UC Irvine vs UC Santa Barbara: Biology/Pre-Med

Hi. I’ve been admitted to both UCI and UCSB, but I can’t decide where I want to attend. I’m going to be majoring in Biological Sciences at UCI and Pre-Biology/Cell and Developmental Biology at UCSB as well as doing pre-med. I’ve heard that UCI has a better Biology program and has a lot more research opportunities since they have their own medical center. Over spring break, I visited UCSB for their open house and got to meet some pre-med students. They said that even though they don’t have a medical center, volunteering is still possible if you’re willing to go out of your way to get to a hospital. And apparently UCSB has an actual doctor that visits voluntarily to help with medical school advisement (answers your questions, reads your essays for medical school, etc.)? I’ve also heard that UCI can get extremely competitive, especially for Biology majors and pre-med students. The one thing that I really disliked about UCI is how you have to pay fees for their tutoring program (LARC), but it’s free of charge at UCSB. I’ve lived near the beach for around 7 years, so I actually really love the environment at UCSB. I know academics should come first, but the area that I’m going to be living in is important to me because I feel like it affects the way I study. I feel that I’ve done a decent amount of research on both schools, but I’d really appreciate it if current undergrads or people who have graduated from UCI or UCSB as a Biology Major or pre-med student could give me their own opinions. Thanks.

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They are both similar and I’m sure will offer you great academics. I would go where you will be happiest.

I agree with pitt2021. I graduated from UCSB and several of my friends from undergrad are now doctors (ironically, my best friend from UCSB did her residency at UCI). Some of my friends that are now doctors didn’t even major in anything related to medicine/biology/anatomy, (although those that didn’t certainly had to study that much harder for the MCAT). Similar to your college entrance, it will come down to grades, MCAT scores, and (depending on the school), your interview and EC’s. That being said, go where you’ll be happiest and you feel you’ll thrive. Neither program will inherently open more doors for you, so it is really about the environment that suits you best, and your efforts one you’re there. Congrats on being accepted to two great programs!

Thanks for giving me some insight on this. I’ll definitely consider your guys’ advice!