Yale vs. UC Berkeley vs. UPenn for Molecular Biology/Biochemistry

sofi26
Tue, 15 Apr 2014 06:19:28 +0000

Hello!

I don’t know if this is the right thread to post on but I do need a bit of advice.

A bit of background: I plan to major in either molecular biology or biochemistry and go on to graduate school to get a PhD in genetics. However I also hope to explore various areas of study and maybe even double major in a humanities. I’m from California which factors in a bit on my decision.

I’m mainly leaning toward either Yale or UC Berkeley, but I was invited to Penn as a Vagelos Scholar in the Molecular Life Sciences. I’m looking to get into research early on and perhaps even publish a paper before I finish undergrad.

Aside from environment and aesthetics (I’ve visited all three universities), which of these three would best prepare me with connections, research opportunities, and a good bio education?

My thoughts: UC Berkeley has a great biology program but it’s quite impacted; it’s also a fairly large, competitive school. Yale isn’t as well known for the sciences but has a smaller Biology department that may be beneficial in terms of attention and research opportunities. I don’t know much about Penn.

Any help is greatly appreciated. I never thought I would find myself in such a difficult, yet fortunate position.

Thank you!!!