<p>I am a senior in high school (in California) and I only applied to 6 UCs and I have to wait for acceptance (or not) in March. Right now I am trying to find out which campus would be right for me. I applied to UCB, UCD, UCLA, UCI, UCSB, and UCSD but I cannot decide which one to go to (My SAT scores and GPA yada yada yada are competitive at UCB and UCLA so it's not a question of whether I get in or not as of right now). Anyways, I am set up to be a Biochemistry major and I have hopes of attending a medical school one day.</p>
<p>I like the atmosphere at UCSD but I hear it is really anti-social/competitive and the professors are really bad.<br>
I like the atmosphere even more at UCSB but I am not a partier and I have a feeling the academics will not be very challenging (correct me if I am wrong).
I hate the atmosphere at Berkeley (I think it's garbage) and I hear it is one of the most competitive and inhuman places to be regarding science majors. I do like it's reputation, diversity, and close proximity to home though.
I really like everything about UC Davis, but I feel that it is just too easy to get into and too similar to my home town. Plus I hear some people describe the classes as frustrating and the administration only cares about collecting money.
I am ruling out Irvine because it is a commuter school with limited school spirit (anteater mascot, really?).
Lastly, a really hard choice would be UCLA. It has a great hospital for volunteer work and everything else about it is really pleasing. However, I am a bit afraid of the immense competition in science classes (like at UCB).</p>
<p>Ideally I would like to go to a college with good food and healthy academic competition that will challenge but not ruin me. I want to be able to play for the club lacrosse team and have a few hours each week for socializing or volunteering. Please help me before I accidentally end up living in a text book for the next 4 years.</p>