<p>@UC123cali, i am wondering, what is the closest UC campus from where you live? Berkeley as an optometry program but it is totally different from opthalmology.</p>
<p>You go to med school for opthalmology, Berk has no med school</p>
<p>@Pinoiako916, distance doesnt matter because my sister lies 20 mintues away from berkeley, but i live in socal…</p>
<p>what do u mean by the optometry program diff from opthamology? so can i still go to berkeley grad school and do oprometry program? but is not med school? sorry if im asking stupid questions…iim a first generation, so im new to all of these</p>
<p>@jimmihendrix - Curious when you were last at UCSD? Your opinion of it as a “crap campus” may falsely influence those unfamiliar with UCSD, and is in contrast to your otherwise typically sharp posts. </p>
<p>Highly acclaimed modern architecture in the midst of La Jolla’s natural beauty and idyllic climate come together in one of the most desirable UC campuses – another opinion . . .</p>
<p>a couple of photo sets off flickr:</p>
<p>[UCSD</a> - a set on Flickr](<a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/88017382@N00/sets/72157623886916548/with/4648923475/]UCSD”>UCSD | Flickr)</p>
<h2>[UC</a> San Diego - a set on Flickr](<a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/nor757/sets/72157625655356031/with/3986309984/]UC”>UC San Diego | Flickr)</h2>
<h2>greatly expanded (2008) campus hub, Price Center, West and East – photos @ [University</a> Centers Expansion - Images](<a href=“http://pcretail.ucsd.edu/images.php]University”>http://pcretail.ucsd.edu/images.php)</h2>
<h2>RIMAC - The Recreation, IntraMural, Athletic Complex (RIMAC) is the cornerstone of the UCSD sports facilities. This nearly 200,000 square foot facility is located just south of the 12-acre North Campus Recreation Area Field on the northwest corner of the campus. Opened in January 1995, RIMAC is a multi-purpose facility with the most advanced forms of quality control, state-of-the-art equipment and a strong staff commitment to customer service. Every room in RIMAC is climate controlled and many of the spaces feature an abundance of natural lighting. RIMAC houses the offices of the Intercollegiate Athletics, Recreation and Sports Facilities departments. RIMAC also features a variety of recreational, educational, and meeting spaces which can accommodate a variety of activities. [RIMAC</a> Arena - UCSDTritons.comOfficial Web Site of UC San Diego Athletics](<a href=“http://www.ucsdtritons.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5800&ATCLID=220881]RIMAC”>http://www.ucsdtritons.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5800&ATCLID=220881)</h2>
<p>Let’s be honest, many would agree that “[n]estled on the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean just north of San Diego, UC San Diego is known as one of the most attractive and livable campuses in the country. Just over 25,000 students are spread across UC San Diegos 1,200 wooded acres. With near-perfect weather year-round and boundless recreational activities to choose from, San Diego truly lives up to its motto of ‘Americas Finest City.’” [UC</a> San Diego - Camps](<a href=“http://www.ucsandiegocamps.com/]UC”>http://www.ucsandiegocamps.com/)</p>
<p>@uc123cali, tour UC Davis as well.</p>
<p>thanks for your opinions!! very helpful =]</p>
<p>UC123:
Optometrists do basic eye exams and sell contact lenses and glasses. While they may identify disease processes, they refer to physicians for diagnosis and treatment. Optometry programs are “stand alone” 4 yr programs like pharmacy, etc. Usually 3 or 4 yrs of undergrad are required first meaning it takes 7-8 yrs to become an optometrist (“OD” goes after their name)</p>
<p>Ophthalmologists are physicians (they’ve gone to medical school). They “specialize” in ophthalmology much like a surgeon, radiologist, or pediatrician “specializes”. It’s approx a 11-12 year process by the time they do undergrad,med school, internship,residencies, etc. They diagnose and treat eye diseases, do surgery, etc. (“MD” goes after their name)</p>
<p>ohh…i feel stupid…i get it now…so for the optometry program at berkeley, you can just join on the sideline, but i still have to go to med school…got it!! </p>
<p>so do u think berkeley is a better match for me since it has this program?</p>
<p>even witht he grade inflation?</p>
<p>I’m not sure what your question is. You can become an optometrist after filling the undergraduate pre-requisites (at any school) then applying (and being accepted) to optometry school.</p>
<p>If your goal is to become an ophthalmologist (aka “a doctor”/go to medical school), then the consensus in this thread seems to be that you’d be best of at a university that’s affiliated with a medical center (like UCSD, UCLA, UCD, etc.)</p>
<p>I don’t think anybody would consider optometry to be a standard stepping stone to ophthalmology. It’s one or the other, I think.</p>
<p>A lot of you potential premeds are very uninformed. Sure there are competitive people, but in the 3 years I’ve been at Cal, in a cutthroat emphasis in MCB, I’ve yet to see a single case of legitimate sabotage or actively screwing over. </p>
<p>The premed reqs are curved such that <em>at minimum</em> 16% get As, the next 9% get A-s. </p>
<p>For med school, GPA is arguably the most important thing. UCSD is still a competitive school, but I would argue that a 3.8 - 3.9 from Cal would be much more impressive than a 4.0 from UCSD.</p>
<p>If you do well at Cal, your efforts will be rewarded. The school is really manageable, and a lot of fun. You’ll have to put in a lot of work, but its worth it.</p>
<p>Don’t be intimidated by the 25% As and A-s. There a lot of people who will be in theses classes, and you can definitely fall on the right side of the curve. Many people still don’t have the work ethic to make it through Cal, as smart as they might be, and make it easier for you.</p>
<p>Plus, how are you supposed to do well on the MCAT if you can’t pass Chem 1A or Bio 1A at Berkeley? The MCAT requires only background information from prereqs and not upper divs, but requires a fair amount of reasoning skills and a lot of knowledge from these courses.</p>
<p>People state all the time that UCSD’s bio program is better than Berkeley. Where are they getting this information? I’ve yet to see an undergrad bio ranking system. For grad schools, Cal’s bio and subset programs are incredible. ([Best</a> Biological Science Programs | Top Science Schools | US News Best Graduate Schools](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/biological-sciences-rankings]Best”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/biological-sciences-rankings))
As an undergrad, if you have the opportunity to work in an MCB lab, you’ll be working under some incredible people whose letters can get you very far.</p>
<p>Point is the process is designed to work itself out. If you’re truly meant to be in med school, going to Berkeley over SD won’t stop you. It’ll be you.</p>
<p>coquimom -</p>
<p>This is simply not true, you don’t have to go to a school that’s affiliated at all with a medical school. Bright Cal students get into top medical schools all the time. Sometimes UCSF’s classes are ~20% Cal students.</p>
<p>It really doesn’t matter if the university has a hospital or not. There are plenty of hospitals around Berkeley which you can get your clinical experience in. If that were the case, then Princeton, CalTech, MIT students would also be at a disadvantage. This is obviously a non-issue.</p>
<p>so i guess my question is that do you need to take any classes that relates to the field of specialty that you plan on being as a doctor?
just as long as u take the requirements for the med school…you are good to go?</p>
<p>and then once i get into med schoool, i then decide to go more in detail as in the field of my specialty…
so as an undergrad, all i have to worry about is to get the prerequisites in, and apply to med shcool?</p>
<p>again, thank you for all ur inputs…i know very little about college and med school</p>
<p>@chaosrecon- For my case I plan to become a clinical neuropsychologist. Would going to a UC with a medical center be more beneficial for undergrad research to prepare for grad school to become a psychologist,?</p>
<p>bump! anyone else on this discussion…any current student who would like to input discusions…im one confused incoming freshman, and dont know my pre-med path…=(</p>