Hey everyone! I got accepted to UCI for the Campuswide Honors Program, UCSD (Eleanor Roosevelt College) and UCLA. I was wondering which of these schools would be the better choice for Premed. Things I am looking for is a place to get a great GPA, research/internship/volunteer opportunities (quality and how early/available they are), individualized attention, and extra curricular. UCLA seems like the obvious choice by I’m worried about the lack of individualized attention and how difficult it would be to distinguish myself. I’ve also heard that UCLA has so many Premed students that it is difficult to access research opportunities and EC. UCSD seems much better in terms of individual attention but when I went to Triton Day, they said that I most likely will only be able to start research my junior year. ERC was also my 5th choice college; nice dorms but I’m skeptical about the MMW GE classes. UCSD is also the farthest from home (I would like to be able to visit on weekends when possible). Lastly, with UCI there is the benefit of CHP and more individualized attention with less competition (easier GPA…?) but I’m unsure about the quality of the research/internship/volunteer opportunities there since there isn’t a hospital nearby. I’ve also heard that UCI is a “suburban hell” but I come from a suburban area myself and I don’t find it too bad.
A bit about myself for personal fit: I tend to be an introverted individual (though I can be quite aggressive when it comes to academics) and would like to avoid parties or anything of that sort. As long as there are some things to do, like tennis, swimming (which I’m sure all 3 campuses have) movies, etc. I would be content.
Thanks for any help you can give!
@Pataka I think while it’s more the norm to start research your second or third year at UCSD, there’s a breadth of opportunities for freshmen and professors welcome motivated students into their labs. Also, MMW is rough but it’s not unmanageable if you’re actually somewhat studious