UC schools over VA schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you pick Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD over UVA, W&M and VT?

Yes. My DD will be going to UCLA. Wouldn’t even tour W & M. Awful tour at UVA and LA more exciting and dynamic than Charlottesville. We are OOS for all.

My DD will be going to UCLA and we are OOS. Got accepted to UVA, VT, and W&M (Monroe Scholar). Tours at those schools were okay and she knows they are good school. She just wasn't excited about them. She looooved the tour of UCLA and is excited for the change of scenery. She is majoring in Biology (plans to go to medical school), and is impressed with the classes and research opportunities UCLA will offer.

I got my chemistry PhD at UCLA and was a TA to hundreds of premeds. I think this is a really, really bad choice. Unless things have changed radically, all of the premed science classes are horribly impacted so many students struggle to get into needed labs until their 5th or 6th year, so then they are taking them unconnected to the corresponding coursework. (Be prepared to pay for a 5th year.) The science faculty are also wholly focused on research so undergrad teaching is a hot mess (and that's being kind) and the premeds are viciously competitive with rampant cheating. There are also ongoing budget shortages so kids with labs late in the week often can't complete the required lab because of lack of supplies (the stockroom runs out) and then those students get lower grades since they can't complete the work. With completely checked out faculty, undergrads have to rely on instruction from TAs, but the best grad students find other funding, so the bottom of the barrel grad students (brand new or very limited English) end up teaching the premeds. It's a really terrible environment. It is a really pretty campus and great weather. But that doesn't fix the awful.

The 14CL, 30BL and 30CL lab classes were especially bad, but 30A, 30B and 30C were also pretty awful.

Also, my understanding is that many schools love to preference their own undergrads for med school (e.g., U or Arizona) but UCLA has a negative preference for its own undergrads so it's harder to get into med school put of UCLA than from other undergrads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VA schools unless given a free ride and generous additional stipend to attend on of the CA schools.

Uc schools don’t offer merit to oos students.

They don't offer merit

The Regents and Chancellor Scholarships are merit-based and offered to OOS and international students.

My DD was offered a Regent and she was OOS.

MY DS was OOS (VA) and took the Regents and went to Berkeley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you pick Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD over UVA, W&M and VT?

Yes. My DD will be going to UCLA. Wouldn’t even tour W & M. Awful tour at UVA and LA more exciting and dynamic than Charlottesville. We are OOS for all.

My DD will be going to UCLA and we are OOS. Got accepted to UVA, VT, and W&M (Monroe Scholar). Tours at those schools were okay and she knows they are good school. She just wasn't excited about them. She looooved the tour of UCLA and is excited for the change of scenery. She is majoring in Biology (plans to go to medical school), and is impressed with the classes and research opportunities UCLA will offer.

I got my chemistry PhD at UCLA and was a TA to hundreds of premeds. I think this is a really, really bad choice. Unless things have changed radically, all of the premed science classes are horribly impacted so many students struggle to get into needed labs until their 5th or 6th year, so then they are taking them unconnected to the corresponding coursework. (Be prepared to pay for a 5th year.) The science faculty are also wholly focused on research so undergrad teaching is a hot mess (and that's being kind) and the premeds are viciously competitive with rampant cheating. There are also ongoing budget shortages so kids with labs late in the week often can't complete the required lab because of lack of supplies (the stockroom runs out) and then those students get lower grades since they can't complete the work. With completely checked out faculty, undergrads have to rely on instruction from TAs, but the best grad students find other funding, so the bottom of the barrel grad students (brand new or very limited English) end up teaching the premeds. It's a really terrible environment. It is a really pretty campus and great weather. But that doesn't fix the awful.

The 14CL, 30BL and 30CL lab classes were especially bad, but 30A, 30B and 30C were also pretty awful.

Also, my understanding is that many schools love to preference their own undergrads for med school (e.g., U or Arizona) but UCLA has a negative preference for its own undergrads so it's harder to get into med school put of UCLA than from other undergrads.

We looked at this very closely at pre-med at this post, which corroborates what you said caught my eye: https://www.savvypremed.com/blog/3-reasons-many-uc-pre-meds-regret-their-college-choice

[Anonymous]

UCLA also does not provide any premed advising, so you are 100% on your own.

UCLA students apparently have created clubs to advise each other, but you have to apply and be accepted and there's lots of gatekeeping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you pick Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD over UVA, W&M and VT?

Yes. My DD will be going to UCLA. Wouldn’t even tour W & M. Awful tour at UVA and LA more exciting and dynamic than Charlottesville. We are OOS for all.

My DD will be going to UCLA and we are OOS. Got accepted to UVA, VT, and W&M (Monroe Scholar). Tours at those schools were okay and she knows they are good school. She just wasn't excited about them. She looooved the tour of UCLA and is excited for the change of scenery. She is majoring in Biology (plans to go to medical school), and is impressed with the classes and research opportunities UCLA will offer.

I got my chemistry PhD at UCLA and was a TA to hundreds of premeds. I think this is a really, really bad choice. Unless things have changed radically, all of the premed science classes are horribly impacted so many students struggle to get into needed labs until their 5th or 6th year, so then they are taking them unconnected to the corresponding coursework. (Be prepared to pay for a 5th year.) The science faculty are also wholly focused on research so undergrad teaching is a hot mess (and that's being kind) and the premeds are viciously competitive with rampant cheating. There are also ongoing budget shortages so kids with labs late in the week often can't complete the required lab because of lack of supplies (the stockroom runs out) and then those students get lower grades since they can't complete the work. With completely checked out faculty, undergrads have to rely on instruction from TAs, but the best grad students find other funding, so the bottom of the barrel grad students (brand new or very limited English) end up teaching the premeds. It's a really terrible environment. It is a really pretty campus and great weather. But that doesn't fix the awful.

The 14CL, 30BL and 30CL lab classes were especially bad, but 30A, 30B and 30C were also pretty awful.

Also, my understanding is that many schools love to preference their own undergrads for med school (e.g., U or Arizona) but UCLA has a negative preference for its own undergrads so it's harder to get into med school put of UCLA than from other undergrads.

Be prepared to be attacked for speaking the truth. Many on this board will vehemently disagree with your known experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you pick Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD over UVA, W&M and VT?

Yes. My DD will be going to UCLA. Wouldn’t even tour W & M. Awful tour at UVA and LA more exciting and dynamic than Charlottesville. We are OOS for all.

My DD will be going to UCLA and we are OOS. Got accepted to UVA, VT, and W&M (Monroe Scholar). Tours at those schools were okay and she knows they are good school. She just wasn't excited about them. She looooved the tour of UCLA and is excited for the change of scenery. She is majoring in Biology (plans to go to medical school), and is impressed with the classes and research opportunities UCLA will offer.

I got my chemistry PhD at UCLA and was a TA to hundreds of premeds. I think this is a really, really bad choice. Unless things have changed radically, all of the premed science classes are horribly impacted so many students struggle to get into needed labs until their 5th or 6th year, so then they are taking them unconnected to the corresponding coursework. (Be prepared to pay for a 5th year.) The science faculty are also wholly focused on research so undergrad teaching is a hot mess (and that's being kind) and the premeds are viciously competitive with rampant cheating. There are also ongoing budget shortages so kids with labs late in the week often can't complete the required lab because of lack of supplies (the stockroom runs out) and then those students get lower grades since they can't complete the work. With completely checked out faculty, undergrads have to rely on instruction from TAs, but the best grad students find other funding, so the bottom of the barrel grad students (brand new or very limited English) end up teaching the premeds. It's a really terrible environment. It is a really pretty campus and great weather. But that doesn't fix the awful.

The 14CL, 30BL and 30CL lab classes were especially bad, but 30A, 30B and 30C were also pretty awful.

Also, my understanding is that many schools love to preference their own undergrads for med school (e.g., U or Arizona) but UCLA has a negative preference for its own undergrads so it's harder to get into med school put of UCLA than from other undergrads.

Be prepared to be attacked for speaking the truth. Many on this board will vehemently disagree with your known experience.

DP I think it's a detailed, obviously informed and helpful post. I'm not seeing any attackers.

[Anonymous]

I'd add Cal Poly (SLO) to the CA schools and take it over any VA schools except maybe Tech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you pick Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD over UVA, W&M and VT?

Yes. My DD will be going to UCLA. Wouldn’t even tour W & M. Awful tour at UVA and LA more exciting and dynamic than Charlottesville. We are OOS for all.

My DD will be going to UCLA and we are OOS. Got accepted to UVA, VT, and W&M (Monroe Scholar). Tours at those schools were okay and she knows they are good school. She just wasn't excited about them. She looooved the tour of UCLA and is excited for the change of scenery. She is majoring in Biology (plans to go to medical school), and is impressed with the classes and research opportunities UCLA will offer.

I got my chemistry PhD at UCLA and was a TA to hundreds of premeds. I think this is a really, really bad choice. Unless things have changed radically, all of the premed science classes are horribly impacted so many students struggle to get into needed labs until their 5th or 6th year, so then they are taking them unconnected to the corresponding coursework. (Be prepared to pay for a 5th year.) The science faculty are also wholly focused on research so undergrad teaching is a hot mess (and that's being kind) and the premeds are viciously competitive with rampant cheating. There are also ongoing budget shortages so kids with labs late in the week often can't complete the required lab because of lack of supplies (the stockroom runs out) and then those students get lower grades since they can't complete the work. With completely checked out faculty, undergrads have to rely on instruction from TAs, but the best grad students find other funding, so the bottom of the barrel grad students (brand new or very limited English) end up teaching the premeds. It's a really terrible environment. It is a really pretty campus and great weather. But that doesn't fix the awful.

The 14CL, 30BL and 30CL lab classes were especially bad, but 30A, 30B and 30C were also pretty awful.

Also, my understanding is that many schools love to preference their own undergrads for med school (e.g., U or Arizona) but UCLA has a negative preference for its own undergrads so it's harder to get into med school put of UCLA than from other undergrads.

Helpful post. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you pick Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD over UVA, W&M and VT?

Yes. My DD will be going to UCLA. Wouldn’t even tour W & M. Awful tour at UVA and LA more exciting and dynamic than Charlottesville. We are OOS for all.

My DD will be going to UCLA and we are OOS. Got accepted to UVA, VT, and W&M (Monroe Scholar). Tours at those schools were okay and she knows they are good school. She just wasn't excited about them. She looooved the tour of UCLA and is excited for the change of scenery. She is majoring in Biology (plans to go to medical school), and is impressed with the classes and research opportunities UCLA will offer.

I got my chemistry PhD at UCLA and was a TA to hundreds of premeds. I think this is a really, really bad choice. Unless things have changed radically, all of the premed science classes are horribly impacted so many students struggle to get into needed labs until their 5th or 6th year, so then they are taking them unconnected to the corresponding coursework. (Be prepared to pay for a 5th year.) The science faculty are also wholly focused on research so undergrad teaching is a hot mess (and that's being kind) and the premeds are viciously competitive with rampant cheating. There are also ongoing budget shortages so kids with labs late in the week often can't complete the required lab because of lack of supplies (the stockroom runs out) and then those students get lower grades since they can't complete the work. With completely checked out faculty, undergrads have to rely on instruction from TAs, but the best grad students find other funding, so the bottom of the barrel grad students (brand new or very limited English) end up teaching the premeds. It's a really terrible environment. It is a really pretty campus and great weather. But that doesn't fix the awful.

The 14CL, 30BL and 30CL lab classes were especially bad, but 30A, 30B and 30C were also pretty awful.

Also, my understanding is that many schools love to preference their own undergrads for med school (e.g., U or Arizona) but UCLA has a negative preference for its own undergrads so it's harder to get into med school put of UCLA than from other undergrads.

This is the kind of thing USNEWS certainly doesn't cover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you pick Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD over UVA, W&M and VT?

Yes. My DD will be going to UCLA. Wouldn’t even tour W & M. Awful tour at UVA and LA more exciting and dynamic than Charlottesville. We are OOS for all.

My DD will be going to UCLA and we are OOS. Got accepted to UVA, VT, and W&M (Monroe Scholar). Tours at those schools were okay and she knows they are good school. She just wasn't excited about them. She looooved the tour of UCLA and is excited for the change of scenery. She is majoring in Biology (plans to go to medical school), and is impressed with the classes and research opportunities UCLA will offer.

I got my chemistry PhD at UCLA and was a TA to hundreds of premeds. I think this is a really, really bad choice. Unless things have changed radically, all of the premed science classes are horribly impacted so many students struggle to get into needed labs until their 5th or 6th year, so then they are taking them unconnected to the corresponding coursework. (Be prepared to pay for a 5th year.) The science faculty are also wholly focused on research so undergrad teaching is a hot mess (and that's being kind) and the premeds are viciously competitive with rampant cheating. There are also ongoing budget shortages so kids with labs late in the week often can't complete the required lab because of lack of supplies (the stockroom runs out) and then those students get lower grades since they can't complete the work. With completely checked out faculty, undergrads have to rely on instruction from TAs, but the best grad students find other funding, so the bottom of the barrel grad students (brand new or very limited English) end up teaching the premeds. It's a really terrible environment. It is a really pretty campus and great weather. But that doesn't fix the awful.

The 14CL, 30BL and 30CL lab classes were especially bad, but 30A, 30B and 30C were also pretty awful.

Also, my understanding is that many schools love to preference their own undergrads for med school (e.g., U or Arizona) but UCLA has a negative preference for its own undergrads so it's harder to get into med school put of UCLA than from other undergrads.

Be prepared to be attacked for speaking the truth. Many on this board will vehemently disagree with your known experience.

DP I think it's a detailed, obviously informed and helpful post. I'm not seeing any attackers.

I think it is a very informative and helpful post. I for one appreciate it! Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you pick Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD over UVA, W&M and VT?

Yes. My DD will be going to UCLA. Wouldn’t even tour W & M. Awful tour at UVA and LA more exciting and dynamic than Charlottesville. We are OOS for all.

My DD will be going to UCLA and we are OOS. Got accepted to UVA, VT, and W&M (Monroe Scholar). Tours at those schools were okay and she knows they are good school. She just wasn't excited about them. She looooved the tour of UCLA and is excited for the change of scenery. She is majoring in Biology (plans to go to medical school), and is impressed with the classes and research opportunities UCLA will offer.

I got my chemistry PhD at UCLA and was a TA to hundreds of premeds. I think this is a really, really bad choice. Unless things have changed radically, all of the premed science classes are horribly impacted so many students struggle to get into needed labs until their 5th or 6th year, so then they are taking them unconnected to the corresponding coursework. (Be prepared to pay for a 5th year.) The science faculty are also wholly focused on research so undergrad teaching is a hot mess (and that's being kind) and the premeds are viciously competitive with rampant cheating. There are also ongoing budget shortages so kids with labs late in the week often can't complete the required lab because of lack of supplies (the stockroom runs out) and then those students get lower grades since they can't complete the work. With completely checked out faculty, undergrads have to rely on instruction from TAs, but the best grad students find other funding, so the bottom of the barrel grad students (brand new or very limited English) end up teaching the premeds. It's a really terrible environment. It is a really pretty campus and great weather. But that doesn't fix the awful.

The 14CL, 30BL and 30CL lab classes were especially bad, but 30A, 30B and 30C were also pretty awful.

Also, my understanding is that many schools love to preference their own undergrads for med school (e.g., U or Arizona) but UCLA has a negative preference for its own undergrads so it's harder to get into med school put of UCLA than from other undergrads.

Great post!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you pick Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD over UVA, W&M and VT?

Yes. My DD will be going to UCLA. Wouldn’t even tour W & M. Awful tour at UVA and LA more exciting and dynamic than Charlottesville. We are OOS for all.

My DD will be going to UCLA and we are OOS. Got accepted to UVA, VT, and W&M (Monroe Scholar). Tours at those schools were okay and she knows they are good school. She just wasn't excited about them. She looooved the tour of UCLA and is excited for the change of scenery. She is majoring in Biology (plans to go to medical school), and is impressed with the classes and research opportunities UCLA will offer.

I got my chemistry PhD at UCLA and was a TA to hundreds of premeds. I think this is a really, really bad choice. Unless things have changed radically, all of the premed science classes are horribly impacted so many students struggle to get into needed labs until their 5th or 6th year, so then they are taking them unconnected to the corresponding coursework. (Be prepared to pay for a 5th year.) The science faculty are also wholly focused on research so undergrad teaching is a hot mess (and that's being kind) and the premeds are viciously competitive with rampant cheating. There are also ongoing budget shortages so kids with labs late in the week often can't complete the required lab because of lack of supplies (the stockroom runs out) and then those students get lower grades since they can't complete the work. With completely checked out faculty, undergrads have to rely on instruction from TAs, but the best grad students find other funding, so the bottom of the barrel grad students (brand new or very limited English) end up teaching the premeds. It's a really terrible environment. It is a really pretty campus and great weather. But that doesn't fix the awful.

The 14CL, 30BL and 30CL lab classes were especially bad, but 30A, 30B and 30C were also pretty awful.

Also, my understanding is that many schools love to preference their own undergrads for med school (e.g., U or Arizona) but UCLA has a negative preference for its own undergrads so it's harder to get into med school put of UCLA than from other undergrads.

This is the kind of thing USNEWS certainly doesn't cover.

I have a son who wants to be a doctor. I always tell him NOT to go to a school like UCLA. I feel like that is exactly the type of school that will not get you into med school. Of course there will be kids who do well and move on to med school but it will be so hard in a huge school like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you pick Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD over UVA, W&M and VT?

Yes. My DD will be going to UCLA. Wouldn’t even tour W & M. Awful tour at UVA and LA more exciting and dynamic than Charlottesville. We are OOS for all.

My DD will be going to UCLA and we are OOS. Got accepted to UVA, VT, and W&M (Monroe Scholar). Tours at those schools were okay and she knows they are good school. She just wasn't excited about them. She looooved the tour of UCLA and is excited for the change of scenery. She is majoring in Biology (plans to go to medical school), and is impressed with the classes and research opportunities UCLA will offer.

I got my chemistry PhD at UCLA and was a TA to hundreds of premeds. I think this is a really, really bad choice. Unless things have changed radically, all of the premed science classes are horribly impacted so many students struggle to get into needed labs until their 5th or 6th year, so then they are taking them unconnected to the corresponding coursework. (Be prepared to pay for a 5th year.) The science faculty are also wholly focused on research so undergrad teaching is a hot mess (and that's being kind) and the premeds are viciously competitive with rampant cheating. There are also ongoing budget shortages so kids with labs late in the week often can't complete the required lab because of lack of supplies (the stockroom runs out) and then those students get lower grades since they can't complete the work. With completely checked out faculty, undergrads have to rely on instruction from TAs, but the best grad students find other funding, so the bottom of the barrel grad students (brand new or very limited English) end up teaching the premeds. It's a really terrible environment. It is a really pretty campus and great weather. But that doesn't fix the awful.

The 14CL, 30BL and 30CL lab classes were especially bad, but 30A, 30B and 30C were also pretty awful.

Also, my understanding is that many schools love to preference their own undergrads for med school (e.g., U or Arizona) but UCLA has a negative preference for its own undergrads so it's harder to get into med school put of UCLA than from other undergrads.

Sounds bad. Would any of the other UCs or Virginia schools be better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would you pick Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD over UVA, W&M and VT?

Yes. My DD will be going to UCLA. Wouldn’t even tour W & M. Awful tour at UVA and LA more exciting and dynamic than Charlottesville. We are OOS for all.

My DD will be going to UCLA and we are OOS. Got accepted to UVA, VT, and W&M (Monroe Scholar). Tours at those schools were okay and she knows they are good school. She just wasn't excited about them. She looooved the tour of UCLA and is excited for the change of scenery. She is majoring in Biology (plans to go to medical school), and is impressed with the classes and research opportunities UCLA will offer.

I got my chemistry PhD at UCLA and was a TA to hundreds of premeds. I think this is a really, really bad choice. Unless things have changed radically, all of the premed science classes are horribly impacted so many students struggle to get into needed labs until their 5th or 6th year, so then they are taking them unconnected to the corresponding coursework. (Be prepared to pay for a 5th year.) The science faculty are also wholly focused on research so undergrad teaching is a hot mess (and that's being kind) and the premeds are viciously competitive with rampant cheating. There are also ongoing budget shortages so kids with labs late in the week often can't complete the required lab because of lack of supplies (the stockroom runs out) and then those students get lower grades since they can't complete the work. With completely checked out faculty, undergrads have to rely on instruction from TAs, but the best grad students find other funding, so the bottom of the barrel grad students (brand new or very limited English) end up teaching the premeds. It's a really terrible environment. It is a really pretty campus and great weather. But that doesn't fix the awful.

The 14CL, 30BL and 30CL lab classes were especially bad, but 30A, 30B and 30C were also pretty awful.

Also, my understanding is that many schools love to preference their own undergrads for med school (e.g., U or Arizona) but UCLA has a negative preference for its own undergrads so it's harder to get into med school put of UCLA than from other undergrads.

Sounds bad. Would any of the other UCs or Virginia schools be better?

Va is less than half the size of the UC’s and more focused on undergrads. There are downsides to the mega size schools definitely not reflected in the current rankings.

[Anonymous]

Tour guide (3rd year) at UCSD told us her biggest class was 600 students for Calc 1 and her smallest class was 70 for Psych. There are discussion group break outs with TAs, but she said there were 4-5 TAs for that 600 person Calc class. That was part of what tipped my student to UVA.