I recently got admitted into Ucsd biochemistry and Uc irvine biology (honors) and I’m not really sure which one to pick. I went to the welcome tour at Uc irvine and really liked how much support students get as honors students. I went to the triton day for Ucsd and I was really impressed by their biology program, ranked #2 in the country. I like Uc Irvine’s campus a little better, but the surrounding areas of San Diego and Irvine I like the same. Does Uc Irvine’s biology measure up with Ucsd’s biology?
I think the tiebreaker between these schools will probably be academics. Which school would prepare me best for med school? I’m not really concerned about competition; I’d rather have greater potential to excel. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Both schools have challenging academics and a broad variety of classes to interest you. If you feel that you have the potential to excel (aka get a kick ass GPA), then you should consider extracurricular factors as well. UCSD’s undergraduate biology research opportunities are likely to far outweigh UCI’s, and you’re also going to have access to several hospitals in the area (three on campus alone to volunteer at).
If you do well at both schools, ie get GPA above 3.85, UCSD gives you an edge. Both of my nephew and nieces went to UCI for similar program and they are both medical interns now, one did get above 3.85 GPA but was not accepted to any medical schools in California.
I was in the same situation as you a few weeks ago! I ultimately chose UCSD, and I will be starting as a human bio major in the fall. So excited! Here are some of the reasons I chose UCSD. Please remember that these are my opinions and are thoughts that helped me decide, they may not apply to you or you may view a point I bring up differently.
- I personally have no idea which branch of the medical field I would like to pursue; I know I want to be in the medical field, but idk if optometry, medical, dentistry, PA school, or strictly research would be the best fit for me. Since I’m undecided about my exact career path, but I know that medicine is the direction I want to go, UCSD seemed like the better option for me because of its vast research opportunities and plethora of hospitals. Shadowing and volunteering opportunities, I feel, are right at your fingertips for any type of medical profession. UCI does have opportunities (like the UCI medical center) don’t get me wrong, but I feel that UCSD has more to offer just on campus itself, in addition to the opportunities that San Diego has (biotech companies, additional hospitals and clinics, etc)
- Irvine and San Diego are very similar with regards to academics, so I looked at my major requirements for both schools for comparison. I would have been a biological sciences major at UCI, and the coursework required for that major just didn’t seem as flexible as the human bio major at UCSD. Granted, this is just my opinion, but I felt that the 6 unit bio sequence with the concurrent general and organic Chem sequences for lower division coursework was very rigid and would be stressful to start out with my freshman year in addition to my calculus and GE requirements. Now of course, you don’t HAVE to follow that plan, and many people I have talked to at UCI don’t, but then you start running the risk of graduating much later. I’m not saying UCI is bad or its bio program is bad, UCI is a fantastic school, but for me, that was a con in UCI’s direction.
- I got admitted to my first choice college at UCSD, Thurgood Marshall, and the academic advisors are SO NICE and the GE requirements are extremely flexible and broad. Some people really dislike the 6 college system at UCSD, but I really feel that they provide personalized attention (which may not matter since you said you would get attention as a UCI honors student). I got a very strong sense of community and family talking to other Marshall students on triton day, and it really helped sell me on UCSD. Really consider the UCSD college you got into, because that could be a deal maker or breaker for you, depending on how you feel about its atmosphere and GE requirements. My friend that got into Sixth college feels VERY differently than I do about UCSD, so it depends on if you click with the 6 college system or not.
- It really depends on the vibe you get from each campus. People say this a lot, but it does. Which campus do you feel more comfortable at? Which campus can you see yourself succeed at and be happiest at? I felt that UCSD had a perfect blend of academics, healthy competition, extra curricular opportunities, student diversity, and location that best suited me. In the end, your undergrad will be the next 4-5 years of your life, so pick what community is best for you, both are AMAZING schools. Whew, sorry for the crazy long post. Hope I helped!! Best of luck
