<p>I applied for biochem for undergrad at all three schools. NYU has given me a ~13000$ financial aid packet and UCSB has given me ~3500$ + ~7800$ from CalGrants. I havent been able to check up on UCI's financial aid packet as the website is currently overloaded. Which school should i attend as i do not want to place my parents in heavy debt yet still want to do well after college. Will going to a college that doesnt have as prestigious a name as NYU affect me after college?</p>
<p>although NYU might be a prestigious name to throw around after graduation, often times what you do at a school says more. You can go to a small school, yet participate in many outside activities which will prove to be a better asset to any company.</p>
<p>Thank you for your fast response. I have another question also, which school would be better for my major (biochem)?</p>
<p>UCSB is still a decent name. I’d venture to say that it’s probably better known for biochem than NYU.</p>
<p>Well, I don’t know anything about your major, but:</p>
<p>-Public school, if you’re worried about debt, is normally better for undergrad. Spend all that money and get in debt for grad (that’s what I’m gonna do).
-I don’t know if this is one of your deciding factors, but Irvine is one of the most boring cities in the entire world. I’ve been living here for years and I can tell you, my friends and I are always, always bored. We’re not even boring people; we’re open minded. You can drive to the beach, which is like 20 minutes to 30 minutes away, you can go shopping or you can go eat. But there’s not much besides that. I dunno about the UCI partying scene, but the cops are super strict (it’s the no. 1 safest city in the U.S…) and parties are hard to come by. Essentially, if you want a social life, steer FAR, FAR away from UCI.</p>
<p>I am in the same situation, please keep me updated and tell me what schools you are leaning toward.</p>
<p>hooray for ucsb!! see you at school</p>
<p>sfang, as a parent of two UCSB students, and having recently visited NYU, I may have some perspective that would be of value to you. First, I don’t know about NYU’s reputation for biochem specifically, but in general I doubt that NYU’s “name” would actually give you any detectible advantage over UCSB’s for anything you might want to do in the future, and might actually be less advantageous. USNews ranks NYU overall at 33, UCSB at 44 - but outside the top 25 or so, few people are making that fine of a distinction as a general matter. Also, NYU’s reputation is mostly driven by a few non-science departments. We tend to take our UC’s (other than Berkeley and UCLA) somewhat for granted, but their academic reputation, particularly in science fields, is very good, nationwide. Second, as I’m sure you’re aware, NYU, even with that aid, will be much, much more expensive than UCSB. And finally - NYU is in New York City - Manhattan - a totally urban, east coast experience which would also probably limit your ability to come home for holidays, etc. due to expense. The difference in the overall life experience you would have there compared to UCSB is hard to overstate. Slogging through slush in boots and riding subways vs. flip flops and bicycles. Are you and “indoor” person or an “outdoor” one? Would you be comfortable in New York? If you were my kid, it would be a no-brainer what my preference was.</p>
<p>I can’t help you with Irvine.</p>
<p>Kluge said it best. I would add a little more. I believe that NYU is known for its Fine Art major or anything that relates to Art. For the biochem major that you may pursue next four years. I would go to UCSB or UCI.</p>
<p>My parents seem to be forcing me to go to NYU. They believe that i want to go to medical school later and become a doctor, also they have asked a lot of their friends whether to go to NYU or UCI (UCSB was eliminated because it had no medical school). I would really like to stay in California but they are intent on me graduating from a school with a prestigious name.</p>
<p>If i were to major in biochem, what would my options be after undergrad, would i have to become a doctor and go to med school?
If i do decide to go to med school, would it be possible to go to a lesser university such as UCI and still transfer out easily after undergrad?</p>
<p>My parents have actually already made the decision for me saying that i could only go to NYU, but i would love to convince them otherwise.</p>
<p><a href=“UCSB%20was%20eliminated%20because%20it%20had%20no%20medical%20school”>i</a>.*</p>
<p>Lol. Berkeley doesn’t have a medical school either. That doesn’t mean you can’t get a good pre-med education there. See this topic:</p>
<p>[Looks</a> like i’m going to UCSB for undergrad… comments? - Student Doctor Network Forums](<a href=“Looks like i'm going to UCSB for undergrad... comments? | Student Doctor Network”>Looks like i'm going to UCSB for undergrad... comments? | Student Doctor Network)</p>
<p>Well, if your parents are willing to pay for it, consider the upside: New York is very different from anywhere in California. You’d definitely get the opportunity to widen your horizons by experiencing a lifestyle you’ll never see here.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the presence or absence of a medical school at the University you attend as an undergraduate is not a factor in Med School admissions. What makes your parents - or your parent’s friends - think it is? My daughter is premed and I checked this out pretty carefully. Some even suggest that attending the University as an undergraduate can be a negative factor when applying for admission to that U’s med school.</p>
<p>I’m a complete East Coaster, but I definitely think it would make sense for you to stay in CA. The only reason to go to NYU is to get internships in a seriously New York kind of field, like publishing. It’s a waste to go there for science. If you aren’t desperate to be in New York, it’s exhausting. I can’t tell you how amazing New York is, but it’s also overwhelming, expensive, and distracting. Lots of people want that kind of experience, but others don’t. It’s too bad Santa Barbara won’t work.</p>
<p>My parents are completely willing to pay for it. They just gave me a talk making me feel that i would be letting them down if i decided not to go to NYU. The reason they like NYU so much is because of the prestige, and is it just me, or are most first generation Asians subject to this thing where there parents are in for the prestige?</p>
<p>have you watched Dat Phan? he’s a vietnamese comedian who won one of last comic standing and he basically crack jokes about his life. one of them is about when he chose to become a comedian instead of a dr. and live in a particular neighborhood and it goes something like this: mom’s friend: “oh, that’s my son, he goes to harvard studying be a doctor- he’s going to be famous some day.” mom: “that’s my son. <em>sob</em> he became a comedian to crack jokes. he lives in a van. in a gay neighborhood. eating cup noodles.”</p>
<p>I don’t see how NYU is any more prestigious than the University of California.</p>
<p>To be perfectly honest, NYU shouldn’t deserve much more respect than the mid to upper-tier UCs.</p>
<p>I appreciate the fact that you, unlike a lot of my fellow senior classmates, are really concerned about things OTHER than prestige</p>
<p>If it helps you at all, the two students I personally know who went to NYU undergrad ended up coming back home and transferring to USC.</p>
<p>That sounds like a good idea, transferring to USC. How many years of NYU undergrad must i go through in order to transfer to another school? Is the process hard? Also, will the credits for the classes i take work toward my graduation at the school i do transfer to?</p>