<p>So here is another question for a friend:</p>
<p>I am an Undecided student with a Pre-Med concentration.</p>
<p>I am a California resident, so UCSD will be cheaper than the other options.</p>
<p>Is Emory's ranking/small class size and USC's world-renown name worth the extra $30,000?</p>
<p>Any feedback would help. I have no idea which to chose.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Has the friend been accepted to all three, and does the friend qualify for any need-based financial aid?</p>
<p>If “yes” to accepted, and “no” to eligible for aid, I would say attending UCSD would be the financially and educationally sensible choice, especially if medical school is on the horizon. Save the $120,000 to go towards medical school, and UCSD is an excellent choice for biological sciences.</p>
<p>He does qualify for all three. His parents are very wealthy so the aid he has and will get is little to none. Yea, he will most likely choose SD. Its just hard for him to turn down such good schools. He also loves Emory being in Atlanta, and feels so at home at SC’s campus. He hasn’t visited SD yet though and will this week .</p>
<p>He just might love UCSD - La Jolla is VERY nice. One of my family members attended UCSD for pre-med, and his apartment Jr. and Sr. year was close enough to the beach that he jogged on the beach every day. After he graduated, he was accepted to USC’s Keck School of Medicine and is now a neurosurgeon. Best of both worlds!</p>
<p>Wow, thats pretty awesome. Yea, I agree. I love San Diego! He just isn’t sure, he is trying so hard to make the decision. He also hears back from Brown and Columbia today. He doesn’t think that he will get in but he has amazing stats, recs, and essays. So I think he could.</p>
<p>I posted in the thread on the college search page, but UCSD seems like the clear choice to me.</p>
<p>Hmm, so weird that everyone keeps saying that. He will be surprised to hear that. He is worried the SD has no social life. He is a really acadmically motivated student, and has been pretty sheltered by his family as far as his freedom on weekends and such. He is concerned that at SD there wont be anything to do on weekends, and that it will be all work and no play.</p>
<p>In general, Pre-Med majors - at any college - live the “all work and no play” lifestyle or they risk not being admitted to medical school.</p>
<p>I think that is relatively true. I dont mean to be racist or stereotypical but he comes from an Indian family who really wants him to become a doctor. And although he is fascinated with biology and science I know that he doesnt want to be a doctor. He would rather pursue music, maybe be a teacher. So I am guessing that he will go, start pre-med, and then realise he wants to major in english, or music, or something else. He wants to go to a school that also offers a wide range of studies and such. IDK, sorry for making this so confusing.</p>
<p>alamemom raises some compelling points and I agree completely if money was at issue.</p>
<p>But, if money is no object then I say USC is the best choice for all the reasons you mentioned FilmFanatic. All though it has the great location going for it, UCSD is all work and no play and has no real sports, especially football. </p>
<p>USC’s undergrad is tough to beat when it comes to polishing their students and getting them ready for life. USC’s experience produces a much more well rounded person than those attending a pure academic institution like UCSD in my view. Since you only have one shot at the college experience why not go to a school that can give you academics, prestige, a normal social life and lifelong connections of the Trojan Family. Furthermore I think in the final analysis the student who gets more than just the academic experience becomes a better, more well rounded person. </p>
<p>I started out pre-med my first two years at USC and you can buckle down and study when you want, but then you can also find plenty of stuff to do when you want too. Don’t get me wrong, it can be a major distraction at times but I know several guys who even joined Fraternities and still managed get into med school and dental school.</p>
<p>I say academics is only one facet of the college experience and USC has way more to offer than any UC school in my humble opinion.</p>
<p>Fight On!</p>