UPenn Vagelos MLS vs. UC Berkeley

skidee3
Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:55:25 +0000

Hi everyone! I know there has been a flood of college comparison threads but I’d really appreciate any input on this.

For those who don’t know, UPenn’s Vagelos Scholars in Molecular Life Sciences Program allows students to get a B.A. and M.S. in 4 years and guarantees two summers of research with a $7,000 stipend/summer (although most scholars continue through the school year). The program has a high attrition rate but 90% of its graduates have ended up at top PHD, MD, MD/PHD programs (at Harvard, UPenn, MIT, etc.).

I’m looking at this versus UC Berkeley’s Molecular Cell Biology major. I plan to pursue a MD/PHD.
Can anyone tell me how UCB is in terms of biomedical research opportunities and compare the two schools academically at the Undergraduate Level in the sciences? Thank you!