Stanford, Cal, UCSD, or UPenn

[cygni]

Cal is tough!

I know a few people who went to Cal as science majors and each, who had previously been "the smart kid" with a 4.0, had a very tough time getting decent grades. Although, I believe it got better past the weeder courses...
One more thing to consider is the maddd hills you will have to walk up and down, and the not so great areas around campus.

 

[Silencio]

After picking a college, then what ever major you pick will also have an influence on what your lower division education will look like. I don't know of any other school in the US that does their under graduate work this way (multiple colleges). The closest example I can think of would be Cambridge in the UK (UCSD has only 6 colleges while Cambridge has 31).

UC Santa Cruz has a similar setup, with 11 separate colleges. However, there are no practical differences in GE requirements for each college.

And yes, UC Santa Cruz is a really good choice for Marine Biology, probably even more so at the graduate level.

Otherwise, I'd pick Stanford out of the listed group of four -- especially if someone else is picking up the tab. 😉

 

[extraextra]

After picking a college, then what ever major you pick will also have an influence on what your lower division education will look like. I don't know of any other school in the US that does their under graduate work this way (multiple colleges). The closest example I can think of would be Cambridge in the UK (UCSD has only 6 colleges while Cambridge has 31).

A lot of schools here in California have multiple colleges, like the "College of Letters and Arts", "College of Business Administration", etc.

And as far as I know, majors have nothing to do with lower-division courses. Especially since you can't use them towards your major. Unless I've been living under a rock, then 😱.

I'd pick Stanford. UCSC is nice I suppose, I wasn't a fan of the campus or the surrounding area. (Too mellow/relaxed for me. It's like, bohemian or something.)

 

[cygni]

A lot of schools here in California have multiple colleges, like the "College of Letters and Arts", "College of Business Administration", etc.

And as far as I know, majors have nothing to do with lower-division courses. Especially since you can't use them towards your major. Unless I've been living under a rock, then 😱

This is true, however UCSD's individual colleges have additional gen ed./lower div. beyond the UC requirements.

To the op, be careful which college you select as choices on your app.,def. do a little research first. I was fortunate enough to be offered admission to Muir, which wasn't that crazy with g.e. reqs, purely by luck.

 

[Silencio]

I'd pick Stanford. UCSC is nice I suppose, I wasn't a fan of the campus or the surrounding area. (Too mellow/relaxed for me. It's like, bohemian or something.)

True, that. You do have to be pretty self-motivated to make it at UCSC: it's not a highly energetic or competitive place. But you also get (got?) a lot of academic freedom there; I did a lot of independent studies there in my undergrad days 15 years ago and it was just the thing I was looking for.

I think it's become a lot more mainstream since I graduated (no more "narrative evaluations", for one thing).

 

[tinydragon123]

I decided to go to UCSD. It just feels like home and I rather live at the dorms to meet new people and be independent but if I ever need anything, I can fall back on my parents who will be less than 20 miles away. Stanford and then Cal are my other choices if I don't get into UCSD.

But this is saying if I get into any of the three.

UPenn is off my list b/c I love California and I rather stay.

Thank you for everyone's input and suggestions. I really appreciate your time.

 

[devilot]

I think I'm going to UCSD... Stanford and Cal are my other choices if I don't get in.

No offense, but if you don't get into UCSD, you ain't gettin' into Stanford or Cal. 😉 (Unless you have someone who can pull crazy strings at Stanford.)

FWIW, Berkeley is such a fun city and there are a ton of things to get involved with at Cal. But those three unis are pretty darned different and you've really got to figure out what kind of atmosphere you're looking for. Not to mention, you might be wrong. 😱 I thought I could be happy at Cal and I wasn't-- it was too much like my high school... so now I'm thinking about going to UCSC (ironic because I'm definitely not into the whole "nature" thing and I <3 urban settings). *shrug* Ya never know.

Good luck!

 

[fuzzynavo]

I went to Cal for undergrad, and now I'm at UCSD doing graduate work in molecular bio. I think if you find all the places are equally appealing to you, definitely go to either Cal or Stanford. Both schools have great academic reputations in almost all areas of study. So if you change your mind and don't want to major in something bio-related, you'll have plenty of options open to you. La Jolla isn't a very interesting place to spend your undergrad days. San Francisco and the East Bay are much more diverse and exciting places to be.

But definitely visit each place personally so you can get a feel of the campuses.

 

[docoski]

Go Bears!!!

I feel strongly compelled to reply. I graduated Cal in 1995 with a BS in bioengineering. I'm thoroughly familiar with its bio department and, contrary to true777's assertions about stanfurd and Cal, you will not find a more rigorous academic curriculum (just like a stanfurdite to claim that Cal is not as rigorous. Just not as coddling as leland stanford JUNIOR university 😎 ).

Perhaps the most important distinction among these schools is their size. Cal is a big place and it's easy to get lost. If you never want to meet the prof in your bio 1a class of 150, that's easy. If you want to schmooze with the prof to get into her/his research lab and pad your application for grad school, that takes a bit more dedication and determination, and there's some competition for that. Cal's biology department (there are 2: Molecular and Cell Biology, or the typical cellular and biochemical process level biology; and Integrative Biology, which deals with organisms and ecosystems and other things in macro-level biology) is replete with premeds. The #1 major for premeds at Cal is MCB. So there's a hugely competitive atmosphere in the labs and at these giant lecture halls. It's you and 300 of your closest friends in the MWF 9am lecture of Chem 1a. May not appeal to you.

Because of its size, there's tremendous opportunities for extra curricular involvement. I was in the Band, played with the orchestra, and jazz band. I was in a mechanical engineering research lab. The Bay Area is a great place to live with lots of things to do in SF, some great hiking and great scenery. Whatever you want to do outside of class, you'll find it at Cal.

Whatever you choose, get involved in many things outside academia and I think you'll be happy. Few go to Cal and are unhappy. It was a great experience and prepared me well for med school. Much of my first year med school was a re-hash of what I learned at Cal (anatomy, biochem), so what you learn there is high class. If grad school is in your future, no undergraduate institution I think better prepares students for graduate study. I was accepted to all 4 institutions you mention, and I'm glad I chose Cal. Did I mention the alumni are fiercly proud of their experiences there? GO BEARS!!