Undergrad: USC, UCI, or UCSD?

[SexyHenry101]

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I will be beginning College next year as a freshmen!!! Which school would be better for undergrad pre med students, UCI, UCSD, or USC? I know perfectly well that there is no “better” school and undergrad has no effect on the admission cycle. But, I am asking which school would be a more “comfortable” school to pursue a major in Biology and live a balanced life as a “pre-med.”

Finances:
UCI and UCSD: Parents will pay $14k, rest is covered by UC Blue and Gold (no loans, no work study)
USC: Parents will pay $17k, I will max out my Stafford loans every year for entire undergraduate plus I will do work study every year, rest is covered by university grant

I live in Los Angeles. I would personally prefer USC over any school, but the cost and the loans are a huge turn-off. Are they worth it? Any medical school students here wish to comment on how undergraduate Stafford loans hinder ones financial life during medical school and beyond?
I also like UCSD, but the Bio Department’s huge size, large class sizes, and ultra competitiveness are really burdensome and might have a negative effect on my GPA and extracurriculars later on.

Any current students in any of these schools, please feel free to comment.
And advise is greatly appreciated.
Thank you

 

[RySerr21]

I will be beginning College next year as a freshmen!!! Which school would be better for undergrad pre med students, UCI, UCSD, or USC? I know perfectly well that there is no "better" school and undergrad has no effect on the admission cycle. But, I am asking which school would be a more "comfortable" school to pursue a major in Biology and live a balanced life as a "pre-med."

Finances:
UCI and UCSD: Parents will pay $14k, rest is covered by UC Blue and Gold (no loans, no work study)
USC: Parents will pay $17k, I will max out my Stafford loans every year for entire undergraduate plus I will do work study every year, rest is covered by university grant

I live in Los Angeles. I would personally prefer USC over any school, but the cost and the loans are a huge turn-off. Are they worth it? Any medical school students here wish to comment on how undergraduate Stafford loans hinder ones financial life during medical school and beyond?
I also like UCSD, but the Bio Department's huge size, large class sizes, and ultra competitiveness are really burdensome and might have a negative effect on my GPA and extracurriculars later on.

Any current students in any of these schools, please feel free to comment.
And advise is greatly appreciated.
Thank you

i feel like of those options, UCI or USC would probalby give the most balanced lives as a pre med. I grew up in SD, my sister went to UCSD, so did my current roomate, and many other people I know....it does not necessarily seem like a fun college envrionment.

i'm at UCI for med school, which is on the undergrad campus. Its a beautiful campus, the students seem pretty cool/chill. You can live by the beach! Since the med school i son campus, there are a lot of cool programs that the med students are in charge of that the undergrads can get involved with. One example is the UCI Outreach Clinic. As an undergrad, youll have the opportunity to really get involved with running the clinic and can even get a board position. As busy as med students are, the undergrads really run the show for a lot of the organizations.

USC really isn't all that impressive. And it's expensive. There's a lot of d bags that go there ( i went to school in LA, had a girl friend that went to USC, interacted with the students there many times).

But, that being said, you should revisit the schools if possible! Try to get a feel for where you fit in the best.

 

[Tots]

I am not a med student(I am an undergrad at UCI) but I think you should seriously consider UCSD or UCI over USC. The extra cost is not worth it and don't worry about the perceived competitiveness of UCSD if that is hindering you from considering it. I highly doubt USC is any less competitive than UCSD or UCI.

I <3 UCI, you should consider it =D. And I second RySerr's comments about the opportunities available. (PS RySerr I think I know who you are, I volunteer with the UCI Outreach clinics 😀 )

 

[RySerr21]

I am not a med student(I am an undergrad at UCI) but I think you should seriously consider UCSD or UCI over USC. The extra cost is not worth it and don't worry about the perceived competitiveness of UCSD if that is hindering you from considering it. I highly doubt USC is any less competitive than UCSD or UCI.

I <3 UCI, you should consider it =D. And I second RySerr's comments about the opportunities available. (PS RySerr I think I know who you are, I volunteer with the UCI Outreach clinics 😀 )

haha, i dont have very much anonymity here. Oh wells! Hope your experiences have been enjoyable 🙂