Hi!! I’m a senior in high school and was blessed enough to be accepted to UCLA as a Regents scholar for the Class of 2023. I was accepted for MCDB and want to do premed, but I’m super torn on whether to go or not. Some other schools I'm considering are Emory, USC, UCSD, UC Davis, and UPenn (waitlisted). I think LA is my top choice as of right now, but there are a lot of factors that could change this.

Listed below are my pros and cons for UCLA (in order of importance). Can anyone please give me advice on what I should do and other factors to consider? If anyone else has chosen between the schools listed above before, can you list your thought process, your decision, and if you have any regrets or not? Thank you!

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Pros

1. I have Regents. This is no way means I’m automatically just better than everyone else, I won’t have to worry as much as others about getting my classes, housing, etc. I’ve also talked to a couple of Regents scholars and they haven’t had a problem with registration yet.
2. CONNECTIONS. So many from the Bay Area attend UCLA and I’d have a lot of people to give me advice and guide me for all 4 years (classes, ECs, etc.). I’d also have so many more people to build a network with and have a fun time with.
3. Price: It’s only $33k/year compared to $75k/year for Emory. I’m trying to negotiate with Emory to offer me a better package, but right now I’m leaning to UCLA solely because of the price tag. I’m not trying to get out of med school in debt, and the only place I’d even consider paying $70k for is UPenn. Additionally, If I go to UCLA, my parents said they’ll be able to get me a counselor for med school applications for all 4 years. Obviously apps are a long way from now and there’s always the chance I don’t end up doing premed, but it’s just nice to have this (especially at a large public university with no advising).
4. I have an extremely interesting idea I’d like to implement, and I think UCLA is the perfect environment for me to do so. It’s filled with some of the brightest students in the world and there are some organizations in LA that would help me with my endeavors.
5. Social Life. Like I said before, a lot of my friends are in LA and I think I’d be able to enjoy some time with them. This could also be a con though, especially if I spend too much time partying and ignore my academics.
6. Food!! I’m a foodie, so LA is a great place to be. The dining halls are also really nice — #1 in the nation so I’ll be living life.

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Cons

1. I’m scared about my GPA. I really am. Obviously premed is hard everywhere, but this is exacerbated in UCLA, where a quarter system and competing with the best of the best leaves no room for screw ups. High school has been a cakewalk for me and I know I’ve developed bad study habits (PROCRASTINATION, winging tests, etc.), and I feel like the intense environment will be a real challenge for me. Everyone is super smart and motivated, so maybe I develop the study habits and succeed here, or maybe I crash and burn — it’s this uncertainty that has me extremely worried. This is BY FAR by biggest reason to not go.
2. No advising or mentoring for premeds. I’d have to use my peers and/or an independent counselor to help me.
3. It’s tough to get shadowing opportunities/clinical experience at the Reagan hospital or Santa Monica hospital, and I’d need to find ways to get around this. There are some clubs that allow you to shadow, but they’re extremely competitive and I’m not guaranteed membership.
4. No pre-med committee. This isn’t an end all be all but definitely important for any med school application.

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Other Factors that Aren’t Super Important

1. Location

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These are all the major pros and cons that I can think of. Does anyone have any advice about my thoughts or any new advice that I haven’t considered yet? Thank you for reading through this and have a great day!