UC Davis vs. Berkeley vs. UCSC for undergrad?

[az43]

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Im currently having a pretty tough time deciding on where to transfer to. Im a 3rd year california community college student. I've completed phys gen chem and after this semester I will have completed ochem and bio. My undergrad gpa is 3.5 however Ive been working 35 hours/week for the past 2.5 years.. So that kind of dented my gpa. Im also a 1st generation URM..

So far I have gotten accepted into Cal, UC Davis, UCSD, UCLA, UC Irvine and UCSC. I've narrowed my choices down to irvine, davis, berkeley, and ucsc. Im from the bay area and would lie to dstay close to home for my undergrad, so Im looking more at sc davis and cal.

I know that both davis and berkeley have excellent resources, however I know that santa cruz isnt bad either. It should also be a bit easier to earn high marks at santa cruz? I am iffy about berkeley because I have a few peers that regret transferring to Cal and wish they had transferred to a "lower" UC such as davis SB or Irvine. Im just really having a tough time with choosing where to SIR to and would appreciate any help fromyou guys... Thanks

 

[Ace-Co-A]

Berkeley. /thread

Always go to the most prestigious & rigorous school into which you are accepted all other things being equal. Is financial aid equivalent at all possible schools?

 

[youmed]

Uhm no. What major did you get accepted as?

 

[Patros]

Berkeley. /thread

Always go to the most prestigious & rigorous school into which you are accepted all other things being equal. Is financial aid equivalent at all possible schools?

Um hold on there. Don't you remember how many threads we have had on semi-smart folks regretting going to very challenging schools and then whining about it here? Based on reputation, Berkeley is the grandpappy of academic butt-whupping, so maybe it's not the best decision. At least where I am on the East coast, Berkeley and USC are about equally well-known, and I doubt UCD is any slouch in terms of resources.

I say if you feel equally comfortable in all the schools, then go to the place that is best for a premed. That is, has enough resources and the fewest headaches for the application process. I'm no expert on UCs, but I think USC would be best if finances are not a concern, or UCD otherwise. Both Berkeley and UCLA have large numbers of premeds, and are really competitive from what I hear.

 

[BamaNicole]

I had the choice between UCSC and Cal (didn't apply to Davis) and I chose Cal because of the finacial aid offer.

If all else is equal, look at your aid and that should help you decide.

Cal was incredibly challenging and if I had to make the choice again I'd do the same thing.

 

[mrh125]

Davis, it's chill, the people are nice, and it's less premed cutthroat type stuff. berkeley is more into the grade deflation and classmates shredding your lab reports to get a one up. UCSC is chill too, and if you like UCSC that isn't half bad either. Remember the key is to enjoy college and unless you're into a lot of unneccessary stress berkeley might not be the place for you.

 

[Lucca]

Davis, it's chill, the people are nice, and it's less premed cutthroat type stuff. berkeley is more into the grade deflation and classmates shredding your lab reports to get a one up. UCSC is chill too, and if you like UCSC that isn't half bad either. Remember the key is to enjoy college and unless you're into a lot of unneccessary stress berkeley might not be the place for you.

I've actually heard from several friends at Cal that Berkely students are very cooperative and friendly. I don't think it's cutthroat in the same way UCLA has a reputation for being. It's probably cutthroat for research positions and such since it's such a STEM powerhouse and known for breeding some of the bests scientists in the world.

My Advice: Cal. Location + Student Caliber + Resources + Quirky Culture = Happy College Life

 

[mrh125]

I've actually heard from several friends at Cal that Berkely students are very cooperative and friendly. I don't think it's cutthroat in the same way UCLA has a reputation for being. It's probably cutthroat for research positions and such since it's such a STEM powerhouse and known for breeding some of the bests scientists in the world.

My Advice: Cal. Location + Student Caliber + Resources + Quirky Culture = Happy College Life

That's interesting. I almost went to CAL, but the second i heard about the ridiculous competition and grade deflation I was like yea no and SIRed at davis.

 

[az43]

Uhm no. What major did you get accepted as?

Got accepted under molecular and cell biology (cell and developmental biology). I got into sc as molecular and ce,l and for davis i got accepted as a biochemistry and molecular biology major.

 

[az43]

Davis, it's chill, the people are nice, and it's less premed cutthroat type stuff. berkeley is more into the grade deflation and classmates shredding your lab reports to get a one up. UCSC is chill too, and if you like UCSC that isn't half bad either. Remember the key is to enjoy college and unless you're into a lot of unneccessary stress berkeley might not be the place for you.

Idk what to choose man.. So Cal has the great academics/prestige but Im also worried that I might regret my choice... Davis seems like a great town, I love the vibe. I also have a lot of friends and a cousin that attend UC Davis. Santa Cruz is alright as well but Davis and Berkeley are my top two choices bc of the reasons I just stated. Just wish making a decision were easier lol....

 

[alt12345]

Go with Davis. Berkeley is too hard and too big, especially coming from a CC. UCSC might not give you the best resources. Anecdotally, the students I've met from Davis are happy and challenged, without being overly competitive and stressed out. Good luck.

 

[youmed]

Cal as a tranfer MCB student is brutal because the transition into upper division classes even for students who've been here for two years is a struggle. On the other hand, I've heard so many positive things about Davis, one of which is the friendly environment. IMHO, I think Davis where you have a lot of friends is the place to be.

 

[California Bear]

Current Cal student here! MCB is hard. Although I took MCB 102 last semester and got an A, I doubt I'll be taking another MCB class here. I'm a non-science major, so thankfully I don't have to sit in with those premed folks all the time.

Don't look too much into prestige. Go wherever seems right!

 

[ambivalent]

Went to Cal for undergrad. It really depends on what you want to achieve. My thoughts:

If you're premed, DO NOT come to Cal. Sure, the prestige is nice, but the struggle you'll go through to retain top grades isn't worth it. UC Davis is still a respectable school and plenty of people get into medical schools just fine!

 

[pageantry]

UCSC is beautiful but it is (was? Ten years ago?) a reeeeeally homogenous place: racially, culturally, and politically. Maybe it's different now. I do know they have some outstanding people of color on faculty.

At any rate, I feel like many aspects of my education were subpar as a result. I imagine I could have put more effort into changing my own experience, but school + work is already a lot and I didn't know how to go about it. I feel like I would have had a cool experience with more overall diversity, and a better, namebrand education at Cal.

 

[mrspecialist]

Cal is not really suited for pre-med, cut-throat competition against engineers.

 

[amvet70]

I understand that fit is nebulous, but where do you think you’ll fit in because if you’re happy you’re more likely to do well GPA wise. You really can’t afford to have you’re GPA “dented” much more. I assume 3.5 is cumulative GPA. As a CA resident if accepted to med school, you’ll probably attend OOS so the UC you can graduate from with as little debt as possible should be consideration as most med students pay for school by loans and OOSs will be expensive.

 

[clippers50fan]

Just graduated Cal this past may. If you're going in as an MCB major, you're going to have a very tough time. MCB upper-divs here are no joke and the grade deflation is crazy. I personally was a Public Health major and found that not only much easier, but much more interesting and enjoyable as I had the typical premed classes + electives in bio but I also had all the easier and frankly very interesting Public Health classes to help my cGPA.

I've heard that Davis is actually pretty hard for premeds from my friends there, but this is just anecdotal evidence. Some of their classes are capped harder than the equivalents at Berkeley.

But, honestly, if you're MCB, don't choose Cal. IB is pretty chill, though, with the right classes.

 

[wagonwheel23]

Ok, I think that Berkeley gets too often unfairly described as a GPA crusher. I am very familiar with the MCB department and grade inflation is rampant. I was consistently shocked at the poor quality of work that gets high marks.

I would consider the quality of instruction when making your choice. Typically (in my experience and that of my friends), the heavy research schools are not spectacular at teaching undergrads.

 

[clippers50fan]

Ok, I think that Berkeley gets too often unfairly described as a GPA crusher. I am very familiar with the MCB department and grade inflation is rampant. I was consistently shocked at the poor quality of work that gets high marks.

I would consider the quality of instruction when making your choice. Typically (in my experience and that of my friends), the heavy research schools are not spectacular at teaching undergrads.

I completely agree with your second point. But I'm not so sure about your first. I saw quite a bit of people go through the MCB department and it was pretty rough, but I obviously haven't personally experienced other universities, just my specific program in relation to MCB.