<p>originally i had been accepted into UCB and UCSD as well, but i decided to go with UCD for chemistry (changing to biochemistry later) to pursue med/pharm school later. everyone i told that i was going to Davis was so surprised that i would reject UCB and UCSD for it. however, i made the decision already so its kind of too late to turn back now. </p>
<p>i hope i didnt mess up my life or future cause i chose UCD over the other two. my teachers told me that i could get a high gpa at Davis and if i get in work experience, i might even have a better chance at going to med/pharm school cause of the high gpa which is more important than prestige. i chose UCD for several reasons including the fact that higher gpa is important and i believe i can get a higher gpa at davis than at the other 2. also i think i can get work experience there as opposed to UCB (no med school/hospital). lastly, i just had the mindset that when i’m in grad school, whichever i choose won’t matter that much, and when applying, the prestige is marginally beneficial. i also chose davis because i have more closer friends there so i would feel more comfortable there. </p>
<p>in perspective, would a 3.8 student from davis have a more likely chance of getting into pharm/med shcool than a 3.5/3.6 student from UCB/UCSD? </p>
<p>people told me that once im in grad school it wont matter so i should pick the school i liked more, but im just feeling kind of nervous. anything i should know that could comfort me more?</p>
<p>There's no point in second guessing yourself now because what's done is done. Just move forward, not backward and set plans for what you need to do now to accomplish your goals at Davis so that you can get to med school later on.</p>
<p>You're not going to be screwed over in terms of your future by choosing Davis. Why, if you had the grades to get into Cal and SD, you certainly will do well at Davis and thats what counts.</p>
<p>Remember, you made the decision for a reason, so theres no point second guessing yourself.</p>
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in perspective, would a 3.8 student from davis have a more likely chance of getting into pharm/med shcool than a 3.5/3.6 student from UCB/UCSD?
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<p>Med School:
GPA > prestige</p>
<p>so I would say yes a 3.8 student from Davis would have a better chance than a 3.5/3.6 student from UCB/UCSD. of course, that is assuming the other areas on the application are similar (research opps, work experience, ec, etc...)</p>
<p>^how about pharmacy school? (gpa>prestige?)</p>
<p>and how are the work/research opportunities at Davis for the pharmacy/medical field?</p>
<p>also, would a 3.8 Davis student have any problems getting into a California pharmacy school? i think that if i get into any pharmacy school then it wouldnt really have mattered whether i went to UCSD/UCB/UCD yes?</p>
<p>You're making it sound like UC Davis is some worthless school or something. It's still one of the top schools in CA and has very strong programs, especially in the sciences. It's highly regarded, especially in the Northern CA region. If you're that paranoid, call up the offices at the schools and just go to Berkeley then. </p>
<p>Another thing you sould note is that the UC's grading scale is A=4.0, A-=3.7 The average gpa for science majors is below 3.0. To get a 3.8 gpa average, you need to be pulling in at a minimum an average of straight A-'s. Just because you got into higher ranked schools out of high school, don't think you can just walk in to a UC and pull off an amazing gpa. This isn't high school anymore. Only 15-20% of science classes get A's. You need to beat out your peers because many science classes are based on curves. It's much easier said than done. You'll be surprised at how good your peers are since the people you will be competing against in these science classes are in similar majors with similar goals as you.</p>
<p>One of the smartest people in my high school class did what you're doing, but was headed toward law school instead. She chose Davis over Berkeley. Her brother had gone to Berkeley, and she felt she would be one of the many brilliant people there as opposed to having more of a chance to stand out at Berkeley. I think she felt too that Berkeley wasn't her "scene" culturally, though she was quite liberal politically was not so much so socially.</p>
<p>I learned enough about her path in life to know that she was happy at Davis. I don't know that she felt she stood out a whole lot, but she must have done at least a bit. I also know that she attended Stanford law. I can't tell you whether she regrets going to Davis over Berkeley, but something tells me probably not at all. She studied economics, and did really well at Davis. I knew her well enough to know that she would have held her own in Berkeley economics most likely, but likely would not have stood out amazingly.</p>
<p>Davis is a great school, it opened up good possibilities to her, and in the overall scheme of things, the more important thing with college ultimately becomes how it set you up to do what you want to do in life -- in career, with friends, etc. In other words, go and make it work for you. </p>
<p>From what I know, I agree with the person who said GPA > prestige for med school at least at the level of Berkeley and Davis. Now you have to face the fact that it will still be tough as heck to pull a 3.8 at Davis, but probably a bit easier to do so there than at Berkeley.</p>
<p>You have nothing to regret, nothing at all. You should really stop wasting your energy on looking back and you should spend your summer before school 1) having fun 2) preparing for school 3) talking to students who are further into the major you want to study. There is a generalization you can make about any school and particularly about UC schools: you will be rewarded for initiative and for preparation. </p>
<p>with that last post (natecali), are you saying UCD would be better for my goals of pharmacy/medical school because an amazing gpa is difficult to achieve? or what are you implying?</p>
<p>And I'm not "paranoid"..I'm just nervous because of all the hype and prestige that Berkeley gets..it just gives me the pressure as if I made a crazy move, but I know that I would be happier at UCD (close friends). if I go to UCB now (if I can still change my mind that is), I'd still have regrets and anxiety because then I'd be leaving some incredibly close people AND the fact that the gpa and competition is very hard at UCB.</p>
<p>Well, the competition level at Berkeley, at least in the sciences, according to my friend is indeed intense. If you want to see an example, check out this thread I made yesterday......</p>
<p>You may indeed be one of those select students that possesses great ability in the sciences, and you may end up beating out your peers for the top grades in your classes. It's really difficult to access right now because you haven't yet stepped into the university level and compete until Fall quarter starts. It's certainly not an impossible task to get a 3.7 gpa and above, because some students can pull it off. It's just that the A- grading scale can really alter a high gpa. If you're that determined and ambitious, though, nothing is impossible.</p>
<p>I don't blame you for having second thoughts due to the prestige that Berkeley gets. It does have national prestige, and its prestige may even extend to the international level. Parents love stuff like that so they can have higher family social status compared to their siblings.</p>
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but I know that I would be happier at UCD (close friends).
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<p>If you know you'd be happier at Davis, that's all you need to know. I went to Berkeley and loved it, but it's definitely not for everyone. If you were to go into it thinking you'd be less happy there, you'd already be down a notch in terms of concentrating on what you need to do to make the most out of your college experience. I say it again: move on. It's not like Davis is a second-rate university. If you think you need more prestige, do really well at Davis and get into med. school which ipso facto is prestigious. </p>
<p>And by the way, there's nothing lamer in life than a person who continually banks on the prestige of where they went to school. It's a truism that people who put stock in such things generally do so because they lack something else. Real prestige comes from being outstanding, and it is therefore very open to definition (one person's outstanding is another's middling, often). I only need to think of a friend, who I actually liked a lot, who flailed between one failed career and another after Harvard. Having gone to Harvard didn't resolve her problems.</p>