<p>Out of uc san diego, uc irvine, uc berkeley, and ucla, which college offers the best neuroscience program for undergrads and why? i want to major in neuroscience and become a neurologist in the future. I was also wondering about premed. i'm not really sure how it works. I know that it is not actually a major, but im still unclear on how it really prepares you for med school. is it fine to not take premed? Or would it be better to take premed and neuroscience</p>
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Out of uc san diego, uc irvine, uc berkeley, and ucla, which college offers the best neuroscience program for undergrads and why?
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<p>Berkeley doesn't offer neuroscience for undergrads. I believe UCSD offers "physiology and neuroscience." If I were to rank them:</p>
<p>UCSD
UCLA
UCI</p>
<p>For pre-med, you simply major in what you want, and then before graduating, you take prerequisites (courses like chemistry, etc.). There is no pre-med major, so you'd major in neuroscience and take the pre-med courses before graduation.</p>
<p>UCLA's neuroscience is very strong. In fact, just walking on Westwood Blvd, you have the Gonda research center and more [facilities[/url</a>]. There's ample room to do research! </p>
<p>They also have an on-campus organization called the Neuroscience Undergraduate Society. I've been to events and they have secured relationships with professors and PhD candidates and have casual lunches every few weeks with a professor/PhD/lecturer about their research interests, etc. Here's the [url=<a href="http://www.neurosci.ucla.edu/index.asp%5Dmajor's">http://www.neurosci.ucla.edu/index.asp]major's</a> link](<a href="http://www.bri.ucla.edu/bri_research/ResearchCenters_Program_Projects.asp%5Dfacilities%5B/url">http://www.bri.ucla.edu/bri_research/ResearchCenters_Program_Projects.asp).</p>
<p>The first two years are the same for biology majors (gen. biology, evolutionary biology, marine biology, microbiology & immunology, neuroscience, physiological science, molecular - cellular - & developmental biology, etc.) at UCLA. Afterwards, one actually takes the upper-division neuroscience courses. The neuroscience program is slightly separated from the other biology programs at UCLA - it's kinda like they're in their own world. Unlike the other biology sub-fields, there's a strong relationship between the graduate neuroscience division and the lower division. It's not as popular a major as the other divisions but it is closer-knit. That and there are outside events on-campus and constant neuroscience lectures for the general public or so on. That and with UCLA's having a top medical school for your pre-med aspirations, it provides a good, all-around environment and program.</p>
<p>One of my good friends in my medical school class was a neuroscience major at UCLA...while she liked the program, she has said repeatedly that it hasn't helped one iota in medical school. </p>
<p>Pre-med is not a major, but is the label given to the common courses required by medical schools. All medical schools (with, perhaps, a very few exceptions) require a year, with lab, each of biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. A year of math (I personally recommend 1 semester of calc, and one of stats) is also pretty common. These courses don't necessarily transfer/apply to what you'll learn in medical school, but they form a foundation of understanding which is important to understanding more advanced concepts. Other courses that some medical schools will require include Biochemistry and genetics, but these are required by so few that they are not absolutely necessary to take while in undergrad.</p>
<p>Since medical schools require you to take these courses for entrance, there is no way to get to medical school without being "pre-med" and taking them. </p>
<p>The important thing is to study what you find interesting, and it doesn't have to be a science major (I myself was a sociology major and have friends in med school who majored in econ, art, political science, english, chem, bio, civil engineering, chemical engineering, psychology, vocal performance, business, and history.</p>