Berkeley or UCLA for bio?
I was recently accepted to both Berkeley and UCLA for Bio (Molecular Environ. Bio and General Bio, respectively) and I'm wondering if there is a notable academic difference between their bio programs (one being far better than the other)? I'm not sure what I want to do after college but I'm considering med school. I was also accepted to UCSD for bio, should I be considering that with the others since it is well known for bio or not since it lacks the prestige and rankings of Berkeley and UCLA? (I don't want to pick a school exclusively on rankings/prestige but I do recognize a bias exists in this regard).
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2 answers
First of all, congratulations! UC Berkeley and UCLA are both, as you know, very competitive universities; your acceptance is a testament to your hard work and dedication throughout high school.
As for which school is best, this highly depends on your major. UCLA has a medical school and a "better" pre-med program than Berkeley, for example. However, with regard to general biology/molecular biology, there are only slight academic differences between the schools.
If you are interested in medicine, UCLA might be a better choice. But, regardless of whether you go to UCLA or UC Berkeley, you will undoubtedly be successful. Both are amazing options!
To add onto the other answer, I think that you should definitely consider UCSD as well. While it may not be as prestigious as your other two options overall, it is a top school for your major interest of molecular biology.
Besides academics, ask yourself the questions listed on this CollegeVine blog post about each of these schools. Hope this helps!
Your chance of acceptance
Your chancing factors
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