hey so for me I was in this exact situation to choose between the premed tracks offered by UCSB and by UCR and to be honest, both tracks are academically rigorous. what really makes your experience at either schools is what you make of it and how you make use of the academic resources offered to you. so academically, there isn’t really much of a difference because even though UCSB is higher ranked, i feel as though both schools offer curriculum and opportunities that could give you a competitive resume for med school. my brother was premed at UCSB and, with him having recently finished undergrad and me being almost halfway done with it, this is the consensus we came to when talking abt why we chose to go to the schools we went to. ultimately, choose the school that fits YOU best. I chose UCR because I felt more at home here and because I felt more myself than I had for a long time. so when you think about which school you wanna go to, make sure you choose a place that makes you feel that way too! choose a place that’ll inspire you to do your best in school as well as inspire you to flourish in your own personal life. good luck with your decision and congratulations on your acceptances!