which one is better? as in which university will present more research, internship, and other oppurtunities as an undergraduate?
UCSD vs UCB?
- Thread starter uc123cali
- Start date
D
deleted357625
Berkeley aint no joke
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2005
- Messages
- 8,506
- Reaction score
- 7
Here's the short answer:
UC Berkeley = much more well rounded of a school, better name, probably better overall college experience unless you are ONLY focused on basic science research.
UCSD = good school, many research opportunities for the (annoying gunner) pre-med undergrads. Affiliated with an awesome medical school where groundbreaking research and procedures are conducted.
I am an MS2 at UCSD. Undergrads have plenty of amazing research opportunities, but seemingly not much else going on on the undergrad campus. Seems lame over there half the time
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2011
- Messages
- 405
- Reaction score
- 7
Cal
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2010
- Messages
- 4,007
- Reaction score
- 368
You can do everything that you read around here you need to do to make yourself a good applicant at either school. Easily. There are tons of opportunities at either school, far more than most pre-meds have access to. The feel at the two schools is incredibly different though. SD and Berkeley are very different cities, the campuses are different, the people are different. The fact that you even ask makes me believe you're talking in the abstract and have never visited either of these two schools. As someone else said, not to detract from UCSD, but Berkeley is strong sauce. You know if you fit in there. If you don't feel like you really fit in with the average science student you meet there, you need to avoid it. They come to play up there and the GPAs show it. The more I read your posts, the more I think you are a high school sophomore, not that that matters I guess.
im actually a senior in highschool. i was recently admitted to both uc berkeley and uc san diego. not that it matters
my parents are kinda leaning towards berkeley, although im not sure if im prepared for the competitive atmosphere and letting my gpa suffer...i mean the percentages of undergrad students admitted to med shoool for both universities are about the same
my parents are kinda leaning towards berkeley, although im not sure if im prepared for the competitive atmosphere and letting my gpa suffer...i mean the percentages of undergrad students admitted to med shoool for both universities are about the same
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2011
- Messages
- 51
- Reaction score
- 0
r u srs rite nao
Cal's "make it or break it" atmosphere is the best preparation for the real world, IMO. The best. You have to find and WORK FOR any opportunity you want, and there are so many brilliant (although quite a few not so brilliant) minds there that I've never felt un-stimulated nor un-challenged. I think that if one can make it here, one can make it anywhere.
If you like UCSD then go for it but don't just pick it because you think it's the easy way to a good GPA. Have some integrity--it's NOT just about the GPA. In case you weren't aware, UCSD isn't just going to hand out A's for the classes that matter; you're still going to have to work hard for them.
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
- Messages
- 348
- Reaction score
- 4
I recommend going to UCSD (went to undergrad there)-- the pre-meds are as usual..sigh... hyper-competitive and ill-wishing towards others but the teaching here is great and you can be friends with the non-premeds if it gets too annoying. If you want a good GPA, you have to put some work into it. My advice as someone who graduates from med school in 2 months is this: when you're in med school you are surrounded by people who are all very competitive towards others --do you seriously want to spend the next 8 years of your life (4 in undergrad/ 4 in med school) in that kind of environment? I don't recommend it-- and by the time you're in med school noone cares if you went to Berkeley, UCSD, or an unknown college. You won't be at a disadvantage by choosing UCSD-- I recommend visiting both places to see what kind of vibe you get. PM me if you have any questions. Best of luck!
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2009
- Messages
- 3,091
- Reaction score
- 18
The two schools are very different in many ways. I suggest you visit both and get a feel for them. When it comes time to apply to medical school, your grades, MCAT, and ECs will be what determines if you get in or not. Whether you went to UCB or UCSD really won't matter at that point. I went to UCSD, I can tell you for a fact there are tons of great classes, research opportunities (if you don't take advantage of this you would be foolish), programs that will help you shadow/get mentorship with docs (this is mostly for juniors & seniors), and volunteer experiences. In fact, the campus includes three hospitals (VA, UCSD Thornton, & Scripps Memorial), has a shuttle to a fourth (UCSD Hillcrest), and has a fifth up the street (Scripps Green). Also, the area surrounding the school, besides the beach, is mostly biomedical research companies (internships are available through the school if you are interested, although, they are probably more for if you want to work in a lab eventually instead of med school).
I would not select UCSD b/c you think it is less competitive. The level of competition is tough, although, I did not find it "cut-throat" or even unfriendly. It is what you would expect at a school full of bright and motivated people (although the usual D's and F's are present in every class). Most pre-med classes have 300+ people, some classes curve, and some classes don't curve at all. 300+ people is a lot, but it usually results in a fair distribution of grades, and we have weekly "discussion sections" with TAs that consist of ~20 students.
UCSD's campus is beautiful, quiet, has lots of places to eat, several libraries, lots of study lounges, and free campus wide wifi that works well. I'm sure Berkeley has all these things too... if you can look past the bums and hippees that you share the campus with... I kid, I kid... but it's true 😛. One environment, UCSD, is mostly suburban (downtown San Diego, pacific beach, downtown la jolla, the closest beach are all <15 minutes driving). The other, UCB, is very urban immediately as you step off campus. I think you need to decide what is more your speed, and what you like. I lived in San Francisco for a year, and I learned that I'd rather visit than live there.
If it were me, I'd also consider how far each school was from my friends and family.
Good luck, I think you have two great options and you can't go wrong as far as the pre-med stuff goes.
I would not select UCSD b/c you think it is less competitive. The level of competition is tough, although, I did not find it "cut-throat" or even unfriendly. It is what you would expect at a school full of bright and motivated people (although the usual D's and F's are present in every class). Most pre-med classes have 300+ people, some classes curve, and some classes don't curve at all. 300+ people is a lot, but it usually results in a fair distribution of grades, and we have weekly "discussion sections" with TAs that consist of ~20 students.
UCSD's campus is beautiful, quiet, has lots of places to eat, several libraries, lots of study lounges, and free campus wide wifi that works well. I'm sure Berkeley has all these things too... if you can look past the bums and hippees that you share the campus with... I kid, I kid... but it's true 😛. One environment, UCSD, is mostly suburban (downtown San Diego, pacific beach, downtown la jolla, the closest beach are all <15 minutes driving). The other, UCB, is very urban immediately as you step off campus. I think you need to decide what is more your speed, and what you like. I lived in San Francisco for a year, and I learned that I'd rather visit than live there.
If it were me, I'd also consider how far each school was from my friends and family.
Good luck, I think you have two great options and you can't go wrong as far as the pre-med stuff goes.
does anyone else have opinions?? i personally like the old english buildings at berkeley and the campus of berkeley itself....im just affraid that there are not many oppurtunities to be an active pre-med student with intern and research....well, there probably are oppurtunities, but it would just be too competitive to get the positions..
any other suggestions
any other suggestions
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2011
- Messages
- 326
- Reaction score
- 25
I'm in my 4th year at UCSD and based on my experiences I haven't really seen the cut-throat pre-med environment that some people talk about. Sure, there A LOT of people in your pre-req classes, but there's always curves. A lot of my friends are pre-meds and we're pretty supportive of each other. As mentioned previously, lots of EC opportunities around and close nearby campus. One downside, gets boring sometimes.
I personally would take Berkeley, Don't worry about the GPA, It will be hard anywhere.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2010
- Messages
- 4,007
- Reaction score
- 368
"Don't worry about the GPA" could be the worst premed advice you could give. The trend in mean GPA for accepted students would beg to differ with you.
- Joined
- May 24, 2010
- Messages
- 1,136
- Reaction score
- 8
HEY BRA.
Buildings: they are cute. You get a good mix of styles. If you like dank, they have dank. If you like rundown, they have rundown. If you like pretty, they got pretty. If you like modern, they have modern. If you like so-so, they have it.
Campus: Lots of walking on uneven and hilly ground. Some cracks to watch out. Some construction. I personally liked walking and thought the campus was cool. Campus is pretty.
Competitiveness among students: I didn't feel like it was competitive at all. I am not competitive by nature but I think it is a good place to raise your baseline for competitiveness, meaning that you will acclimate and think of it as nothing. You get used to it. Will it be harder to get opportunities? MAYBE. you could always use your summers back at your hometown to do your shadowing/volunteer work.
People: you will see hipsters around. 👎. There is an american apparel right across the street from campus that breeds these individuals. Do you like cotton knit-wear? Do you like fixie bikes? Do you like non-prescription glasses? Do you like modern day fun with a vintage feel? if you answered yes then you are a hipster. fortunately for you, there are a lot of diverse people so you will find a niche. you will fit in. or if you dont you wont. its up to you. thats the beauty. you have a choice.
Opportunities: There are plenty of service clubs and opportunities for shadowing and research ie childrens hospital oakland and CHORI.
weather: somewhat moderate.
Food: good food scene for poor students and then if you want to wet your whistle once in a while you can go to the higher end restaurants. theres a good chinese restaurant in oakland chinatown called chef laus. i highly recommend it.
bums: yes there are a lot of bums but they are a different breed. im not saying all of them are safe but a lot of them are funny and a main staple of the city (MAYBE EVEN HISTORICAL FIGURES).
Plan your **** out. dont go gung ho. know your limits please and dont stretch yourself out too thin. its all about GPA/MCAT for now. service stuff is secondary to these in your early years.
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2009
- Messages
- 1,063
- Reaction score
- 23
Berkeley was extremely competitive. You would be swimming with sharks. Sometimes, I would have had a higher grade without the curve. Biology 1A, is one of the hardest classes you will take at Cal.
If you value your GPA, go anywhere else. If you a gungho about Cal, don't do engineering or MCB. I recommend Public Health, girls there look good (better?) and it's easy to get a 4.9 gpa.
Also, Cal's students don't look very good. And, if you are anything like me, you get your energy source from looking at attractive women walking around campus. Well, that isn't going to happen and it's going to be a long 4 years.
- Joined
- May 24, 2010
- Messages
- 1,136
- Reaction score
- 8
(^__^) you make me smile like this
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2011
- Messages
- 68
- Reaction score
- 0
triton vision
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2009
- Messages
- 3,091
- Reaction score
- 18
On a side note...
I am not defending UCSDs sports programs in any way, but they are moving to division I. They plan to compete in division I in basketball, baseball, water polo etc...
However, the nerds at my alma mater elected not to add a football team. Pisses me off 👎.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2010
- Messages
- 4,007
- Reaction score
- 368
They knew it would be impossible to live down the annual beat-down that SDSU would hand them year in and year out.
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2009
- Messages
- 3,091
- Reaction score
- 18
Lol, you so crazy. SDSU's football team will have to put together more than 1 good season (9-4), before I'll be afraid of them. Too bad Brady Hoke left, or they might have built upon it.
Although, the basketball team has finally broken through to the next level, and will be there for awhile. The days of them losing to USD are probably over in basketball.
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2005
- Messages
- 8,506
- Reaction score
- 7
...let's see how much support there is for sports on this campus. I am waiting to seen professors outside of sports games protesting the move to DI...that would be classic UCSD (undergrad)...lol
been to both campus. i go to cal my gf goes to ucsd so i spend a good time there too, and sat in their classes. UCSD has a prettier campus, cal does not have anything pretty once u step outside campus imo lol.
i can tell you, there are MORE opportunities at UCSD than at Cal. which basically means less competition in landing the opportunities. Read up the thread, ucsd has 5 hospitals. we have 2(3 if u feel like traveling a hour each way to UCSF). sheer numbers alone tell you that UCSD has more volunteer/shadow/research opportunities. UCSD actually has biomedical /clinical research, where most research you have in berkeley is straight science research. UCSD hospital being school affiliated is also more accommodating to student requests like shadowing.
This is not to mention UCB has a larger student population, at least an equal number of pre meds, and a larger percentage of the population that is just better than you in almost every way (from schools to getting girls). Why? because people (yes i know them) actually give up ivy leagues for attending Berkeley and probably not so much for UCSD.
I'm not saying getting good grades in UCSD is a breeze, you gotta work for it. But the level of competition is definitely not the same as Berkeley. I've audited the same class, the amount of info covered/pace is just not the same. I've read the UCSD ochem tests, it is way easier than the ochem test in Berkeley.
Sure Berkeley is such a real life experience cause no one holds your hands and you gotta fight for every opportunity and work hard. But the question is would you wanna do that? If you're up to taking challenges then Berkeley will help make u a more competitive and well rounded person than before. But it can also crush u.
i can tell you, there are MORE opportunities at UCSD than at Cal. which basically means less competition in landing the opportunities. Read up the thread, ucsd has 5 hospitals. we have 2(3 if u feel like traveling a hour each way to UCSF). sheer numbers alone tell you that UCSD has more volunteer/shadow/research opportunities. UCSD actually has biomedical /clinical research, where most research you have in berkeley is straight science research. UCSD hospital being school affiliated is also more accommodating to student requests like shadowing.
This is not to mention UCB has a larger student population, at least an equal number of pre meds, and a larger percentage of the population that is just better than you in almost every way (from schools to getting girls). Why? because people (yes i know them) actually give up ivy leagues for attending Berkeley and probably not so much for UCSD.
I'm not saying getting good grades in UCSD is a breeze, you gotta work for it. But the level of competition is definitely not the same as Berkeley. I've audited the same class, the amount of info covered/pace is just not the same. I've read the UCSD ochem tests, it is way easier than the ochem test in Berkeley.
Sure Berkeley is such a real life experience cause no one holds your hands and you gotta fight for every opportunity and work hard. But the question is would you wanna do that? If you're up to taking challenges then Berkeley will help make u a more competitive and well rounded person than before. But it can also crush u.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2010
- Messages
- 4,007
- Reaction score
- 368
You had me fooled till you went there, my friend.
