<p>I am a high school senior who has been admitted to UCI and UC Berkeley. I am planning on going to med school, but i am having trouble deciding on whether to go to UCI or Berkeley for undergrad. I have heard that Berkeley is very cut-throat and that it is very hard to get a high GPA, so that is kinda keeping me away from berkeley. How is the pre-med atmosphere at UCI... what are the grade cuves like in the science classes, what % get A's? I have heard that med school ad coms dont really take your undergrad college into consideration too much, so is it wiser to go to a less competitivie college like UCI? </p>
<p>Go to UCI for undergrad, unless Berkeley's like...your dream school and you've wanted to go there forever and ever. A high GPA at UCI would probably be picked for med school over a low GPA at Cal. But see where you feel most comfortable...no point in going to a school you hate for the next 4 years.</p>
<p>Thanks Pineapplesauce: Berkeley really is my dream school, but for me, the bottom line is med school and i would want to maximize my chances of being admitted, even if that means not going to Berkeley. Also, i wouldn't hate going to UCI, but i prefer berk. Do you think if i put in the same amount of work at each of the schools, my GPA would be a lot lower at Berk than at UCI?</p>
<p>GPA wouldn't be lower at berk compared to uci though berk has a reputation for grade deflation and apparently isn't one of the better choices for premed according to some other threads. </p>
<p>Personally, I received regents for UCI and also got into UCLA (didn't apply to berkeley) so that in itself is motivation enough for me to pursue premed and major in bio at UCI. In addition, I've attended the honors program orientation at UCI and was quite impressed with what they had to say. Apparently, UCI sends people to the top 15 medical schools every year so its not like your gonna have some sort of disadvantage if you go to UCI as opposed to Berkeley. Furthermore the competition at UCI might not be as cutthroat as at Berkeley though around 40% of bio majors at UCI are premed.</p>
<p>The only disadvantage to attending UCI as opposed to Berkeley the way I see it is possibly the environment though that could also be an advantage. Irvine is the safest city in the nation but its also kind of quiet and if your staying in dorms I've heard it gets really quiet on weekends because a significant number of people commute. Personally I'll be commuting so the rather stunted social atmosphere of the campus isn't a major factor.</p>
<p>I think that at Berkeley you'd have a lower GPA than at UCI if you put in the same amount of work. I think Berkeley has that reputation for having cutthroat competiton for a reason (I think its nickname is "Berzerkely"?). Seeing as how you got into Cal in the first place, it probably means you're smart...but so are the other people at Berkeley. A lot of people at Irvine probably didn't even get into Cal (myself included), so there's less competition for you. There's always Berkeley for grad school.</p>
<p>If you do decide to go to Irvine, though, see you next year (I want to go to med school too)!</p>
<p>MedRomanian: are you choosing regents at UCI over UCLA because money is a significant factor or because you ttruly believe that UCI offers a better pre-med program? Did you ask the representatives at the UCI honors reception if the UCI med school ad coms give preferance to UCI undergrads in the admissions process?
Thanks</p>
<p>ab_med
Post this same question over in the pre-medical seciton of CC. Do you know any physicians whose opinion you trust? I would ask them as well. Seek out MD's from both schools if possible, and also call the UC's (UCB and UCI) and talk to them (department in your major) about your questions and concerns. I read a post where an MD gave another student some very good advice over in the UCSC threads. (I believe thread was, "should I trust my friend?") Perhaps you could send that Dr. a personal message. Hope this helps, and good luck to you.</p>
<p>Money isn't a problem. I truly believe UCI can offer me a better premed experience. At UCLA, I feel I'd just get lost among a huge school with plenty of overachievers, kind of like berkeley. </p>
<p>UCI does give preferential treatment to UCI undergrads from what I've heard. I believe around 25% of med students come from UCI. Again, you might want to doublecheck. Anyway, I'm considering UCLA for med but if I get to know people from UCI medschool by doing research there during undergrad, I'm sure that would confer a significant advantage in the admissions process.</p>
<p>Do medical school ad coms give little consideration to the rigor of the college an applicant attended? For example, don't they know that a 3.5 at Berkeley is harder to get than from Irvine? How much weight is put on the undergrad school one went to?</p>
<p>I think when it comes down to a 3.5 at Berkeley and a 3.5 at Irvine, they'll take the person from Berkeley...but other than that, I don't think there's much difference. I think it's mostly a numbers game.</p>
<p>That's assuming that the 3.5 from Berkeley and the 3.5 from UCI also have idential MCAT scores, identical personal statements, identical recommendations, identical research experience, identical interviews, and identical everything else. You won't ever be that similar to another applicant.</p>
<p>I think that there are enough different aspects of a med school application that you should be fine wherever you go.</p>