I recently got admitted to UT Austin biomed and into UC San Diego for biology with specialization in bioinformatics. At UT, I got rejected from honors. I am also a Texas resident thus the UT tuition would be cheaper, however, I heard that San Diego has amazing opportunities for research. Additionally I am planning to go to Med school, so what would be the better choice?
(Cost won’t be that much of an issue)
Thanks!
Cost is ALWAYS an issue. The money you don’t spend on undergrad can be spent on medical school. Still have it covered? Look at what the amount money that you don’t spend will turn into if invested over the length of your career. It’s called opportunity cost and I can tell you, it will be a lot.
That’s not to say you should always choose the cheapest option. There are valid reasons to spend more. Personally I’d look at medical school placement, in particular their methodology.
Also know that if by biomed you are referring to Biomedical Engineering, it will be substantially harder. You need to know medical school placement rates for THOSE MAJORS.
Congrats on two solid choices and good luck.
Cost will be an issue when you look at medical school cost of attendance. Fortunately, as a Texas resident, you can try for Texas public medical schools and Baylor, which are relatively inexpensive for Texas residents (“only” about $50-60k per year, versus $100k per year for most other medical schools).
Better to go to less expensive UT, save money for medical school, and be closer to Texas medical schools for the short notice travel to medical school interviews.
Honestly, as both are big publics and respected in STEM, I very much doubt your experience would be much different wherever you go (outside of sports and geography).
there are plenty of research opportunities at UT that will be just fine as an undergrad. You should know, too, that research has not been a key factor in med school admissions for over 2 decades. If you want to do research you should, but research has been replaced by volunteer/paid exposure to health care as an unwritten requirement
That all said, go to UCSD! As a CA taxpayer we love those OOS students who bring $100K apiece in tuition to the UC bottom line. And even if research isn’t the tipping factor, think of those great beaches and the comfortable weather!
Thanks for the replies guys! By cost not being an issue I meant that if UCSD is worth it, I will be willing to pay the extra money, sorry for not clarifying earlier!
I have one more question. If I were to choose UCSD, would I have any advantage for medical school based on major/location? I know if I stay instate Texas I would have a better chance at Texas medical schools so I just want to compare.
No about the med school advantage. I don’t see how paykng more for UCSD could be worth it.