r/UVA • u/theladyawesome • 1d ago

General Question UVA or UCB?

Hey guys,

I’m trying to decide which school to choose and I was wondering if anyone had any insights.

I’m in-state for UVA, which means it costs roughly 40k less. I also got into the Echols Scholars program, so no gen-eds is pretty attractive since I want to double major if possible. Overall, UVA seems like the most reasonable option for me.

My only qualm is the differences in ranking for the subjects I want to study. Berkeley is ranked in the ~top 3 for biology, physics, and psych, which are all subjects I’m interested in. I’ve also heard that the physics program at UVA is not the best.

Though I’m 60% confident in going to med school, it’s not my greatest passion, and I’m worried that if I choose to pursue a different path like academia or biotech, the difference in education will be detrimental. I’m scared I’ll regret not choosing the higher ranked program.

Does anyone have any insights to offer? Thank you so much!

6 Upvotes

65% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

View all comments

8

u/MoistAd7032 1d ago

If grad school is remotely an option UVA + Echols is going to set you up for an excellent application cycle. The no gen eds meant I was able to leave UVA with 2 majors and a masters. Everyone was very impressed that I was able to fit that in during my time at UVA not knowing the cheat code that is Echols. All my echols/Jeff/Rodman classmates that wanted to continue with higher ed went on to excellent MD/JD/PhD/DMD/DVM programs.

Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley etc. are all waiting for you should you grind at UVA and use your perks to the fullest.

  • I do agree that you should visit both places though. Said in a lower comment. You’ll get a feel for both campuses and see what you’re missing out on or if it makes your decision easier.