Your use of the absolute--"best"--is strange to me. Its relative to your situation where you find what works best. I mean Harvard is the "best" medical school according to U.S. news and World report....maybe you should go to Harvard extension program since their best-ness would rub off on you. The analogy is the same for california. Mills college in Oakland--(i think?) has an excellent reputation and extensive resources like advising and student advocacy. Its also in the tens of thousand$ for tuition. Not the "best" for me, but, perhaps the best for you. I also noticed that you stayed the course of California's two-tier system in looking for the "best" by listing all the U.C.'s. To me that says more about your assumptions and less about finding the best fit for you for post-bac work. Reputation and matters of practicality are often not the same.
I go to SFSU and interact with a lot of post-bacs going for med school. These are high caliber students that are focused and talented. The instruction is given by phd's with alot of teaching experience. San Francisco, being an attractive place to live, can get some serious talent. When teaching jobs go up around here they get 100's of applications from post-docs around the country. I don't know that SFSU has any national reputation to speak of, but i feel honored to have a chance to learn here for a price i can afford.
So best of luck in your search. I only intended to draw your attention to possibilities you might not be considering.--Ben.
