UCSB vs Cal Poly SLO vs UC Merced

[jasmeets93]

I am a senior in high school right now. I got into ucsb, cal poly slo, and merced. I want to pursue a career in medicine, and was wondering which college I should go to? I got into biology for all three. Which of these schools is better academically, for medical school later, after my undergrad? Which school would be best to pursue undergrad at, and then have higher acceptance rate to a medical school?

Thanks so much.

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[hematosis]

It really doesn't matter which school you go to. What matters more is your GPA and MCAT score. with that said, i would rank as follows: cal poly slo, ucsb and then ucm. good luck young jedi.

 

[Zjodak]

I don't think the competition differs greatly between schools so grades won't be too different between schools. However, budget cuts are affecting CSUs more than they are UCs, so you may find it hard to get into classes at Cal Poly SLO. I would suggest asking people currently going to each school though. They'll know more. As far as med school goes, it doesn't really matter which school you go to. Just be sure to do well in classes.

 

[MiniPanda]

I am a senior in high school right now. I got into ucsb, cal poly slo, and merced. I want to pursue a career in medicine, and was wondering which college I should go to? I got into biology for all three. Which of these schools is better academically, for medical school later, after my undergrad? Which school would be best to pursue undergrad at, and then have higher acceptance rate to a medical school?

Thanks so much.

Research which schools have the best premed office. Ask what support they give premeds and if the school arranges any internships at hospitals. What about research opportunities at the school (if that interests you)?

Personally I think you should rule out Merced. Between the other two... maybe check the average time to graduation for the bio major at each school, to see if students are getting the classes that they need on time. I have a friend at UCSB who basically couldn't take any useful classes her freshman year... but that might be a problem at all public schools. Also, I've heard that at least some UCs will give you a kind of advanced standing if you passed AP tests in high school, which allows you to pick your classes earlier than a lot of other people in your grade that didn't... look into this! It might mean that the scramble for classes won't hit you as hard as others.

 

[pharmit]

I would rule out merced as well. I graduated in 08 from cal poly SLO, and I've never even heard of merced (granted it is further away, so that may give me bias).
I loved SLO. The area is awesome, and the school is relatively cheap. That being said, I did most of the leg work on figuring out what I needed to do for my prepharm, as did many of the pre-med students I knew.
UCSB is may be more well known. Difficult to say now. And they may help students more in their health related careers. Santa Barbara is also a pretty nice area.

 

[John Durian]

I would choose UCSB. Cal Poly would be a close second. UCM would be last.

In the end, your fate will be decided by your grades (ie, maintain a high GPA) and test scores.

 

[nebratu]

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[JESSFALLING]

I would choose UCSB. Cal Poly would be a close second. UCM would be last.

In the end, your fate will be decided by your grades (ie, maintain a high GPA) and test scores.

I agree completely. I think UCM is too new of a school (and the area is kind of crappy, to be polite). I think that UCSB is by far the best school here. It's in a nice location with nice weather. It's also still close enough to LA that you can drive down there in a few hours. The only caveat is this: UCSB is a party school. Make sure that you're not one that will get overly sucked into that. Lastly, Cal Poly is known for hard grading...I wouldn't want to go there as a premed...awesome for engineering, though!