<p>genuinescence, if you are concerned about the party-school rep, I recommend you put the “Women in Science” special interest building as your first choice on housing. I know someone who lives there (quiet Asian girl, pre-med type) and she absolutely LOVES it. It’s in Manazita Village, and she says it’s the quietest place on campus. She has found a lot of like-minded friends (quiet Asian girl types :)) who hang out and of course make time for fun but are also very studious. The rooms are actually much more spacious and roomy than I thought they’d be, are the biggest on campus, and have only 4 people (or rooms? not sure) to a private bathroom with one stall, one shower that can be locked. </p>
<p>However, even if you are more interested in the traditional pre-med biology majors, it is not unreasonable to choose UCSB over UCI because of the ample research/internship opportunities and the slightly less-competitive peers which will lead to a better GPA. 
Unless you are VERY talented/academic and know you will do better than the majority of the students at UCI, or that UCSB will be too easy for you and the classes will lose your interest, then both are very plausible. Or at least, this is information I’ve gathered from my sister and my cousin, who both were pre-med/dental students and are now successfully in their careers. :)</p>