I am a transfer student from a California community college in LA. I am having the hardest time deciding between UCLA and UCSD. My major at UCLA is Psychobiology and at UCSD is Human Biology. Although I am not planning to apply to med school, I do want to do a PA program after undergrad. My CCC GPA is 3.7-3.8. I hope this gives you some grounds on how I compete academically. My interests in biology are more macro than micro, and in humans than animals or plants. I definitely would enjoy classes like neurobiology or classes in the bio/psych cross-section.
My main concerns are the academic and professional experience that I will potentially have. My third concern is the transfer community and resources offered by UCSD. I do know there is a strong transfer community at UCLA but I cannot say that for certain at UCSD because not much pulls up on the internet.
I am open to any advice regarding the two schools in general for my pre-health interests and the ability to gain clinical experience as I am more interested in this than lab research. I know UCLA has 4 world-renowned hospitals while UCSD has 6. I am impartial to the tuition/sports differences.
Some questions that I have are:
Will I be better able to build my professional experience at UCSD with it still holding the same credibility/meaning as opportunities at UCLA?
Does prestige really matter when it comes to UCSD vs UCLA in terms of pre-health?
Does grade deflation exist in an equal manner at both campuses? Even if, should this be a major factor in my decision?