I had never HEARD of Berkeley until I got to Harvard Med, that's how green I was! I think the UC schools are still very good but they are also really overcrowded. We had a babysitter at one who was also pre-med, and she could not get into basic classes like Organic Chem! She would sit on the overflowing lecture hall floor for 2 weeks auditing the class and then not get in.
Berkeley is not cheap either, nor are the other UC schools. They run about $35,000 a year with room, board, and tuition. Stanford/Harvard, etc. are about $50,000 year. More expensive, but if you can't get your classes and get out of UC in 4 years, it's not alot cheaper.

Last edited by jack'smom; 09/09/12 08:14 AM.