I want to pursue pre-medicine, and I have gotten into Berkeley, Scripps, and UCSD, but I’m having a really hard time deciding between them. I received a late scholarship for Scripps and I’m an in-state student for the UCs, so the tuition for all are comparable.
Berkeley is a large school, so it has lots of research opportunities and UCSF med school close by. However, I have heard that the premed program at Cal is extremely cut-throat and that is very difficult to get into med school.
Meanwhile, Scripps is a smaller school, so I would probably have more guidance and advising as well as seveeL research opportunities, but since there is no med school or hospital nearby, would I be at a disadvantage?
UCSD has a med school and 4 hospitals close by, but in terms of prestige, it is below both Cal and Scripps.
Does anyone have any advice?
Think about recommendations for medical school. The professors at Scripps will know you by name. They will write personal references, not form letters with some generic comments. Some professors at Berkeley have been known to refuse to write recommendation letters. Ask students at Berkeley and UCSD and find out how difficult it will be to find professors to write recommendations for you. My daughter’s friends at Berkeley complain that their professor do not care if they succeed in their classes. My daughter, a first year at Scripps, often emails or phones her professors. Her Intro to BioChem (IBC) professor went to watch her dance at the fall dance performance. You are not going to find this kind of interaction and personal attention at a UC. That will make a huge difference when you go around asking for recommendations for medical school or even for summer research jobs or internships.