UPenn Vagelos MLS vs. UC Berkeley

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
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<p>Hi everyone! I know there has been a flood of college comparison threads but I'd really appreciate any input on this. </p>

<p>For those who don't know, UPenn's Vagelos Scholars in Molecular Life Sciences Program allows students to get a B.A. and M.S. in 4 years and guarantees two summers of research with a $7,000 stipend/summer (although most scholars continue through the school year). The program has a high attrition rate but 90% of its graduates have ended up at top PHD, MD, MD/PHD programs (at Harvard, UPenn, MIT, etc.). </p>

<p>I'm looking at this versus UC Berkeley's Molecular Cell Biology major. I plan to pursue a MD/PHD.
Can anyone tell me how UCB is in terms of biomedical research opportunities and compare the two schools academically at the Undergraduate Level in the sciences? Thank you!</p>

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<p>***? UPenn’s program sounds amazing! why are you even considering Berkeley??</p>

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<p>haha. cost (since I don’t qualify for financial aid), location (I live in California) and since I’ve heard a lot about how Berkeley is superior in physical and life sciences; since the distinction between undergrad and grad is smudged a lot, though, i’m not sure what to believe. hoped an actual student could give me some insight!</p>

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<p>As much as I love Berkeley, I think it would be a mistake to pass up this UPenn program. Since you don’t qualify for financial aid, I assume that your family can probably come up with the money to pay for UPenn? I would say that this opportunity is easily worth the slight financial burden on your family.</p>