<p>Hello everyone
My daughter has narrowed down her choices to USC and UCSD for biology. Her main goal is to attend med school after graduating. At USC her major is Biological Sciences and at UCSD it is Human Biology in Muir. We were very fortunate to receive great financial packages (all grants and no loans!) for both schools. On one hand, UCSD has the recognition as a fantastic school for the biological sciences, but being a large public will provide many challenges. On the other hand, USC seems to have a much more personalized approach to each student's goals and it seems there will be much more guidance and a much smaller chance of getting lost. She loves both schools equally right now. Also, which one would provide her with a greater chance of entering the medical school of her choice? Thank you for any response!</p>
<p>I don’t know the track record for med school acceptance, but I suggest that you look at the over all package of both schools before deciding (i.e. not just pre-med academics, but look at social fit, extra curriculars, housing situation, food, dorms, etc.). I sent you a PM.</p>
<p>Correction — UCSD is well known for biomed engineering, not biology. The two are very different beasts. Having said that, for undergrad it hardly makes a difference. Books are books and labs are largely generic. The attitudes and aptitude of your student will make a much bigger difference than anything tangible you can identify. The public + almost certain budget cuts vs private + serious budget pressures question is a valid one. If the choice was between UCLA and USC this would have been a major consideration for me. On the other hand UCSD is not THAT large, at least in comparison to USC.</p>
<p>Where does your daughter want to go? Campuses have a way of speaking to teens, and when the options are close there is nothing wrong with choosing based on secondary factors. UCSD does have the reputation of being a very “serious” campus, with campus police cracking down relatively heavily on weekend partying. It is my impression that the USC administration has chosen the “out of sight out of mind” approach to this particular problem. Not passing a judgment, just stating a fact.</p>