I’m stuck in deciding between the two. I visited both campuses and though UW had an amazing campus and student life, better than UCSD’s. But UW is ranked lower than UCSD and I feel like UCSD is better for academics. I am admitted to UCSD as a bio major and pre-science in UW. I want to go to medical school in the end. Which school is best for me?
They are both great schools. No one and no amount of data can answer this for you. It comes down to which one you feel more comfortable at.
The difference in rankings is immaterial in this instance. Not well-versed on medical school admissions, but I would assume they largely come down to GPA, MCAT, and demonstrating a well-founded interest in the field through ECs. Personally I’d choose based on where you think you’d “fit” in better – where you feel more comfortable socially and as a member of the university community since this will inform and influence a lot of your college experience.
Really is a personal decision for you.
I would double check that the major you want at UW is non-competitive. If it is, that’s a good reason to stick with UCSD.
That being said, I was also stuck choosing between the two, and went with UW. Here’s a brief run-down of some of the factors in my decision, if you’re interested.
Selectivity: UCSD has a much lower acceptance rate => UCSD
Rankings: Very evenly matched by most standards => UCSD (very slightly)
Location: San Diego is hella nice from what I’ve heard (haven’t visited) => UCSD
Campus: Both are great. UCSD’s is much larger though, for a smaller student body => UCSD
Endowment: UW has nearly four times the endowment for only 150% of the students (This is a legitimate concern, given the financial state of california and many of the UC schools) => UW
Faculty / Students: UCSD - 1/25 UW - 1/3 => UW
Mascot: Husky versus creepy merman => absolutely UW
Dorms (Warren for UCSD) => UW
None of these alone mean much, but as a whole they might be able to sway you in one direction or the other. There were some other factors influencing my decision that won’t apply to you, so the stuff I’ve listed probably won’t definitely point to one school over the other.
Good luck choosing.
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Crazy, I was in the same exact boat as you. Berkeley was my dream school, but I didn’t get in there for the electrical engineering major, but I did get into UCSD, getting admitted into the electrical engineering major. A very competitive major, so I had to consider that in the grand scheme of things. But the fact that I was a DFA into the EE major at UW basically negated that. I visited UCSD on Triton Day(April 4), and for sure UW is a nicer campus, but San Diego beats out Seattle. Really, it all depends on where you live. For me, since I live in Washington, that basically made up the choice for me. If you live in Washington, go to UW for sure and save the money, you’ll still get a quality education at UW. I ended up choosing UW about 2 weeks ago, and I’m looking forward to next year. If money is no issue to you, or you are from California, then by all means go for it. If UCSD and UW were the same price, I would have gone with UCSD, but money is an issue lol. But as I said, they are both very good schools.
My advice would be this: Rankings don’t matter. The school doesn’t make the ranking, the students do, and the students raise that ranking with the impact they have. As a side note, however, do know that the medical school at UW is one of the best in the country, but is also one of the hardest to be accepted. Most people who even go to UW pre-med don’t get into the medical school, unless you are one of the very best in the graduating class. Be ready to work hard at UW to be one of those if indeed you choose UW. Final verdict though, if you live in Washington, UW all the way. If you are in California, go UCSD.
Best of luck making your decision, you only got like two days left so… Good luck!