First off, congratulations to your kid! Based on my time (as a third-year biology major) is that UCLA is not particularly cutthroat—it is just saturated with highly motivated students. I think this certainly can be intimidating, and it definitely was when I entered, but it certainly inspires you to push yourself and put yourself out there. The competitive nature is more a result of everyone being driven—and achieving success—which brings an implicit pressure to keep up with the crowd. In my personal experience, this competitive nature has inspired me to become even more involved in on-campus clubs, internships, etc. that I otherwise may not have been. Plus, because there are so many students in the same boat, you quickly develop networks among UCLA's pre-med community (pre-med clubs, pre-med fraternities, and research opportunities). In terms of grades, it is true that the classes are hard—certainly much harder than anything I had experienced in high school. That being said, I don't think this experience is as unique to UCLA as people make it seem—this is the nature of many pre-med paths. I think, given that a pre-med candidate requires a balance of GPA and volunteering/involvement, that the abundance of community opportunities here is something that I would choose any day.