<p>No problem! I’ll keep checking up on this forum -
That sounds like a good idea for you. I just applied to UCSD, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Berkeley earlier today. UCSD is my match (but I also live in San Diego, So I’m not sure if I’d stay) UCSC is a back up, and Berkeley is my reach. The San Diego campus is very beautiful and fairly spread out. A lot of GREAT food too - they have a farmers market weekly 
I would consider San Diego as a better city than Santa Cruz, more balanced in almost all ways (politically, type of people, etc). And the research /internship opportunities here are hard to beat. There’s really a lot out there. As a junior in high school I scored a 4 month internship on genetic research, and a few of my friends worked on Alzheimers and Molecular Bio research stuff. They’re always recruiting interns from SD high schools and the UCSD campus. UCSD is best known for their sciences as well, and was ranked #1 school in the country by Forbes this year
([UC-San</a> Diego Voted Best College in America. Yale, Princeton Not Even in Top 30. - Forbes](<a href=“http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmarshallcrotty/2011/08/30/uc-san-diego-voted-best-college-in-america-yale-princeton-not-even-in-top-30/]UC-San”>UC-San Diego Voted Best College in America. Yale, Princeton Not Even in Top 30.))
I would like to add just so you know that all of the UC schools “weed out” pre med applicants and are fairly competitive. (Berkeley and UCLA are the most “cut throat”, UCLA a little more… not nearly as bad as Johns Hopkins or anything though). I wouldn’t say this is a bad thing, as long as you stay strong to your academics and score well on MCATS, get internship experience, etc Just keep that in mind!
Once you apply, if you have the opportunity to come visit the ones you get into if you’re seriously considering them, it would really help. Otherwise watching tours on youtube and what not can get you a decent feel of the campus.
UC apps are due the 30th of this month if you didn’t already know, and the system is known for getting clogged up the last week because everyone waits until the end of the month to submit - I would start working on them!</p>