Choosing an Undergraduate College

[akuhe]

Hi everyone,
I am currently a high school senior and I'm trying to decide on which college to go to for my undergraduate studies.
Specifically speaking, I want to go into Optometry but I don't know if I should A) pick an slightly easier school (UC Irvine) and get a higher GPA, or B) go to a more competitive school (UCSD) and probably get a lower GPA.
>> In other words, assuming I get X score on my OAT (similar to the MCAT in a way), would it look better when I'm applying to graduate school if I went to a harder school but didn't do as well, or if I went to a slightly easier school and had a higher GPA?
I know I kinda repeated my question a few times by now, but there's a lot of text so here's basically what I'm wondering: GPA vs Academic Rigor/Reputation
Premeds/Medical students/etc, feel free to reply as well - I'm sure this question is pretty general.
Thanks!

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[ksmi117]

Hi everyone,
I am currently a high school senior and I'm trying to decide on which college to go to for my undergraduate studies.
Specifically speaking, I want to go into Optometry but I don't know if I should A) pick an slightly easier school (UC Irvine) and get a higher GPA, or B) go to a more competitive school (UCSD) and probably get a lower GPA.
>> In other words, assuming I get X score on my OAT (similar to the MCAT in a way), would it look better when I'm applying to graduate school if I went to a harder school but didn't do as well, or if I went to a slightly easier school and had a higher GPA?
I know I kinda repeated my question a few times by now, but there's a lot of text so here's basically what I'm wondering: GPA vs Academic Rigor/Reputation
Premeds/Medical students/etc, feel free to reply as well - I'm sure this question is pretty general.
Thanks!

1. Go where you'd be happiest. Don't make every decision in your life based on Optometry school.
2. GPA is going to outweigh reputation basically every time.

So assuming all things are equal between the two schools to you, go with Irvine.

 

[Maygyver]

I think too many people put themselves down and get it in their head that their GPA will bomb if they go to a slightly more difficult school. In all honesty, as ksmi said, pick the school where you will be happier. If you enjoy the school you go to, chances are you will be more involved, and take school more seriously which will lead to success in whichever field you choose to pursue. If you can get into a more rigorous school, the school obviously believes you can take the rigor. Personally, I enjoy being challenged and think it builds character and prepares you for harder things to come in life.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

I think it is best you attend UCSD.

You wont actually know even if you will score better at UC irvine than UCSD. If you feel SD will give you the better preparation which it sounds like it wil from what your saying, then i think thats where you should go.

Dont worry about GPA, it can always be balanced. I am also interested in optometry, and i think its more worthy to get a better education than a 4.0 GPA. I know this sounds weird, but its because i have friends who have 4.0's and some feel they dont know that much. Whereas i have other friends with less of a GPA who are extremely knowledgable. Think about it, even if your gpa is low because of the rigor, you are getting an arguably better preparation, and with that you will probably score higher on the OAT's.

Again, im assuming that when you say higher gpa, you mean something like...a 3.8 at Irvine, and a 3.6 at UCSD...something along those lines.

 

[mvaish09]

hey im kinda in the same situation trying to decide between
jc for 2 years then transfer to ucla/ucsd or take the irvine offer (4 years) or take the india route and go to manipal university for 5.5 years and get the mbbs then come back

any suggestions?

btw for you i would say UCSD because it is sooo well known for science. the education matters.

 

[Argentium]

Go to the school that'll make you happiest. You'll probably end up doing better there anyways, but MCATs and GPA are most important. With that said, if you get accepted to both schools, you should be able to handle the workload at either. I would personally rather be challenged than coast by and learn nothing.

 

[Tots]

Don't go to a school just because you think you can get a better GPA. The competition at UC Irvine is quite comparable to the competition at UCSD imo.

 

[Vicviper]

A) pick an slightly easier school (UC Irvine) and get a higher GPA, or B) go to a more competitive school (UCSD) and probably get a lower GPA.

Woah woah woah, that's making a very large assumption there. The definition of "easy" is very relative, and as said above, the competition AND difficulty will be comparable at both schools. For Optometry admissions, which is very similar to Dental admissions, which I've just gone through, unless your school is specifically designated as a feeder school for one of the Opt schools, school name matters next to nothing. Well, sure, if you're wanting to go to Harvard, MAYBE, but Western could care less if you went to CSULB, as long as your GPA and OAT's are good.

A MUCH more important factor in deciding schools is how you personally connect with the school when you go there on visits to the schools, and what oppurtunity they offer. One of the best factors at UCI is that it is REALLY easy to get into research, you more or less just have to ask a professor. Research is VERY important for admissions, it makes you stand out from the crowd.

Trust me, don't pick a school based on how you'll think you'll do, go where YOU honestly want to go.

Now, about the OAT, the OAT is just about the same as the DAT plus physics and minus Perception (they actually use the same study books in many situations), and it doesn't really matter where you take the classes, because you'll learn the basics, and that's what you need to have as a ground work for starting to study. EVERYONE needs to take a prep class or do hardcore studying, you just can't do well without it. I took most of my pre-reqs at the community college I went to (where I thought the teaching caliber for my science classes was far superior to many of my university classes), took a Kaplan class, and and did just fine on my DAT's.

Well, got a bit off tangent there, haha, sorry, but again, I reiderate, go where YOU want to personally, not what you think the Opt schools will like, or where you'll be able to get the GPA.

 

[AdmiralChz]

Go to the school where you'll feel more comfortable, not where you think you'll get a higher GPA.

 

[DLi]

I'd recommend you actually visit both schools in person and maybe even spend a night there or visit a lecture or two. Whichever one you like better should be the one you go to.

 

[akuhe]

Hi everyone!
Thank you so much for your replies. I'll be going to both colleges next week to check out the campuses and get a better feel of how each school is like.
Thanks again!