<p>I'm trying to decide between neuroscience at UCLA, bioengineering at UCSD, and Chemistry (in Letters and Sciences) at Berkeley, so any replies would help.</p>
<p>FWIW, Berkeley's chemistry program is pretty consistently ranked #1.</p>
<p>Chem @ Cal > Chem everywhere else</p>
<p>Cal chemistry has lots of top-notch professors so if you're resourceful, you can participate in very high-level research. Yes, Berkeley chemistry's <i>graduate program</i> is consistently ranked #1--but that doesn't mean undergrads will necessarily benefit more. It's kind of sad to see that your academic advisor can't even remember your name. Most people would definitely benefit more from going to a smaller school where they can get more attention from their professors (and thus a more likely research position, among other things); however, for those who are a good "fit" for Cal, the resources are unmatched.</p>
<p>The professors are the leaders in the field for sure.</p>
<p>Regarding the personal attention, it's true that nobody will notice/take a lot of care of you if you are just average. However, if you are smart and enthusiastic, people usually notice you and pay you lots of attention : >> </p>
<p>However, I think only the best out of best students are able to do chem here in Berkeley since it's very difficult. So.. think very seriously about if you are really good at chem and are willing to be committed. A lot of people switch out of chemistry after taking chem 4a/4b... so...yeah just think very hard and evaluate yourself on what you can do better than other people...</p>