2018-2019 University of California - San Francisco

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So if we’ve already been awarded a scholarship, will we be awarded a grant as well? Or are the scholarships and grants the same thing?
I think the site said they are used interchangeably

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Same here. I was holding out for packages before I made my final decision. I thought UCSF was supposed to give good aid...
Lol thought the same. Maybe they're being a little conservative with how much they're dispersing and then somehow they'll "recalculate" and give more aid later.
 
Lol thought the same. Maybe they're being a little conservative with how much they're dispersing and then somehow they'll "recalculate" and give more aid later.
Lets hope. They’re having financial aid appointments at ASW as well, so that may be another chance for me to plead my case.

Edit: Also, if the 2017 tax return doesn’t reflect your family’s current financial situation at all, would it make a difference if you let the financial aid office know?
 
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In general, UCSF isn’t known for giving great aid. Merit scholarships are few and far between, and financial aid is spread amongst all who qualify.

If you’re OOS - remember that you can apply to pay IS tuition from MS2 on, so you won’t always have the OOS sticker shock.
 
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So if we’ve already been awarded a scholarship, will we be awarded a grant as well? Or are the scholarships and grants the same thing?

I doubt it. Likely the scholarship you got is more than the grant would be and replaces it. I didn’t qualify for need-based aid, though, so I don’t know specifics for particular scholarships.
 
I’ve been MIA for a minute but I just wanted to come back on here to tell y’all that I’m so excited to see you guys for second look! And yeah that aid is low key s**t lol
 
Also I have a question for all of the students here, does UCSF’s ranking in USNWR have any impact on whether or not you are deciding to go here?
 
Also I have a question for all of the students here, does UCSF’s ranking in USNWR have any impact on whether or not you are deciding to go here?
Not a current student, but it’s definitely affecting mine. Not because of arbitrary “prestige” or whatever, but because I feel like the “top” medical schools tend to treat their students better and in return the students tend to be happier and more well-adjusted. Just an observation though, not sure how much validity it has to it.
 
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Not a current student, but it’s definitely affecting mine. Not because of arbitrary “prestige” or whatever, but because I feel like the “top” medical schools tend to treat their students better and in return the students tend to be happier and more well-adjusted. Just an observation though, not sure how much validity it has to it.

When you say “treat their students better” what exactly do you mean? If you don’t mind elaborating a bit
 
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Also I have a question for all of the students here, does UCSF’s ranking in USNWR have any impact on whether or not you are deciding to go here?

I came here because the Bay Area is my favorite place to live by far, it was my cheapest option, it was my most prestigious option, and I appreciated the focus of the school on patient care rather than shiny new buildings. So yes, it was a factor.

Certainly, I think the UCSF name helped me on the residency interview trail. But it’s hard to quantify the exact amount.
 
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When you say “treat their students better” what exactly do you mean? If you don’t mind elaborating a bit
I just feel like most of the horror stories I’ve heard about pimping and such have been from schools outside the T25 or so, which makes me think that higher ranked schools may be a bit “gentler” with their teaching methods? Kind of like how people who went to the Ivies for undergrad got their hand held more than people who went to large state schools.

But I’m talking from the outside looking in so I don’t actually know what I’m talking about for real LMAO
 
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I just feel like most of the horror stories I’ve heard about pimping and such have been from schools outside the T25 or so, which makes me think that higher ranked schools may be a bit “gentler” with their teaching methods? Kind of like how people who went to the Ivies for undergrad got their hand held more than people who went to large state schools.

But I’m talking from the outside looking in so I don’t actually know what I’m talking about for real LMAO

From what I've heard, it seems like the hierarchical culture is mostly a West Coast vs East Coast thing, but have also heard similar horror stories about rotations at lower quality hospitals (i.e. County vs University hospitals) being bad.
 
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From what I've heard, it seems like the hierarchical culture is mostly a West Coast vs East Coast thing, but have also heard similar horror stories about rotations at lower quality hospitals (i.e. County vs University hospitals) being bad.
Definitely some regional influence there as well, which is part of the reason why UCSF is my top choice.
 
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I just feel like most of the horror stories I’ve heard about pimping and such have been from schools outside the T25 or so, which makes me think that higher ranked schools may be a bit “gentler” with their teaching methods? Kind of like how people who went to the Ivies for undergrad got their hand held more than people who went to large state schools.

But I’m talking from the outside looking in so I don’t actually know what I’m talking about for real LMAO

There’s definitely some pimping, especially in surgery, but I don’t think it’s mean spirited the way it might be in some places? And I say that as someone who hates pimping and finds it a terrible way to stimulate learning.
 
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There’s definitely some pimping, especially in surgery, but I don’t think it’s mean spirited the way it might be in some places? And I say that as someone who hates pimping and finds it a terrible way to stimulate learning.
Depending on one's personality type, I can definitely see it being a valuable teaching method as long as the preceptor isn't being overly malicious.
 
Depending on one's personality type, I can definitely see it being a valuable teaching method as long as the preceptor isn't being overly malicious.

I personally don’t like it because the stress of being on the spot both decreases my chances of remembering the answer if I know it and of me learning and retaining that information for the future. :shrug:
 
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There’s definitely some pimping, especially in surgery, but I don’t think it’s mean spirited the way it might be in some places? And I say that as someone who hates pimping and finds it a terrible way to stimulate learning.

I’m sorry if this is a dumb question lol but what exactly do you mean by pimping in this context? Lmao I’m asking cuz these are things I haven’t really considered before and this is all quite interesting me to me?
 
I’m sorry if this is a dumb question lol but what exactly do you mean by pimping in this context? Lmao I’m asking cuz these are things I haven’t really considered before and this is all quite interesting me to me?
Asking tough questions of medical students in front of the group (and sometimes even patients) while on clinical rotation.
 
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For current students at UCSF on this thread, or anyone who may be knowledgeable, how is it determined who gets AOA at UCSF?
 
For current students at UCSF on this thread, or anyone who may be knowledgeable, how is it determined who gets AOA at UCSF?
Honors received on clinical rotations + extracurricular/leadership involvement, broadly speaking.
 
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For current students at UCSF on this thread, or anyone who may be knowledgeable, how is it determined who gets AOA at UCSF?

Technically it’s as above. It’s really a hot mess in practice - I can name a whole 2 people who got it who were actually good third years rather than just gunners/brown-nosers - but presumably they’ll have to use better criteria now that MS3 will be p/f.
 
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I really want to go here but the aid was not good and I have a full ride at another T20. Is it worth it to take on loans to go to my top choice or just take the free ride.
 
I would take the full ride. As you age, you will find that financial freedom is a big deal.
 
Yes financial freedom is good. But isn’t pursuing my dream school even more important? And doesn’t going to UCSF give me a better chance of matching into my dream speciality which is very competitive since it is T5 vs T20
 
Yes financial freedom is good. But isn’t pursuing my dream school even more important? And doesn’t going to UCSF give me a better chance of matching into my dream speciality which is very competitive since it is T5 vs T20

It’s up to you, really. As soon as I got the A here I knew I was attending- but it was my cheapest option anyway, so I didn’t have that financial pressure. What do you like about UCSF? What are the pros and cons versus your other school? How much of a difference will cost be? All things to consider and weigh.

Having the UCSF name may help with matching a competitive specialty, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get there from a T20 school. And you may change your mind during medical school anyway.
 
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Yes financial freedom is good. But isn’t pursuing my dream school even more important? And doesn’t going to UCSF give me a better chance of matching into my dream speciality which is very competitive since it is T5 vs T20

I would definitely take the full ride, T20 or not. That’s a phenomenal achievement (so congratulations!) and is definitely something that should be highly considered. Do you think people are rethinking NYU just because it dropped out of the top 5? Most likely not. However, this is your choice and no one else’s; would you be happier at UCSF as opposed to this school? Because financial stress can definitely put a hamper on that.
 
Thank you! I would be happier at the school that gives me a better chance at my dream speciality. I have shadowed my uncle for years and have loved what his work life balance and what he has accomplished. Money comes and goes but my opportunity to match into this speciality is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I also like the environment of UCSF a lot better. It was by far the most chill school that I interviewed at and San Francisco seems like an awesome place to live in. I like the other T20 school as well, but it’s hard to beat the Cali vibe. I guess my main question is would going to a T5 give any matching preference over the T20 for competitive specialities
 
Thank you! I would be happier at the school that gives me a better chance at my dream speciality. I have shadowed my uncle for years and have loved what his work life balance and what he has accomplished. Money comes and goes but my opportunity to match into this speciality is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I also like the environment of UCSF a lot better. It was by far the most chill school that I interviewed at and San Francisco seems like an awesome place to live in. I like the other T20 school as well, but it’s hard to beat the Cali vibe. I guess my main question is would going to a T5 give any matching preference over the T20 for competitive specialities

I think none of it matters unless you get a great step score. And from what I’ve heard from most people, is the schools don’t prepare you for step. They prepare you to be a good doctor and it’s your job to study and prepare for step 1. So do well on that exam, start getting involved in your specialty interest as soon as possible, network well, and you will be fine no matter if it’s T5 or T20.
 
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Can you still apply for COLS if you’re waitlisted?
 
Can you still apply for COLS if you’re waitlisted?
In the email, it said we can apply still if we are admitted after April 5th.

Also my heart skipped a few beats when I thought I had missed an email saying I got accepted. I'm guessing they sent this to waitlisted students too :(
 
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Got the COLS email but was rejected earlier in December post-interview. Anyone else rejected get the COLS email?
 
In the email, it said we can apply still if we are admitted after April 5th.

Also my heart skipped a few beats when I thought I had missed an email saying I got accepted. I'm guessing they sent this to waitlisted students too :(

Ugh same! Heart def stopped
 
In the email, it said we can apply still if we are admitted after April 5th.

Also my heart skipped a few beats when I thought I had missed an email saying I got accepted. I'm guessing they sent this to waitlisted students too :(
Ahh for some reason in my mind I thought “apply later” meant like “it’s ok, you can try next year”
 
Can a current student comment on the relatively low step scores for UCSF compared to other top schools? I'm thinking maybe the Bridges curriculum doesn't prepare students as well as some of the peer schools but would love some perspective on this!

I believe it has to do with what @Reyluvbry said. The bridges curriculum, as with most other curricula, prepares you to be a good doctor, not to get a high step score, so the average step scores depend on the study skills of the student and how much they put in to getting their scores. I’m not a student here yet though so if anything take my advice with a grain of salt!
 
I believe it has to do with what @Reyluvbry said. The bridges curriculum, as with most other curricula, prepares you to be a good doctor, not to get a high step score, so the average step scores depend on the study skills of the student and how much they put in to getting their scores. I’m not a student here yet though so if anything take my advice with a grain of salt!

Also - at most there’s one Bridges class that’s taken step 1, and I’m honestly not sure how many of them have since they’re still at the end of MS3. So step scores are probably mostly if not all from us old curriculum folks.
 
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Something to keep in mind with Step scores is that a significant proportion of UCSF students are interested in primary cares specialties, so they don't feel the pressure to study crazy hard to gun for a 255.

You can also see in the link below that the average step score of UCSF in 2016 was identical to Hopkins and Stanford. A few points difference in average step score doesn't really mean anything. For the most part, you'll be studying for Step 1 on your own at any school and the step score average is more indicative of how hard students studied for it (based on what specialty they want to go into) more than any individual difference between the curriculum of the top schools. And the UCSF name definitely helps when it comes to applying to residency programs.


As the poster above me mentioned, UCSF also recently switched to taking Step 1 after a year of clerkships and no data has been published about that yet. But if you're concerned about being able to match into a competitive speciality out of UCSF, you shouldn't be! Any of the top twenty schools will give you a great chance to match into a good program as long as you do well.
 
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Also, the difference in tuition is full ride vs all loans
At that point, I'd personally go with the full ride. The difference between a top 20 and a top 5 is not as great as you all think, and that's a lot of debt to unnecessary saddle yourself with. But it depends on how much financial independence in your future career matters to you!
 
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Something to keep in mind with Step scores is that a significant proportion of UCSF students are interested in primary cares specialties, so they don't feel the pressure to study crazy hard to gun for a 255.

You can also see in the link below that the average step score of UCSF in 2016 was identical to Hopkins and Stanford. A few points difference in average step score doesn't really mean anything. For the most part, you'll be studying for Step 1 on your own at any school and the step score average is more indicative of how hard students studied for it (based on what specialty they want to go into) more than any individual difference between the curriculum of the top schools. And the UCSF name definitely helps when it comes to applying to residency programs.


As the poster above me mentioned, UCSF also recently switched to taking Step 1 after a year of clerkships and no data has been published about that yet. But if you're concerned about being able to match into a competitive speciality out of UCSF, you shouldn't be! Any of the top twenty schools will give you a great chance to match into a good program as long as you do well.

Thank you so much for this! I found this incredibly helpful and informative!
 
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Something to keep in mind with Step scores is that a significant proportion of UCSF students are interested in primary cares specialties, so they don't feel the pressure to study crazy hard to gun for a 255.

You can also see in the link below that the average step score of UCSF in 2016 was identical to Hopkins and Stanford. A few points difference in average step score doesn't really mean anything. For the most part, you'll be studying for Step 1 on your own at any school and the step score average is more indicative of how hard students studied for it (based on what specialty they want to go into) more than any individual difference between the curriculum of the top schools. And the UCSF name definitely helps when it comes to applying to residency programs.


As the poster above me mentioned, UCSF also recently switched to taking Step 1 after a year of clerkships and no data has been published about that yet. But if you're concerned about being able to match into a competitive speciality out of UCSF, you shouldn't be! Any of the top twenty schools will give you a great chance to match into a good program as long as you do well.

To be clear- my class was 40% primary care/60% subspecialties based on our match list this year, and I think prior years were similar. Whether that impacts step scores or not can only be speculated. Generally, everyone wants as high a score as they can get, as that opens the door to top programs in less-competitive fields.

If anything, I imagine the lower step scores were related to the relatively short amount of dedicated study time we were given compared to other schools. I believe said time has increased with Bridges.
 
I am part of that "first class of Bridges". Yes, we get 8 protected weeks now. Many of us took less than that. Some people found a way to make it 12. I don't have insider data yet but anecdotally many of us were very pleased with our scores. :)

Please don't worry about step when making this decision.
 
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I am part of that "first class of Bridges". Yes, we get 8 protected weeks now. Many of us took less than that. Some people found a way to make it 12. I don't have insider data yet but anecdotally many of us were very pleased with our scores. :)

Please don't worry about step when making this decision.

Thanks for your input. Would you please briefly comment on the new grading system for our clinical years? Is it p/np for all MS3 rotations? How does this affect residency applications? Are we graded during our 4th year? thank you!
 
I'm WL here and SO is trying to decide whether or not to commit to a nearby NorCal med school. I've sent in my LOI here and going crazy! If anyone has any tips or similar experiences (probably long shot) feel free to message me. This post was kinda just to vent as well lol thanks! :)
 
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Thanks for your input. Would you please briefly comment on the new grading system for our clinical years? Is it p/np for all MS3 rotations? How does this affect residency applications? Are we graded during our 4th year? thank you!
Right now it's P/F for third year rotations for c/o 2021 and beyond, H/P/F fourth year but things might change since like others have mentioned, this is the first year the school has gone P/F clerkships. Honestly I don't know how this would affect residency apps since my class still got grades, maybe one of the MS2/3s on here can comment if they know.
 
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Right now it's P/F for third year rotations for c/o 2021 and beyond, H/P/F fourth year but things might change since like others have mentioned, this is the first year the school has gone P/F clerkships. Honestly I don't know how this would affect residency apps since my class still got grades, maybe one of the MS2/3s on here can comment if they know.

I have a friend who took time off and is finishing third year now - sounds like all third year rotations are p/f but fourth year is still h/p/f, at least for him. Not sure if it’s different for the MS2 class.

I’ve posted before how I feel that p/f third year is overall positive for matching, but different people may feel differently.
 
For people considering/doing off campus housing, how much are you all considering paying a month? Whether it’s a studio/one bed or splitting with 1+ people. Not including the possible COLS
 
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Received an acceptance email last week. Couldn't be more excited, my first choice! I was on the waitlist since January and was completely caught off guard. Looking forward to meeting some of my future classmates later this month!
 
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Received an acceptance email last week. Couldn't be more excited, my first choice! I was on the waitlist since January and was completely caught off guard. Looking forward to meeting some of my future classmates later this month!
holyyy...congrats! That must be so exciting. Def was not expecting WL movement before the deadline.
 
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