<p>I can't decide! All three are good schools, and they all gave me good financial aid packages. I've wanted to go to Georgetown for a while, but now I'm worried that the community might be a bit to oppressive for me, being mainly rich-white-catholicswhile I come from a persian-jewish working class family in Santa Monica. Objectively GU seems like a better fit, but I'm worried that I won't be able to find my niche there. I'd greatly appreciate to hear some voices attending all three schools. By the way, I majored in Biochemistry or Molecular Biology for these schools and am Pre-Med. Thanks!</p>
<p>I would go to Berkeley.</p>
<p>Berkeley if you want no fun, ugly weather and bad food for 4 years, UCLA if you want to have a great time and have access to the best hospital in the west (#5 in the nation).</p>
<p>I come from the D.C. area and now live in LA. Georgetown, although a Jesuit school, is in the heart of the Nation’s Capitol and thus is very diverse. We are mixed Asian/Jewish and very international like you. I would not hesitate to go to GU and I think that your fears are somewhat unfounded. What I think is most important is what do you want to do in the future. UCLA has several advantages. For one it is very close to home (possibly too close) and I know that Persian Jewish families are very tight and your family would miss you dearly if you left the state. curryrocks is correct in that UCLA is good for premed. Keep in mind that there will be HUNDREDS of kids in your classes and if you are OK with self-study then UCLA will be a fit. Berkeley will keep you in California and is a World class institution. But it also has many of the drawbacks that all UC’s and other large research institutions have – lack of focus on undergraduate students, enormous classes especially for GE’s and much of your education from TA’s. Also, if you choose to go on to med school it will be at UCSF – very well respected and highly ranked. Georgetown will take you away from your family and California and it will be a totally new experience for you. This may be what you really want. The med school there is lower ranked than either UCLA or UCB-UCSF. However, you may get more personal attention and direct access to professors.</p>
<p>If your dream is to go to GU – I’d go there. If you want to stay in California and be able to easily come home to see family when needed (i.e. go away for school but be close enough to home to be able to hop on a plane and be home in two hours if they need you) then UCB. If you are a real homebody and don’t mind staying a stone’s throw from your doorstep and be able to attend all family functions/holidays throughout college and still get a first class nationally ranked education then UCLA.</p>
<p>If you choose Berkeley or UCLA, make sure you check how many students are in each of your classes (especially the intro classes) and whether they are weeders (I bet they are). The number of pre-meds in freshman year at both schools is staggering. Check also if you will be able to graduate in 4 years and how often you are likely to be shut out of a class you need.</p>
<p>If you are from California, college is a great time to check out another part of the country with an in-built support system waiting for you. DC is a fascinating city with lots going on. Nephew (not Christian) attended Georgetown and he felt that the Catholic roots are visible if you are looking for them but don’t impinge on his everyday awareness. And with all those red-hot political science majors, a science student should be able to get the faculty attention they need for those committee letters that go to medical schools. </p>
<p>Berkeley is a great school - spouse attended for graduate work and loved it - but we both agree that it wasn’t a great place to do your undergrad unless you have very sharp elbows or very particular interests (like Asian languages).</p>
<p>Originally, my family was upset about me moving across the country, but now they have grown to accept it. I know that I would thrive in GU’s small-school environment, I just worry whether or not it is the best choice for me as a Pre-Med student. I’ve heard that medical schools care little about the undergraduate school you attend but rather the GPA you get there and your MCAT scores, but there must be some preference for the school you are attending.</p>
<p>For med school admissions, Berkeley, UCLA and Gtown will all be looked at equally. It all comes down to your GPA and MCAT.</p>
<p>If you want a smaller more collaborative environment with a focus on undergraduate education and you think you will thrive then Georgetown pre-med sounds like the ticket. 4 years will fly by perhaps head back west for med school and/or summer internships.</p>