UC Berkeley or UW?

About the Ads
M

mintchip11

New Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I need to decide between UC Berkeley and the University of Washington. I am a Washington resident so the tuition for UW would be 20,000 cheaper than Berkeley, but Berkeley is arguably a better school...would the extra money be worth it? I can't seem to find statistics for either of the colleges’ med school acceptance rates...
Members don't see this ad.
 
mintchip11 said:
I need to decide between UC Berkeley and the University of Washington. I am a Washington resident so the tuition for UW would be 20,000 cheaper than Berkeley, but Berkeley is arguably a better school...would the extra money be worth it? I can't seem to find statistics for either of the colleges’ med school acceptance rates...
Click to expand...


I don't really know much about Washington, but I would definitely go to UW over Berkeley if it is 20k cheaper. I know I wanted to go to Berkeley, then I looked at the price tag:eek:. To be honest, the stats for colleges' med school acceptance rates, really rely on the individual students; if you are determined to get in, you will. Now, I'm sure school selection has to do a little bit with it as far as resources, but the main determinant has to do with the effort you put in.

If I were in your shoes I would choose UW because 20k is A LOT of money. I would go on a college visit of it and you might be surprised.
 
I'd definitely go for UW, but I'm biased because I'm a Washington state resident too. But consider the following:

-There's no arguing that cheaper is better than expensive. Thanks to this economy, Berkeley will get a kick out of ripping you off.
-Berkeley and UW are essentially on-par at the academic level for undergrads; Berkeley may edge it out in most rankings, but the extra cost is by no means worth it.
-Berkeley is crazy competitive. Not to sound sly, but you'll probably have an easier curve at UW.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Definitely UW. Put the money you save towards med school. Also, as stated, Berkeley is notoriously difficult.
 
lots of good advice in here, both from a financial perspective as well as the student atmosphere. I want to echo another person's comment about going to visit each school if you can.

I am a Cali resident but did my UG out in Florida. I passed up my opportunity with Berkeley by doing so...and it was something I regretted while I was out in FL...and slightly even to this day. But, the experiences I gained from living so far out of my comfort zone enabled me to mold myself into the person I am today.

Let us know how your decision develops :thumbup:
 
UW and Berkley are both great schools academically, in fact so great that IMO differentiating them based on academics is splitting hairs. Financially speaking it looks like UW gives you the best bang for the buck.

I'll also echo the earlier recommendations to visit each school if you are capable. This will allow to get a better look at factors other than reputation and cost.

Good luck with your decision.
 
UW and UC Berkeley are on totally different levels in terms of academics. I think besides the money issue, if you can do well at an ultra competitive school you should pick UC Berkeley. However, a lot of the big name schools are really rough on their premed kids and that could make applying to med. school tougher, especially since a lot of medical schools don't take into account undergraduate reputation/difficulty as much as you think they would...

On the other hand, living in a different region other than where you grew up is a really great experience! Good luck picking!
 
I'd say WashU reason being is that it is ranked in most ranking systems as #1 in primary care. To me, primary care is more important than research. Also you don't have to travel as far and living at home.
 
Thanks for all the comments, I'm leaning towards UW just because of the price...I just wish Berkeley wasn't so expensive :(. I really wanted to go somewhere other than Seattle (I live just outside the city) to experience something new
 
If you ultimately want to apply to UW for Medicine, staying in-state will be the best option. Once you give up in-state residency, you're at a huge disadvantage for admissions to the med school. Getting into a major at UW is sometimes challenging. But, I'm sure if your grades are good enough to be competitive for a med school that should not be a huge issue.

You could always go to Pullman. That'll make you appreciate Seattle. ;)

You'll get out of Seattle for residency anyway. There is alot of time in life to explore. 20K/year adds up after the many years of interest between your undergrad and when you finally go to work.
 
XiL said:
I'd say WashU reason being is that it is ranked in most ranking systems as #1 in primary care. To me, primary care is more important than research. Also you don't have to travel as far and living at home.
Click to expand...


I could be wrong, but I believe the university you are thinking of is the one in St. Louis. Speaking of which, I never understood why it was called WashU in St. Loius...
 
Actually, I think most states will let you leave the state and maintain residency if your college is out of state. Just FYI.
 
djyujin said:
Actually, I think most states will let you leave the state and maintain residency if your college is out of state. Just FYI.
Click to expand...

But I believe, in most states, this takes a couple of years of residency (I could be wrong) which would already be 40k in tuition.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
If you get scholarships and can minimize the price then definately UCB. Also check with UCB, there are some schools that make you pay out of state tuition for 1 year and then make you instate after. If UCB lets you do that...it might be something you want to consider because it could end up equaling the amount you would have to pay at UW for 4 years.

Except for that i dont know much about UW except thats one of the major schools there. I dont know how it ranks compared to other Wash schools. However i know that UCB is a great school and im sure they have high med school acceptance rates. Above average.
 
XiL said:
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankings...ed/search/order+c_rank_mdp_final_overall_sort

Sigh I will be relocating to the east coast so Harvard etc... would be better bet for me.
Click to expand...

OP is talking about there UG not the medical school. Its completely different. Heres where you want to look if your talking about ranks.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national-search

incase you cant find it. UCB is 21. WashU in seattle 41.

To a previous posted who talked about UWash.St.Louis, its a different school. WUSTL is one of the highest tier schools.
 
yanorglu said:
Stop calling it WashU...

Also, let's make it a bit more fair by removing the myriad private schools from that list.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national-top-public

IMO the higher rank of Berkeley isn't worth the extra cost. Ultimately this decision is on you.
Click to expand...

Ranks dont really matter that much especially since UCB and UW are close to each other. I think a person can get similar education at both schools, both of which are good.

If you get scholarships and the cost eventually comes down to the same for both schools for 4 years, then i think its just personal preference where you want to go. But if the amount is significant (defined by the time it will take to pay back and if it is something you are ok with) then it might be in the best interest to go where it is cheaper.
 
Both schools are great in terms of education, although medical school acceptance rates might be something to look into. But again, if you REALLY want to be a doctor, you can make it from either school.

Since you do not seem to be interested in factors such as location, environment, and family proximity, I say go with the money. Berkeley is quite competitive, as well, so consider that before you make a decision.
 
What is the problem with referring it to "WashU"?
A lot of people used that term to describe it.

OP wanted to end up in med. school one day and staying in-province for later is very well worth it since it is ranked as #1 primary care...
It is absolutely relevant...
 
XiL said:
What is the problem with referring it to "WashU"?
A lot of people used that term to describe it.
Click to expand...
WashU is a shorter term for WUSTL which is an acronym for Washington University in St. Louis.

UW is the proper acronym for the University of Washington. Referring to it as WashU is both incorrect and will cause confusion.
 
OP, do you mean 20 k more to go to Berkeley for all 4 years or per year? Are you taking out loans either way?
 
XiL said:
What is the problem with referring it to "WashU"?
A lot of people used that term to describe it.

OP wanted to end up in med. school one day and staying in-province for later is very well worth it since it is ranked as #1 primary care...
It is absolutely relevant...
Click to expand...
UW is not WashU. You couldn't call Berkeley CalU.
 
Oh I see, now I understand! My friends were joking around I guess they kept switching back in forth.
 
I said WashU, because I was talking about the one in St. Louis. I know I had previously seen WashU at the top of charts, so I thought that was the school someone might have gotten confused with. I never noticed UW up there because I've never had interest in going to Washington. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

DlTTO
  • Locked
UCSD vs. UC Berkeley (Pre-Health)
Replies
15
Views
2K
DlTTO
DlTTO
P
  • Question
Which UC is better for premed? UCSB or UCR
Replies
3
Views
1K
panda56
P
M
UC Riverside Premed Vs UN Reno Premed
Replies
3
Views
1K
gyngyn
gyngyn
R
UC Berkeley vs. UCLA
Replies
15
Views
6K
rechemist
R
S
UCI or Cal Poly SLO
Replies
3
Views
251
snowmed
S
Top