Should I go to UC Berkeley or UC San Diego?

[paranoid_eyes]

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And you know it in your heart that you wanted to go there.

*all schools suck equally. It is the people who you go with that make it special. That being said, statistically, LA is better because we have the most blonde's. Its always more fun to be a blonde.

i agree with you 120%

 

[batman1983]

Do NOT go to SDSU over UCSD or UCB. No offense, but do not.

Why not? Go to mdapplicants and look up anyone with decent MCAT scores(30+) and high GPA from SDSU or any other lower tier state school and they got interviews/accepted at just as good schools as ppl with comparable stats(MCAT/GPA) from better state schools. If anything, they probably did better since they spent less time studying trying to beat the curve and where able to spend more time improving their ECs and etc.

The only difference I believe undergrad school will make is when comparing applicants with everything else being equal. I dont believe that certain undergrad schools(ex. Cal or UCSD) will better prepare you for the MCATs relative to other schools. Obviously, there is a correlation between MCAT scores and higher tier undergrad schools, but that is probably mostly due to the selectivity of those schools in choosing their students based on standardized scores and etc.

If you have to choose between Cal or UCSD, I think it would come down to choosing between a better reputation vs better location. Cal is in a pretty bad area(Berkeley does have its nice parts, but it is surround by lots of bad parts), whereas UCSD is in one of the wealthiest areas in the US. In terms of costs (housing, tuition, etc), they are the same(rents in Cal might actually be slightly higher than at UCSD due to apartment shortage). The student bodies and opportunities available as a premed at both schools are comparable.

 

[neurofreak]

Cal is in a pretty bad area(Berkeley does have its nice parts, but it is surround by lots of bad parts), whereas UCSD is in one of the wealthiest areas in the US. In terms of costs (housing, tuition, etc), they are the same(rents in Cal might actually be slightly higher than at UCSD due to apartment shortage). The student bodies and opportunities available as a premed at both schools are comparable.

I really don't think Cal is in a bad area...is it different than most places? Sure. But the area gives the school its personality. I would much rather go to school in a nice college town than in a rich suburban area.

 

[cheezer]

if I had to choose between UCSD and SDSU again, I would have chosen SDSU. They throw incredible parties over there. As long as you don't get sucked into a blackhole and keep schoolwork first, you'll come out with a nice clean transcript, guaranteed.

 

[Arc]

I really don't think Cal is in a bad area...is it different than most places? Sure. But the area gives the school its personality. I would much rather go to school in a nice college town than in a rich suburban area.

For starters, Berkeley is FAR form a college town. UCSD is better off just because the town that its based in, La Jolla, has only 60K pouplation.
Muggings aren't unheard of at Cal. And there is plenty of delusional homeless people around campus. So far, I think Cal is alright, but unless you are a shining star of some sort, really push for it, or know someone, decent research is a bitch to come by. And as for classes, you jsut have to know what professors to take, but a good majority of them arent exactly forgiving in terms of test curves, and having a lot of overachieving people in a given class just makes the already hard task of getting a favorable grade in the class that much harder.

Right now in my O-Chem class test average is 50% without any curbing.
And including the final, we only get three tests in the whole semester. Thankfully the professor assigns grades relative to how much he feels you should understand, and not the standard 90% = A, 80% = B , and so on. I presume that where you guys are getting the idea that Cal is a hard school.

I have midterms from my O-chem class, and I'll post them if you want, just ask.

 

[JackDanielMD]

Neither...move to Texas...go to a real school!

 

[BrokenGlass]

I'm a UC Berkeley grad and although I dont regret my choice, it will be much easier to get into med school from UCSD. I mean, UCB is probably going to be a better college experience: more culture, better professors, San Francisco right across the bay. But its effing impossible to get a 4.0. Its really annoying when the average GPA for your major is like, a 2.7 and you're competing against people from say, Stanford, where 1 in 5 people have 4.0s. Go the the easiest UC you can -- med schools dont seem to know the difference.

That's not true. 5 in 5 people at Stanford have 4.0. For this reason alone, a 2.1 from Berkeley is far more valuable than a 4.0 from Stanford.

sarcasm off

 

[Athoy]

For starters, Berkeley is FAR form a college town. UCSD is better off just because the town that its based in, La Jolla, has only 60K pouplation.
Muggings aren't unheard of at Cal. And there is plenty of delusional homeless people around campus. So far, I think Cal is alright, but unless you are a shining star of some sort, really push for it, or know someone, decent research is a bitch to come by. And as for classes, you jsut have to know what professors to take, but a good majority of them arent exactly forgiving in terms of test curves, and having a lot of overachieving people in a given class just makes the already hard task of getting a favorable grade in the class that much harder.

Right now in my O-Chem class test average is 50% without any curbing.
And including the final, we only get three tests in the whole semester. Thankfully the professor assigns grades relative to how much he feels you should understand, and not the standard 90% = A, 80% = B , and so on. I presume that where you guys are getting the idea that Cal is a hard school.

I have midterms from my O-chem class, and I'll post them if you want, just ask.

I can't agree more. Many of us joke that it is an honor to be able to do research in an MCB Lab/under an MCB faculty. They look less on your drive/motivation/passion for research and more on your GPA and seniority. However, there are other opportunities to do research besides being solely confined to the campus (i.e. UCSF, LBL, CHORI, etc). Regardless, getting research experience can be quite competitive (I practically had to beg for mine).

Also, as previous posters have already said, this place is very difficult to get a good GPA (at least as a science major) as a premed. Most people think that Cal students exaggerate when we say how competitive it is and they may be right (but then, if you don't believe those that actually go to the school, then I don't know who you would listen to 😕). I am probably one of those people that study all the time and still don't get good grades. The reason that I (and this could only be me) am having such a hard time is mainly due to the competition. I just got my second bio exam back and for some reason; and this is the first time I've actually witnessed this also: the test was curved UP because the mean was an 80%. Meaning a B+ was a 89% (vs. 88-89%), A- was a 90-93% (vs 90-92%) and an A was a 94%+ (vs 93%+ range). There isn't much difference, I agree, but I think it's a little ridiculous how curves can actually hurt. Most of the time though, the curve either helps very little or doesn't hurt so take no notice of that. This is just a weird exception.

Once you come to Cal, all your standards are lowered: having a stellar GPA, easy exams, reasonably inexpensive housing, abundant parking spaces, hot girls (no offense to the girls ) etc. However, some people actually thrive in this competitive environment (and boy do I know my share of 4.0's and 3.9+'s). Basically, I argue that if you can handle the competition, you should do fine and will be at least somewhat prepared for med school.

On the bright side, the professors are AMAZING. Very rarely do I find a professor that's not an awesome teacher--and if they are bad, they're only bad because they're arrogrant, condescending, and/or don't like teaching, but they're still incredible researchers. Anecdotally, my friends that have taken the mcat all got 38+. So if you really want to learn your material well and have a strong education, I argue that this is the place for you. However, I am not so sure about being a premed here as your GPA might suffer (unless you're a genius like some of my friends). Keep in mind that while maintaining an excellent GPA and MCAT is more than doable if you have the drive and focus, you still need to do a bunch of extracurriculars on top of keeping up with school work. That, in my opinion is the hardest part. I have it easy too as I don't have to have a full time job unlike a not insignificant amount of people on SDN. Also if you end up doing really well here, you would soooo feel a sense of accomplishment (well, I know at least I will! )!

In the end you should just go to whichever school you feel you will get more out of (not just in terms of academics, but also in terms of quality of life, programs, clubs, location, etc). Remember, life is not just about getting into med school, so it's better to not always have your mind on the GPA (though I am very guilty of doing this myself ).

I hope this helps!

P.S. I do have a decent GPA (yes, even in SDN terms) so I am not saying the things I say because I am "bitter". This truly is just my own perspective--feel free to take it with a grain of salt.

 

[speedyk]

Why don't you wait till you have the acceptances in hand before stressing over this. 😉

 

[Foghorn]

Go to Cal Tech. UCs are for weenies.....muahahaha. j/k

 

[meltcube]

cal is a better school and a better college experience

 

[cheezer]

Go to Cal Tech. UCs are for weenies.....muahahaha. j/k

this explains a lot

 

[batman1983]

I really don't think Cal is in a bad area...is it different than most places? Sure. But the area gives the school its personality. I would much rather go to school in a nice college town than in a rich suburban area.

Have you ever gone a mile down telegraph?? Even in Berkeley, you have lots of crime. Berkeley's crime rate was almost 2x the national avg. ****, Ive been mugged on campus as well as had my place broken into. Now, it has its wealth parts in the hills and towards the engineering side of campus, but it also has its bad part down on telegraph and towards MLK. Furthermore, its surround by Oakland.

The sad part is due to the apartment shortage there, a student's housing is probably more expensive than at UCSD.

check this link: http://berkeleyca.areaconnect.com/crime1.htm

 

[batman1983]

if I had to choose between UCSD and SDSU again, I would have chosen SDSU. They throw incredible parties over there. As long as you don't get sucked into a blackhole and keep schoolwork first, you'll come out with a nice clean transcript, guaranteed.

Totally agree. You would have a nicer transcript, your MCAT would have probably been in the same range, they offer research as well. Plus, there are a lot more other benefits, such as cheaper costs(tuition, housing, etc), great parties, facilities(gym, etc), plus the girls😍

 

[Drogba]

For starters, Berkeley is FAR form a college town. UCSD is better off just because the town that its based in, La Jolla, has only 60K pouplation.
Muggings aren't unheard of at Cal. And there is plenty of delusional homeless people around campus. So far, I think Cal is alright, but unless you are a shining star of some sort, really push for it, or know someone, decent research is a bitch to come by. And as for classes, you jsut have to know what professors to take, but a good majority of them arent exactly forgiving in terms of test curves, and having a lot of overachieving people in a given class just makes the already hard task of getting a favorable grade in the class that much harder.

Right now in my O-Chem class test average is 50% without any curbing.
And including the final, we only get three tests in the whole semester. Thankfully the professor assigns grades relative to how much he feels you should understand, and not the standard 90% = A, 80% = B , and so on. I presume that where you guys are getting the idea that Cal is a hard school.

I have midterms from my O-chem class, and I'll post them if you want, just ask.

Oh cry me a river. Go live in the boonies. Thats not rough, thats normal for almost any mid to large sized city. Colleges are good hunting grounds for muggers anyway. I'm sure almost every school has muggings reported atleast a couple of times a year.

 

[badasshairday]

LOL at berkeley not being a college town.

What La Jolla is a college town? They don't even have a football team.

Yea, the deep southside of Berkeley has some crime but for the most part, around the campus it isn't bad. You act like other college campuses have no thefts... they pretty much all do just because college students carry fancy lap tops and crap. Half the time the thefts are students probably jacking other students.

Let's put it like this, if you sink at Berkeley or UCSD undergrad, why do you think you will be able to keep up with the competitive nature of pretty much all med schools in the country?

And I know batman doesn't agree with this, but I think the courses you take at more rigorous schools like Cal and UCSD will prep you more for the MCAT. My cousins went to San Jose State and there Ochem and Physics exams were jokes compared to what I saw.

 

[purreleven]

cmon guys, don't scare the OP....its not IMPOSSIBLE to get a 4.0 in mcb/ib/chem. i actually know a few guys in these majors who did manage to get a 4.0 (while still taking full course loads). although i do agree that it is very rare, and not something you should expect if you do go to Berkeley.

I think Cal has a great Chem department - you're probably not going to have the greatest GPA but you will learn a lot. Maybe I lucked out, but I never experienced any crazy curves in my MCB classes - maybe the lower division Bio was tough because there seemed to be NO curve, but for most of my other classes, the professor made the average a B- (meaning if the avg was a 60%, then 60% = B-...and I don't know but I've never heard of a class average actually above 80%, so I think you're safe there).

As for med opportunities - it IS a hassle to get to UCSF, but you can always volunteer elsewhere. There's at least three hospitals around that I know I can get to by bus in the east bay that have volunteer opportunities, and there's always John Muir/Mt. Diablo if you have a car or don't mind taking the BART inland a bit. Children's Hospital Oakland also has clinical research opportunities if you don't want to go all the way to UCSF.

I really think it's what you make of it. Yes you will find crazy premeds out there...but as long as you get yourself involved in other things (which I think Cal is a great school for) and try not to become a crazy premed yourself then you'll survive just fine.

 

[cheezer]

...says the 3.99 gpa 39 MCAT premed. want to trade brains?

 

[jjy2103]

so i went to ucb for undergrad...
i think ucb is the greatest school...i met so many different people from diff backgrounds...and sf is beautiful and only 20 mins away!!
honetly i know that getting a high gpa as a chem major in UCB will be impossible..(there are many poor geniuses there who were lured away from stanford with a cheaper tuition..some of my friends were EECs or comp sci majors and they are really really brilliant..(i.e. never studies and gets As))

UCSD is much easier (i have friends who go there too...and they tell me its a breeze)

but i think you will enjoy your 2 years at berkeley more...its the best place to be...where else will you see tie-dye shirt wearing hippies these days? haha...

but if you want a high gpa as a chem major, goto sd....

 

[purreleven]

...says the 3.99 gpa 39 MCAT premed. want to trade brains?

haha...my point was...it's possible, and possible to do it while still having a life and not spending all your time in the library...and like I said, maybe I lucked out with some of the curving...certainly didn't experience any of the curving UP that I saw a few posts up...that's crazy, but maybe I got the better set of Bio professors. I'm not saying it's not hard...but you certainly don't have to go crazy and become a hermit to do well here

 

[ChristianJames1]

la jolla has pleny of crime too. my car window was smashed and my ipod stolen. my bike has been stolen twice. i have even had my motorscooter stolen...all within 1 mile of UCSD in the middle of la jolla. crime is everywhere...even in the wealthiest parts of the world.

 

[neurofreak]

Oh cry me a river. Go live in the boonies. Thats not rough, thats normal for almost any mid to large sized city. Colleges are good hunting grounds for muggers anyway. I'm sure almost every school has muggings reported atleast a couple of times a year.

👍👍👍

couldn't agree more. i went to cal for four years too and although it wasn't the safest area, there are definitely things you can do to be safe. and i agree that if you stay near the campus and don't go wandering down to shattuck at 2 am, then you'll almost always be near students and thus will be safe.

but hey, if you'd rather have it completely "safe" you might as well go to school in irvine or something.

 

[batman1983]

la jolla has pleny of crime too. my car window was smashed and my ipod stolen. my bike has been stolen twice. i have even had my motorscooter stolen...all within 1 mile of UCSD in the middle of la jolla. crime is everywhere...even in the wealthiest parts of the world.

There is a difference between having a car window smashed and losing your ipod compared to someone pulling a gun on you and taking your money. Honestly, you should know better than to leave valuable stuff in cars.

Now, Im not saying that UCSD doesnt have crime, but compared to Berkeley(and I will go on the record and say that this is a fact) it is minuscule. In addition, UCSD doesnt have the surrounding violence in other areas compared to Cal. Go a mile outside of campus(down on telegraph or past shattuck towards MLK and San Pablo Ave), and you have some hard crimes(prostitution, murders, drug dealing(and not the weak drugs, but hard stuff)). The only thing Im not sure about is if those areas are officially considered part of Oakland, rather than Berkeley. The thing with Berkeley is that it has nice parts, but its not too far from bad areas.

When I was preparing for the MCATs, I was studying at UCSD's main library(the diamond shaped one). Anyways, I got to talk to a bunch of cops/security that stayed late on campus. They said the only real crime at UCSD is car theft, which is mostly due to the proximity to Mexico. Thieves would break into cars and drive them across the border into Mexico to be scrapped or sold. But, even then, it wasnt a major issue.

So, once again, if you have to choose between UCSD or UCB, it is essentially choosing between reputation vs location(as well as lower costs). Now, reputations are usually based on difficultly, thus, UCB will probably be more difficult than UCSD for you. Furthermore, since undergrad reputation really doesn’t matter for med school(esp between UCB and UCSD), its a unnecessary difficult. Now, as for location, to compare Berkeley to La Jolla, it is essentially like comparing a Hugo to a Mercedes 🙂

 

[neurofreak]

Now, as for location, to compare Berkeley to La Jolla, it is essentially like comparing a Hugo to a Mercedes 🙂

see this is where i think a lot of people oversimplify things. you can't JUST compare the crime/surrounding areas of each school when considering the location. you have to also consider the culture of each school, and factor in what TYPE of environment you want to spend college in (i.e. a relatively newer, safer suburb, or an older college down with a unique type of culture).

OP, don't listen to the rest of the people on this thread. berkeley isn't as bad as some make it out to be. i was pretty scared about the area too when i was a freshman, but it grew on me as the years went by. definitely consider the crime aspect, but remember that location is much more than the crime or the surrounding people. and like i said, if you are street-smart and careful and don't wander off near san pablo or MLK in the middle of the night, you should be fine.

 

[batman1983]

see this is where i think a lot of people oversimplify things. you can't JUST compare the crime/surrounding areas of each school when considering the location. you have to also consider the culture of each school, and factor in what TYPE of environment you want to spend college in (i.e. a relatively newer, safer suburb, or an older college down with a unique type of culture).

OP, don't listen to the rest of the people on this thread. berkeley isn't as bad as some make it out to be. i was pretty scared about the area too when i was a freshman, but it grew on me as the years went by. definitely consider the crime aspect, but remember that location is much more than the crime or the surrounding people. and like i said, if you are street-smart and careful and don't wander off near san pablo or MLK in the middle of the night, you should be fine.

K, to make the analogy better, it’s like comparing a Hugo to a Lexus. The hugo has its own type of culture/image.

 

[neurofreak]

K, to make the analogy better, it’s like comparing a Hugo to a Lexus. The hugo has its own type of culture/image.

haha k, i guess i can live with that

 

[Arc]

LOL at berkeley not being a college town.

What La Jolla is a college town? They don't even have a football team.

Yea, the deep southside of Berkeley has some crime but for the most part, around the campus it isn't bad. You act like other college campuses have no thefts... they pretty much all do just because college students carry fancy lap tops and crap. Half the time the thefts are students probably jacking other students.

Let's put it like this, if you sink at Berkeley or UCSD undergrad, why do you think you will be able to keep up with the competitive nature of pretty much all med schools in the country?

And I know batman doesn't agree with this, but I think the courses you take at more rigorous schools like Cal and UCSD will prep you more for the MCAT. My cousins went to San Jose State and there Ochem and Physics exams were jokes compared to what I saw.

Unless you haven't been to Berkeley before, Berkeley just lacks the "college town" feel that schools like Davis, and SD have. And exactly why does everyone here put Cal on such a high pedestal here? The curriculum here is no different here than the curriculum that can be found at a state school.

 

[neurofreak]

Unless you haven't been to Berkeley before, Berkeley just lacks the "college town" feel that schools like Davis, and SD have. And exactly why does everyone here put Cal on such a high pedestal here? The curriculum here is no different here than the curriculum that can be found at a state school.

you're saying davis and san diego are college towns?

 

[lil'trooper]

Go a mile outside of campus(down on telegraph or past shattuck towards MLK and San Pablo Ave), and you have some hard crimes(prostitution, murders, drug dealing(and not the weak drugs, but hard stuff)). The only thing Im not sure about is if those areas are officially considered part of Oakland, rather than Berkeley. The thing with Berkeley is that it has nice parts, but its not too far from bad areas.

That's not Oakland, It's Berkeley. Oakland doesn't start until somewhere in the 60's or 50's down Telegraph.

Now, reputations are usually based on difficultly, thus, UCB will probably be more difficult than UCSD for you. Furthermore, since undergrad reputation really doesn’t matter for med school(esp between UCB and UCSD), its a unnecessary difficult. Now, as for location, to compare Berkeley to La Jolla, it is essentially like comparing a Hugo to a Mercedes 🙂
[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Unless you don't like being around people who reek of money, privlege, inexperience, and ego. Of course, you can find that anywhere... Berkely is FULL of self-righteous freaks. La Jolla is gorgeous...I love it, but it's also full of itself. It's also full of old folks, teenagers with coke habits, and people who make money doing real estate scams.

As someone who's lived in both places, I'd pick Berkeley in a heartbeat. UCB is a BART away from one of the most famous cities in the world. You can see and do anything you can think of. Crime exists, but that's life. There's fabulous cheap food, a ton of diversity, and gorgeous mountains and countryside are less than an hour away. San Diego is a nice place to be 50. The weather is temperate. But it's less cosmopolitan. There's less culture. If you're adventurous, go to Berkeley. If you're someone who likes to drive, go to San Diego. And don't forget your Hugo.

 

[lil'trooper]

sorry I messed the quotes up bigtime on that posting.

 

[Drogba]

\

Go a mile outside of campus(down on telegraph or past shattuck towards MLK and San Pablo Ave), and you have some hard crimes(prostitution, murders, drug dealing(and not the weak drugs, but hard stuff)). The only thing Im not sure about is if those areas are officially considered part of Oakland, rather than Berkeley. The thing with Berkeley is that it has nice parts, but its not too far from bad areas.

[

This is the reality of urban life. If this surprises you then you must have not spent a great deal of time in any major city. Sure some campuses are more isolated than others but it doesn't sound like people are being shot on campus or prostitutes are walking through the quad. If you want to see that come to my school. 👍

 

[batman1983]

This is the reality of urban life. If this surprises you then you must have not spent a great deal of time in any major city. Sure some campuses are more isolated than others but it doesn't sound like people are being shot on campus or prostitutes are walking through the quad. If you want to see that come to my school. 👍

Dont disagree with that(every city has drugs and prostution, but certain cities have it worse). But in terms of location, that just reaffirms that I think UCSD is better. As for being shot on campus or within a couple blocks of campus, I have heard about that happening a couple times in the past few years. Btw, whats your school?

 

[badasshairday]

Unless you don't like being around people who reek of money, privlege, inexperience, and ego. Of course, you can find that anywhere... Berkely is FULL of self-righteous freaks. La Jolla is gorgeous...I love it, but it's also full of itself. It's also full of old folks, teenagers with coke habits, and people who make money doing real estate scams.

As someone who's lived in both places, I'd pick Berkeley in a heartbeat. UCB is a BART away from one of the most famous cities in the world. You can see and do anything you can think of. Crime exists, but that's life. There's fabulous cheap food, a ton of diversity, and gorgeous mountains and countryside are less than an hour away. San Diego is a nice place to be 50. The weather is temperate. But it's less cosmopolitan. There's less culture. If you're adventurous, go to Berkeley. If you're someone who likes to drive, go to San Diego. And don't forget your Hugo.

Well put.

 

[neurofreak]

As someone who's lived in both places, I'd pick Berkeley in a heartbeat. UCB is a BART away from one of the most famous cities in the world. You can see and do anything you can think of. Crime exists, but that's life. There's fabulous cheap food, a ton of diversity, and gorgeous mountains and countryside are less than an hour away. San Diego is a nice place to be 50. The weather is temperate. But it's less cosmopolitan. There's less culture. If you're adventurous, go to Berkeley. If you're someone who likes to drive, go to San Diego. And don't forget your Hugo.

👍

 

[decafplease]

While I can't comment on UCSD, I can on the choice between Cal and another UC.

I chose against Cal because I felt so uncomfortable on campus. I lived in Oakland for 4 years and visited the Cal area often and it's scuzzy. Also, I fell in love with my (now) campus and felt I'd have better access to Med internships and other EC's (I do) and I'd have a more interesting and enjoyable time, ie not burn out. Cal is a burnout school for me. STRESS-ful! All those damn gunners everywhere. We make fun of gunners at our school. 😉

Word of advice: go LIGHT your first quarter!!! Take some GE's (if you're not done) or a couple P/NP courses (your major will probably offer a few seminar courses that are P/NP) and maybe one, two sciences tops. It's a tough transition. Don't be too hard on yourself. And please stop telling people you want a 4.0. It makes transfers look naive, or makes you look proud.

Good luck! (and have you considered any of the other UC's? Like UCLA, UCD, etc? Check out the campuses, you might be surprised. You should feel butterflies when you find the right one. 🙂)

 

[Arc]

Unless you don't like being around people who reek of money, privlege, inexperience, and ego. Of course, you can find that anywhere... Berkely is FULL of self-righteous freaks. La Jolla is gorgeous...I love it, but it's also full of itself. It's also full of old folks, teenagers with coke habits, and people who make money doing real estate scams.

As someone who's lived in both places, I'd pick Berkeley in a heartbeat. UCB is a BART away from one of the most famous cities in the world. You can see and do anything you can think of. Crime exists, but that's life. There's fabulous cheap food, a ton of diversity, and gorgeous mountains and countryside are less than an hour away. San Diego is a nice place to be 50. The weather is temperate. But it's less cosmopolitan. There's less culture. If you're adventurous, go to Berkeley. If you're someone who likes to drive, go to San Diego. And don't forget your Hugo.

I'd pick neither, if I was supposed to be choosing a permanent residence. But then again I'm not much of a city person.

 

[Pewl]

OP,

This is hardly the place to be getting input on which undergrad place to attend!

But, I'd have to vote for UCLA =D

If not not UCLA, then I'd go for UCSD. La Jolla is sweet. And, honestly, Berkeley and UCSD will both be pretty competitive when it comes to pre-med freaks.

 

[etf]

people say "go a mile outside campus" and you'll see a lot of crime. the beautiful thing about cal is that there is no need to go a mile outside campus.

 

[student12x]

The real question should be, "which UC will give the highest probability of getting into med-school"?. Its all about chances. Don't be concerned about all the little subjective details. Your goal is to get in. If med-schools don't care about undergrad, then chose the easier UC. Look at it this way, if you get a 3.4 at Cal instead of a 3.6(which you would have gotten had you chose SD) at SD and subsequently,get rejected by med-schools; can you say that you've made the best choice? Can you justify your subjective inclination in light of med-school rejection?

Of course, one still has to consider other important aspects such as ease of obtaining research, premed advising, extracurriculars, networking etc. As the aforementioned can off-set harder grading in some cases. Just a few things to keep in mind.

 

[paranoid_eyes]

jeez, it's really true that cal kids whine like crazy about the difficulty of their school...👎

honestly, there is absolutely no reason why anyone in their right mind would choose any UC over UCLA. UCLA is god when it comes to college. It is DEFINITELY not that competitive (we help each other here...), the classes are rigorous so you WILL learn the material really well, and the campus life is great. Everyone is really relaxed and the girls look great. PLENTY of extracurricular activities (TONS of research, lots of clinical experience ops) Seriously, if any of you transfers make it to UCLA, go here. I can't emphasize that enough.

 

[Arc]

people say "go a mile outside campus" and you'll see a lot of crime. the beautiful thing about cal is that there is no need to go a mile outside campus.

Too True. And the fact that everything you need is within walking distance.

 

[neurofreak]

jeez, it's really true that cal kids whine like crazy about the difficulty of their school...👎

not all cal kids, yo. just some...and ive heard a decent amount of whining from you bruins too

 

[etf]

The real question should be, "which UC will give the highest probability of getting into med-school"?. Its all about chances. Don't be concerned about all the little subjective details. Your goal is to get in.

this is assuming that the op actually goes through with the whole pre-med thing, which is statistically less likely than we all probably think. in that case, it's better to go to the place where you will be able to explore all of your interests - and in terms of the UCs, I don't think there's really that much difference in that regard - they are all excellent institutions and will provide a sound education and countless opportunities in any discipline you could imagine.

that said, if i could have went to some other schools other than berkeley, i would have. but i wouldn't have personally wanted to go to any of the other ucs, which is why i only applied to cal.

 

[etf]

Too True. And the fact that everything you need is within walking distance.

actually, you can take BART to OAK and SFO, so you're literally within walking distance of anywhere on this planet

 

[Foghorn]

Doesn't Ookla have their infamous undie run during every finals? The OP should attend Ookla just for that.

 

[TM2006]

honestly, there is absolutely no reason why anyone in their right mind would choose any UC over UCLA.

I thought the exact same way, until I got accepted to Cal. Then I was yelling Go Bears from the top of my lungs.

To be fair, my responses in this thread have only been shallow one liners. I honestly think the issue at hand is important and places unnecessary stress on high school and transfer students. I want to direct this reply not to the OP, who is an apparent tool, but to others who might be interested in an honest opinion when they're about to apply.

It DOESN'T matter where you go as long as you are happy. You will never have these four years back. At the same time, these same four years are extremely important for your personal and emotional growth. If you don't think you'll be challenged at your institution you are WASTING your time. Honestly, do you think medical school is easy?

Your four years aren't meant to get you into medical school. Stop acting like tools. They are meant to allow you to personally grow and figure out who you are and discover your personal ambitions. You could go to SDSU and get a 4.0. But is the education offered at SDSU the same as the one offered at UCSD? If you can get a 4.0 at any school, you can do WELL anywhere.

Six hundred pre-meds apply to med school from Cal each year and a majority get in somewhere. You can find similar stats at the other major UCs.

I can promise you, regardless of where you might end up going, you'll most likely fall in love with it. I bleed Blue and Gold. If I had gone to fUCLA, would I also be bleeding baby Blue and Gold (essentially synthetic/photo copied Cal blood)? Most definitely!

Finally - and this has irritated me a lot reading these forums - people forget WHY they're going into medicine. Medicine is not a number game (the person with the highest GPA wins). It's a life long dedication to helping other people. I can't understand how individuals can pursue this field with the same mentality as the OP.

 

[LandSpeed]

Alright, everybody, I've decided to choose UCSD. There have been some great responses, on here, and thanks for the input. All in all, I've weighed my options carefully, but in the end I think that I'll be more successful and happier at UCSD. I'm really looking forward to starting, and think that I'm going to have to learn how to surf. Sorry bears fans, it was a close call. But, I need to get out of NorCal and I think that UCSD will be a better fit. I'm sure I could have been happy at either school, but I like the close affiliation w/ the med school at UCSD, the research/volunteer opportunities, and the academics... not that UCSD will be any easier. Thanks again everybody, and good luck studying.

 

[Foghorn]

LOL....say hi to Evelyn Lin. Make sure to take a communications class. You might run into her.

Remember to join this forum: http://www.sduncensored.com/

 

[neurofreak]

Alright, everybody, I've decided to choose UCSD. There have been some great responses, on here, and thanks for the input. All in all, I've weighed my options carefully, but in the end I think that I'll be more successful and happier at UCSD. I'm really looking forward to starting, and think that I'm going to have to learn how to surf. Sorry bears fans, it was a close call. But, I need to get out of NorCal and I think that UCSD will be a better fit. I'm sure I could have been happy at either school, but I like the close affiliation w/ the med school at UCSD, the research/volunteer opportunities, and the academics... not that UCSD will be any easier. Thanks again everybody, and good luck studying.

in school and also in the admissions process

 

[LandSpeed]

in school and also in the admissions process

thanks 👍