<p>I am a senior in high school who recently heard from the UCs. I was fortunate enough to have been accepted into UCSD, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis. However, I am really struggling to decide on which school would be best for me. I was admitted to UCSD for their Bioengineering program which I understand is world-renowned in the Biotech industry. For the other schools, I was admitted as a Biochemistry major. I want to go into Biomedical engineering but I am not sure if I will necessarily like it. I am afraid that if I go to UCSD and discover that I do not want to continue with it, I will be at a loss compared to if I had gone to UC Berkeley or UCLA. Also, UC Davis is pretty lenient when it comes to changing majors(specifically into engineering).</p>
<p>What I'm also concerned about is that if I go into Biochemistry at somewhere, like UC Berkeley or UCLA, and try to do Biochemistry/Pre-Med and discover that things don't work out, I won't have very many options. I hear from people that in terms of jobs, Biochem really only gears people towards research, which is not necessarily something I would want to do.</p>
<p>I realize that it is nearly impossible to switch into the COE for UCLA and UC Berkeley but I still am curious to know what would be the best option for me. Is there anyone on this page that was able to switch into engineering from L&S from UCLA or UC Berkeley? Is a 3.4 GPA still not enough for their engineering programs to switch? What school would provide me the greatest options and opportunities?</p>
<p>Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated! I'm really torn in what I should do because I feel that this decision will greatly impact my life in the future. I realize that whatever school you choose will be for the right reasons, but it's intimidating to think so far ahead. </p>
<p>I’m just going to scratch Davis off that list. UCSD would be the top pick if you’re definite about your life goals but seeing how you’re unsure, your middle pick would be most definitely UCLA. UCLA offers a multitude of majors (as do the other schools) but in my own opinion LA enables you to branch out more as to see what you enjoy best and then major in it. For UCSD and UCB, most people I know only went there as they knew what they were going to specialize and major in, they had definite life goals and those schools were the best choice for them but my other friends who were uncertain of their long term goals went with UCLA as it would seem it enabled them more freedom in finding their passion. I’m not well acquainted with the HSSEAS of UCLA but I believe it is possible to change to engineering major if your an admitted L&S applicant (would be impossible if you’re a transfer though). More information on their website on ways you can change to engineering major: [Change</a> of Major ? UCLA Engineering - Office of Academic and Student Affairs](<a href=“http://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/undergraduates/change-of-majord]Change”>http://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/undergraduates/change-of-majord) . Also you would actually need at least a 3.5 to qualify to change in most circumstances</p>
<p>I’m an incoming L&S major at UCLA and I e-mailed them if I can change to Bioengineering. Their reply? Most likely not. I also applied to UCSD as bioengineering which makes this decision ever more difficult.</p>
<p>@hakuex Thank you for your response. It was very helpful. I actually visited UCLA and UCSD this week. I really liked UCLA’s campus and the feel of it. I actually talked to one of the students who graduated from there in bioengineering. He told me that many students apply to switch into Bioengineering which makes it extremely competitive. The average GPA of applications trying to switch is a 3.8. However, for those trying to switch into Electrical Engineering, it’s a little less competitive since there’s more room. </p>
<p>For UCSD, the campus was not as nice compared to UCLA(although the Jacobs School of Engineering and Warren College were nicer compared to the rest of the campus). Unlike UCLA, the social life appears to be much less at UCSD, which made it not as appealing. However, I talked to the student affairs counselor and she really seemed passionate about making sure that students in the BioE department do well. UCSD’s program is really strong which makes it such a hard decision. </p>
<p>What do you think matters more, where you think you’d be happiest at or where you have the most opportunities? Thank you again for your response!</p>
<p>@Alexander255110 Have you been able to make a decision for yourself as to what school would be best for you? It’s nice to know that someone shares the same issue as me. If I can help in anyway, please let me know.</p>
<p>@FutureBMEStudent I also was forced to choose between a number of schools as I was accepted to all UCs, USC, and some OOS schools (most notable one is Cornell). I narrowed it down in the end to UCB, USC, and UCLA as I wanted to stay in California and ultimately chose UCLA in the end. Reason why is due to a numerous reasons such that research opportunities are plentiful there, the location (LA is awesome), and also its universal prestige. Try to list all the pros and cons for each school when choosing, such as pros for USC is its scary Trojan pride, con would be its horrible location (quite scary and ghetto outside of USC). Location was the the most important factor to me and thus UCLA was the best pick for me. I think the reason you’re so conflicted over which school is your still contemplating over whether to go into med or engineering, two very different specialties (one of my greatest fears is not getting into medical school as I plan to major in biochem). Both schools are equally good for each specialty and also both very impacted for their engineering dept. thus you should include other factors when making your decision such as cost and location. You’ll have the opportunity to change majors in any of schools despite what others say (though it may be harder for some specific schools), so you shouldn’t try to choose a school based on which is easier to change majors as if you try hard enough you’ll be able to change majors in any school. And remember no school will guarantee you the most happiness, don’t expect instant gratification from any school as happiness is something you find on your own. Note: stay out of UCB if you do plan on doing premed, they literally kill your GPA; great to go if you plan on just going for engineering or on people planning on doing graduate school (masters/phd)</p>
<p>@hakuex It is nice to know that there are other people that are struggling to decide what school is the best fit for them. I can see why UCLA appealed to you so much, especially with its amazing location, superb research opportunities, and overall prestige. I actually did list out the pros and cons of the schools I am considering and frankly, UCB, UCLA, and UCSD all seemed to balance out one another. If I decided to not do engineering, UCB and UCLA would provide me with numerous options and excellent academic curriculum. However, if I don’t do engineering, then I’ll never know if it was something that I would’ve enjoyed. I’m planning on meeting with people who are currently working in the Biotech field and hopefully through hearing from their experiences, I will have a better idea of what I want to do. The schools themselves are not necessarily the hard pick for me, but rather what I really want to study in the future. I realize that I may switch around, but I want to make sure that I have every opportunity to explore my interests and strengths. And yes. I agree with you completely. Happiness is not something that will occur on its own, but rather, it’s something that a person must find for themselves through their decisions and actions. That is what I have heard about Berkeley and I will take it with great consideration. Even if I don’t attend UCB, I can always try to go to graduate school there. Once again, thank you for responding to my post! It really means a lot to me as it’s helping me in how I will make my decision.</p>
<p>@drax12 I didn’t realize that. That’s good to know. Thank you!</p>