<p>I know that for a lot of people this is considered as a no brainer, but for me I am really stuck. I want to be pre-med and I don't know which school is better. I know that Cal is THE #1 public university but I have been hearing really good things about UCSD's science courses and research. For Cal I got into the College of Letter and Sciences. For UCSD I got into Warren College for Human Biology. Which school should I choose?</p>
<p>[Also does it matter which college I got into at SD if I want to be pre-med? I've been hearing that it'd be better if I had gotten into Revelle...but in the end does it really matter because I'll still get to use all the resources of UCSD right?]</p>
<p>Please help! [I have visited both and I don't really know what to choose. I feel that Cal is more competitive and SD is more relaxed, but I still don't know which to choose]</p>
<p>Much depends on your individual preferences. UCB’s CoC is an intense place, L & S biology is also very good. UCSD ranks very high in Biology and is well known for its Hospital, for research. Biology is an impacted major at UCSD – so congrats on being admitted. Warren GEs are unlikely to hinder, and on balance, may well help you in pursuing your academic goals. So, if both schools can deliver high quality education in your field, the question becomes: where do you find the greatest comfort. Remember, San Diego’s college system creates a more intimate freshman experience at the outset.
Since you’ve visited both, you are in a good place to make an informed decision.</p>
<p>Please let us know where and why when you do make the decision.</p>
<p>As said in by brassring, Warren’s GE’s shouldn’t really affect your coursework. All they have is a 2-Course Writing Sequence + Ethics, & 2 6-Course Area of Focus type coursework–my friend who’s also pre-med is currently finishing up his 2 6-Course Area of Focus studies and can now minor in them both (perks!)</p>
<p>UCSD is known and has very good science departments, as mentioned before as well. I’m sure it’s just as good as Berkeley’s departments.</p>
<p>If it helps sway you towards UCSD–I have SEVERAL friends studying Biology/Chemistry/Engineering that rejected Berkeley for UCSD.</p>
<p>ChristianWu, I think that can be said for pretty much any school, including UCSD. There’s bound to be intense competition within the pre-med realm of students, and so obviously most “pre-med” freshmen will drop out because they can’t handle the course load/competition.</p>
<p>You should also think about distance how far is the UC to your home if that matters to you. Also, you should think about if you can afford driving/flying if you choose the further UC and coming home on the weekends. Thats a big factor for me</p>
<p>Based on the UC Fall 2009 California Freshman Admit Profile:
(Berkeley and San Diego based on Winter/Spring admits, too)</p>
<p>The Mean High School GPA for UCBK is 4.16 vs 4.09 UCSD… hardly much of a difference. ACT Mean Score was 29 UCBk to 28 UCSD… again, not much difference. Mean SAT UCBk 2012 vs UCSD 1955. UCLA’s numbers are also similar. </p>
<p>When looking at current charts (on website), I notice that they are spreading kids around a lot more… the low income families, first generation college families and ELCs. Not sure if this is intentional on the part of the UC System - for balance, or the result of the economy (students preferring to live at home to save on housing). </p>
<p>Still, you can’t go wrong with UCSD in Human Biology. Acceptance into Med School is partially based on overall undergrad GPA so if you think you may get a better GPA at UCSD and still pick up the excellent science/math courses, then you might be better off there. Just something to think about.</p>
<p>Let me add one more thing to that last comment, those numbers are obviously for ALL Admits to those campus.’ When you compare the Engineering students numbers, for example, Jacobs Engineering at UCSD has an incoming Frosh Average GPA of 4.27, you will see that the science and engineering students have much more competitive incoming data. That is important to know because you will be competing for grades from those students in science and math.</p>
<p>I’m one of those high stats ELC people pulling up the averages in Jacobs and UCSD was always my first choice, even though it’s farther from home. The marginal difference in name recognition between SD and Cal is not worth the tremendous difference in quality of life for four years. The four years of college shape who you are in more ways than just your transcript. ANd I figure your college friends are probably the people you want to keep in touch with lifelong. At Cal, the students looked rushed and distracted. At SD they made eye contact and smiled.</p>
<p>Before visiting the schools I was set on UCSD. Both are great schools and I agree that the ranking between them is marginal. After visiting UCSD, I thought the campus was nice but isolated from its surroundings and and a little less spirited. I was hoping that Berkeley would excite me and after visiting, it far surpassed my expectations. I loved everything about it from the hippies selling hemp bracelets on Telegraph avenue to the culture, history and traditions of the school to the impressive buildings. I loved the school spirit and the charming college town with its liberal atmosphere. I knew instantly that Berkeley fit me and although I am worried about the competition, you have to realize the UCSD is also competitive in the sciences. Neither school is going to give you a better education so you must pick the school based on the connection you feel. Setting prestige aside, everything about Berkeley felt right to me and so that’s the school I’m going to pick.</p>
<p>konakai27: As one who recalls vaguely your earlier postings, it is interesting to see your evolution. First, you are excited about UCSD because you want to study marine biology and there are few better schools at biology or marine biology. You don’t attend Admit Day at UCSD – rather go to UCSB. There you suddenly trash UCSB which gave you Regents because of the party scene you walked into on the morning after their big spring Fest.
Then you come visit San Diego on a normal weekend morning and deliver your judgment that UCSD is “isolated from its surroundings” and less spirited than you imagined.
Next, you fly to UCB on Cal Day, the only Open House they have on campus where it is crowded and then you deliver your judgment: Your love of “their buildings”, “hippies selling hemp”. their school spirit. </p>
<p>You have a right to your opinions, and you are reap the fruits of your decision – whatever choice you make. but, I am fascinated by your process. What if you had visited Cal on a ordinary weekend?</p>
<p>It’s true that I wanted to study marine biology, but I’ve done so much thinking and my parents made me realize that as much as I love marine bio, I should pursue it as a hobby, not as a career. I want to explore different fields to choose a career that would be both stimulating and lucrative so I can’t pick a school solely for a certain department.</p>
<p>With UCSB, as I mentioned before, I didn’t realize that the whole Floatopia event was going on and now I do. However, even on campus I felt like I was out of place. And the reason I went to UCSB instead is because my dad wanted me to visit them first because of the Regents. I visited again and I still didn’t like it, even without the parties. I apologized multiple times for my “trash talk,” yet people continued to criticize me even though I admitted my mistake.</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to criticize UCSD at all. I thought it was a nice campus but again, I didn’t feel a connection. I think it’s a beautiful place, but you can’t deny that UCSD wouldn’t provide the same college experience as a school in a college town or one with a unifying factor such as a sports team. I’m not saying one is better than another, it’s simply a preference. I also went on a weekday, not a weekend.</p>
<p>When I went to Berkeley, I loved it completely. It fit my personality and I could picture myself there. It wasn’t just the buildings, the hippies, and the spirit, but a feeling I can’t explain without being overly cliche. It was this feeling of nostalgia even though I’ve never been there before. Had I visited Cal on an ordinary weekend the buildings would still be there, the professors would still be there, the students would still be there, Telegraph Ave. would still be there. </p>
<p>It’s not fair to criticize my judgments of the schools when you are judging me based only on what I am posting.</p>
<p>Cal is always pretty lively though no matter what weekend. My older brother did his chemsitry pHD program there and it was always exciting along Telegraph. I visited San Diego a few times to visit my friends, and it was somewhat less exciting. It doesn’t have a vibrant student dominated community next to campus like you find in UCSB, UC Davis, and Berkeley for example. While there are always more people during admit days, I think it still gives you a decent impression of what the campus culture is like.</p>
<p>Different strokes. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with knowing yourself well enough to know where you will thrive. I don’t think you can make a wrong choice between these two schools. For me, the overt poverty on Telegraph seems seedy and sad but I do understand how others would experience it differently. I prefered the more laidback atmosphere of SD and the natural peacefulness there. I also really wanted the dorm experience for the first two years which Cal can’t necessarily provide. I’m going to study abroad as much as possible too aand SD seems more organized to promote that. My point is that everyone should choose what suits their personality, not based on school reputation but on the reality of what your life will be like while you are living there.</p>
<p>“Prestige”… interesting word. When I asked my neighbors (both Cal grads), “Berkeley or Purdue?” both said “Purdue.” They are sending their kids to Private colleges.</p>
<p>When I asked another neighbor who has kids attending USC and Berkeley, she said “USC is better.” </p>
<p>I asked my doctor (Cal undergrad, UCLA med school)… he said between those two, “didn’t matter.” </p>
<p>“Prestige” is relative. Even their own graduates and their own students do not seem to think it is “better” than other schools. (USC, UCLA, Purdue in this example).</p>