UCI, UCSD, SLO, or UCSB for Biological Sciences?

College Search & Selection
1

I have been accepted to these schools with these majors:
UCI (biological sciences)
UCSD (public health)
SLO (biological sciences)
UCSB (pre-biology)

I am honestly lost on where I should go. For the longest time, UCI has been my dream school (I thought practically and dreamt) because it was where my parents went, sister, and uncle. It has done a lot for my family to get us where we are today, and I love that. It is also an hour away from home, which isn’t too far, but far enough for me. UCSD is a GREAT school and I honestly did not think I had a chance to get in. Given that, I feel like I should look at this as my window of opportunity and that I should take it, but its kind of far, I’ve never been there, and I got into sixth college (which I heard is meh). I know that it is very prestigious for its STEM majors though.

I plan on being a PA or pediatrician, so I will go to school after undergrad. So I know how important a high GPA is, and honestly, I know how competitive UCSD is in their sciences, and I feel like I would get a higher GPA at UCI.

How prestigious is UCI in terms of its school of biological sciences? I know UCSD’s public health program is new, but I figured they would take the same classes as biological sciences majors, right?

Help! I don’t want to seem like I’m not taking the best opportunity thats given to me, and I hope I do not regret where I end up going. Is it bad to say that I am leaning towards UCI more than UCSD? My friend said its like picking CSULB instead of UCLA T____T

2

Major prepares you, not the school!

3

All these schools have excellent Biology programs, but I agree with @CollegeSpec that it will be up to you to get the competitive grades, LOR’s and medically related EC’s needed to apply to PA school.
If UCI is your “dream” school, then go there. If you are happy and comfortable at the school you attend, you will have a better chance to succeed. Good Luck.

4

Whether it’s true or not, and ignoring the question of how you can know this, as long as you believe it then it sounds like your decision immediately follows.

Doesn’t matter one bit. Any 4-year college in the country is more than capable of teaching the lower-division subjects covered on the MCAT or whatever test they use for PAs. As Gumbymom wrote, what’s going to matter for your future is what you do in school and not the brand name.