I was accepted into both UCSD and UCI as a biology major. I recently visited both schools and really like both campuses. I live in Los Angeles so Irvine is closer, but I have also heard UCSD has a wonderful biology program that is ranked higher than UCLA’s. I want to know about the schools’ academic, social, and environmental perspectives as well as which school sends more students to medical school. I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on which to choose and why. Also, which school works closely with its hospitals for volunteering, internship, and shadowing opportunities? In which school is it harder to maintain a 4.0 GPA? Any professors/classes that are highly recommended? Which school is more likely to be fun (good fun, not illegal fun), but can still give me the education I need to pass my MCAT and enter medical school?
PLEASE ANSWER EVEN IF YOU CAN’T ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS!
“I want to know about the schools’ academic, social, and environmental perspectives as well as which school sends more students to medical school…. Which school works closely with its hospitals for volunteering, internship, and shadowing opportunities? In which school is it harder to maintain a 4.0 GPA?”
Either one will offer tools (e.g. courses, opportunities, etc) you need to get into med school and have a great college experience. Whether you take advantage of the tools, work hard to earn a competitive GPA, etc., will be on you, not these schools.
“Any professors/classes that are highly recommended?”
Does it matter now? Will profs teaching now be same ones available when you attend or actually take a specific premed or nonpremed course?
“Which school is more likely to be fun (good fun, not illegal fun),”
College experience is what you make of it. It doesn’t just walk into your dorm room.
“but can still give me the education I need to pass my MCAT”
Although premed courses offer background for MCAT, college profs don’t teach bio, physics, chem etc to prep students for MCAT. They just teach bio, physics, chem, etc. You’re probably going have to take MCAT prep (e.g. Princeton review, Kaplan, etc) or get a hold of prep materials and self study when time comes.
Good luck