Help me decide which undergraduate school to attend please!

[nietzsche628]

okay, it is a week away from the final reply date, and i still don't know where i want to go.

i want to major in biomedical engineering, with a double major or a minor in a liberal art (psychology or economics). i am fairly certain that i want to do biomedica engineering. after graduation, i want to go to a medical school, so money is definitely a big issue, since my family is not exactly rich. my family situation is actually quite complicated right now(my mom and step-father might divorce soon), so it would be a pain to reply for financial aid every year.

so here is the breakdown,
UC San Diego (3rd in the nation for biomed) is offering me a full ride with a jacobs engineering scholarship;

UC Berkeley is giving me 5 thousand per year, and a local scholarship (that can only be applied to california schools) is paying me another 5 thousand per year;

JHU (1st for undergrad biomed) gave me their trustee scholarship, and combined with financial aid, they are giving me about 20 thousand a year, but i still have to pay 20 thousand, and i don't have a lot of scholarships(4,500 non-renew) for east coast schools;

i also got into columbia SEAS, UCLA, and cornell, but i am not really considering those two schools anymore at this point because of financial reasons + personal preference + location.

so between UCSD, Berkeley, and JHU, i personally like JHU the best after going to their admit day, but i heard they do a very good job of selling their school, and the actual school is not as exciting as they make it out to appear. this is kinda verified because they encouraged the admits to turn in their deposit right there during the admit day, kinda unscrupulous if you ask me.
I am also apprehensive of the fierce pre-med competition at JHU, and their grade deflation especially in biomedical engineering. i would prefer having some free time to explore liberal art subjects, and extra-curricular activities.

berkeley has the school of HAAS, and i would definitely be interested in double majoring in management science. their biomedical engineering program is not nearly as well-developed and prestigious as the other two schools, but the overall reputation of berkeley engineering is just awesome. i also hear that good grades are quite hard to obtain in berkeley engineering.

UCSD is obviously the least prestigious of the three, but its biomedial engineering program, i believe, has a very good reputation among medical schools. the jacobs scholar status gives me a lot of benefits, such as preferred class enrollment, more opportunities for internships and research, and so on. the city of san diego also has a lot of world class biology research centers, and i will definitely take advantage of those if i decide to go there. from what i gathered, good grades are fairly easy to obtain here, even in BME.

so yeah, i am really really torn between these three schools, can you please offer me some advice?

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[Random Access]

Originally posted by nietzsche628
berkeley has the school of HAAS, and i would definitely be interested in double majoring in management science. their biomedical engineering program is not nearly as well-developed and prestigious as the other two schools, but the overall reputation of berkeley engineering is just awesome. i also hear that good grades are quite hard to obtain in berkeley engineering.

You'd have to work your @$$ off to get into Haas. And you definitely wouldn't graduate in 4 years if you're BME and at Haas.

 

[Jeffy]

i answer every known question in the Pre-Pre-Allopathic Forum [MD] Thread

 

[CUskibum]

I'd go Berkeley personally but it depends what kind of person you are. If you're laid back, like the beach, and like west coast people, stay in cali. If you're fast paced and competative go to Jhu. I've heard UCSD has a terrible social life but it is better than Berkeley for BioE in the rankings, but how much does that really count for?

 

[nietzsche628]

what was the title of the thread?

 

[nietzsche628]

i didn't really consider that, because...

do pre-meds *anywhere* really have good social lifes?

 

[Random Access]

Originally posted by nietzsche628
what was the title of the thread?

Well jeez, you don't have to be mean about it. Now no one wants to answer you. If you want free advice, learn to be part of the community here, instead of thinking that you're entitled to it.

And yes, I know premeds with a good social life. If you think the two are incompatible, you have a lot to learn.

 

[Street Philosopher]

go with the full ride.

 

[CUskibum]

You can have a good social life, but maybe its because I'm in boulder. Me and a couple of my buddies are premeds, party 3+ nights a week, ski 45 times a year, and keep 3.8+ gpa's. Its definitey doable if you keep your **** together and study hard during the day. The key is to not get bored and use every free moment as efficiently as possible.

 

[nietzsche628]

Originally posted by Random Access
Well jeez, you don't have to be mean about it. Now no one wants to answer you. If you want free advice, learn to be part of the community here, instead of thinking that you're entitled to it.

And yes, I know premeds with a good social life. If you think the two are incompatible, you have a lot to learn.

?? what is wrong with asking the title of the thread that is related to my situation mentioned by someone?

yes, i know pre-meds can have good social lifes. i also think that all schools have socially active people... okay, maybe not caltech, but in a big school like UCSD, there has to be some cool people at least, so i am not really overly concerned with the social scene.

you have to admit that pre-meds do not have that much time to fully enjoy the party scene even if a school does offer it.

 

[CU_buffalo]

If you plan on majoring in Biomedical Engineering at any of those universities, you will be working your butt off. Engineering in general is difficult and you will be spending more time than you want studying and doing hw. I go to the same campus as CUskibum, but since I'm majoring in electrical engineering, I really don't have that much free time. When you take Ochem and other junior and senior level bio/chem classes, you will realize they are all way easier than your freshman and sophomore engineering classes. I'm not trying to belittle the biological sciences, but it's just a fact of life.

Anyway, go to the school where you think you will do the best. If I were in your shoes, I would probabaly go to UCSD. Full scholarship, good engineering school, and prettier girls. Good luck with your choice

 

[DarkChild]

i'd be all over UCSD.

 

[nietzsche628]

yeah, thanks for the advice.

i realize that engineering majors are hard, but i really like biomedical engineering, and find it really fascinating. i am also a natural when it comes to that type of thing, so i think i should do okay if i work.

about the pretty girls... for san diego state, very true, but less so at UCSD.

 

[Jet915]

Yeah, you got it mixed up. SDSU has all the pretty girls............all the smart ones go to UCSD if that's what you are looking for.......hehe.

Jetson

 

[nietzsche628]

thanks for the advice so far,

how much would UCSD's relative lack of prestige hurt me in getting into a top medical school?

also, if i go with UCSD, i would be missing out on the overall ivy/elite private undergraduate experience. how much of an impact will that have on my life? i really don't know what this experience is, so help?

 

[Jet915]

UCSD has no problem getting people into medical school. As for top 10 medical schools, UCSD usually get's 1-2 people into each of them except maybe for UCSF which usually accepts like 5-6 people from UCSD. UCSD medical school last year accepted 35 people from UCSD. UCLA took like 10 UCSD applicants last year. If you really want to go to a top 10 medical school, UCSD probably isnt your best option. It's not impossible but you have to be one of the top students at UCSD to get into one.

Jetson

 

[truth617]

Since it sounds like financial considerations should play a role in your decision, I'd go with UCSD. As far as medical school? I know someone from UCD who attends Harvard HST, and she had a classmate from UCSD. If you do well and are a good candidate, schools will not miss that.

 

[LUBDUBB]

nietzsche628,

Unless you're going Ivy, then go for UCSD, cuz you have the full ride. JHU, UCLA, UCSD.....all the same, so just take the full ride.

But if you're tyring to get the ivy experience, then go Columbia or Cornell.

A word of caution: You seem very sure about BME, which is fine, but you have to consider that you may have a change of heart. I took one computer science class in high school, I didn't undertstand a single thing, I hated, and vowed never to take another CS class in my entire life. After two years of switching majors, I went CS - I loved it, it came very easy to me, and ended up doing very well. So...keep an open mind..as a high school student one has no idea about a specific field until you take a class.

Most importantly, go somewhere you'll feel confortable that you can do well. You don't want to end up at an ultra-competitive school, doing a competitive major, and having financial woes because the tuition is like 40k.


My advice: go to columbia, double major in enlgish and bio. It will give you a good combo, and you'll polish your english skills. Many subjects (biology, history) can be learnt in a short amount of time by picking up a book. But reading/writing is a skill that you have to develop over the years, and it's better to start soon. just a thought.....good luck


~Lubdubb

 

[carrigallen]

UCSD!! You have a full ride, and it's just as fine as any other. I don't know who's running their mouth about lack of prestige for UCSD, especially in BME. San Diego represents the biotech capitol of the world. No doubt, UCSD is the best from what options you've shown us.

Poo on the "ivy/private elite experience" (as you put it) this has nothing to do with your future happiness. To reiterate, UCSD BABY!!!!

 

[gonflable]

Especially since you are going for BioE..

Look, UCSD is a much more "reputable" school than where I went, and I am entering Duke MSTP this fall. So save the money, and live in San Diego.

And while I did study hard, I partied arguably harder.

 

[bakaFOB]

Originally posted by nietzsche628


how much would UCSD's relative lack of prestige hurt me in getting into a top medical school?


hi,
what i'm about to say is prolly not very popular. But i think the prestige of ur undergrad is quite important. For example, on this year's columbia revisist email list, I'd say60-70% of email address ends with harvard.edu, yale.edu, or princton.edu. My personal experience with med school application is that u DO get a lil bonus if u're from a top 10 school. But how far will that carry u? dunno. Can u get into top med school from UCSD? i'm sure u can. But my personal opinion is that ur chacnes are not as good.
I can be wrong about this, but just my 2 cents.
the bigger question is how important is this to u? if ur goal is to become a great doctor (rather than going to harvard med) then maybe going to a prestigious undergrad isn't as important. Plus, JHU has a rep for crazy/cutthroat premed environment. Is that how you wanna spend ur undergard years, arguably the most eye-opening experience in ur life? just some things to think about. Undergrad years is SOOOO much more than premed.

good luck to you at whichever school u choose

 

[nietzsche628]

okay, thanks for the responses so far,

the thing with columbia is that, i applied as a BME major to the school, so i am in the school of engineering and applied science. i can only change my major within SEAS, and transfering to columbia college is impossible, because they put you in the same pool of applicants as the people from other schools.

i visited columbia, and i spoke to some of the engineering students there. they basically told me to not come there, because NYC is in a huge economic depression, and everyone is having trouble finding internships and such. columbia university also does not direct a lot of funding into their engineering program.

i didn't have a chance to visit cornell. their biomedical engineering program is very new, and their location really turns me off. i am more of a city person, and i prefer warm weather over cold weather. cornell did give me a great financial aid package(including dean's scholar) of about 25k grant per year, and changing major is relatively easy in cornell.

i want to start my own pharmaceutical firm eventually(i have no capital whatsoever), hence the BME + M.D. thing. i would be cool with working as a doctor in a hospital though.

 

[entropy]

It does not matter too much where you go to school in terms of where you can go to medical school. None of these schools have a reputation that will be a huge bonus and all do well in getting applicants into great medical schools. There are plenty of people from UCSD at UCLA and UCSF med. There are also people I know who are attending Harvard Med or got in and declined from UCSD. Go with your heart. Sounds like you like UCSD. I would personally pick UCLA, but if you want BioE then go with UCSD.

 

[Ktelle07]

Go UCSD. I've never heard that it lacked prestige...it is an awesome school. I went to a "prestigious" private Uni, and I now owe tons of $$$, and I did not get into med school the first time around. You are going to have to borrow for med school anyways, so might as well take the free money while you can.

San Diego is awesome, and the most important thing is not what school you go to, but how well you do at that school. Whichever one you go to....WORK YOUR *&% OFF and get good grades!!! Participate in the community, LEARN your **** so you can do well on the MCATs, and med schools will love you. I'm telling you to do all the things that I wish I would have done to save me a year of piddling around and re-applying.
And finally, whether or not you like your college or do well depends 99% on your attitude, so do what you want to do, go where your heart is. (cheesy, huh? but it's true)

Good luck.

 

[nietzsche628]

so the general concensus is UCSD?

any dissents?

another thing about UCSD that i forgot to mention is that i'll be able to formally declare independence from my parents. that would make my EFC very low when i apply to medical schools. but do medical schools even give need-based grant (on top of loans)? i know HMS and Hopkins do, but are those two exceptions?

thanks again, guys.

 

[moops]

you should go to oberlin, where you will meet lots of angry beeaches who like to eat swiss cheese.

or else you could go to Stamford.

 

[marq_bme]

I am a BME student at Marquette, enrolling in Northwestern's MSTP program(prob BME for the PhD) this fall, and I feel I have some advice to offer:

1.) BME is a fantastic major to be enrolled in. You get to sharpen your analytical skills with more in depth math classes, and gain some fundamental skills within the specific BIOE track you choose-i.e. electrical, mechanical, compueter, etc.

2.) If you are one of those who are enamored by academics as a whole-and from your username I can see that you have that "will to learn"-I would suggest you consider the opportunites that will be availible to you at these 3 schools in

A.) research opportunities
B.) whether or not your core requirements inhibit you from taking electives you may still be interested in
and C.) What the "aura" of the school is in terms of your academic personality/motivations/work ethic. This last one I know is a little sketchy, and all schools have all different types of students, and undoubtedly you will find your niche

3.) Location, location, location!!!

Finally, I say choose:

Best overall experience: Berkley
Best Location/financial situation: UCSD
Best BME/Pre-Med prep: JHU

...i would choose berkley. take a look at the stats of berkley apps who chose to put them on www.mdapplicants.com

 

[moops]

are you too good for staMford?? huh? that's right- stamford, CT.. if you get some whacked app. reviewers, they might mistake that for stanford! come on man- think- ucsd (full ride)... vs... staMford.

"I got into StanFERD man! I just applied as a joke. I'm friggin' out man!"

 

[nietzsche628]

have you checked out the berkeley medical school acceptance data from the career office though? their acceptance rate is about the same as the nation wide acceptance rate, and i have heard HORROR stories about the grade deflation there, especially in engineering.

marq, how hard was the course load in BME for you? did you have trouble maintaining a medical school GPA in it?

 

[DarkChild]

ahahahahahaha bakaFOB - i just wanted to jump all over you for this one before anyone else beat me to it.
columbia med is probably THE WORST choice you could be using. Its practically policy for that school to admit ivy leaguers....
havent you seen all the threads semi-jockingly referring to the three things needed to get into columbia med?
(Rugby, Ivy league BA, Musical talent?) lol.
i agree with bakaFOB to an extent - prestige matters some, but MUCH more important is what you do with the opportunities you are presented. the OP mentioned that at UCSD he'll be hooked up with internships and interesting research opportunities - thats the stuff that matters much more IMHO.

Originally posted by bakaFOB

Originally posted by nietzsche628


how much would UCSD's relative lack of prestige hurt me in getting into a top medical school?


hi,
what i'm about to say is prolly not very popular. But i think the prestige of ur undergrad is quite important. For example, on this year's columbia revisist email list, I'd say60-70% of email address ends with harvard.edu, yale.edu, or princton.edu.

good luck to you at whichever school u choose

 

[DarkChild]

nietzsche628 - just wanted to say a few things about columbia:
1) you can do a five year 3-2 program giving you a BA/BS - in retrospect, given my research goals (computational neuroscience) i should have looked into this possibility when i was there... hindsight's always 20/20 i guess.
2) the internship thing isnt really a valid criticism of columbia. the NYC depression CU kids complained about is really in larger part a reflection of the larger slow down in overall economic activity. Nevertheless I know for a fact that this hits other schools a lot harder than it does columbia. A number of firms (ibanks & consulting firms) have scaled back their recruiting efforts, but columbia is NEVER cut - its so easy for them to take a cab up to the campus and meet a few kids, while the same cant be said for cornell or princeton..
also the research opportunities never really go away, so you'll always have something to do over the weekends.
but what does this matter? you should go to UCSD!