<p>I'm having a real tough time deciding which school to attend for this major.</p>
<p>Cal is definitely more prestigious as a whole and as "the" engineering school after MIT. But, according to some CCers, the engineering program there is new and terrible. The fact that it is not ABET accredited seems to reinforce this claim. However, Cal has just recently built a new bioengineering building and since it IS Cal engineering - maybe the program will be much better in a year or two since it has a track record of top notch engineering programs in every other field?</p>
<p>As of current, however, UCSD bioengineering is tops. It, along with Duke and JHU, has one of the most renowned bioengineering programs. But the downside is that basically UCSD falls behind Cal in almost every other field. UCSD really only has prestige in this one specific department.</p>
<p>Basically, what's a wiser decision? A school that is engineering heavy but is currently quite weak in bioengineering (Cal) or a school that has an exceptional bioengineering department but lacks elsewhere (UCSD).</p>
<p>And which school would you think is more competitive and harder to get a high GPA in (3.8+)? Cal's engineering is known to be notoriously difficult, but I doubt that the top program at UCSD would be much easier?</p>
<p>I've visited both Cal and UCSD and would feel equally comfortable at either school, so atmosphere is not an issue.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading and I hope to hear as much insight as possible :)!</p>
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But, according to some CCers, the engineering program there is new and terrible. The fact that it is not ABET accredited seems to reinforce this claim.
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You mean Cal's bioengineering program is new.</p>
<p>It is true that Cal just built a new facility. It has new labs for collaborative research...bringing together microcell biology, chemical engineering, physics and chemistry professors. I think the program will gain momentum.</p>
<p>UCSD's program is tops, as you mention. I think it's better for bio*medical* engineering. If you want to sorta pigeonhole yourself into biomedical engineering, go to UCSD. </p>
<p>If I were you though, I'd choose a broader-based, more general engineering, like mechanical or chemical. Cal's chemical engineering department has a biochemical option. Cal has stronger general engineering programs and you'll have the Berkeley pedigree ;).</p>
<p>Both are going to be academically intense. I don't think it will make much difference. Something to consider: Cal is on the semester system while UCSD is on the quarter system. The semester system, IMO, is better paced and allows you more time to absorb the material.</p>
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You mean Cal's bioengineering program is new.
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<p>Yes, sorry I didn't clarify that.</p>
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UCSD's program is tops, as you mention. I think it's better for biomedical engineering.
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<p>It actually is bioengineering, not biomedical engineering.</p>
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If I were you though, I'd choose a broader-based, more general engineering, like mechanical or chemical.
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<p>I've considered that and have read numerous posts that bioengineering is currently super weak and has few job prospects. However, I have my mind set on bioengineering as I feel and hope that it will be the future hot major.</p>
<p>Could anyone else chime in on my this tough decision please? I'd love to hear as many opinions as possible.</p>
<p>I'm in the same situation (Cal Bioeng vs. UCSD Bioeng: Biotech).</p>
<p>I'm considering going to medical school eventually, but I'd also be interested in pursuing a more engineering based career.</p>
<p>From that, I know that UCSD would be a better option for the medical / life science side, but Cal would be better for the engineering side.
Also, switching majors would be tough at Berkeley, or at least as so I've heard.</p>
<p>Switching OUT of engineering isn't a problem at Cal, switching in is. My roommate is switching out of bioengineering with a 2.7 GPA.</p>
<p>Anyway, if you're dead set on bioengineering then you may want to go to UCSD. However, because Berkeley is better in nearly every other discipline, you should choose Cal if you are even slightly unsure about your major.</p>
<p>^ Actually it's not difficult because of the pre-reqs (they only differ in two or three courses, depending on how you planned your schedule). The tough part is keeping a high GPA - you need a pretty solid GPA to switch into EECS.</p>
<p>I haven't been on campus in over 8 years, so things have changed...but, I still hear that ChemE isn't "impacted" like other engineering majors...The College of Chemistry will likely welcome you with open arms...granted, I think your GPA has to be respectable (i.e. show you're capable of doing the work).</p>
<p>My friend and I attended summer school the summer before freshman year began. We asked the college of chemistry if we could switch into chemical engineering BEFORE SCHOOL EVEN STARTED and they said yes =P</p>
<p>I decided to stick with bioE, but my friend switched to chemE.</p>
<p>ok so prestige is bs so wat it comes down to is how well u do. so is uclsd biomed eng somewhat easier? anyone have a clue. also if the school is low ranked for bioeng could that be good cuz ur gpa could b higher like at ucla. i ask this because im deciding between the three and am really confused on wat to do except that my major will be biomed eng.</p>