<p>Hello,
Im planning to take pre-med classes at either UCLA or UCB (still hesitating in which college to go to) and I heard that med-school not only look at GPAs and MCAT scores, but also ones research experiences and community services. And since the level of difficulty and competition is about the same in both school (for pre-med students), I would like to know, in gerneral, which college offers more undergrad research opportunites for pre-med students.
In which school, is it usually less competitive go actually participate in research programs and such. </p>
<p>There are more pre-med students at UCLA. Research at Berkeley is easy to get into. I’ve been a research assistant at two different locations on campus (VLSB and Haas). Sometimes the tasks you do may be extremely boring though. I’ve gotten a chance to “research” at a museum and I’m not a science major myself. I wanted to do something outside of my major, and it ended up being extremely boring so I didn’t return for a second semester. I went back to help with research at the business school instead.</p>
<p>Several of my friends at UCLA are already involved in research with profs, and they’re first-years. UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Med Center provides great opportunities for volunteering and research, as it’s located right on campus (a plus over Cal, where you have to travel by BART to get to the UCSF med center). There’s also a brain-mapping center, one of the top cancer treatment wards in the country, etc. I’m sure anon2528462 will come in here and refute the statement that UCLA is slightly stronger, and will probably say that there’s an slightly higher quantity of Cal students getting into med school than UCLA students, and also that because there are less pre-meds at Cal, the competition is less severe. But you know, f*** competition! You got into those schools because they believed you could succeed. You will find a myriad of research opportunities at either school, and they’re both world-class universities. I would go for fit, and just know that you made a great choice!</p>
<p>When I was choosing colleges and asking the same questions for premed, I heard that you should choose the one that you will do best at. With my high-school hubris, I all but ignored that sage advice (luckily Cal turned out great for me).</p>
<p>The advice holds: go where you will get the best GPA and enjoy college. Forget about research opportunities and rankings, because quite frankly, both campuses have a surplus of research for willing undergrads.</p>
<p>How about the research opportunities at UCSD in bio or biochem? Is it much harder to get them at Cal since the students are more competitive there?</p>
<p>Its very easy to get (unpaid) research at UC Berkeley esp. in the biological sciences. For paid research its still pretty easy, but you have to have a decent GPA when you apply to programs.</p>
<p>I did read your post, but I’ve heard that it’s hard to do research because there is so much competition. If I went to Cal, I would not be one of the top students and it would be harder for me to shine in a professor’s eyes. If I went to a school like santa barbara, I would be guaranteed research (through honors program). So, if I went to san diego, would I have a better chance than at Berkeley… or is it roughly equal?</p>