Which college? UCSD, UCBerkley, UCLA or Harvey Mudd

[alee25]

So since last week i found out alot of acceptances, Im really questioning where i shoud go. Mabye if anyone goes to any of these schools could they help me out choosing which to go to.

So far i have gotten into:
UCSD
UCLA
UCBerkely
Harvey Mudd

Now the dilemma arises here: I have 2000 dollars of schoarship money for STAR tests given by the state of CA if i go to any UC school, on top of that @ Berkeley i have the regents and chancellors scholarship for me its only $1000 (because i dont have much financial need) but it does gives me 4 yrs guaranteed on campus housing, priority class enrollment, and some other stuff like a personal counselor, (apparently its the most prestigious award for incoming students).

I have $1500 scholarship money for any school by the federal gov for academics

But Harvey Mudd college is a more reputable school, and if i did well there it would be easier for me to get into graduate school (which i do plan to attend).

Im edging towards going into Pre-Med, however i do not have a clue on what major in.
If i went to Berkeley i think i would want to go to Haas school of business (i heard that it looks good for medical school if you dont major in somehting that everyone else (ie biology) who is applying there majors in)
If i went to Harvey Mudd, I probably would major in a science, however because of its status as a school, it would be easier for me to get into medical school.

Still waiting on Harvard though.... and if i do get in there, that superceeds all
Any feedback is greatly welcome.
Any Mudders or Haas Business school grads around here on Anandtech?

 

[Capn]

I can't see how majoring in Business instead of Bio would be beneficial if you want to go on to an MD program. A bio program would help you study for your MCATs as well.

 

[b0mbrman]

Go to Berkeley if you want a pretty good name on your resume and you're willing to wade through all the PC bullsh*t to get a really rockin' education.

If you're thinking of going Haas, you better be pretty dedicated to it since the business school sorta screws you by making the prereqs totally different from those of other undergraduate business schools--i.e. if you want to transfer to UPenn or UCLA for business after not getting into Haas after your Sophomore year at Cal, you wouldn't be able to because you'd lack the necessary pre-reqs

On the other hand, if you're a hard-charger and are sure you can hang with Berkeley's best and brightest, try for Haas...Friends I know currently in the school seem to love it.

Of course, me and all the other econ majors will still poke fun at you for taking the easy way out

 

[Orsorum]

I would personally choose Berkeley. Despite its reputation, it is still one of the top public universities in the country. It sounds like you have some pretty good scholarship options, combined with an opportunity for personal attention and guidance while you're there.

Berkeley is a world-class university - ranked in the top ten of all four-year universities. (I believe, maybe top twenty). If I had been accepted there, I would have attended there.

 

[alee25]

<< I can't see how majoring in Business instead of Bio would be beneficial if you want to go on to an MD program. A bio program would help you study for your MCATs as well. >>



i remember hearing that at a youth medical conference.
the MCATs test all sciences, and also writing - but since chemistry,bio, (i think physics might be on it?) are all core classes anyway, majoring in bio may give me more depth to my knowledge of biology, but i dont think the test goes into alot of depth on a certain topic.

plus isnt business beneificial to any job?

 

[Ameesh]

Harvey Mudd is an excellent school with a really really small classes, in many years it has been more competitive then Cal Tech, Haravrd, and MIT to get into, if your gonna do your undergad work as an engineer i would reccomend that or UCSD, my sister went to Berkley and I went to UCSD, i visted Cal many times and i really didnt care for the atmosphere or the lack of breadth in their programs. ( im speaking about their engineering programs, their liberal arts programs are great)

I would goto UCLA over Cal, but looking at your choices Harvey Mudd looks like a winner, congrats! you got into some great schools. Plus cxlairmont is a nice town, not to far away from some fun city action and not to busy where you feel overwhelemd. I grew up just 10 minutes from there so it was a little to close to home for me.

 

[Deleted member 4644]

I go to UCLA, my best friend goes to UCB... I have a friend who goes to Mudd too...

I know the most about UCLA... for pre-med its hard. I think you would be better off going to UCB unless you are afraid of the liberalism (it really is freaking extreme there!)

Personally, I think UCB has a better Rep than Mudd does. I know how hard Mudd is to get into, but honestly, it just doesnt have the world-wide recognition that UCB has.

All of em are good schools however, and you shouldnt rule any of them out. Also, if you havent, visit them all. In the end, I think it really depends on what sort of a person you are, and what department you are interested in. DO NOT do liberal arts at UCB- they will turn you into a freaking treehugger.

 

[LadyJessica]

If you're thinking of medicine, any one of those places would be good. Being a science major has the advantage of not having to take extra classes just to fulfill the science requirements that the medical schools want. On the other hand, being a non-science major makes you stand out more because there are already so many science majors applying to medical school. Personally, I'd go to a UC school because it's cheaper. Plus the reputation of those UCs that you got into are very good.

 

[Capn]

alee, the main thing is organic chemistry, which most likely wouldn't be in a business curriculum, though you could probably fit it in.



<< The MCAT Consists of Four Sections:

Verbal Reasoning: This tests your ability to read and interpret written information and answer questions on it. It primarily tests the ability to understand how the author constructs his argument, rather than the memorization of details.

Physical Sciences: This section tests both Physics and General Chemistry. The physics is non-calculus based physics, but covers a broad variety of topics. Work-Energy and Newtonian Mechanics are very common. In the General Chemistry high yield topics include electrochemistry and acid/base chemistry.

Biological Sciences: Tests Organic Chemistry and Biology. The Organic is focused on general reaction mechanisms such as SN1 and SN2. The biology section doesn't include any plant biology. High yield biology topics include physiology (different systems) and cell biology.

Writing Sample: The writing sample includes two essays. They are not medical or med-school related. They are not personal statements either. They test your ability to communicate effectively. It is generally agreed that it is less important than the science sections. This is mainly because there is not enough data yet (the writing section is newer than the others) to come up with a correlation between the writing sample and med school performance. >>

 

[Ameesh]

UC San Diego has an awsome MEd School

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

If you are premed, I suggest you go to Harvey Mudd. Here is why:

HMC is a small school. Your teachers will get to know you very well = good rec letters. You will have lots of opportunities for research because the faculty:student ratio is very high.

HMC is known for tough academics and grading.

HMC has very few premeds, so if you will get lots of attention from counselors and others that will help you.

Some drawbacks:
Limited scope of majors.
Therefore limited scope of research TYPES.
Lots and lots of NERDS.
POMONA.

I hope that helps. Personally I go to UCLA and my sister went to HMC. We were both premed. UCLA was great for me because of the wide range of opportunities and academics, but HMC kicks UCLA's ass when it comes to quality of care from counselors and teachers. I barely know my professors, my sister knew her's very very well. My sister got into a top ten medical school, and I'm still applying.

 

[Bluga]

Berkely Engineering is World Class.

 

[blahblah99]

For engineering, 1. Berkeley 2. UCLA
For bio/med, 1. UCLA, 2. UCSD

I dunno about the rest of the majors

 

[Ameesh]

<< For engineering, 1. Berkeley 2. UCLA
For bio/med, 1. UCLA, 2. UCSD

I dunno about the rest of the majors >>




All i know is UCSD Computer Science people ripped Cal Tech and Harvey Mudd a new one but

Berkely got donkey puched by Standford

 

[alee25]

any more input?

ameesh: links dont work

 

[alee25]

thx for the input, but there is a definite split down the middle, and no clear consensus about which would be the best school for premed. Lets see if we can get a few more opinions

however im still confused in what to major in.
There are conflicting opinions of wheter a premed should major in a science in order to easily meet mcat requirements
or wherther i should major in something non-science, to stand out.

 

[McPhreak]

Well, having recently graduated from UCB, I'm of course biased toward recommending UCB. However, I don't really care much for their business school. Haas is just an overinflated school full of overinflated egos and materialistic people. I don't know if this is true for other business schools in general, but I know too many people coming from that school who really need a reality check and take their heads out of their @$$.

I think if you double majored as an English major or were primarily an English major, it would help you out more than the useless crap they call Haas. I took a business course on professional writing and have also seen a couple of tests from some Haas people I know and they are a complete joke. English on the other hand, is an invaluable resource for more science-oriented folks like me...

 

[McPhreak]

<< thx for the input, but there is a definite split down the middle, and no clear consensus about which would be the best school for premed. Lets see if we can get a few more opinions

however im still confused in what to major in.
There are conflicting opinions of wheter a premed should major in a science in order to easily meet mcat requirements
or wherther i should major in something non-science, to stand out. >>



One thing I wouldn't do is major as a pre-med major. I know they offer that in places like UCSD and such. If I had to bet right now on whether or not you will be in Med School 5 years from now, my bet is on probably not. This could be due to a large variety of reasons, but I find that the most common reason is just due to the loss of interest. As long as you don't major in pre-med you'll always have a backup to fall back on.

 

[da loser]

if you want close attention go to harvey mudd, if you want the best undergraduate teachers, go to harvey mudd; but if you want to do research and feel like duking it out with others or you're an extremist liberal tree hugger, go to berkeley. don't know about the other schools. i predict ucla is an easier version of berkeley, academically, and a lot more enjoyable. If you go to a big school, be prepared to take more initiative on your own. I don't know how harvey mudd is, but the the other schools will be teaching primarily from a textbook, ie nothing awe inspiring.

for medical school, if you want to be cheesy and can maintain perfect grades go liberal arts and enjoy an easy life . if you can't maintain that 4.0, but still a 3.5+ go with an engineering or science, ChemE is the best engineering major . I honestly don't think it matters what your major is. In my opinion, pick something you're good at and enjoy so you can get a 4.0. If you go to a harder school, you'll have more leeway, maybe slide with a 3.99, heh.

An undergraduate business major imo doesn't seem that useful because wtf do they learn? Anybody? go to college to learn something new that interests you. If you're good enough to go to medical school ie good grades and MCAT, it really doesn't matter what college you went to IMO.

I'd choose Harvey Mudd over berkeley if you can afford it. don't forget to have fun.

PS-Stanfurd is suck

 

[ed21x]

yeah, if you're willing to put up with all the liberal b*llcrap they have here at berkeley, i'd say come over! I know we're still ranked third in engineering under MIT and stanford, but as for HAAS, well, Mr Phreak got it right. We also have a pretty reputable MCB premed program you might be interested it, but since EVERYONE wants to be a doctor, its quite competetive.

 

[SmackdownHotel]

There is no such thing as a "pre-med" major. You can major in anything you want and still go to med school. There are people who major in music and still get accepted into med school.


Anyhow, I'm a junior at UCSD and it's a very strong school for the biological sciences. That being said, expect huge class sizes and little or no interaction with the professor, unless you seek them out on your own, which is hard to do as well since they're rarely available.

Oh, and your "status" as an undergrad at Harvey Mudd will NOT make it easier for you to get into med school. And majoring in "something other than biology" doesn't make things better or worse. It's just what it is, a major in something other than biology.

 

[Ameesh]

<< any more input?

ameesh: links dont work >>



hmm, links work fine for me, try again.

 

[Ameesh]

<< There is no such thing as a "pre-med" major. You can major in anything you want and still go to med school. There are people who major in music and still get accepted into med school.


Anyhow, I'm a junior at UCSD and it's a very strong school for the biological sciences. That being said, expect huge class sizes and little or no interaction with the professor, unless you seek them out on your own, which is hard to do as well since they're rarely available.

Oh, and your "status" as an undergrad at Harvey Mudd will NOT make it easier for you to get into med school. And majoring in "something other than biology" doesn't make things better or worse. It's just what it is, a major in something other than biology. >>



The COmputer Science Profs are usually availble, just go during office hours.

 

[LadyJessica]

Most professors I knew at UCSD were quite approachable (except for this one guy who jumped ship to Stanford), especially the philosophy professors

 

[ggavinmoss]

<< Most professors I knew at UCSD were quite approachable (except for this one guy who jumped ship to Stanford), especially the philosophy professors >>



I found the same to be true. Profs, with some exceptions of course, are approachable and pretty nice. There are a couple CS/Math freaks out there that only come out of hibernation to teach, but overall I had good professor experiences.

The most convincing evidence I've read was regarding the increased quality of rec. letters you could get by going to HMU (due to more student/prof interaction). Also consider this: UCSD has a lot of research opportunity in the bio/chem realm. There's Scripps and the Salk Institute, as well as countless on-campus labs. Those will also round out your application.

Good luck!

-geoff