I got accepted for Bio at UCLA and Human Bio at UCSD and I plan on becoming a pharmacist in the future. UCLA is my dream school, but UCSD unexpectedly hit me out of the blue with a $20K Chancellor’s Scholarship with priority enrollment and other perks. Both schools have amazing bio programs from what I’ve gathered, but I would like to know which is best for pre-pharm.
I’ve heard horror stories of the bio department at UCLA, from curves to insane competition from pre-med students to having trouble getting the classes you want. This is where the priority registration perk at UCSD is sounding really appealing. But I have no clue if it’s worth passing along my chance to attend my dream school.
I love LA and UCLA’s campus more than UCSD, but that doesn’t make the decision easier. In terms of cost, both schools have offered me a great financial aid package and so I shouldn’t have to pay too much.
Can someone (preferably people who have experience with the bio department at UCLA or UCSD) please assist me with my decision? How are the people, classes, housing, location, social environment, and biology programs at these two schools? Is the Chancellor’s Scholarship worth me passing up UCLA? What would you pick if you were in my position?
Also, I heard the bio program is actually better at UCSD. Is this true?
There will be competition at both schools. It might be true that getting your classes will be more difficult at UCLA–you can probably get more detailed info from folks on the UCLA forums. But you’ll survive and graduate regardless. So the question really comes down to where you feel you will thrive, and whether the perks (and money) at UCSD tilt the balance. From my personal experience, I have known probably 4-5 UCSD students (chem or biochem majors) over the past 15 years who did chemistry-oriented internships and who then went on to pharmacy school. Had these been UCLA students, I’m sure they would also have done equally well. My points are 1) both schools will allow you to DEVELOP yourself to be a good candidate for pharmacy school, and 2) I believe having a strong chemistry background and a record of commitment to the interdisciplinary field of pharmacy/pharmacology (e.g. solid internships in biomedical research) will really help you. (Disclaimer: all of the interns I have known were doing chemistry oriented internships, so it was a biased sample. Were the interns at my institution who did molecular biology-oriented internships just as successful? Possibly, but I don’t know.)
I can only give you a UCSD student’s perspective. UCSD has the advantage of having a pharmacy school on program if you want to speak with current pharmacy students, researchers, and professors. A lot of people take UCSD with Regents over UCLA without, so UCSD with Chancellor’s sounds like a huge positive.
To respond to your questions, the people at UCSD (and all those that I’ve met at LA) are great. Everyone’s driven and hardworking, but also fun and social. You’ll easily find your group of people.
Classes vary but many are hard as hell, including the few bio classes that I’ve taken. I’m a biotech major, but I took BICD 100: Genetics (which was relatively easy), BIBC 100: Structural Biochemistry (which was hella hard), and BIPN 140: Cellular Neurobiology (which was death).
The location is beautiful but a little isolated. La Jolla and the area surrounding campus are gorgeous http://ucsd.dropmark.com/306060
There are a couple of similar threads you can look at. No difference in academic rigor or reputation within California. Take the free money! Pharmacy school is expensive, and if you get into UCSF, your living expenses will be outrageous. Me: BA Bio UCSD (it’s a BS these days), MD UCSF. Best of luck.