<p>Hey guys,
I'm a first year at UCI. I've decided I want to transfer (and fatuously, I overlooked the deadlines for applying to Berkeley, even though I heard they dont take in freshman as transfers) and as of now I'm considering WashU, Columbia, and Berkeley. I've already sent in my application to WashU, but I've heard good things about Berkeley. Unfortunately, from what I understand, I would have to wait until I am a junior to go to Berkeley. Does anyone have any suggestions/advice? I am looking for a more intensive, academic atmosphere, with more academic rigor. I'm just not getting challenged at all here at UCI (bio major btw) thanks a lot guys!</p>
<p>don't go to WashU.....saint louis is a horrible place....if you're at UCI, WashU will be a VERY different environment to adjust to.....and believe me, i know....so go to berkeley instead.</p>
<p>If I lived in-state for Berkeley, I would go there. If not, I would go to WashU.</p>
<p>Saint Louis may be a horrible place (so I've heard) but WashU is not really in St. Louis, although the name would lead one to suspect that. It's in a nicer suburban area outside of the city. The area is beautiful, as is the college. Still, I wouldn't spend 45K a year there if I had Berkeley in state for 20k.</p>
<p>yeah but it's just the whole thing of waiting a whole year more, and that means my experience at berkeley would be cut to 2 years. yeah i visited washu too and it was really nice, so i dunno :(</p>
<p>St. Louis first off isn't as bad of a town as most people think. I'm from Chicago, and while it certainly is no Chicago it has a lot to offer. Particularly in the area that Washington University is in (Clayton, MO, or something like that). I saw a lot of nice places around the campus, but you really have to visit for yourself to get an idea of that (which it sounds like you did).</p>
<p>Wash U is also highly rated for Biology majors, so its worth considering.</p>
<p>I would also agree that Berkeley is probably preferable but it depends. First let's see if you are admitted into WashU and even have that as a possibility. Then let's take a look at the financial options. Now if you have to pay full tuition for WashU while you could get in-state tuition for Berkeley I would maybe reconsider WashU but if you get a good deal I would say go for it. WashU is a pretty good school and if you like it then attend. It's much tougher to adjust after two years than one year. Also look at your other options. Keep in mind that even if you wait a year you may not be admitted into Berkeley.</p>
<p>this is true, but i have a 3.93 in college atm and i figure if i keep that up, berkeley should not be TOO difficult to get into</p>
<p>imran: if you were accepted to CAL as a freshman then contact admissions about transferring. i know a student who did it from ucsd without going through the application process.</p>
<p>no i didn't apply :(</p>
<p>you remind me of myself when i was a young bio student at uci. i transferred from uci to a cc to save some money while completing my IGETC requirements, and then transferred over to here. </p>
<p>as to your comparison of academic rigor, i think it's not that much different here than from uci. the mcb classes here aren't as hard as people make them out to be, and if you're getting above a 3.9+ gpa at uci, i'm betting that you'd do well here as well. i actually have a much higher gpa here than the one i had from uci, but that's due to various factors in addition to the difficulty of the classes. still, some will say that it's because i skipped all the weeder classes, but i'm pretty confident that i would've done just as well in those classes. ultimately, the "academic rigor" of classes here isn't all that much different here compared to that of uci; it's just more competetive. </p>
<p>however, i do understand that the name does help you out to some extent for med/grad schools. also, if you're in-state, then going to cal would be a much better option than wash imo.</p>
<p>btw, i think you should take 2nd year at uci. if i rememeber correctly, 2nd year is supposedly the hardest year for bio majors at uci due to ochem and biochem</p>
<p>i'm keepin my options open for med school, like not necesasriy in state. but yeah i mean i guess i want a more challengeing environment, and i know washu for sure is intense, just wonderin how much Cal is. I got As in my classes w/o the curve easily so iunno</p>
<p>WashU pre-med is beyond intense. It's killer. When your school has the #4 rated medical program in the nation, the excellence tends to trickle down, and students are well aware of it. Be sure that's what you want because you will have very little free time if you intend to have a competitive GPA for med schools.</p>
<p>well i spend a lot of my time at UCI doing ECs like Lab work and all that, so i mean I socialize very little, which is something im fine with. and im pretty intelligent so i shoudln't be rouhghed up TOO much (this is all operating on the massive assumption i get in, which im not even sure about still :( )</p>
<p>Wash U is the one of the most overrated schools in the USA. It's in a very uninteresting part of the country. There are at least 20 schools with equal or lower tuition that would be better choices. Columbia over WUSTL anyday.</p>
<p>If you want academic rigor and an internse learning environment, you'll get all ou can handle at Berkeley (and then some, as a premed...)</p>
<p>imran, i think you have better than to get in cal from a JC than UCI. if you want challenges, you will find plenty at cal. actually i applaud you for that because not that many premeds want challenges. and a high GPA at cal is very good for application to med schools, even more so than other schools. columbia is not bad as well, and i have to agree WashU is so overrated. have you contacted Johns Hopkins? their pre-med is pretty good too.</p>
<p>Faculty research productivity, 2005, according to Academic Analytics' Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index (FSP Index):</p>
<p>Washington University St. Louis, 7</p>
<p>University of California - Berkeley, 13</p>
<p>Well first off, are you in state? If so, Berkeley may be the better choice financially, especially if you are looking at medical school afterward. If you're out of state, WashU is the better choice.</p>
<p>Secondly, I have a pre-med friend at WashU. The caliber of the courses is very high, as it would be here too of course, but apparently there are many students there gunning for med school at WashU, so that tells you a little about the rigor. Perhaps if you're set on WashU medical school, that challenge might be good preparation.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Columbia over WUSTL anyday.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Duh. But that's not the argument...</p>
<p>cj3051,
According to that ranking, UNC is better ranked than MIT in Aeronautical Engineering.
WashU is the most overrated school, even in Medicine.</p>