<p>Hi guys. So I'm down to basically three choices and I would greatly appreciate any advice..</p>
<p>UC Berkeley - College of Letters and Sciences
UCLA - School of Engineering, Bioengineering (mediocre)
UCSD - School of Engineering, Bioengineering (ranked #3 in nation), Regents Scholarship ($2500/yr)</p>
<p>I applied to UCB as cell and molecular biology (MCB), but since it's in L&S, I got in undeclared like everyone else. I'm fine with both MCB and BME; I honestly don't have a preference. I love the LA campus and SoCal in general (I live in NorCal and I've never really liked the city of Berkeley). </p>
<p>However, it seems that each school has about the same number/significance of pros and cons. UCB is prestigious and its MCB program is #1 in the US, but I don't like the place. UCLA has a wonderful campus imo but its bioengineering program is mediocre and I didn't get regents. UCSD isn't as great of a school as the other two, which can make it harder for me to apply for med/grad school, but I have regents and at least its in SoCal.</p>
<p>They're all UCs so same tuition and cost of living is basically the same in the three cities so cost isn't a deciding factor for me.</p>
<p>What would you guys do?
Thanks!!</p>
<p>I think if you can maintain high GPA from UCSD you will have no problem with grad school or medical school. I think UCSD is a bit cheaper than UCLA and UCB.
I’m not sure what you mean when you wrote UCSD is not as great as the other 2, but I thought you mentioned it ranks #3 in the nation. You mean it’s not as selective? The location is not ideal?</p>
<p>@DrGoogIe </p>
<p>I meant that even though its #3 for my major, the overall school isn’t as great as the other two so getting a 3.5 at UCB might be better than a 4.0 at UCSD when I apply for med or grad school.</p>
<p>I think I can maintain high grades in all three schools though UCSD will probably be a lot easier.</p>
<p>You aren’t able to articulate what’s not so great about UCSD, not as prestige? </p>
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<p>I wouldn’t make that assumption, especially if you plan on applying to schools in California. A 4.0 at UCSD sounds much more impressive than a 3.5 at UCB, but you should also not assume that you would be able to get either GPA at either school. Also, there is much more that goes into an application for graduate or medical school. Try to go to a school where you can really flourish–somewhere where you can get great research/clinical experience, get good letters of rec, have access to internship opportunities, etc. Does the regents scholarship still come along with a research opportunity for freshman? If you’re interested in graduate school, that might be particularly beneficial to you. If you’re interested in graduate or medical school, the name of UCSD alone certainly won’t keep you out and the name of Berkeley or UCLA alone definitely won’t get you in.</p>
<p>You should do some research about med school, especially if you’re considering it. A 4.0 at cal state San Marcos would be more impressive than a 3.5 at Stanford in terms of med school admissions.</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s replies! </p>
<p>@DrGoogle my main concern about SD is that overall it isn’t as prestigious a school. I know that prestige isn’t everything, but neither is location and academics and a lot of other things. It’s just hard for me to make a clear choice right now since all three schools have their own benefits and drawbacks.</p>
<p>@baktrax The two gpa numbers I threw out were just hypothetical. Realistically, and quite conservatively, I think I can get a 3.8-3.9 at UCSD and depending on the classes I take, 3.4-3.6 at Berk though I can’t predict the future…Anyways the good part about regents is priority registration and yes, more research opportunities. From their website: “Participation in a cutting-edge research program during the first quarter of enrollment, subject to availability. Physical Sciences, Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, and Engineering are some of the participating divisions.”</p>
<p>Unless things change drastically, I am focused on med/grad school (probably med). </p>
<p>and @bigwords yeah the GPAs i used as examples were probably bad examples. It’s just a 3.7 or something at UCB will definitely get you places (provided you score decently on MCAT) but a 3.7 or even 3.9 at UCSD might not be enough for a top tier med school unless you really ace that MCAT…</p>
<p>My parents are really hoping I go to UCB and I don’t mind but are there any great reasons for me to choose LA or SD instead?</p>
<p>It does not sound like you should go to UCSD. It’s not the school, it’s your perception of the school. I would go to UCB if I were you.</p>
<p>^Ok thanks. I actually love the city La Jolla and the campus. Just I’m trying to think down the road for this decision and it’s kinda hard for a teenager sometimes because it’s so easy to live in the now. If I chose based on which school I’d have the most fun at it’d be la or sd hands down…</p>