| I don't know as much about Stanford's bio, but UCSD's is supposedly among the nation's best. And most people are well aware of that. I know Stanford's probably is too, I'm just saying that in bio particularly, the old "Stanford is god" rule doesn't apply quite as strongly against UCSD, because they're probably on (or closer to) even footing. Supposedly, UCSD is #1 in neurobiology...I'm just saying...
Anyways, they're both great schools. What is more important is whether you'll actually want to go there. Keep in mind, Stanford is in the middle of Palo Alto. There's absolutely nothing going on, and it's difficult to get to SF if you're going insane from boredom. Granted, there's a lot of activities on campus, but you're just not going to have the kind of social life you might have at somewhere like UCLA, Berkeley, etc. I applied to Stanford, and didn't get in of course, but having visited both Berkeley and Stanford numerous times, I definitely would not have chosen Stanford over Berkeley anyway. Berkeley's campus and atmosphere is busy, loud, fast-paced, and exciting; Stanford's is laid-back, quiet, slow, and kind of boring. I'm from Santa Cruz, so I welcome the change of pace that Berkeley would provide. You just need to find what you want in campus life.
One more thing: I would take the responses (including mine) on here with a grain of salt, though. Everyone seems to want something different out of college. Most people on these boards are mad geniuses, so are going to screech "Stanford!" after oogling at the latest issue of US News. I'm somewhat of a mad genius too, but I've also put a lot of consideration into college as an experience rather than a career move, because I want to enjoy it. The other extreme is the partiers, who are only in it for the fun (you probably aren't one, considering you're choosing between Stanford and UCSD). So you should think about that when making your decision too- what your motivation is, and how that relates to your choice.
Best of luck. |