<p>My D got in UCB, UCLA, UCSD and UCD (regents scholar). Which UC is better for pre-med ? She is a regents scholar at UCD. She will get priority during registration at UCD. Appreciate any input---</p>
<p>I believe the general consensus is to avoid UCB for premed. It is very difficult to maintain good grades. That’s all I know about UC-system schools.</p>
<p>ahh…I’m going to do premed at UCB…is it really that terrible?</p>
<p>My DD is finishing MS1. She was a Berkeley biology undergrad. She did fine and she did a club sport that went to national champs. sorority, campus job, etc. She did not play her sport 4th year so she could focus on shadowing and pre-med ECs & getting to know senior profs.</p>
<p>Yes, going to Cal is not easy, but neither is any other UC, they all have large classes and pre-meds are competitive at most UCs. My main caveat would be to NOT follow the cookie cutter advising, but better yet follow the wisdom from CC & SDN. You can do it the exact way that STEM advisors tell you or you can do things the way you want. My bio DD at a mid tier UC had much less fun and a lesser educational experience than my UCB DD…and they had the same HS GPA & SATs, they are equally good students.</p>
<p>DD also did not apply the summer after junior year, she applied after senior year and took a year off to work, it would have been tough to get to know profs well enough, in a large school setting prior to senior year. She needed to be in smaller upper div classes to find those LOR profs.</p>
<p>If Regents is not a full financial award, then I would not use it as a deciding factor. Choose the environment where she feels most comfortable, where she will have the best chance of thriving and really growing as a student and person.</p>
<p>What about sports? My Cal DD really wanted the big school sports team experience, that would be important to some people.</p>
<p>Check into what other perks the UCD Regents Program offers. My D is Regents at UCSD. They offer the Regents special opportunities to work with the professors one on one and get valuable experience. My D, as a freshman, is assisting in high level work in genetics.</p>
<p>They are all fine schools, and none is better than the other for premed, at least from an academic standpoint. If Davis is offering full tuition with the Regent’s it would be hard to turn down. But, the social/campus life is significantly different at each. </p>
<p>SD is probably the least social, least spirited. (And LaJolla is not exactly much of a collegiate community.) Davis would be next. Cal & LA really enjoy their D1 sports. But if Saturday afternoon football is not of interest, than Davis is really attractive. Regents will open a few doors, making it easier to get research positions.</p>