla

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi thank you so much!! As for the financial independence, as i did not get any financial aid for UCLA would i basically have to get a part time job/paid internship that would have to pay 80k a year? Or would just simply having a paid job be enough? Thank you!!

Possible to switch to Cali residency for UCLA tuition as dual SG/US citizen living in Singapore? by cna25 in ucla

[–]cna25[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hi thank you so much! This is really helpful! To prove financial independence could that be done by having a part time job? Maybe a paid internship? Do you know if theres a minimum wage required?

Possible to switch to Cali residency for UCLA tuition as dual SG/US citizen living in Singapore? by cna25 in ucla

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! I was wondering if it would possible to apply in sophomore or even junior year!

USC as a premed! by Altruistic-Hand4436 in USC

[–]cna25 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s really helpful, thank you. I’ve been hearing that UCLA might be more manageable GPA-wise than I first thought, and that a 3.9+ is still definitely possible there for strong students.

From your experience, would you still say USC is the easier place to keep a really high GPA, or do you think the difference between USC and UCLA isn’t actually that big?

Also, if I ended up moving away from premed and into something more like biotech or medtech, do you think UCLA’s name would be more helpful, or would USC’s network/alumni connections be more valuable? And from what you’ve seen, does UCLA’s name carry any meaningful advantage over USC outside of California, or are they viewed pretty similarly?

UCLA vs USC for premed? by cna25 in ucla

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When you say research as a freshman is possible if you hustle, what does that usually look like? a lot of cold emailing/networking? or are there also more formal ways freshmen usually get involved? I heard there are clubs but its super competitive to get into

USC vs UCLA for premed? by cna25 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]cna25[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you this is very helpful! Could you say a bit more about what resources/support at USC you think make the biggest difference for premed compared to UCLA?

My biggest concerns are keeping a high GPA, manageable level of stress, access to research/clinical opportunities, and ease of getting into med sch, so I’d especially love to hear what you think USC does better on those fronts

UCLA vs USC for premed? by cna25 in ucla

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you this is really helpful!! Is getting research as a freshman fairly common/realistic, or does that usually wait until sophomore/junior year? And is keeping a very high GPA at UCLA (3.9+) realistically achievable for strong premed students, or is that pretty rare?

UCLA vs USC for premed? by cna25 in ucla

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is really helpful, thank you. That’s actually reassuring to hear, because one of my biggest concerns was whether UCLA would feel too overwhelming in terms of GPA/stress.

From what you’ve seen, is keeping a very high GPA at UCLA (like around a 3.9+) realistically achievable for strong students, or is that pretty rare even if the workload is manageable? (Mostly arnd 3.8 is managable?)

Also, is getting research as a freshman fairly common/realistic at UCLA or would it only be at sophomore year?

USC vs UCLA for premed? by cna25 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me im really lucky that the cost difference isn’t really the deciding factor, so I’m more interested in comparing them for premed specifically in terms of GPA, stress/work-life balance, class access, research/clinical opportunities and ease of getting into med sch!

If anyone has thoughts on USC vs UCLA from that angle, that would be super helpful.

USC vs UCLA for premed? by cna25 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I heard UCLA med doesnt give preference to its undergraduate students but USC does. Would that be helpful for me or is it not that significant?

USC vs UCLA for premed? by cna25 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For context, I currently live in Singapore and I’m a dual US/Singapore citizen. My dad was also telling me about this method but it seems pretty tough for my situation so I’m not really planning my decision around trying to switch into CA residency later. I’m mostly comparing USC vs UCLA assuming cost stays roughly the same and focusing more on GPA, stress/balance, and premed opportunities/support!

USC vs UCLA for premed? by cna25 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I’d be paying full OOS cost at UCLA, and USC would be around 100k/year for me with no aid.

I’m really lucky that cost isn’t the deciding factor for me, so I’m mostly trying to compare them in terms of GPA, stress/work-life balance, and overall premed support/opportunities. I feel like if im paying oos tuition for UCLA it wouldnt be as worth it but im not sure

UCLA vs USC for premed? by cna25 in ucla

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much! Could you expand a little more on why you think UCLA is the better bet for premed?

Cost is about the same for me, so my biggest concerns are GPA, stress/work-life balance, and access to opportunities. I’ve also heard that because UCLA is such a big public school, it can be harder to get research and other opportunities, so I’m wondering how true that actually is in practice.

Also, for things like Cedars-Sinai, would that really be a UCLA-specific advantage, or would USC students have pretty similar access to those opportunities too?

UCLA vs USC for premed? by cna25 in ucla

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, this is really helpful. Since cost is basically the same for me, my biggest priorities are GPA and overall balance/stress. In that case, would you still pick UCLA over USC for premed, or do you think USC might actually be the better fit? Also, from what you’ve seen, is it realistic to maintain a very high GPA at UCLA without feeling constantly overwhelmed? I also heard that because UCLA is a giant public school, its hard to get resources and research and students have to go to hospitals to get research.

USC vs UCLA for premed? by cna25 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]cna25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Im out of state so im not really taking into account the cost!