jmcomicÂþ»­

California State University Fullerton was not the best school, at least for the degree I received for biological sciences. The graduation rate for my major was 43 percent, which means that 59 percent of the class failed or dropped out. The teachers went out of their way to make sure that people did not do well and it felt like I had to teach myself the material. I feel like CSUF is more of a school for communications and business versus biology and people should look to a different school if they... Read More want to major in the sciences. The equipment and the materials they use for science majors are outdated and the school does not invest a lot of time in science majors.

I attended California State University, Fullerton and received a degree in Biology with a concentration in cell biology and a minor Business Administration. As a transfer student, my transition was smooth and I even worked on campus as a transfer advisor to help students direct their academic path. Resources and opportunities are available if you seek them. As a biology student, I found a lab to start undergraduate research in the semester after I transferred there. Although I did not stay in that... Read More lab, the opportunity was there. I later applied and was accepted into the Bridges to Stem Cell Research program which is funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The program consisted of one summer and one semester of research in one of the labs and coursework in stem cell biology. Following the coursework was a 7-month paid internship at one of many research schools in California. I chose to do my research at University of Southern California (USC) but I had peers who chose the Childrens Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), University of California at Irvine and at Riverside. Later on the program also added a site at Stanford. As a result of my research at Cal State I was published in a journal for extracellular matrix proteins. Thus, the opportunities at this Cal state are plentiful, you just have to put in some work and find them. There were many other research programs and faculty truly do want to help you build your resume and experience so that you can get a job out of college. For my department, it was required we meet with an appointed advisor each semester. I thought this was a good thing since it allowed me to build a relationship with a faculty member, which is useful for letters of recommendation later on. Also, the advisor helps to make sure you are on track for graduation which is necessary since sometimes all the requirements can get confusing. I also got advising from the Health Professions office. While I took their advice with a grain of salt, the advice given is very practical. Id like to think that some of their advice helped me get into medical school. Again, though, the resources are there and it is up to the student to seek them and use them as necessary. The coursework for both the business classes and biology classes I took were excellent. I took several online course through the business school which I liked very much since I tend to learn on my own. The biology curriculum prepared me for the MCAT and helped build a foundation that has served me well in the study of medicine. Overall, I look back at my time at Cal State Fullerton very fondly where I had great mentors and great opportunities which is what an ideal university should provide.