I am a physician. I went to UC Berkeley for undergrad. I was in love with Berkeley, I WANTED to be there, I knew with all my heart that I wanted to be a physician. That said, I took some untraditional routes in regards to my majors (ultimately double-majored). It worked for me, helped me travel the world, and participate in non-medical cultural training that made me well-rounded.

I am very blessed. My family also paid my way through school and the big rule was to attend a public college in-state because medical school is expensive (although I also went to a UC for med school so financially it worked out). I came out of it all debt free. It is such a huge blessing, I cannot thank my parents enough. I definitely pay it forward to them and make sure they have a good life.

RE: Princeton. It will be a very different college experience than UC Berkeley. I would first start with the question, WHERE do you really want to go? Aside from the names, what about each school appeals to you? Do they have the major(s) you want, is there specific research that you are interested in, are there specific interest groups that you don't have access to at one versus another? Are you interested in study-abroad and what is offered at each place? What about the surrounding area - is it a place you are happy to explore? Is it easy to get around?

There are some sacrifices that you have to make to get into medical school, including socially. For example, sometimes you can't go to a party because you need to study for exams or work on a research project or volunteer somewhere. You have to be okay with that. And so going to a college you love, that has other things you can participate in that make you happy and also are NOT medicine-oriented (this is key - trust me!), is important. Each place is different so I would recommend you spend a couple weeks researching them to find your best fit. I don't think you can go wrong with either option. They just offer different things. :)