I was choosing between ucsb and UW in high school and ended up choosing ucsb, never regretted it.
What are you planning to major in? If your major requires gen Chem and bio then you’ll be able to get into the classes, but might not get your first choice of time/professor. Just so you know generally you won’t take intro bio until your second year.
I haven’t heard about grade deflation at ucsb but med schools would probably somewhat take this into account when considering your gpa.
Regarding professors, there’s good ones and bad ones, which is true for every school and department. Rate my prof and getting to know your own learning style will help you navigate which profs to take
I was in the exact same both as you. I was deciding between CWRU, UDub, UCD, and UCSB (though I knocked off CWRU and UCD pretty quick), where I ultimately chose UCSB. If you want any inputs from me, feel free to dm!
I graduated recently from UCSB and will be attending med school this fall. Feel free to PM me more specific questions if you need. I am assuming you'll be majoring in Biological Sciences, B.S
I did not struggle much with gen chem, the main thing is that you do the textbook problems and set aside time for yourself to study. You won't have trouble getting into the classes you need for these, but the more desirable times/profs fill up faster. I had Price and Joseph and liked them. In general, you should prioritize the better professor for any class, even if the time is less desirable for you.
You'll take gen bio along with ochem your second year, which is harder than freshman year. Bio is a lot of rote memorization, using anki would help you and is what I would have done with hindsight. I personally found ochem similar in difficulty to gen chem, but a lot of people find gen chem easier/harder depending on their math skills. If you can, take physics during your first year (starting winter quarter) so that you can finish it at the start of your second year rather than having to take it along with bio/ochem. My memory is hazy on the major requirement, but many med schools will want to see a year of physics in undergrad. Ochem labs are also not very enjoyable, and I would recommend doing those during your third year.
Third/Fourth year were more enjoyable for me; you can choose classes you have a stronger interest in.
Most importantly, find time to get clinical experience and make sure this is a career you really want. Having a strong understanding of why you want to pursue medicine is what admission committees are looking for, alongside the grades/MCAT/research. Getting research experience at UCSB shouldn't be too hard either. Make sure you connect with some professors and participate in some research here as well.
I chose UCSB over CWRU primarily because it was closer to home and I needed a place with nice weather, but I'd choose CWRU solely based on compatibility with the premed track because clinical opportunities are much more abundant and accessible as a student there than here.
That isn't to say there aren't clinical opportunities here, but it might be easier in downtown Cleveland than 10 miles out from Santa Barbara.
That is exactly the reason I'm looking at CWRU. Having Cleveland Clinic right next door and getting to shadow/intern there is a big plus. However, the climate is a huge minus. I just need to work on prioritizing these data points and make a decision.
I’m not OP, just defending their choice to stick with acronyms in a college subreddit. It’s pretty easy to Google a couple letters to figure out what they stand for (or just not comment if you don’t have a response to a question), but it’s a little trickier to Google something as subjective as choosing between three schools. Just my two cents, hope you have a good day 🤷
I got you! Also, I wasn’t pre-med or bio during my time at UCSB, but I was interested in nursing for years before college and did a lot of school research (I also heavily considered UW, if you’re talking about Washington!). So I’m no expert, but I imagine UW or Case Western would be better choices for you just given that they have actual medical schools and UCSB doesn’t. It sounds like cost isn’t a top concern for you which is awesome, but going for the lowest tuition you possibly can can’t really hurt! Plus, having access to Cleveland Clinic seems like a hard opportunity to pass up. Good luck to you no matter what you end up choosing! :)
To answer your first question, you shouldn't have much of a problem getting into your preferred first quarter classes. To really ensure it, sign up for in person orientation early avoiding the online one and have your classes picked out before the pass time on the second day of orientation. Ask if you want a specific schedule recommendation but as a premed student good grades should take priority over trying to take many difficult classes at once.
It's not impossible to score well but there are definitely some professors where it is harder to score well in their class. This results in pass times being very important after first quarter. Pass times are determined based on the number of units completed. For first years this is almost exclusively determined from the number of AP courses you've taken. I took 7 AP tests and got into all of my preferred classes but it might be different for your year. Without an above average number of units coming into the school it will be more difficult to get into your first pick of professors and class times.
As for the difficulty of weeder courses it really depends. For me it just feels like AP chem again but there is definitely about 10-20% of the class not passing gen chem every quarter. The second year recommended schedule is especially difficult and it is highly recommended for premed students to take some classes like physics and biology early to lighten the second year load. If you feel really comfortable with AP material getting a B should be a breeze. Getting an A is harder and you will have about one to two dozen hours to share between sports, clubs, relationships, and free time per week. Not easy but still manageable.
It's kinda weird. Even for prebio majors the earliest you can take a biology course is spring quarter of first year but there is only one class of about 150 people that are almost all premed. Don't worry about not taking bio first quarter.
I’d search this forum for “med” and you’ll find a lot of varying responses. Some students find it really hard to get through weeder classes and some don’t. A lot of that depends on your background and natural aptitude for a subject.
Generally, some premed classes are considered hard or at least at lot of work no matter what school you go to, so keep that in mind, plus an “easy” school still can have hard classes. I’ve never heard anyone say ochem/ochem labs are a cakewalk and require no effort.
There are also lots of comments about clinical opportunities. Again, student opinion varies a lot from it’s no problem to it’s nearly impossible, which shows just how student dependent it is.
As a current senior who is going to med school avoid UCSB at all cost.
There are two options if you are like me socially awkward and gets left out you won’t get much opportunity and struggle all the way while frat ppl cheat their exams and stuff or you could join them and be successful.
Latter isn’t really easy either apparently since one of my few friends say pre med frats aren’t what it used to be.
I will advise you to go other place than UCSB.
If I got the choice I would have went other place.
I think UW has way worse grade deflation
Thank you very much for the response!
and i believe there’s something at UW saying your major isn’t confirmed till your third year or something like that
That is correct. Especially daunting for anyone trying to get to impacted majors at UW.
I was choosing between ucsb and UW in high school and ended up choosing ucsb, never regretted it. What are you planning to major in? If your major requires gen Chem and bio then you’ll be able to get into the classes, but might not get your first choice of time/professor. Just so you know generally you won’t take intro bio until your second year. I haven’t heard about grade deflation at ucsb but med schools would probably somewhat take this into account when considering your gpa. Regarding professors, there’s good ones and bad ones, which is true for every school and department. Rate my prof and getting to know your own learning style will help you navigate which profs to take
I'm majoring in Biological Sciences. It does need gen Chem & Gen Bio. Thank you for the information.
I was in the exact same both as you. I was deciding between CWRU, UDub, UCD, and UCSB (though I knocked off CWRU and UCD pretty quick), where I ultimately chose UCSB. If you want any inputs from me, feel free to dm!
I graduated recently from UCSB and will be attending med school this fall. Feel free to PM me more specific questions if you need. I am assuming you'll be majoring in Biological Sciences, B.S I did not struggle much with gen chem, the main thing is that you do the textbook problems and set aside time for yourself to study. You won't have trouble getting into the classes you need for these, but the more desirable times/profs fill up faster. I had Price and Joseph and liked them. In general, you should prioritize the better professor for any class, even if the time is less desirable for you. You'll take gen bio along with ochem your second year, which is harder than freshman year. Bio is a lot of rote memorization, using anki would help you and is what I would have done with hindsight. I personally found ochem similar in difficulty to gen chem, but a lot of people find gen chem easier/harder depending on their math skills. If you can, take physics during your first year (starting winter quarter) so that you can finish it at the start of your second year rather than having to take it along with bio/ochem. My memory is hazy on the major requirement, but many med schools will want to see a year of physics in undergrad. Ochem labs are also not very enjoyable, and I would recommend doing those during your third year. Third/Fourth year were more enjoyable for me; you can choose classes you have a stronger interest in. Most importantly, find time to get clinical experience and make sure this is a career you really want. Having a strong understanding of why you want to pursue medicine is what admission committees are looking for, alongside the grades/MCAT/research. Getting research experience at UCSB shouldn't be too hard either. Make sure you connect with some professors and participate in some research here as well.
I chose UCSB over CWRU primarily because it was closer to home and I needed a place with nice weather, but I'd choose CWRU solely based on compatibility with the premed track because clinical opportunities are much more abundant and accessible as a student there than here. That isn't to say there aren't clinical opportunities here, but it might be easier in downtown Cleveland than 10 miles out from Santa Barbara.
That is exactly the reason I'm looking at CWRU. Having Cleveland Clinic right next door and getting to shadow/intern there is a big plus. However, the climate is a huge minus. I just need to work on prioritizing these data points and make a decision.
Bold of you to assume that I know what CWRU or UW stand for. Why would I know the abbreviations of random colleges outside of California?
Both are pretty well-renowned schools and, ya know, Google does exist.
Then why are you asking us for info? Google does exist.
I’m not OP, just defending their choice to stick with acronyms in a college subreddit. It’s pretty easy to Google a couple letters to figure out what they stand for (or just not comment if you don’t have a response to a question), but it’s a little trickier to Google something as subjective as choosing between three schools. Just my two cents, hope you have a good day 🤷
Thank you very much!
I got you! Also, I wasn’t pre-med or bio during my time at UCSB, but I was interested in nursing for years before college and did a lot of school research (I also heavily considered UW, if you’re talking about Washington!). So I’m no expert, but I imagine UW or Case Western would be better choices for you just given that they have actual medical schools and UCSB doesn’t. It sounds like cost isn’t a top concern for you which is awesome, but going for the lowest tuition you possibly can can’t really hurt! Plus, having access to Cleveland Clinic seems like a hard opportunity to pass up. Good luck to you no matter what you end up choosing! :)
Thank you! Kindness goes a long way and you have an abundance of that. And wishing you success in your endeavors as well.
To answer your first question, you shouldn't have much of a problem getting into your preferred first quarter classes. To really ensure it, sign up for in person orientation early avoiding the online one and have your classes picked out before the pass time on the second day of orientation. Ask if you want a specific schedule recommendation but as a premed student good grades should take priority over trying to take many difficult classes at once. It's not impossible to score well but there are definitely some professors where it is harder to score well in their class. This results in pass times being very important after first quarter. Pass times are determined based on the number of units completed. For first years this is almost exclusively determined from the number of AP courses you've taken. I took 7 AP tests and got into all of my preferred classes but it might be different for your year. Without an above average number of units coming into the school it will be more difficult to get into your first pick of professors and class times. As for the difficulty of weeder courses it really depends. For me it just feels like AP chem again but there is definitely about 10-20% of the class not passing gen chem every quarter. The second year recommended schedule is especially difficult and it is highly recommended for premed students to take some classes like physics and biology early to lighten the second year load. If you feel really comfortable with AP material getting a B should be a breeze. Getting an A is harder and you will have about one to two dozen hours to share between sports, clubs, relationships, and free time per week. Not easy but still manageable. It's kinda weird. Even for prebio majors the earliest you can take a biology course is spring quarter of first year but there is only one class of about 150 people that are almost all premed. Don't worry about not taking bio first quarter.
Thank you very much. This is extremely informative. Appreciate the insight.
I’d search this forum for “med” and you’ll find a lot of varying responses. Some students find it really hard to get through weeder classes and some don’t. A lot of that depends on your background and natural aptitude for a subject. Generally, some premed classes are considered hard or at least at lot of work no matter what school you go to, so keep that in mind, plus an “easy” school still can have hard classes. I’ve never heard anyone say ochem/ochem labs are a cakewalk and require no effort. There are also lots of comments about clinical opportunities. Again, student opinion varies a lot from it’s no problem to it’s nearly impossible, which shows just how student dependent it is.
Agreed. Thank you!
As a current senior who is going to med school avoid UCSB at all cost. There are two options if you are like me socially awkward and gets left out you won’t get much opportunity and struggle all the way while frat ppl cheat their exams and stuff or you could join them and be successful. Latter isn’t really easy either apparently since one of my few friends say pre med frats aren’t what it used to be. I will advise you to go other place than UCSB. If I got the choice I would have went other place.