<p>I'm mainly deciding between these two schools and will be majoring in Biochemistry. I am currently planning to be premed and am wondering which is best. Cal definitely has the name but I am worried that my GPA will be destroyed; I'm looking to maintain a 3.5+ while having a good college experience as well. UCSD is especially nice because of the Regents benefit, but is it any less cutthroat than Cal? Any input would be great! </p>
<p>Hey @procracumber, I have a similar situation to yours but not quite (admitted to UCSD but admitted to Berkeley as spring admit), and am having a difficult time choosing as well. My worries are the same as yours.</p>
<p>Berkeley definitely has the “prestige” and “name value” that everyone recognizes. But I’m terrified of the competition (something I’ve been seeing a lot of online and college threads…). I know everything I read should be taken with a grain of salt, but still.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, at UCSD, I would be more comfortable and at ease. UCSD is not as cutthroat as Cal, based on what I know. I feel like if I go to UCSD, I’d be able to have a higher GPA and also more of a social life, without being overly stressed out all the time. But then again, Berkeley is the #1 ranked public university in the nation and it’s more prestigious. Berkeley is strong all-around. This is a hard decision.</p>
<p>You should try to visit both campuses and decide afterwards! (I’m sorry I wasn’t such a great help to you, as I am in the same dilemma as you.)</p>
<p>For premed the prestige of your undergraduate does not matter. If you can maintain high GPA at UCSD, you will have no problem at top medical school. I think when I last checked 3.95+ from UCSD was accepted to Harvard. If you decide on UCB, make sure the major is not competitive. I know children of my coworkers who graduated from UCB with GPA in the 3.95-4.00 range and was accepted to top medical school like Harvard.
The key thing is how competitive is your high school, if you graduated from competitive high school like Troy for example, college is a piece of cake.</p>