<p>I am a senior currently stuck with a decision between Irvine and San Luis Obispo.
I am a biological sciences major at both universities, though possibly interested into switching to biomedical engineering. My plan after college is to apply for medical school. I understand that the most important criteria for medical schools is to get good grades and high MCAT scores. I've also visited both campuses.
Cal Poly:
-has a nice campus
-the dean is really friendly
-teachers seem more easily accessible
-College of Math and Sciences has a Health Professions Advising Center
-lecture classes at around 140 people
-website says that 70% of their pre-med students are admitted to medical school</p>
<p>UC Irvine:
-"UC" label
-nice campus
-large classes, (100's in lectures) but with smaller discussion groups
-research/volunteer opportunities</p>
<p>where's the place to go for an aspiring doctor? a mid-tier UC, or the top of the CSU's?</p>
<p>MaMoose is right, it probably is easier to switch into engineering at UCI, but it is still possible at cal poly. Cal poly is probably the best for sciences/math/engineering and is a little more prestigious than UCI (or at least out of state), even though you shouldn’t really base where you go off of that or the “UC” label.</p>
<p>Both are great schools though, go with which one you like best!</p>
<p>UCI is better than Calpoly for all of the sciences, except I would say the engineering program is about equal. Either way they’re both good, but maintaining a good GPA is gonna be up to you.</p>