My original post was simply a response to the opinion that UCLA does not care about how interested you are in their program and was based in FACTS I have heard from various adcom. You went ahead and turned this into a discussion of whether or not all people love LA and how it compares to other schools etc. If you don't like LA for whatever reason and were accepted at UCSD then you should be ecstatic and have no reason to argue with me on the UCLA thread. However, I highly doubt that IF offered an acceptance at UCLA, you would take UCSD over it. This is because, like I have said before, 95% or more of people would take a UCLA acceptance over one at UCSD med. Who are you to say that the devotion of people such as myself to UCLA is mindless? If you don't care for the school then why don't you withdraw from the WL?
In response to the other posters comments about UCSD. I think UCSD is a great program, I really do. It was one of my top choices going into the application process due to its great location, prestige, and research opportunities. Many people would love to go to UCSD for med school. However, when compared against UCLA, the vast majority prefer UCLA because, although the differences are small, they generally favor UCLA. Ranking of UCLAs program is higher, overall name recognition is higher, grading is true P/F as opposed to Honors, etc, affiliated hospitals are more renowned (3rd best hospital in the nation), most, not all, prefer living in LA to SD, and finally the consensus is that the environment at UCLA is more laid back and less competitive.
Now, this is not to take anything away from UCSD. There are tons of applicants from CA that would kill to have a UCSD acceptance and not be forced to leave the state. Its simply that very few would prefer UCSD over UCLA, assuming they come out to be the same price (meaning you don't have a scholarship offer from UCSD). Most people on the UCSD thread who have been discussing this issue have also reached this conclusion.
That is all.
