I got into UCSD for Molecular Biology and UCLA for Cell, Developmental, and Molecular Biology, and I’m planning on going to medical school. I love both schools but I’m unsure which would provide me with better research opportunities, which has the stronger Biology program, and which is more likely to get me into medical school. Also, which one is easier to get a high GPA?? Please let me know. Thank you 
UCSD is obv easier to get better grades but UCLA has better research ops so I see how ur having a conundrum. Ur so smart tho like u can handle either and get into med school. dang i wish i had this problem ;(
UCSD is not easier to get better grades, and UCLA does not have better research opportunities. It’s basically a wash for both. UCSD does have more research overall ($1.03B vs $1.003B) and a slightly higher ranked bio program (14th vs 19th) which may give it a slight edge. Wait for Triton Day and Bruin Day and see if your decision gets easier.
@DoctorP thank you for your response! So you recommend I should go to UCSD for its research? I know UCLA has a better name and is thus a more prestigious school so do you think if I go to UCSD, I will have a disadvantage compared to those who went to UCLA when applying to medical school?
@kac123 thank you !I know you will end up at a great school too! You’re so smart 
I’ve heard UCLA is much more cutthroat than UCSD so going to UCSD might help my GPA.
If you change you mind and don’t end up in med. school, then UCLA may help you more (applying for jobs, re. name recognition-wise wrt what outsiders consider prestigious – if outside of CA that is); also others cc posters/parents of current med. students on cc have said you’d need a 3.7 min. college GPA for med. school consideration, if from UCSD, but a 3.6 min. if from UCLA – or a 3.8 if planning on being accepted to a UC/Calif. med. school. This is just what I recall from others (yet still random) parents of med. students (from previous cc threads). But of course those GPA cut-offs are estimates and without consideration of MCAT scores.
Me: BA Bio UCSD, MD UCSF, residency UCI, MBA UCLA. You: choosing between awesome and awesome. There is no predicting which school might give you an advantage. Go where you feel good and prepare for cutthroat competition. Do your best, have some fun, never cheat, and remember it’s really not about you. It’s about the thousands of patients you’ll serve over your career. Best of luck.
@kabobgirl in terms of medical school and biology, it’s really a wash when it comes to SD vs LA again. Any med school admissions officer who hasn’t heard of UCSD lives under a rock on a different planet. As far as cutthroat, I wouldn’t get complacent about UCSD. While it doesn’t have the Berkeley reputation of people giving each other false answers and that kind of crap, it’s definitely competitive and hard as hell. I’ve described it as more collaborative than cutthroat, since everyone is equally screwed.
@howToDecide2017 thank you. I’ve always wanted to become a doctor so med school is where my path will hopefully lead me.
@PadreDeTres Wow!! Congratulations. Thank you so much!
@DoctorP thank you again! I’m planning on going to both Triton Day and Bruin Day to see which fits me better.
I was in the same exact position as you. At the end of the day, it really does not matter, and I am speaking from experience. Pick the school that you feel comfortable at, and most interested in. Esp. for med school, the undergraduate school and major will not matter, and everything will fall in place. Neither school is easier than the other, for the record. Just know that you will do your best in the place where you feel the best. As for research, you should see that both schools will offer tons of research. For volunteering, UCLA Med. School is right on campus, versus UCSD which is a good walk from campus and on the other side of the freeway. just pick the school that you feel the best about, and it will all work out.
Also, the school you got into for SD will matter, because of the GE’s, so keep a look out for that as well. !
^^^Good point. I would have chosen Revelle, but the required GE conflicted with my work schedule. So I went to Muir. (This was 30 years ago when there were four colleges and only three had names.) A friend’s D chose a UCSD college for the nice dorms, and right now is suffering through endless extra GE requirements. She’s wishing she had taken the full ride at SLO.
@yafavgirl @PadreDeTres thank you both! I got admitted into Marshall College.
@kabogirl I am in the same position (and I am in marshall too)
I wan wondering if you got some more insight that might help
Where did you end up going?