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About Is Ucsd A Good School for Pre Med
Luckily, UCSD is very transparent with their medical school admissions history. According to the Admissions Data listed on their website, UCSD has had a fairly consistent medical school acceptance rate of about 39-40% for the last five medical school cycles. That falls right beside the national average of 40-41%. Of course, this data can be rather flawed given they don’t specify who qualifies to be included in their analysis. More specifically, we don’t know if they’re counting only those who applied to medical school during their time at UCSD or if they’re including students who have chosen to take one or more gap years after obtaining their degree. For all we know, UCSD could be leaving out tons of gap-year applicants who would increase the university’s acceptance rate by improving their application after graduating. In other words, take this in with a grain of salt
Located in La Jolla, California, UCSD is a popular choice for many pre-health students. It’s access to high performing research labs and pre-medical prep programs (not to mention the on-campus medical school) attracts the most ambitious students from all across the United States and internationally.
UCSD also provides some pretty in-depth data about where their students are accepted and eventually matriculate.You can see more medical school specific data here for MDs and DOs you might have on your list.
Over 30% of the responses I received were from UCSD students and graduates sharing their experience so THANK YOU Tritons!
Located in La Jolla, California, UCSD is a popular choice for many pre-health students. It’s access to high performing research labs and pre-medical prep programs (not to mention the on-campus medical school) attracts the most ambitious students from all across the United States and internationally. If you’re looking for a challenging, research-focused university, UC San Diego might be the perfect place for you.
Getting Into Medical School
Luckily, UCSD is very transparent with their medical school admissions history. According to the Admissions Data listed on their website, UCSD has had a fairly consistent medical school acceptance rate of about 39-40% for the last five medical school cycles. That falls right beside the national average of 40-41%. Of course, this data can be rather flawed given they don’t specify who qualifies to be included in their analysis. More specifically, we don’t know if they’re counting only those who applied to medical school during their time at UCSD or if they’re including students who have chosen to take one or more gap years after obtaining their degree. For all we know, UCSD could be leaving out tons of gap-year applicants who would increase the university’s acceptance rate by improving their application after graduating. In other words, take this in with a grain of salt.
UCSD also provides some pretty in-depth data about where their students are accepted and eventually matriculate.You can see more medical school specific data here for MDs and DOs you might have on your list. Here are some notable points from the admissions table that I noticed:
Although to my understanding, UCSD graduates do not have an advantage when applying to UCSD’s medical school BUT I did notice that out of all the UC Medical schools, UCSD Medical School accepted the greatest proportion of UCSD undergraduates. In 2018, for example, UCSD Medical School accepted a whopping 8.6% of applicants from UCSD while Geffen (UCLA’s Medical School) only accepted 2.4% and Davis only accepted 3.5%. This pattern is consistent throughout the three admission years they display.
Although not a very significant percentage, a few UCSD students are able to obtain admissions into top medical schools (UCSF, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, NYU, etc.) each year. Even having one or two students admitted each year is impressive given how competitive it is to obtain an acceptance into these prestigious institutions.
Actual Tritons’ Insight on The Pre-Med Experience at UCSD
As much as a school can boast their highly-ranked academic programs and opportunities, only those who have actually experienced the pre-med process can actually share the truth about this brutal process. I received input on the Triton experience from 20 students in sophomore standing or higher. Here’s what they had to say:
About that GPA…
Most pre-meds know that your GPA is undeniably one of the most essential parts of a competitive medical school application. Most applicants would consider a 3.7 “competitive enough” for most top tier medical schools. Still, having a lower GPA doesn’t ultimately break your application–it just means you might have to work a little harder to stand out in other areas of your application.
Of the 16 students who shared their GPA, a majority of them seem to be right around or above the average medical school GPA. Here are the reported GPAs by class level:
Graduate: 3.12
Senior: 3.0, 3.7, 3.78, 3.8, 3.8
Junior: 3.45, 3.8, 3.91, 3.923
Sophomore: 3.6, 3.91, 3.96, 3.97, 3.97, 4.0
Of course, this is a VERY small sample size compared to the thousands of students at UCSD. I couldn’t find any current mass data for GPA by major on the UCSD website, but if we can pull anything from these reported GPAs, it’s that it is possible to maintain a high GPA.
Besides numbers, though, here’s how pre-meds responded when asked if they think it is difficult to maintain a competitive GPA for medical school:
“Yes, not because of the classes themselves but because there’s so many people to compete against. “
“Maintaining a competitive GPA for medical school is doable with the resources available, but it is not easy at all and requires a ton of effort. I constantly find myself on the grind and study as much as I possibly can to do well. Most of the pre-requisite classes that I have taken at UCSD have felt very high stakes with a grading scale that is based more on how well you do on all of your exams than assignments or how you do on everything compared to other students. A lot of times that quality of education has not felt the best due to the sheer lack of time to cover everything or just having professors who are difficult or have a lack of an interest in teaching.”
“The most difficult part of maintaining a high GPA is trying to earn high grades in the ERC GEs.”
“If you put in the work, no.”
“There are a ton of different resources that are available for success, such as attending professor and TA office hours, workshops through the Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS), Supplemental Instruction (SI) and tutoring offered at the library and other locations on campus, and working in study groups with your friends and classmates.”
“It’s difficult if you don’t know where to access it. Otherwise, there are plenty of helpful resources at UCSD.”
“It depends on what classes you take.”
“I think it’s definitely hard. The quarter system offers very, very little opportunity to pick yourself up if you fall behind, and getting an A- can be hard enough, let alone an A. And the GPA point distance between an A- and an A is kind of a lot and can make a huge difference.”
“A bit but I think it’s possible if you have the work ethic and commitment.”
“It’s more difficult in the weeder classes.”
“Yes, because pre-requisites like organic chemistry are graded on a curve, your gpa will suffer if you are not ahead of the bulk of your class. The quarter system is also incredibly fast-paced which can be a struggle for many.”
“Relatively hard, but doable.”
Clearly, there are a lot of mixed reviews about the ability to maintain a high GPA at UCSD, but two key points that we see over, and over again are that students should know where to find resources for support and have a strong work ethic to perform their best.
Why the Grading System Sucks Sometimes
The greatest complaint about getting a good GPA at UCSD is the +/- grading system. According to one student, “an A- is no longer a 4.0, it is a 3.7. +’s and -‘s have different weights in university. This is a double-edged sword as it can be both beneficial and harmful. For instance, B+ is a 3.3 which is better than a 3.0, but a B- is a 2.7 which is worse than a 3.0.” I do want to add in that the +/- GPA system is a widespread UC grading policy so if you’re planning on going to any UC, there’s no escape. Also, although I’m not 100% sure, I assume that an A and an A+ both count as a 4.0.
The second greatest complaint shared by students is that the majority of their grade is made up of exams. For students who are great test takers and are on the better side of the curve, that serves as an advantage. But for others, it’s their downfall. Several students explain that the grading curve for General Chemistry is particularly harsh and that for several STEM courses, “exams count for over half your grade”. In order to avoid that though, share that they choose to take classes with easier professors with more lenient grading curves when possible.
The Perfect Pre-Med Major
At most schools, there’s typically one or two majors that house a majority of the pre-med students. Here, it seems like it’s the Human Biology major.
Why do more pre-meds at UCSD pick Human Biology? Well, here’s what the students had to say:
Aligns with all the medical school prerequisites
Prepares students for careers in various health fields, not just medicine
HB Upper-division requirements are very flexible compared to other majors
Here are some other majors that pre-meds chose and what they had to say about them:
Biology – This was probably the second most popular answer. It’s known as the universal “go to” pre-med major.
Biochemistry – Another very popular choice, many students either switched from or into biochemistry. Nearly everyone who responded with this explained that they love chemistry and biology and that this major allowed them to integrate the two.
Neurobiology – Although not as popular as the other two, neurobiology is mentioned a handful of times. However, it looks like those in the major or those who left the major do not recommend it unless one has a strong interest in neuroscience. Neurobiology incorporates classes in the chemistry department that are “much more difficult in upper divisions and have harder math and physics requirements [than required for medical prereqs].” On the other hand, some students thrive in a major focusing mainly on the brain and especially love the “research opportunities within neuroscience”.
Cognitive Science, Psychology, Global Health – These are some of the other responses for majors that pre-meds at UCSD have declared. Not many comments were made about them.
Minors and (gasp) Double Majors
Although not many people discussing their pursuits other than their primary major, I thought it was worth mentioning that there are people minoring and even double majoring while completing their pre-med requisites. In fact, one student is minoring in history to satisfy their love for the subject while another is double majoring in Biochemistry and Cognitive Science. It is possible to take on academic coursework and interests even with your primary major.
Extracurricular Involvement
You can’t have a strong medical school application with some significant leadership and extracurricular involvement. Medical schools want to see your curiosity outside of the classroom and your ability to satisfy your ambition even while taking on a challenging courseload. UCSD is known as the central hub for research amongst the UCs, and many Tritons would agree it lives up to that title.
Getting Involved
There is no right or wrong pre-med activity. In fact, most medical admissions officers would agree that it’s the activities that students find the most passion in that shine in their application, even if they’re not necessarily medicine-related.
For many large public schools, there seem to be way more pre-meds than opportunities available. That can lead to some serious competition and increased stress. Fortunately, most Tritons express that there are plenty to go around and that just about anyone can get involved if they put in the effort. According to one student, “most student organizations do not have an application to join and you can just attend then participate at any general body meeting.” The most popular opportunities mentioned are volunteering through large-scale university organizations and becoming research assistants in local labs.
The greatest advice provided by most pre-meds is to actively search for opportunities that you find interesting. If you want to get involved, you should be “diligent and actually interested” especially during your search since “some clubs don’t advertise at all”. One student also stresses that “Many opportunities are easy to get into, but you must seek them out. They will not sit at your front porch.”
Finding Balance – “Sleep, Social Life, GPA. Pick 2.”
Finding a balance between academics, extracurriculars, and personal time is especially tricky for pre-meds, and that’s no different at a rigorous institution like UCSD. Several Tritons share they initially found it difficult to dedicate time to their extracurriculars while also trying to juggle hard course loads. Sometimes, that came at the expense of their mental health and social lives. Luckily, that struggle was only temporary for most; it eventually forced them “to build better habits for myself to have an easier time”. For students new to the battle, here’s some advice from seasoned pre-meds to help you find that sweet spot:
“Make a schedule and stick to it. Don’t bite more than you can chew. This means, don’t commit to a plethora of activities that demand several hours of work weekly. Most importantly, do not procrastinate. Do not procrastinate. If you didn’t read it the first two times, do not procrastinate.”
“Prepare for working on not a lot of sleep.” (Although I do not encourage an unhealthy sleep schedule)
“Have other pre-med friends.”
“If you really have to, take a gap year for extracurriculars and try to focus on your GPA first.”
“[It’s] more manageable once you are an upperclassmen, and taking classes specific to what you wanted to learn in undergraduate classes.”
“Have a strict schedule. I remember having to start everyday at 7am-10pm.”
What Other Tritons Are Doing
With the hundreds of opportunities available on campus (at least when we’re not in a global pandemic), it’s easy to become overwhelmed. In order to (hopefully) relieve your stress, here are some of the activities pre-meds at UCSD are involved in:
Bioscholars (Honors society for biology majors)
Research
Wet Labs
AMSA (very popular)
BSSA
The Trevor Project
Student Health Advocate Program
Student Run Biomedical Journal
Other Clinical and Virtual Volunteering
Shadowing
Service-Oriented Programs/Clinical Outreach Organizations
On-Campus Jobs
Here’s a very thorough response from one student that I think is especially helpful for new Tritons looking for experience (thank you to whoever wrote this!)
“There are a ton of different options for clinical experience since there are multiple hospitals nearby (UCSD Health, Scripps Memorial, Rady Children’s, Sharp, etc.) for volunteering, the Palomar Pathmaker internship where students can get direct patient care experience with the potential to move around different departments in the hospital, UCSD’s Student-Run Free Clinic for the underserved community, Asian Pacific Health Foundation (APHF) for working in clinics with underserved Asian communities, etc. There are many places research opportunities (on-campus, the medical school, Salk Institute, Sanford Consortium, Sanford Burnham Prebys, Scripps, etc.) that are accessible to undergraduate students either through cold emailing, having connections with professors and faculty, programs such as the Faculty Mentor Program (FMP), Summer Research Program (SRP), and Academic Internship Program (AIP), or databases such as Handshake and the Research Experience & Applied Learning (REAL) Portal. Shadowing opportunities are also available with the Health Professionals Mentor Program (HPMP) and networking with alumni who attended UCSD for medical school with Take a Triton to Work Day. There are a ton of different student organizations that cater to a variety of non-clinical volunteering interests ranging from working with the elderly, homeless, children, etc. Many mentors from UCSD’s medical school are willing to help you for your career goals as well.”
Again, that’s only a very small sample of the pre-med population at UCSD. For new Tritons looking to find the extra-curricular opportunities to build their pre-med application, try anything that seems even the slightest bit interesting– you never know what you may end up liking. There are not activities that are “good enough”. Find opportunities “that you feel that you are passionate for because it will show through to others.” In the end, “Your med school application is what you make of it. How you present these opportunities is what makes your application competitive or lackluster.”
The Truth About Pre-Med At UCSD
We’ve gone over the academic and extracurricular aspects of UCSD and now it’s time to finally discuss probably the most important thing — the UCSD culture. You’ll be living and breathing UCSD for four years, so it’s essential that it is in fact the vibe you want to surround yourself with. Here’s some unedited opinions from actual Tritons on their lives at UCSD.
What They Love About It
We received a lot of repetitive responses for this one (I’m glad everyone agrees on the pros!) so I did choose not to put some in if they were covered in another response.
“Professors know their stuff and prepare us well for the materials “
“Excellent professors and lots of structure”
“You can always find someone to study with/ask questions to because like 1/3rd of the school is pre-med”
“Convenient access to hospital opportunities and a research.”
“A STEM-focused school”
” 3 different healthcare centers (UCSD’s hospital, Scripps, and VA) right on campus”
“There are endless opportunities to fulfill pre-med activities like hospital volunteering, shadowing, and research to name a few.”
“Always having something to do ie lots of unspoken required extracurriculars (compared to other careers who can just study and maybe get internship)”
“A very supportive pre-med advising through the Health and Medical Professions Preparation Program (HMP3)”
What They Don’t Love About It
Again, lots of similar responses so I did have to leave out a few.
“Competitive people who would do anything for their grades, lacking advising service”
“Low GPA, very less time for other work outside of studies.”
“Highly competitive to get into classes and any extracurriculars because there’s so many of us.”
“ERC can have lots of rigorous GEs that distract from the pre-med requisites”
“Stressful, sometimes social isolating.”
“Sometimes hard to get into a meaningful club, because it is a public school it is rather hard to get deeply involved as clubs are stuffed with hundreds of students. “
“LOTS of students so it’s hard to stand out and get help from professors/ establish relationships with them for recc letters”
“UCSD doesn’t offer certain courses like physiology lab or anatomy.”
“The classes usually have a cap on how many As professors can give out and you have so so many people trying to get there. The classes are typically curved so it’s not the worst, but doing pretty well compared to the class average won’t always guarantee an A in a class.”
Here’s a response from one Triton that very well summarizes the highlights and downsides for being pre-med at UCSD:
“I think one of the biggest downsides is the size for most of the classes taken at UCSD, which ended up being around 300+ for lower division courses and 50+ for upper division courses. It often felt very easy to get lost in the crowd and it sometimes felt very difficult to form a meaningful connection with a professor since there are so many students that attend office hours. It is also very difficult to get the classes with professors that you want if you did not come in with a ton of AP/IB/community college credit since enrollment is primarily based on how many units that you currently have. The classes are incredibly difficult and fast paced during the quarter system when you only have 10 weeks to master a certain subject. There is also a ton of very competitive and intelligent students at UCSD, but most of them are supportive of one another and not too cut-throat. Although, the culture is not necessarily that healthy, and I constantly sense a high level of stress from myself and other students. While uncommon, I still do experience and see people constantly trying to flex or one-up each other by talking about what they achieved compared to others and it gets tiring at times trying to compare yourself to other people.”
Why Did They Pick UCSD and Would They Do It Again?
Even with all the downsides and stress that comes along with being a pre-med student, most Tritons share that they would, in fact, do it all over again. In the end, the stress is just a small sacrifice for the memories they’ve made with their time as at UCSD. Here are their responses:
“Yes. I would tell myself that I made the best decision to attend UCSD. It’s amazing how many opportunity are here. “
“Yes, I have gained many experiences I love and hold dear. UCSD has all you could possibly want available to you, you just have to make the effort to pursue it, and make connections.”
“I would most likely still choose to attend UCSD due to the amount of growth that I experienced coming here. I feel like I would not have met the people or had the support of my friends that were instrumental to my personal and professional development. In high school, I was a really introverted and anxious kid who was stuck in the closet and struggled a lot with mental health. After going through half of college, I have become more outgoing as well as confident in my abilities and my sexual identity. Even though this school is kinda janky at times with the sometimes questionable quality of education, [terrible] access to parking, and the amount of memeable moments, I would not exchange it for anything else because I made a lot of happy memories for myself.”
Yes. While the academically stressed environment is, well, stressful, it forces you to realize that school needs to be taken seriously if you want to come out on top.”
“I probably would. it’s a good university with great educational resources and that has more importance to me than the upsides/downsides of being premed.”
“Yes, because it is affordable and in a nice location. Med school apps also moderately consider undergraduate prestige, and UCSD is prestigious.”
“I think so, but I would definitely approach my classes a little differently.”
Amongst the sea of dedicated Tritons, there were, however, a few that would reconsider their decision to attend UCSD:
“Probably not. I should have tried to get into a private university because there are just way too many people here.”
“I don’t know. There’s a lot of pluses but also a lot of negatives about UCSD as a whole. “
“No, I would have attended UCR to have less competition and the guaranteed acceptance to their med school.”
“No, I would have gone to UC Berkeley instead. Talking to my friends who attend other UCs, I have found that UCSD, particularly ERC in my case has an unreasonably high amount of work in the GEs. And regarding difficulty of coursework it mainly depends on the professor you choose for a class and what TA you are assigned, going to another college would not make the coursework much harder. My biggest problem with UCSD is the extensive GE requirements which make it harder to concentrate on classes which are needed for my major/ premed. My writing course took up more time and effort than my O-Chem class and my Biology class combined. “
The Takeaway For Potential Future Tritons
First and foremost, remember to take all this with a grain of salt. Everyone has different opinions and different experiences and if I learned anything from reading through all these responses, it’s that no two people have nearly the same pre-med experience. This article is for you to see the brutally honest (hence my tagline) opinions of Tritons who have been through the pre-med experience so you can make the best decision for yourself. There are downsides and upsides to every school so don’t let this article discourage you if you truly feel UCSD is the place for you.
To Finish Off, LOTS of Words of Wisdom From Tritons
“Bust your [butt] the minute you start as a premed. You want to gain quality experience throughout your years at college. Take yourself and your career choice serious.”
“Maintain a good gpa(don’t wait till last minute to get involved).”
“Get involved as soon as you can. Go to office hours.”
“Get involved early, but only commit to things you actually care about”
“Don’t come to the university if they think it is going to be an easy A compared to another university [you] got into… go to the best university [you] get into/ the university [that you] really like. Don’t feel pressured to go somewhere from people who do not really know you.”
“Always be on the look out for any opportunities that help you grow. Try new things to find something that makes you uncomfortable and puts you out of your comfort zone. Understand that things may sometimes not go your way, but have faith that it happened for a reason and there is something better coming your way eventually. Try to start strong, but do not be discouraged if things do not go your way. You always have a chance in everything you want to achieve. “
“Take classes seriously from Day 1. Starting with a high GPA and getting a couple bad grades later is much more beneficial than starting off with a low GPA and spending ur upcoming years trying to bring it up.”
“Pick up a hobby and socialize. Don’t be a generic annoying premed.”
“Humble yourself. Oh you got a 1580 on the sat? Cool . So did everyone else at this school, that’s why they’re at this school. Oh you got an A in chem6a? cool, now do the same in organic chemistry. Nobody likes an arrogant prick”
“If you’re still not sure what you’re pursuing (whether it’s different pre-med routes or not pre-med) explore those options in your first year. Best way to do that at UCSD or in general is to join health/pre-med clubs where you’ll meet lots of different people.:
“You are (likely) not as good at school as you think you are so actually put work in.”
“Don’t take honors chem but honors ochem is good (curve is better than regular ochem curve)”
“Don’t join a huge premed org who emphasizes hierarchy unless you know you can definitely climb to the top”
“Go to class! And stay awake during class! A lot of people told me to go to class and that’s a pretty common piece of advice, but going to class will make no difference if you can’t pay attention in class.”
“Don’t be consumed with being competitive as a premed so early on and give yourself time to transition and have fun. Don’t look at the premed reddit…”
“Pick UCSD if you think you’d succeed here, your school doesn’t matter as much but your GPA does. Also, I’ve come to learn that UCSD is kind of “cliquey” about STEM so that’s something to keep in mind if you’re considering it but our Poli Sci Department is really strong if you were interested in that too! “
“Look into why you would want to go down this path, and be prepared to work hard.”
“Consult the pre-med advisor or your STEM professors rather than fellow pre-meds because of the cutthroat atmosphere. You don’t need to major in a STEM course, however. You just need to complete medical school requisites.”
“Study and put effort in your classes.”
“Don’t be so STEM minded— explore the humanities or social sciences too. Especially as future health professionals, I think it would give you a unique perspective and help you stand out from traditional doctors. “
“Please put your personal health (both physical and mental) and well-being above anything else. It is important to take the time to take care and love yourself. Try to find the time and engage in activities that you enjoy. Do your best to eat nutritious meals, find the time to exercise, and sleep properly to take care of your body. Find some time to unwind and have fun with your friends. Practice self-care when you notice your negative tendencies and let your mind rest. You are important and worth something in this world. Go live unapologetically and advocate for yourself!”
“The pre-med process has a very bad reputation, but I think it is doable. I did not have too many issues in finding a lab to research at and a hospital to volunteer in. My Pre-med coursework has been very easy, I currently have a 4.0 Science GPA. There are lots of clubs and activities to do at UCSD and lots of great science professors. It is definitely a good university to be in as a pre-med. “
“Premed advisors suck no matter where you go. Focus on meeting student mentors and getting involved in things you are passionate about.”
If your child dreams of eventually attending medical school, choosing which colleges to apply to first can be particularly stressful.
In addition to searching for a school that’s a great fit with regard to academics and extracurricular activities, your future premed will already be planning for their professional future and looking to see which schools offer the best support and resources along the way. You might also be considering how much to save or spend on an undergraduate institution while putting aside enough for the expensive process of applying to medical school later on, not to mention the cost of medical school tuition.
Moreover, with medical school admissions becoming increasingly competitive, your child may feel pressure to choose an undergraduate institution that will give them the best chances of a med school acceptance down the line. If your child has their heart set on attending college in California, it can be challenging to determine which of the state’s hundreds of four-year colleges will deliver the best premed education for your child.
The goal of this guide is to give you a sense of which schools your premed child should consider, and to offer some strategies for getting your child into their dream program—whether that’s in California or somewhere else.
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Part 2: What are the best premed schools in California?
While compiling this list, we took several factors into account:
Overall U.S. News and World Report ranking: Despite well-documented issues with these rankings, high-ranked schools continue to be viewed as elite by medical school admissions committees, thereby increasing your child’s odds of getting into a great program.
Availability of medical career advising, faculty support, and peer community: Because there is plenty of misinformation online and elsewhere about what it takes to get into medical school, having access to supportive faculty, advisors, and peers can help reduce some of the associated stress.
Availability of research opportunities, fellowships, and medical career experience: Your child will have to accumulate significant hours shadowing physicians, providing patient care, performing community service and volunteering, and conducting research. Whereas some colleges offer a wealth of such opportunities, others offer fewer.
Medical school acceptance rates: After years of hard work, your child will be disappointed if they don’t get into med school. This factor accounts for school prestige and institutional support.
Number of medical school applicants: Students at certain colleges and universities apply to medical school in much larger numbers than students at other schools. While overall student body size certainly plays a role in determining these numbers—a large research university will likely have many more applicants than a small liberal arts college—high numbers of applicants also point to a well-established premed program.
High-level takeaways:
All the schools listed below provide students with career advising and have one or more designated pre-health or premed advisors. Some schools may also employ staff who coordinate premed experiences such as shadowing and research.
That said, large UC schools like Berkeley and UCLA, while prestigious, have more students to support and thus may not be the best fit for students seeking individualized attention. Smaller, private institutions like Pomona, Caltech, and Pepperdine boast higher faculty-to-student ratios for advising, not to mention in the classroom.
Many California colleges and universities, such as Stanford, UCLA, and Berkeley, have close associations with major medical centers and highly ranked medical schools. This is especially true of schools in the Bay Area and in or near Los Angeles. These affiliations provide excellent opportunities for premed students to gain clinical experience, an important medical school requirement.
All the colleges below provide students with opportunities to get involved with faculty research. Some schools, like UC San Diego, Pomona, and Caltech, also offer competitive research programs over the summer. However, keep in mind that there will be higher levels of competition for lab spots at big universities with tens of thousands of undergraduates, such as the UC schools and USC.
The best premed colleges in California
Below are our picks for the best premed colleges in California.
When reviewing each college’s medical school acceptance rate, bear in mind that the national medical school acceptance rate is currently 42 percent.
(Note: Unless otherwise noted, “Number of medical school applicants” refers to the number of students and alums who applied to enter medical school in Fall 2020.)
Stanford University
U.S. News and World Report Rank (National Universities): 6 (tie)
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 5.2%
Number of medical school applicants: 213
Medical school acceptance rate: Not public, but rumored to be around 70%
(Suggested reading: How to Get Into Stanford)
University of California–Berkeley*
U.S. News and World Report Rank (National Universities): 22
Location: Berkeley, CA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 17.6%
Number of medical school applicants: 728
Medical school acceptance rate: Ranged from 52–65% between 2016 and 2020
(Suggested reading: How to Get into UC Berkeley)
University of California–Los Angeles*
U.S. News and World Report Rank (National Universities): 20
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 14.4%
Number of medical school applicants: 1,152
Medical school acceptance rate: 51.3% in 2019
(Suggested reading: How to Get Into UCLA)
Pepperdine University
U.S. News and World Report Rank (National Universities): 49 (tie)
Location: Malibu, CA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 30.9%
Number of medical school applicants: 20–30 each year
Medical school acceptance rate: 70–80%
University of Southern California
U.S. News and World Report Rank (National Universities): 24 (tie)
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 16.1%
Number of medical school applicants: 318
Medical school acceptance rate: Not given
(Suggested reading: How to Get Into USC)
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
U.S. News and World Report Rank (National Universities): 9 (tie)
Location: Pasadena, CA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 6%
Number of medical school applicants: Not given
Medical school acceptance rates: Not given; however, most students score above the 90th percentile on the MCAT
Pomona College
US News and World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 4 (tie)
Location: Claremont, CA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 7%
Number of medical school applicants: 63
Medical school acceptance rate: 85% in 2018
(Note: If your child is interested in Pomona, other liberal arts colleges in California that they may want to consider include Harvey Mudd, Scripps, and Occidental.)
University of California–Santa Barbara*
U.S. News and World Report Rank (National Universities): 30 (tie)
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 30%
Number of medical school applicants: 211
Medical school acceptance rate: Not currently given; in the past, UCSB has stated that their medical school acceptance rate is approximately 42%
University of California–San Diego*
U.S. News and World Report Rank (National Universities): 35 (tie)
Location: San Diego, CA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 38%
Number of medical school applicants: 621
Medical school acceptance rate: 42% in 2020
(Suggested reading: How to Get Into UCSD)
Note: * Denotes public universities.
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Part 3: Premed college admissions strategies
In this section, we’ll focus on a few strategies for increasing your child’s chances of admission. Of course, these also hold true for future premeds applying to college anywhere, not just in California.
Strategy 1: Demonstrate an interest in and aptitude for math and science, in and out of the classroom
As a premed student, your child’s main focus will be on math and science courses. Though it’s not required, many premed students choose a science major.
(Suggested reading: The Best Premed Majors to Get Into Medical School)
Even if your child doesn’t major in the sciences, they’ll likely be doing research or volunteer work to prepare for a medical career. To get ready for science-heavy learning in college, it’s a good idea to demonstrate ability in the sciences in high school: your child should take science AP classes offered by their school and participate in extracurricular activities like science Olympiad, robotics teams, competing in the Intel science fair, or pursuing other clubs, teams or competitions at school.
(Suggested reading: Extracurricular Activities for College Admissions: The Ultimate Guide)
Strategy 2: Seek out volunteer and research opportunities
Conducting research, shadowing a physician, or volunteering at a hospital look impressive on an application. These activities demonstrate to admissions committees a serious interest in the medical profession.
Volunteering, research, or shadowing can also help your child get a sense of what interests them and what they might want to pursue in college. This can help focus your child’s essays, and also help them get specific about which research opportunities at which institutions might appeal to them. Many colleges and universities offer summer programs for high school students, such as the Medical Youth Science Program at Stanford, or the prestigious Research Science Program at MIT.
Strategy 3: Demonstrate fit by mentioning specific opportunities
Your child should explain why they think they’d be a good fit for this particular school in their ‘Why us?’ college essay. They should think about this broadly.
Your child can and should mention specific premed opportunities that the college or university offers. Maybe Stanford appeals because they’ve grown up in the shadow of the Bay Area’s innovation centers and hope to be a part of life on the inside. Or maybe Pepperdine’s Summer Research Program in Biology really interests them.
Your child should also think about the other ways in which they’d contribute to the college or university community as a whole, beyond premed requirements. What are some of your child’s other interests, talents, or extracurricular activities? How will they take advantage not just of the school’s premed opportunities, but also the rest of their liberal arts offerings?
For instance, if your child is interested in attending the University of Southern California, maybe they’re excited about the possibility of double-majoring in cinematic arts and biology and spending a summer working in a medical television show’s writer’s room. Or perhaps they’d like to pursue global public health alongside their research into basic sciences, and are interested in augmenting their studies through Berkeley’s Integrative Science study abroad program.
Strategy 4: Develop and demonstrate work ethic and study skills
It might seem like a no-brainer, but the premed track involves long hours studying and a lot of multitasking.
In their application, it’s a good idea for your child to highlight their dedication to the things they do inside and outside of the classroom. They should show commitment to projects and activities, even if those projects and activities aren’t necessarily science related.
Say your child stays late every night at school rehearsing for plays, or spends hours researching debate briefs, or passes weekends laying out the school paper. Maybe they went above and beyond the requirements for a history class presentation the same week they organized their campaign for class president. These things are worth mentioning: all require discipline and follow-through and display the drive necessary to meet the demands of being premed.
Final thoughts
California is full of great undergraduate institutions—public, private, big, small—that can prepare your child for a career in medicine. As with all college admissions, a competitive application depends on demonstrating fit, preparation, and interest.
Appendix: Frequently asked questions
If my child is a California resident, should they be applying to medical schools in California?
Given the state’s high-ranking programs, reduced in-state tuition at public institutions, and warm climate, California is an attractive destination for many medical school applicants. However, with the high volume of applications and large in-state population, admission to California medical schools (both MD and DO programs) is highly competitive. When your child is ready to apply to medical school, they should apply to a mix of California and non-California schools to maximize their admissions odds.
Are some schools more likely to “weed out” prospective premed students than others?
Some schools (like those in the UC system) grade their science classes on a curve. Others (like Pepperdine) don’t. Moreover, schools vary with regard to class sizes, which may impact the level of attention and support your child receives.
While the highest-achieving students at each school will enjoy the greatest odds of getting into med school, it’s important to consider how competitive each school is. At the same time, keep in mind that the same GPA at a higher-ranked school will look more impressive than at its lower-ranked counterpart.
For example, it’s well known that Caltech is one of the toughest schools in the country, grading-wise; thus, it’s extra difficult to achieve a high GPA there. For some premeds, this can present challenges when applying to med school. On the flip side, an excellent GPA from Caltech will certainly be viewed very favorably.
Are these the only schools my child should apply to? What about California schools not on this list?
Not at all. Our intention in creating this list is simply to provide our thoughts on which schools offer the strongest premed programs according to the criteria we outlined earlier, not to dictate where your child should apply. The latter should be determined by a wide variety of factors, including your child’s GPA, ACT or SAT score, extracurricular record, academic interests, and preferred school size and location, not to mention your family’s financial situation. The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of other great colleges and universities in California, including highly ranked ones such as UC Irvine and UC Davis, from which your child can find medical school admissions success.
Speaking of rankings, it should be said that, of the many factors that go into medical school admissions, the reputation of your child’s undergraduate institution is of relatively lesser importance. What are crucial, however, are their GPA and MCAT score. Additionally, both extracurriculars and letters of recommendation trump college prestige.
Thus, while attending a school with robust premed resources is certainly to your child’s benefit, the best premed school for any student is one where they will thrive academically and stand out in their extracurriculars.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world’s foremost experts on college admissions. Over the past 15 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into top programs like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT using his exclusive approach.
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