Should I transfer to Berkeley?

[Member100]

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[DocGodfather]

You should really go to the school you want to be at, which is Cal. If it were me, I'd stay at Davis. You have things already in place, and could have nearly 4 years experince working with the same PI. Also, both schools are UC, and if your science classes aren't as tough, why make it harder by going to Berkeley? Sleep well at night, considering there are very few students who have a chance to attend a UC, and get all the experience you have had thus far.

 

[imcanadaian]

You should really go to the school you want to be at, which is Cal. If it were me, I'd stay at Davis. You have things already in place, and could have nearly 4 years experince working with the same PI. Also, both schools are UC, and if your science classes aren't as tough, why make it harder by going to Berkeley? Sleep well at night, considering there are very few students who have a chance to attend a UC, and get all the experience you have had thus far.

+1 I went to Cal. and while we have the superior sports program, that doesnt' matter for med school 🙂 If you have early opportunities and connections and friends--why leave? Plus, the science classes at Cal will DESTROY your gpa. Not knocking Davis or anything--you'll do fine graduating from there.

Enjoy the Aggie life!

 

[Akail]

Uh...are you crazy? Berkeley isn't some dreamland fantasy; trust me, I'm an alumni. You have a good thing going at UCD, You're already halfway through and soon enough you're going to start making decisions about what comes after college. Why start from scratch now? What's it about going to Cal that would make the effort worth it? It's notable mostly for providing a good value education and the opportunities available to an undergrad aren't going to be head and shoulders above those you already have.

 

[sinombre]

even the science classes at Davis don't feel difficult

lol... just wait until you start taking upper division science classes OP. Another vote to not act on an overly romanticized idea.

 

[TriagePreMed]

I went to Davis and have been to Cal. I get a better vibe from Cal, and considering so many people are so much more focused, if I were to do it again, I'd go to Cal instead. Don't be afraid of life and become complacent only because you "have it made at Davis." If you feel Davis doesn't meet all your expectations and you can go to your dream school, do it. Why would you want to go through life with the "what if I could have gone to my dream school?" The idea that Berkeley will be 10x harder than Davis is in the imagination of people that haven't attended both Davis and Berkeley and assume that a better school = tougher in every way.

 

[Propylene]

I am a graduate of Davis and felt that the courses I took and my overall experience in college did an excellent job of preparing me for both the MCAT and for medical school. There are lots of opportunities at Davis that can send you anywhere you'd like but at the end of the day you should go where you are happy.

If you feel like Berkeley is the place for you then go for it. Just be sure that you're making an informed decision. You'll have to re-establish yourself in a new school, and make new mentors for LORs. It will be unnecessarily difficult but certainly possible. It is all about what is more important to you.

 

[Member100]

lol... just wait until you start taking upper division science classes OP. Another vote to not act on an overly romanticized idea.

You are right here and I apologize for that. It was naive of me to say, especially since I've only taken one upper division bio class at Davis. I get the feeling that Cal science courses are only "harder" because of the competitive students rather than the professors/content, so that wasn't a fair assumption to make about Berkeley on my part.

As for overly romanticizing Berkeley, that is definitely possible. However, I did live in the city for two years when I first moved to the US (during high school) and I fell in love with its charm and the university's campus. The majority of my family -- including both my parents and my brother (now also a PhD student there) -- graduated from Cal, so it was not some far-off fantasy. Then again, the fact that my family went there is part of the reason I have always wanted to go, so perhaps my love for the school is not as genuine as I may think it is.

In the end, I know that Davis is better for me. Attending my dream school for two years is not worth ruining my research experience, passing up what could be amazing LoRs, and having to make connections from scratch. However, I always come back to the nagging thought that I may regret the decision to pass up Cal in the future..

Thank you so much. I really appreciate all the objective feedback! I am leaning towards remaining at Davis now. Medical school doesn't care where I graduate from and neither should I... perhaps I am inflating Berkeley's worth. Instead of focusing on the opportunities at a different university, I should instead focus on getting even more experience at Davis (i.e. intern at the med center, EMT training, start TAing again, etc), which would be much more beneficial. Emotions (and, to some extent, over-excited parents) are hard to ignore, though. 😛 You have all helped put this in perspective for me, though -- even if it seemed obvious to you.

Sorry for any tyops/grammatical errors/repetition. I am on the train and its rattling like crazy at the moment so I can't read what I'm typing haha.

 

[sinombre]

You are right here and I apologize for that. It was naive of me to say, especially since I've only taken one upper division bio class at Davis. I get the feeling that Cal science courses are only "harder" because of the competitive students rather than the professors/content, so that wasn't a fair assumption to make about Berkeley on my part.

As for overly romanticizing Berkeley, that is definitely possible. However, I did live in the city for two years when I first moved to the US (during high school) and I fell in love with its charm and the university's campus. The majority of my family -- including both my parents and my brother (now also a PhD student there) -- graduated from Cal, so it was not some far-off fantasy. Then again, the fact that my family went there is part of the reason I have always wanted to go, so perhaps my love for the school is not as genuine as I may think it is.

In the end, I know that Davis is better for me. Attending my dream school for two years is not worth ruining my research experience, passing up what could be amazing LoRs, and having to make connections from scratch. However, I always come back to the nagging thought that I may regret the decision to pass up Cal in the future..

Thank you so much. I really appreciate all the objective feedback! I am leaning towards remaining at Davis now. Medical school doesn't care where I graduate from and neither should I... perhaps I am inflating Berkeley's worth. Instead of focusing on the opportunities at a different university, I should instead focus on getting even more experience at Davis (i.e. intern at the med center, EMT training, start TAing again, etc), which would be much more beneficial. Emotions (and, to some extent, over-excited parents) are hard to ignore, though. 😛 You have all helped put this in perspective for me, though -- even if it seemed obvious to you.

Sorry for any tyops/grammatical errors/repetition. I am on the train and its rattling like crazy at the moment so I can't read what I'm typing haha.

Well, good luck OP. If you do well enough maybe you'll get lucky and get into the JMP at UCSF/UC Berkeley

 

[Member100]

Well, good luck OP. If you do well enough maybe you'll get lucky and get into the JMP at UCSF/UC Berkeley

Hehe not even going to dream about that! But thank you for the good wishes and for knocking some sense into me 🙂

 

[Lamel]

Go wherever you really want to go, and where you will be happiest. Enjoy your undergraduate experience. Medical school isn't the only important thing in the world.

 

[alpharez]

It's just undergrad. You have so many more opportunities in the future to relocate (medical school, residency) and find where you truly want to be.

Davis is amazing. I wouldn't give up going to this school. Take advantage of what this school has to offer and really excel so that when you do graduate you can pick where you want to go afterward.

If you're really having such an easy time then: get paid to do research, publish, get straight A's, go join one of the 8 student-run clinics, become a board member in the clinic, and just enjoy the people and the laid back atmosphere of the city.

You have it good OP.

 

[Aerus]

My family OB did undergrad at Davis and went to Harvard Med. Davis will be sufficient for medical school.

If you aren't happy and won't do well in that sort of environment, then that's a different story. But if you can succeed at Davis, then stay. It has plenty of resources for you to do well.

 

[bollywoodlover]

My votes for Davis. Heard Berkeley is known for grade deflation. You'll probably look way better for med schools of your an extra good student at Davis than a mediocre one at Berkeley.

 

[Member100]

Thank you for the suggestion on the clinics, alpharez!

 

[UrbanRiver]

If u in the slightest chance may go for any career other than medicine.. then Berkeley. But if u r for sure going into medicine... staying at Davis may be a good idea. Berkeley is a really good school with amazing people..but it may be hard finding a good group of friends and it may take at least a semester to get used to the system and finding research and leadership opportunities. If u transfer.. take an easier workload that first semester to adjust and get used to how Berkeley classes are and grade. Good luckkk.

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[darkjedi]

Seems like a lot of people are recommending staying at Davis for some reason. If I were in OP's position, and not enjoying my college experience and were offered a spot at my dream university, I would probably take that shot.

The biggest issue here is giving up the research opportunity at Davis, which is a big thing. Do the legwork in seeing if you can set up a research position by the time you transfer, and it may alleviate some of your apprehension. There is certainly no shortage of research going on at Cal, and I'm sure you can find something worthwhile.

 

[plumhill]

In the end, I know that Davis is better for me. Attending my dream school for two years is not worth ruining my research experience, passing up what could be amazing LoRs, and having to make connections from scratch. However, I always come back to the nagging thought that I may regret the decision to pass up Cal in the future..

There ya go.

I doubt you'll regret it, once you're a doc 🙂

 

[sliceofbread136]

Go where you want to go.... sounds like that is Berkley. Just a warning my dad went to Berkeley and he is freaking weird. So stay safe OP.

 

[FSU2013]

Saw the wood in front of you.