College has always been considered a venue for self-discovery. Now the University of California, Berkeley is taking the idea a step ahead by soliciting a tiny genetic sample from incoming students. The university says it’s collecting the sample to test for specific genes to help students stay healthy, but it’s also an effort to kick off a debate about the impact genetic testing will inevitably have on their lives.

For students opting in, the school will pay to analyze their abilities to absorb folic acid, tolerate alcohol and metabolize lactose, then report back on the results. The goal is to enhance students' self-knowledge the University says.

“This is a spectacular opportunity for our students to consider an issue that will no doubt have an effect on all of their lives in the decades ahead,” Mark Schlissel, dean of biological sciences at Cal says in an interview on the school's website.

“Although based in biomedical science, the potential impact of personalized medicine will require that all educated citizens contribute to the discussion of how we acquire and use the most personal of all information — one's genetic legacy,” he says.

At least one critic isn't convinced.

“Catalyzing discussion and debate about the future of genetic technology is a wonderful idea, but this is the wrong way to do it,” says Marcy Darnovsky, associate executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society, which is also based in Berkeley. “This project could fuel common misperceptions about the importance of genetic information, and sets a bad precedent about the way genetic tests should be used. In effect, it puts the university’s seal of approval on products that have not been– and may never be–approved by federal regulators.”

In early May, Walgreen's said it would postpone selling personal genetic tests from Pathway Genomics after the FDA challenged the legality of selling them because the agency had not approved or validated the test kits.

Cal's exercise is part of an annual program, called “On the Same Page” intended to unify Cal's incoming undergraduates by engaging them all in a group activity. In past years, students have all read the same book over the summer. This year, the University hopes some students will be inspired to explore new fields of research and work, “ranging from molecular science and computational biology to epidemiology, genomic medicine, and legal fields dealing with medical ethics,” it says.