Hi everyone,
I am a biology major and I recently got admitted to both UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego. I know that UC San Diego is a better school for biology, however, since I’m planning on eventually applying to med school, I’m afraid that the competition might lower my GPA.
At the same time I’m worried that Santa Barbara is a party school, which would make it difficult to focus on education.
Does anyone know if the the undergrad school matters for med school applications? And is UCSD much more competitive than UCSB? Which school would be better for pre med?
Undergrad school does not matter for med school admission, especially when you are comparing UCSD & UCSB.
UCSD may have more access to do your medical related EC than UCSB. But still as long as you take efforts to find something close to UCSB and also during summer you can find near your home town.
Best reach out to your HS seniors who are in both UCSD and UCSB to know who different they are in grading and getting GPA.
UCSB has a perception for party. But if you attend Chancellor meeting, he gives different take. Also it depends on what you do more than the environment. If you are clear on your goal and focus, it should have little impact.
Have a plan B and see which school has a better opportunity for that major/minor or flexibility to change.