<p>which to choose? got in for biochemistry for both schools. not sure where to choose. first choice was always ucsd, because good school..didnt think i was capable of getting in to ucla, but i did. now its in the picture.. where to go? consider the competition, atmosphere, etc.. want to get into med school afterwards btw.</p>
<p>Both schools will prepare you adequately for med school. I’ve asked for many comparisons…but frankly, you can’t go wrong with either UC for a pre-health/med education. Both schools are filled with pre-med students and super competitive. Despite UCLA’s higher ranking overall, UCSD is very well known for its medical program and research (its bio science grad school is higher ranked). Pick the campus you like better, and which school will give you more finaid. 
(I am making a decision between LA and Davis myself)</p>
<p>personally, ive heard bad things about the chemistry dept at UCLA… so that might be something to consider. with that said, go with your gut. the main thing is: where do you want to live and learn for the next four years or so? stop making a list of pros and cons. don’t rehash every statistical point with your folks. go with your gut even if it runs contrary to the advice of others. thats my advice</p>
<p>yea the chem department is bad…and also note that biochem will be VERY diffiuclt here at UCLA…most premeds i know doing biochem eventually switch out…u have to take the math 30 series, physics 1 series, and chem 20/30 series…so def very hard in terms of subject matter…so i guess competit will be at its highest</p>
<p>Biochem can take physics 6 series. And I thought I read somewhere they were changing it to allow chem 14 series? or was that something else…</p>
<p>I’d probably pick UCLA over UCSD for anything but engineering simply due to the rank difference. </p>
<p>I don’t find “heated competition” is a good argument to avoid this university. With that logic, why not just go to a CSU? They have far less competition than UCSD!</p>
<p>well competition, its going to be cutthroat im pretty sure… but i want to get into a school where ill get a good education that would give me a good chance to attend a good med school…</p>
<p>like i said on my previous post here, stop weighing in the pros and cons of UCSD and UCLA. don’t rehash every statistical point, and just go with your gut even if it runs contrary to the advice of others</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>i got into berkeley today… now thats in the equation as well…same suggestion?</p>
<p>our chem department is not bad – everyone is just mad that they did bad in 14A.</p>
<p>OP what factors are you looking for besides strength of department?</p>
<p>umm i would have to say the admittance rate of getting into a med school. and pretty much surrounding atmosphere, campus, the people</p>
<p>^admittance rate is based on people, not the school yourself. as long as you put effort into getting the grades, MCAT, and extracurriculars, you’re good at any of the UCs. </p>
<p>think about where you would like living for the next four years. i picked LA because of the medical center (just came back from 8 hrs in anesthesiology OR), weather, and surrounding area (ktown, jtown, westwood blvd…)</p>
<p>^what he said </p>
<p>UCLA does boast a nice happiness rating too in comparison to both SD and Berk.</p>
<p>do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of ppl at ucla though? quite a big school…</p>
<p>UCSD is far superior in Bio Chem and in a nicer area.</p>
<p>I don’t realllly think the prestige or rankings of a department matter thatt much for undergrad unless it’s like… a very specific field or something. You can find the best and the worst at UC Berkeley, LA, and SD. I think it’s just based on you. Therefore, I think you should just base your decision on where you feel you will be the happiest for the next four years. Like neonseri said, go with your gut. Once you go to college… it doesn’t really matter anymore where you go (eg. prestige factor) – you should base it on what you feel is good to you, not to others. So, if you visit SD, LA, and Berkeley and feel the best at SD, you would probably be best going to SD. (You’ll probably end up doing better academically and etc. at the place you are happiest.)</p>
<p>Note that UC Berkeley, LA, and SD all are pretty big schools… so I think you will probably feel equally “overwhelmed” by the amount of people regardless of which school.</p>
<p>Also, when you apply to med school, you’re applying based on what you have done, not what your school has done – it’s really based on you. (Unless you go to an ivy or csu or something…)</p>
<p>Not to say that people from CSUs can’t go to medical school because they go to a CSU - it’s more likely that the student body there has lower performance on standardized testing, didn’t haul enough butt, and thus has a lower proportion of graduates whom go onto medical. </p>
<p>The amount of people may seem overwhelming, but you’ll find your group of friends. Take advantage of the fact that many freshman are just as lost as you are, and that we’ve a pretty amiable group overall. People are social creatures.</p>
<p>I probably wouldn’t even consider UCSD for a second now that you’ve been admitted to Berkeley. Turn down Berkeley for UCSD? I hope you realize what you’d be doing.</p>
<p>(On the other hand, we’re praised for our internship opportunities over here in LA.)</p>
<p>I’ve heard really bad things about SD like it’s really really boring, the campus looks kind of old/dirty, very anti-social… I would go to LA…</p>
<p>hmm… i think it will just depend on the day i go visit these campuses… i’m still not quite sure though, im thinking it would be a bit lucrative to pass up berkeley for sd. wouldnt it? also one more question. which school would have more internship opportunities… ucla? and ive heard that ucsd is well known for the bio sciences…</p>