UCLA vs. UCSD vs. UCB as a bioengineering major
Hi guys,
I have recently been accepted as a bioengineering major at UCLA and UCSD (Warren College). (Assuming I get into UCB this Thursday.) I’d definitely appreciate it if someone can provide any info or personal experiences that will help guide my decision. I am planning on doing pre-med and I want a high GPA.
Here’s my main issue. I have just recently found out that UCSD is considered a top 5 school nationwide for biomedical engineering. I always knew it was great at bioengineering but I didn’t know it was ranked so much higher than some of the other schools I would’ve liked going to.
People I know have currently been telling me to go to UCLA and I really like the name and prestige associated with it. HOWEVER, its bioengineering program is not even ranked on US News??! Its already been around ten years and the program still hasnt taken off like UCSD has.
UCSD meanwhile has an excellent bioengineering program and has a gorgeous campus. I am totally willing to go to UCSD, if it wasnt for the name brand UCLA has. I have uncertain feelings about UCB, since competition is cutthroat and much harder.
MOST Importantly, if anyone has data about the average GPA and medical acceptance rate for bioengineers at the respective UC Campus would be appreciated!
UCSD is well ranked for bioengineering, especially for their work in cell and tissue engineering. Med school is a numbers game with MCAT and GPA. if you’re aiming for a high GPA, I would recommend SD.
Personally I would choose Cal, because I am focused on the engineering aspect of bioengineering and Cal is extremely strong for hardcore engineering. Knowing this isn’t necessarily in your interests, it might help that at Cal, you can get a partnership with UCSF. A current junior majoring in BioE there highlighted this as unique to Cal. However, you won’t be able to get as high a GPA.
LA is in between the two with an average bioengineering program, but if you feel comfortable there I say go wherever will make you want to learn. If you feel comfortable because of the brand name, reconsider why you want LA.
If I were you and you were willing to forgo the “brand name” I would go to UCSD because it has an overall great program, not cutthroat like Cal so you’ll be able to get a better GPA most likely, and their med school is pretty amazing (they used to have a 6 year program that accepted undergrads with a guarantee to their own med school-- they just cancelled it this year).
Hope this didn’t make you more uncertain but I wanted to highlight some other things to consider as well.
@iamsaucy Thank you for the advice! Cal is still a choice for me, but I just prefer the environment of the other two. Sorry to hear that the 6 year program at UCSD got cancelled…
I’m a premed biotech major at UCSD, so I can give you a current student’s perspective. UCSD is considered the birthplace of bioengineering, and is definitely one of the top schools for the subject in the world. This is pretty clearly reflected in culture of the department. For example, the required BENG 1 seminar I took freshman year was co-taught by the legendary Shu Chien, and the father of bioengineering YC Fung made a couple of appearances as well (fun fact: his grandson lived in my res hall). I’m only a second year so I don’t actually start the upper division curriculum until next week, but my friends who have taken some classes describe them as challenging but not impossible. There are several well-established BE-related orgs on campus, led by the Biomedical Engineering Society branch which organizes small and large events such as Bioengineering Day and the Translational Research Symposium; others include the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers, Engineering World Health, and BioMedWired. These orgs and the massive amounts of research being produced and shared here have created a really vibrant and welcoming bioengineering community. I wouldn’t describe it as cutthroat (and nor is premed life here, really); it’s definitely a collaborative and open environment.
If your end goal is med school, you’ll need to keep a high GPA and also pad your application with relevant research and clinical experience. The first factor is almost entirely dependent on you, but I think UCSD has the right resources and opportunities to help you with the second. The school is in the top 5 nationally for research funding, meaning that there are tons of lab and internship opportunities available for students. In particular, bioengineering students have an edge because the Torrey Pines area next to campus is considered the second-largest biotech hub in the country (behind Boston and ahead of South San Francisco). Most of the small and large companies have close ties to the campus through recruitment and alumni networks. So far I’ve been focusing on the premed aspect: I volunteer at one of the four hospital complexes within walking distance from campus. A few of my friends have been performing actual research at the medical center’s Moores Cancer Center since freshman year started. There are also other famous biomedical research institutes adjacent to campus like the Salk Institute and J. Craig Venter Institute (fun fact 2: J. Craig Venter, who sequenced the human genome, is a UCSD bioE alumnus). In short, the only reason you’d have for not filling your resume is not trying.
A look at all three department catalogs shows that UCSD has a greater variety of courses offered for undergrads. Berkeley also ranks up there for bioengineering, but UCLA’s program only got ABET accreditation in 2013. So far, the biotech industry has not taken hold in LA, while it’s become a major economic sector for San Diego. I was waitlisted at UCLA but didn’t send in my app, because UCSD convinced me pretty quickly during the bioengineering session at Triton Day that this was the right choice. I’d advise you to hold out for the Berkeley decision and then visit all three campus admit days before making a choice.
@DoctorP @iamsaucy thank you guys for the comments! Well unfortunately I was Waitlisted at UC Berkeley. I am still kinda undecided right now. Also what are your thoughts on Georgia Tech, if I had to choose between UCSD and GT?
@nevergiveupp GTech is a pretty good school for bioengineering. I chose not to attend GTech for bioengineering because of the environment in the South; also, the cost of an OOS public university is ridiculous. Not sure if you live in CA but yeah I wouldn’t want to pay that.
Regardless, I would definitely choose UCSD. Great school overall, great BioE program, great med school, amazing resources, spends the most on research, lots of fun (Sun God festival!!). Youll be able to get a pretty good GPA, as long as you try decently well. Not to mention its like 15 minutes from the beach.
I don’t think you can go wrong with UCSD.