UC BERKELEY VS UCI PREMED

[lalala00]

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Hey there!

So i have been accepted into both Cal and UCI as a transfer student from a CC. I have completed most of my prereqs for med school and I only need physics and biochemistry for the MCAT next year. I am interested in joining the MCB major and possibly doing Immunology/ Pathogenesis.

My science & math gpa is a 3.8 and I'm afraid that going to Cal could potentially ruin my gpa.
Would it be smarter to major in a non-science? And just take the remaining sciences? Or are the upper div science classes more doable w/ hard work (compared to lower divs)?

Also, how difficult is to land a research position w/ a professor? (for letters of req)

The pros for going to UCI is less competition, lots of great research opportunities, and classes are tough enough to prepare me for the mcat but seem less likely to ruin my gpa. It's my dream to go to Berkeley but UCI seems like the more practical decision.

Any other advice would great! Thanks!

 

[La Presse]

UCI also has a med school. 😉

I'm almost certain that they take a lot of their undergrads.

 

[BamaNicole]

There is no "easy major" at Cal. My English classes were just as killer as my science classes

 

[thanh337]

Congratulations on getting in both schools! I'm in the exact same predicament as you are so I'm looking forward to the replies on this thread.

 

[emelizabeth]

.

 

[BamaNicole]

You should know that most allopathic schools don't like and/or accept BCPM courses done at CCs. Research the requirements of med schools you're interested in. You may need to retake some of those basic science courses, in which case I might choose UCI.

My understanding is that most schools "don't like" BCPM courses done at CCs if you went to a 4 year university beforehand. You're expected to do well since its a 2 year college. If you did them before you transfer, its a bit of a different story. I'd just make sure that CC credits are accepted because if they're not then yeah you would have to do them over. If they are, just knock your upper division science classes out of the park.

 

[youmed]

MCB at Cal is hard.

 

[Launcelot]

Not sure about UCI, but it's no secret that Cal is home to some of the most challenging undergraduate programs in the country. If being a Golden Bear is enough motivation to study 100x harder than you have already been studying, then go for it; there is no place quite like it. The bay area is also a cool place to live, both figuratively and literally.

 

[BlueCircle]

Hey there!

So i have been accepted into both Cal and UCI as a transfer student from a CC. I have completed most of my prereqs for med school and I only need physics and biochemistry for the MCAT next year. I am interested in joining the MCB major and possibly doing Immunology/ Pathogenesis.

My science & math gpa is a 3.8 and I'm afraid that going to Cal could potentially ruin my gpa.
Would it be smarter to major in a non-science? And just take the remaining sciences? Or are the upper div science classes more doable w/ hard work (compared to lower divs)?

Also, how difficult is to land a research position w/ a professor? (for letters of req)

The pros for going to UCI is less competition, lots of great research opportunities, and classes are tough enough to prepare me for the mcat but seem less likely to ruin my gpa. It's my dream to go to Berkeley but UCI seems like the more practical decision.

Any other advice would great! Thanks!

A friend and I both transferred out the same year from the same CCC with approximately the same GPA (a 3.79 and a 3.77). He went to UCB and I went to UCI. For me finding research on campus has been a piece of cake. Out of the 13-14 or so research requests I've sent to PIs on campus, I've managed to bag 6 responses, 4 interviews and 4 position offers. On the other hand, when I spoke to my friend during spring break he said that UCB is so over-saturated with people doing research that he needs to take the trolly for 1.5 hours (one way) to do research at UCSF because of the lack of availability of research positions on campus.

 

[BlueCircle]

You should know that most allopathic schools don't like and/or accept BCPM courses done at CCs. Research the requirements of med schools you're interested in. You may need to retake some of those basic science courses, in which case I might choose UCI.

Yeah this statement is beyond flawed. One only needs to look at the MSAR to see that MOST med schools accept CC science credit and have no problem with it. So long as you don't take any more after you transfer, and then also take some upper division science courses to prove you can excel at upper divs, you will have no problem. People please do your research before spreading the wrong information!

 

[emelizabeth]

Yeah this statement is beyond flawed. One only needs to look at the MSAR to see that MOST med schools accept CC science credit and have no problem with it. So long as you don't take any more after you transfer, and then also take some upper division science courses to prove you can excel at upper divs, you will have no problem. People please do your research before spreading the wrong information!

Noted and edited, thanks.

 

[lalala00]

A friend and I both transferred out the same year from the same CCC with approximately the same GPA (a 3.79 and a 3.77). He went to UCB and I went to UCI. For me finding research on campus has been a piece of cake. Out of the 13-14 or so research requests I've sent to PIs on campus, I've managed to bag 6 responses, 4 interviews and 4 position offers. On the other hand, when I spoke to my friend during spring break he said that UCB is so over-saturated with people doing research that he needs to take the trolly for 1.5 hours (one way) to do research at UCSF because of the lack of availability of research positions on campus.

Thanks for your input!

How are the science courses at UCI? Do they test mostly on conceptual understanding/critical thinking required or is it just mostly memorization/scantron? I have no clue what to expect.