I have been fortunate enough to earn admissions to USC and UCLA and UC Berkeley, but I am very lost in deciding which school I should pick. I am aiming to pick the best school for a pre-med path, but they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Here’s my situation so far:
USC
Pro:
- Private (lots of money available, smaller classes, more attention, etc.)
- Can probably get 1/2 tuition scholarship b/c I am a national merit finalist
- Can probably get into the Freshman Science Honors Program
- Hospital near campus
Con:
- Even with financial aid and half-tuition scholarship, about 10k more than UCLA and 14k more than UCB
- Was rejected from consideration of academic scholarships (not top 1200 applicants)
UCLA
Pro:
- Regents (priority registration so I can pursue a double-major or something, and puts me at the top of UCLA’s class so makes me stand out for med school adcoms)
- Amazing hospital near campus
- Cheapest out of all three options (not by much tho…)
- Best food, dining, housing etc. out of these 3 imo
- Surrounding area pretty nice
Con:
- Not a private university (larger classes, less research opportunities, etc.)
- Not as much prestige as UC Berkeley
UCB
Pro:
- Biochemistry major, and UCB has 3rd best biochemistry program in the world (prestige)
- UCSF and Stanford in the area for internships
Con:
- Did not get regents (although was selected for regents interview)
- A bit more expensive than UCLA (negligible really)
- Might earn lower gpa here than at the other two
- Surrounding area is kinda ghetto
I guess what my real question is how does being a private school (USC) and/or having prestige (Berkeley) play into medical school admissions? thanks a bunch for any input you can give!
