Ucb -vs- ucsd

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - San Diego
1

<p>Hi guys! I'm having a REALLY hard time deciding which school to go to... so I decided to post in the forums and ask what you guys think :) posting in both ucb and ucsd forums ;)</p>

<p>So here goes:</p>

<p>UC Berkeley- currently in L&S, hoping to switch to chemistry dept. (<--difficult? D:)
-great reputation ;)
-visited campus, really liked feeling of area (san francisco)
-dunno about research opportunities, but I hear there are plenty</p>

<p>UCSD- human biology major (impacted)
-got regents scholarship: priority registration, 4 yr housing guarantee, honor programs
-great bio reputation: got into human biology, which is impacted major</p>

<p>I really can't decide! I have a feeling my GPA will suffer if I go to Berkeley... do you really think the bio program at ucsd will be easier than the ones at berkeley? since i know ucsd bio program is pretty tough w/ premeds... so is it pretty much the same in terms of difficulty? What are the grades like for students w/ regents scholarships? </p>

<p>Personally, I'm more of a city person, and I like berkeley/San Francisco area since it's close enough if I need to go home, but not THAT close that I'd be going home every other weekend (around 2 hours away). </p>

<p>I know I should be choosing the school I like and everything, but I've heard so many people regret going to berkeley just because they liked it, because their GPA dropped, couldnt get into grad school, etc. I like UCSD a lot too... i think i would be happy at both schools :) </p>

<p>Give me some advice? I asked a lot of people, and I'm getting 1/2 telling me berkeley and 1/2 telling me UCSD. BTW I'M NOT PREMED, but I want to go to grad school...</p>

<p>SIDE QUESTIONS:
Is priority registration at another UC enough to sway you to another side? I dont have anything at berkeley, and i have priority reg. at ucsd.
How helpful are the TA's at ucsd? I heard a lot of lower division classes in UCs are taught by TAs...
Is it really hard to get a research opportunity? Like does the teacher only accept top students?
Just how beneficial is the regents? I've heard regents doesnt matter AS MUCH for upper division because the UD courses are pretty small classes/not as filled.</p>

2

<p>UCSD’s Biology department outranks all other UC’s pretty much. As in any other field of study, if you truly are fascinated and enjoy it then you will want to do well and most likely do well haha. Moreover, you can switch into Biochem and Cell Biology from Human Bio freely with no problems (if you want more chem in your curriculum).</p>

<p>I think priority registration very beneficial ESPECIALLY for lower division classes. You will have multiple professors teaching the same course, and with priority registration you can pick the professor with the best rating without worrying about wait-listing, which is a pretty annoying problem concerning a lot of science classes.</p>

<p>My experience with TA’s have been pretty positive; they will help you if you ask.</p>

<p>There’s a large amount of research opportunities here, you just have to find them. Talk to your professors and show interest and they’ll take you in. I believe personal interest and initiative will land you a research position not just your GPA.</p>

<p>I’ve never had a TA teach the class… same with pretty much all my friends (as far as Calculus/Chem/Physics classes go).</p>

<p>Noticing your name: There’s an awesome class on the Beatles on one of the Music 15 tracks. You might like it (counts for a GE in most colleges here) haha.</p>

<p>I’m sure either school will be fine, and I doubt you’ll regret it if you go to one over the other. I’m not sure how GPA levels vary between cal and UCSD.</p>

3

<p>LOVE YOUR USER NAME!! Ok anyway, donnnnn’t come to UCSD thinking it will boost your GPA. Human bio program is quite difficult because many of these people are pre-meds and thus it is highly competitive. Lots of people drop out every year. I am not a science major myself but I have watched friends literally suffer in ochem labs, etc. to get their grades and it seems very very competitive and difficult to me.</p>

<p>Therefore, my opinion is that you should go where you fit in the best and where you like the campus atmosphere the most! The differences in GPA will be negligible. </p>

<p>Side questions

  1. Priority registration will definitely help you get the best professors and class times at UCSD; I am not sure about Berkeley. Without this, most freshmen do get into the classes they need, but many have to resort to taking classes at inconvenient times.
  2. At UCSD the lower division classes are not TAUGHT by TAs, rather, you have a lecture taught by a professor ~3 times a week and then TAs teach individual discussion sections once a week with ~15-30 students. I have found the TAs to be very helpful - others may have different experiences.
  3. Don’t know
  4. Regents Scholarship will look really good on your resume (for grad school) I would assume!</p>

<p>Good luck in your decision, go where you fit the best!</p>

4

<p>Don’t let others choose for you - choose for yourself. My kid turned down Cal for UCSD (engineering) and never regretted it. I think her main motivation was the area rather than the particular campus but I’m not sure. Others would have chosen Cal over UCSD. It’s personal choice.</p>

<p>Figure out the major you’re really interested in if you have one. Chemistry and Human Bio are two totally different areas so I don’t know why you’d want one at one campus and the different one at the other campus. The major you’re interested in might influence the campus to pick.</p>

<p>My kid had pretty much NO TAs teaching any of her courses at UCSD (ditto for my kid at UCLA). The TAs lead discussion sessions but Profs generally teach the classes. </p>

<p>Both campuses are major research universities.</p>

<p>A Regents scholarship is usually nothing to gloss over if they’re as good as they used to be a few years ago - it can amount to a lot of money ($$$). Moreover, if courses are getting reduced due to budget cuts then priority registration can be a pretty nice perk. As far as 4 years of on-campus housing, there’s a good chance you won’t really want to stay on campus for 4 years. Most students seem to be ready to move off campus after a couple of years and there’s plentiful nice off-campus apartments available nearby so you might not want to weight that one too heavily.</p>

5

<p>I’m having such a hard time decide!! </p>

<p>Seems to me that UCSD bio is probably as difficult as the ones at Cal…
my head hurts. :frowning:
I think if UCSD has more pros over berkeley, though, I may end up going there. anyone know just how beneficial the perks of regents are though? </p>

<p>^____^ & yes i love the beatles. (anyone watched love at las vegas?)</p>

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<p>^Honestly if you adore Berkeley and the SF area in general, the “Norcal” feel, and you just feel at home on their campus I would go there!</p>

<p>YESSS i just saw the LOVE show in Vegas a few weeks ago. it was INCREDIBLE.</p>

7

<p>^Well, I wouldnt say I absolutely adore Berkeley… the area around berkeley isn’t very pretty (especially at night). I do like cities more though (I heard UCSD has less places to visit. other than the beach of course) I think I’d enjoy my time at either school… its mainly down to whether or not I can compete academically with the students and still enjoy myself… both ucsd and cal sound really hard… </p>

<p>Cirque du soleil is amazingggg. LOVE and Mystere were awesome. :D</p>

<p>Has anyone heard anything about Muir dorms? Because I read somewhere that one of the dorms in muir has really slow internet… D:</p>

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<p>I would choose Berkeley for its prestige. Being a Cal graduate sounds way better than a UCSD grad…no offense to many people.</p>

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<p>I am not sure but I think only the wireless in Muir is slow, to be honest none of the res hall wireless networks seemed fast to me. Even in ERC where everyone else thought it was super fast. I always just used my ethernet cord. Shouldn’t be a problem.</p>

<p>UCSD has lots of places to visit, if that concerns you! San Diego is a big city with tons to visit (not just the beach). It’s definitely very spread out so it’s not super easy to get around if you don’t have a car. La Jolla, which is close, is really cute and there are tons of restaurants and shops. The PB bar scene is cool for when you turn 21 and the Gaslamp district is this lively area downtown with restaurants, bars, shops, a big mall, etc. There’s a tonnn to see and visit. Yeah it sounds like your decision is mostly based on academics. Good luck again!</p>

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<p>I’m a Regent Scholar, and priority registration is a really nice perk to have. You pretty much get to choose classes the first day enrollment begins, so you’ll get all the classes you want, assuming they’re offered.</p>

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<p>Being a regents scholar sounds like you’ll have it made (I wish I was one…). Especially bio, where you need to sign up for classes early or you are out of luck! I’ve seen way too many friends stressed because they can’t get into the classes they need. SD is probably one of the best places for science, however, just go with your gut. I chose here over Cal and am glad I did (and I’m not even a bio major). Just go where it feels best to be for four years, because either would suit your needs, most likely. You will only do well if you are (at least somewhat) happy!</p>

<p>My rationale was that I would could be more of a stand out student and meet professors better, which totally came to be true. Its seriously all about networking and navigating the system, wherever you are. I also liked the laid-back feel of San Diego, and the beach and weather. I can’t stand rain when I have class. And it was closer to home and gave me more money–definitely always a concern. </p>

<p>SO…just be happy, and sometimes think about more than just the prestige or the specific program, since you’ll be a part of the community, and the entire school. Happy choosing!</p>