UC Berkeley Bioengineering Premed vs. UCSD NanoEngineering Premed

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BioEnanoE

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I was just notified I was admitted to Cal as a CC transfer into their Bioengineering program. Being also admitted to UCSD, I like the idea of transferring into the NanoE department and majoring in NanoEngineering if I attend. This is a very tough decision for me, since I like the reputation that comes with Cal, but I'm not sure if I am ready to move out of San Diego, where I would just commute to UCSD. I'm also very interested in the idea of Nanomedicine/Tissue Engineering, and plan on participating in research and possibly receiving an M.S. degree in Bioengineering or NanoEngineering from either UCSD or Cal through their 4+1 B.S./M.S. programs. I hope to get into an M.D. program (dream is UCSD med) afterwards and gain residency in Hematology or Cardiology, since I am attracted to the idea of a physician/research career. I plan on using my engineering background as motivation for Organ Printing and Tissue Engineering research, especially with Biotech companies such as Organovo. I currently am maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and I finished all of my premed coursework at CSULB and CC (I am well aware that adcoms are turned off by the idea of completing premed coursework at "easier" institutions such as CSU and Community College). I also recognize that my GPA will probably get chipped away at and lowered once I hit the upper-div Engineering classes. I've already visited the department at UCSD and was pretty happy with what I was seeing. However, I am not sure which program would be a better fit for Medical School preparation, knowing that both are very strong in the Biomedical sciences/Engineering, and have decent matriculation rates to Med School. I am visiting Berkeley this friday.

Any advice is much appreciated.

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You sound like you want to be a PhD and not an MD.
 
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Agree with @CowboyNiceguy - you really sound like you'd thrive in a BME/Tissue engineering PhD lab rather than med school
 
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Agree with @CowboyNiceguy - you really sound like you'd thrive in a BME/Tissue engineering PhD lab rather than med school
I am actually interested in clinical practice. I was thinking about MD/PhD, but I am sure you can perform research with an MD alone. Some of the forums on MD/PhD have also deterred me from that path. My idea was to do clinical practice for a while, and then transition into R&D.
 
Have you been accepted into the nano major at UCSD yet? I heard that they're making it really hard to transfer into impacted engineering majors (so far CS has been hit the hardest and the others might follow suit) so you might want to make sure that majoring in nano is a sure thing if you choose UCSD.
 
Have you been accepted into the nano major at UCSD yet? I heard that they're making it really hard to transfer into impacted engineering majors (so far CS has been hit the hardest and the others might follow suit) so you might want to make sure that majoring in nano is a sure thing if you choose UCSD.
I have talked to the NanoE counselor, and she said that my overall transfer GPA will be used since I completed all the screening courses for the major at CC. Since I have a 4.0gpa, I am confident that I will be able to transfer into the program. She also stated that a competitive GPA is around 3.85 for admission to the major, and typically the top 15 applicants are awarded a spot each cycle.
 
Sounds like you love UCSD. Only downfall would be if you didn't get that major after all, and the major is guaranteed at Cal.
I really do. This a huge risk and is why I am kind of stuck. I wish I chose NanoE as my second choice of major after BioE: Biotechnology, but a counseling advisor deterred me from doing so, so I chose Biophysics as a second choice. I was surprised I got put into my second choice, but I am aware of how competitive engineering is at UCSD. The Bioengineering department at UCSD doesn't allow continuing transfer students to transfer into the program, which is not the case with any other department. Worst Decision I have made regarding my UC Transfer Application.
 
I really do. This a huge risk and is why I am kind of stuck. I wish I chose NanoE as my second choice of major after BioE: Biotechnology, but a counseling advisor deterred me from doing so, so I chose Biophysics as a second choice. I was surprised I got put into my second choice, but I am aware of how competitive engineering is at UCSD. The Bioengineering department at UCSD doesn't allow continuing transfer students to transfer into the program, which is not the case with any other department. Worst Decision I have made regarding my UC Transfer Application.

Wait, so you got rejected for the major once already. I mean, you love UCSD, go there regardless of major.
 
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