Last time: UCSF vs. Vanderbilt (full tuition scholarship)

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Vanderbilt (full tuition scholarship) vs. UCSF (IS)?

  • Vanderbilt, duh

    Votes: 96 49.5%

  • UCSF, duh

    Votes: 61 31.4%

  • I hate you, duh (i'm sorry)

    Votes: 58 29.9%
  • Total voters
    194
D

docdude

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The title says it all, what would you choose if you were IS UCSF or Vanderbilt for full tuition +$3000 stipend for all 4 years? And then if you have time, why?
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And I thought these polls were just a myth.
 
I'll give you a why before I hit the sack. UCSF. Why, because I'm going there. But I don't have the Vandy scholarship. And because it's California!
 
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ucsf bc its cheap (id be ok with being somewhat in debt...) and i would love to be in cali
 
Stolenspatulas said:
ucsf bc its cheap (id be ok with being somewhat in debt...) and i would love to be in cali
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UCSF isn't really that cheap even for instate. Have you seen their ridiculous fees? Tuition is only like 13k, where fees eat up twice that.
 
If I were coming straight out of college and used to living in urban Cali, I'd still take UCSF, but I wouldn't argue against Vandy at all.

If I were older and/or already had considerable debt, I'd take the cheaper option. Truth be told, I probably would have a predisposition to take any decent private school if it were for free just to get a diverse student body, but the thought of living in a liberal community vs. the south is quite palatable.
 
I'm in no debt so far, I've lived on the east and west coasts, and I'm a bit older. I'd have to check the 25-30 bubble.
 
docdude said:
I'm in no debt so far, I've lived on the east and west coasts, and I'm a bit older. I'd have to check the 25-30 bubble.
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Okay then. If you have a wife, family, or stable living situation I'd take Vandy. If your life is a clean slate, I'd take UCSF.
 
don't underestimate the value of being happy where you are. If I had that choice I would have gone with UCSF.
 
reject Vandy so maybe just maybe they'll give that scholarship to me :oops:
 
jjmack said:
don't underestimate the value of being happy where you are. If I had that choice I would have gone with UCSF.
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Definitely agree. The south is considerably different than the coasts. OP, do you like college football?
 
Critical Mass said:
Definitely agree. The south is considerably different than the coasts. OP, do you like college football?
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I'm more about soccer, actually. But for that I'll just have to get tickets to the World Cup in South Africa. And it will be hard for me to give up the coasts. But I've heard Nashville isn't that bad. But I guess compared to NYC, Boston, SF and LA it doesn't really compare?
 
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Depends on your personal circumstances.

If you're in-state, love SF, and have good personal reasons to stay in CA, I don't think you'll ever regret choosing UCSF.
 
My good friend had the choice of Stanford, UCSF or free ride at Vanderbilt and took Stanford. She has never regretted it. UCSF was the next choice. She is from the east so it is a refreshing change of scenery. Which location do you prefer. Vanderbilt is a wonderful school but certainly Nashville is very different to California and very southern. Sounds like you can't lose! They are both amazing schools.
 
Critical Mass said:
Definitely agree. The south is considerably different than the coasts. OP, do you like college football?
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College football? If you go to Vandy, have fun being last place in the SEC.... :smuggrin:

BTW, the South is alot different than what's typically associated with the "east coast."
 
Well, I obviously know I like the Bay Area (went to undergrad there). Nashville I have no clue. I'm very liberal however, so the south (as portrayed in the media) makes me a little nervous. Most of my family currently lives in CA (all over it), so there is that piece too. It's one of those decisions that feels a little wrong either way. But at the same time, neither can be bad, you know?
 
While no San Francisco, Nashville is certainly not a conservative, backwoods city. The mayor is a Democrat and you'll even get the chance to meet him one-on-one during second look weekend. It's a pretty progressive and friendly place to live, with the number of schools in the area earning it the nickname "Athens of the South."
 
You should take a look at Vandy's match list. If you are worried about getting into a top program, then fear not. Vandy's students match incredibly well. After Vandy, Harvard, Hopkins, and Wash U are usually close down the list. The city life is certainly different, but we tend to match extremely well. No tuition? Are you serious? Go for it.
 
Vanderbilt is kicking UCSF's as*! And, I am hated. But I really thank you dudes, this isn't an easy decision.
 
op - me too!! except out of state with regards to ucsf. so i've been pondering this one too. i'm coming from the east coast so i'm also a little worried about the south. i have to say at this point i'm leaning towards vandy. i left my interview day quite impressed and although nashville isn't sf it did seem lively and energetic. it is only 4 years and although you certainly want to be happy wherever you go i think a lot of that depends on your attitude... i think you can find your niche and enjoy yourself almost anywhere. i'm also a little older and so the prospect of coming out of school debt-free is especially appealing. besides, it gives you more flexibility and less stress later. i chose my undergrad based on finances (scholarship at a school in a sub-par location v. loans at a school in a better location) and it was probably one of the best decisions i've ever made. might not the right decision for everybody but for me it worked out really well. besides, do well at vandy and you can shoot for ucsf for residency and move back to sf debt-free. be curious to hear what you decide...
 
dbh said:
besides, do well at vandy and you can shoot for ucsf for residency and move back to sf debt-free. be curious to hear what you decide...
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kinda offtopic, but I don't like it when such claims are made. sure you might get that residency at UCSF, but getting a residency at a top institution (assuming in this instance that UCSF has a top program in the OP's specialty of choice) can be difficult if not impossible just due to the fact that there are so few spots (sometimes <5) in an individual residency program. In super-competitive specialties, you might be SOL. A rule of the thumb is that if you have your heart set on doing a residency in a particular location, you should goto med school there (all things else being equal).
 
fair enough... just trying to point out that the op doesn't have to remain in nashville for the rest of his life and that if he does well at vandy he's got a shot at great residencies... never said he was guaranteed a residency at ucsf or that'd he'd necessarily want to go there... just using it as an example of a place he could shoot for if he so chose.
 
13K is cheap for med school. I'm paying twice that for a state school. UCSF man
 
turkleton said:
13K is cheap for med school. I'm paying twice that for a state school. UCSF man
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At UCSF, fees eat up $22-23k....with room and board, you're looking at almost $40k/year to go there. Pretty expensive state school.
 
I absolutely hate debt because I think it can really hold you back from living a life that includes travel, decent housing, et cetera as you get older (Read during residency when you're in your 30s and still only making 40-50k per year with loan payback to deal with). So, I say go for the full tuition scholarship at Vanderbilt. It's not in San Francisco, but it's still a decently ranked school with a great reputation.
 
My guess is that if you ask any doc in the country over the age of 30, they will tell you to take the full ride. Take it, as long as you can stomach Vandy for 4 years.
 
if at the end of the day you're second guessing a full-ride opportunity -- there may be deeper issues involved that will require further introspection.

is here something innately flawed about Vandy that would preclude you from taking the full ride? or is there something wonderful about UCSF that bugs you about turning it down? once you pinpoint which side you're questioning, ask yourself if the reason is legitimately yours or based on an outside force.

for example, I know that in CA (SF Bay area especially), there's just so much of an aura around UCSF that turning down the name-brand would be insane to some people. is peer pressure / family opinion influencing your decision?

if you aren't able to pinpoint the cause for your preference qualitatively -- SDNers are known to do things quantitatively. write down your factors of interest (location, money, reputation, residency placements) and give each factor a weighing score to see how much each factor is worth to you. then give each factor your OWN grade to see which school comes out on top.
 
So Towelie,

Does that mean you have decided to take your scholarship offer rather than Hopkins? Just curious.
 
I think there will be a lot of Vandy (fullride) versus Hopkins/UCSF/UPenn discussions. Vanderbilt knows that the hell they're doing. Vanderbilt's match list is good for a reason...
 
dbh said:
op - me too!! except out of state with regards to ucsf. so i've been pondering this one too. i'm coming from the east coast so i'm also a little worried about the south. i have to say at this point i'm leaning towards vandy. i left my interview day quite impressed and although nashville isn't sf it did seem lively and energetic. it is only 4 years and although you certainly want to be happy wherever you go i think a lot of that depends on your attitude... i think you can find your niche and enjoy yourself almost anywhere. i'm also a little older and so the prospect of coming out of school debt-free is especially appealing. besides, it gives you more flexibility and less stress later. i chose my undergrad based on finances (scholarship at a school in a sub-par location v. loans at a school in a better location) and it was probably one of the best decisions i've ever made. might not the right decision for everybody but for me it worked out really well. besides, do well at vandy and you can shoot for ucsf for residency and move back to sf debt-free. be curious to hear what you decide...
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So that means that the hate part of the poll is for you as well :), except I get more of it because I started the poll. I do have a few extraneous factors. I have an SO who just got into law school in the bay area (argh). Which is wonderful, but it definitely added to the weight of the decision. I'd been leaning toward Vanderbilt before that (they found out last week). But that said, my SO would go wherever I go (planning the proposal...). But we're still waiting for financial aid packages. Again, thank you all so much for your input.
 
full ride plus 3000 stidpend????

why do you get a stipend? lol - is this for mstp??

Hell - I'd go for the vandy deal w/o thinking...hands down. But if my parents were wealthy, then I'd think about it. If money isn't an issue, and I suspect it isn't...bah - let's see here

Full FREAKIN RIDE!! Plus a STIPEND!! at Vandy, a top 20 VS UCSF with no full ride, but is a top 10.

I suspect that you've already made up your mind, or else you would't have made this poll - just go to UCSF.
 
I would vote for UCSF coz i'm going there :D plus who would resist the sunny CA...:cool:
 
xylem29 said:
full ride plus 3000 stidpend????

why do you get a stipend? lol - is this for mstp??
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That would be an extremely poor MSTP stipend. I think that the NIH standard is over 20K these days. I'm guessing that it's left over after tuition.
 
I have to say Vandy -- great school and free money. How do you argue with that?

BTW, there are some liberals in Nashville, you know. The entire South doesn't subscribe to the religious right agenda; in fact, a lot of us hate having to put up with the stigma when there are so many other great things about the region.

I vote come to Nashville for free for a few years, and if you hate it, go somewhere else afterwards. That's just me though.
 
Lests55 said:
So Towelie,

Does that mean you have decided to take your scholarship offer rather than Hopkins? Just curious.
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If I had to decide today, then yes. $200K+ in debt scares me, regardless of what fancy name is on the diploma. If you can go to a top 20 and still match wherever you want if you do well, then why not take the money?
 
cal_girl said:
I would vote for UCSF coz i'm going there :D plus who would resist the sunny CA...:cool:
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You'll have to head about 300 miles south for "sunny CA". San Franciscans aren't as butt white as our eastern counterparts, but no one's getting on Baywatch either...
 
I'd go with UCSF but mostly because of location than anything else. If you happen to like where Vandy is, then I'm sure you'd be happy there.

I personally would prefer a large city, even if it's kinda earthquake prone and foggy.

Plus anyways, San Francisco is supposed to be a pretty sweet city =p

Just remember, that if you're going to San Francisco. Be sure to wear...some flowers in your hair...
(Those are lyrics people, lyrics)
 
docdude said:
Well, I obviously know I like the Bay Area (went to undergrad there). Nashville I have no clue. I'm very liberal however, so the south (as portrayed in the media) makes me a little nervous. Most of my family currently lives in CA (all over it), so there is that piece too. It's one of those decisions that feels a little wrong either way. But at the same time, neither can be bad, you know?
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I grew up in midtown Manhattan and when I went to Nashville it was a culture shock but after spending one summer there it was all okay. I then stayed there for four more years. It's a fun place and it's a VERY liberal pocket of the south. Southerners consider it more midwestern than south anyway.

Nashville is awesome. I would go with Vandy ALL THE WAY!
 
When did they offer you this scholarship, and how... mail phone? I thought they didnt start making these offers till april.....
 
njcaldwell said:
When did they offer you this scholarship, and how... mail phone? I thought they didnt start making these offers till april.....
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Just speculating, but I'm guessing that it came with the acceptance as a recruiting tool. Late money is usually given out after the slots are relatively solidified.
 
Dangit....

I was hoping that maybe I would get a scholarship from a school...

I guess... I was wrong. DOH!
 
njcaldwell said:
Dangit....

I was hoping that maybe I would get a scholarship from a school...

I guess... I was wrong. DOH!
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Last year the Canby Robinson scholarships were given out March 1. So there's still plenty of money to go around! :) Good luck!
 
SunshineNYC said:
Southerners consider it more midwestern than south anyway.
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wtf :confused:

I've lived in TN all my life (never Nashville) and I have heard nothing about Nashville being "midwestern"

see: Belle Meade, Brentwood, Grand Ole Opry, accents
 
njcaldwell said:
When did they offer you this scholarship, and how... mail phone? I thought they didnt start making these offers till april.....
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I know someone who got a full-ride to Vandy 3-4 months ago. I'm not sure that is the norm, however.
 
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