<p>My S admitted and is evaluating which of the 3 is best to pursue a Bioengineering + PreMed option
UC Berkeley - BioEngineering with Premed option
UCSD Jacobs - BioEngineering - Bioinformatics + Premed track
USC Viterbi BioEngineering + Presidential Scholar (half tuition) + Premed track</p>
<p>Each school has pros and cons and would love to hear from anyone pursuing one of the above options.</p>
<p>In the same boat regarding Premed, BioE with SD/B. Debating on how to decide for my S. Choice almost down to UCB and SD. Visited all three campuses thinking it might help. Did not. Thinking of skipping out LA. Any thoughts on what would be best to pursue medicine later along with options for change in case change of mind regarding medicine while in college. </p>
<p>Net price at each?</p>
<p>Remember that medical school is expensive, so saving money and avoiding debt as an undergraduate can reduce total debt at medical school graduation (and remember that post-graduation residency means that the physician cannot begin to meaningfully pay off debt until several years after; the physician will likely be at least in his/her mid-30s age-wise before the debt is paid off).</p>
<p>Assuming that you all are instate for those UCs, if med school is the goal, then I would be more concerned about the choice of major and resulting GPA.</p>
<p>Med schools don’t care about choice of major, and they wont give you bonus points for a sexy-sounding major (heck, we’re not even sure if adcoms even glance at the name of one’s major…lol)</p>
<p>Eng’g is a major where getting a high GPA is very difficult. Med schools aren’t going to give eng’g majors a break for having a lower GPA than - say - a bio or English major premed. </p>
<p>I know this seems counter-intuitive but there are several aspects about the med school app process that are counter-intuitive. So much is purely numbers-driven. The initial down-selection, before human eyes even see the apps, is done using number filters (with allowances for URM status). So, if you are - say - a White Male with stats that are just below those filtered thresholds, your app won’t go forward to human eye review…regardless of the name of the major, double-majors, minors, etc. </p>
<p>There are certain eng’g classes that are notoriously hard where students feel relief when they emerge with a low B or C. Ok for someone who is heading to the tech world, but not good for a premed. </p>
<p>I’m only saying this because so many premeds sabotage themselves by choosing hard-sounding majors thinking that it will get them a nudge into med school. In the end, their GPAs end up not being med-school-worthy.</p>
<p>I’m not saying it can’t be done. My own son was a Chemical Engineering major and is in med school, but it was a risky path.</p>
<p>My S was very impressed with UCB’s BioE + premed opportunities. He spoke to students pursuing the track at UCB. Looks very doable but challenging. </p>
<p>@BiomedFather What was your Ss final decision? Can you share why you chose one v/s the other? I am an instate dad in the same boat for next year.</p>
<p>@SM57750 my son finally chose CAL Bioengineering. He felt that offers him the best options. We are out of state so tuition after any scholarships was about the same at all the schools he was considering.</p>
BiomedFather now that your son is at Cal can you please let me know how is his experience and provide some insights. We are choosing between Cal+USC(Presidential)+UCSD for BME/premed. Appreciate some insights