Amazing offers- need help sorting it all out!! Please offer advice!

[JasonE]

No argument there... I really was convinced that the MD-PhD route was ideal for me until I started interviewing and interacting with MD-PhD students. They seemed like good enough people...but not necessarily a cohort that I could identify with. Part of being in college is figuring out what's a good fit for you and changing your mind accordingly. It's really hard to know what you want unless you've experienced what it is like to hold those degrees and pursue that career. I would like to try med school first, I think, and add the PhD later if it becomes apparent that I really want it. It's hard to even say this statement definitively, though, because less than a week ago I was "definitely" pursuing the MD-PhD. Le sigh...

yea thats the best approach IMO. the wait and see type. you know you want to do the MD, so stick with that for now. add the phd later if you want to. and for this reason as well, i choose SD!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Appless]

sounds like you made your decision violin grats! Im always happy to see stories like this, in some ways it reminds me of my app cycle. After reading your PS/ 2ndary i was like wow, its almost a copy of mine lol. I had a poor mcat too (29). At least we can be like the 2 random stories of people who sdn thinks shouldnt have gotten accepted to decent schools but still did! We can be outlier data that gives people hope yay

 

[eedoctor]

No one says "hella" in Southern California - this statement alone completely discredits your post!

the person who gave me the tour of UCSD kept saying 'like this is where we go..., like... this is where we study... like...., like..., like....'

it almost drove me insane.

the people who hosted me at UCSD and UCI habitually used the word 'hella'.

 

[violincuty]

the person who gave me the tour of UCSD kept saying 'like this is where we go..., like... this is where we study... like...., like..., like....'

it almost drove me insane.

the people who hosted me at UCSD and UCI habitually used the word 'hella'.

Well, in all of my time in southern California (and I practically grew up there without living there...), I've never heard anyone say "hella" unless they were jokingly mocking valley girls. The overuse of the word "like" is just a generational thing, I think. Out of all of my interviews, I think I heard the word "like" at my Hopkins interview more than anywhere else. Southern California has it's own culture, there's no arguing that, but I don't think it's fair to say it's a bad place or that people there are stuck up, stupid, etc. There are over 8 million people in LA county alone (not sure about San Diego), so there is bound to be a mix of all types. I am sure you can find valley girls if you actively seek them out, but I haven't had that experience at the medical school campuses. I am sorry you had a negative experience, though

 

[violincuty]

sounds like you made your decision violin grats! Im always happy to see stories like this, in some ways it reminds me of my app cycle. After reading your PS/ 2ndary i was like wow, its almost a copy of mine lol. I had a poor mcat too (29). At least we can be like the 2 random stories of people who sdn thinks shouldnt have gotten accepted to decent schools but still did! We can be outlier data that gives people hope yay

Yep, we rock! Isn't it cool being an anomaly? I am so excited for us!! It's great to be able to inspire people with our stories. Now let's hope the universe doesn't Q-test us out!

 

[violincuty]

Due to all the bashing of UC schools and misconceptions on this thread, I feel compelled to post this (though I already posted it on the UCSD app thread this morning, sorry if you're seeing this twice). Doesn't this sound like a great place to receive medical training? It sure does to me!
A current first year sent me this email this morning. I assume it went to all newly admitted students. (I posted it exactly as it was sent to me, but I did take out student's names/email addresses to respect their privacy.)


"Congratulations on your acceptance to the UCSD School of Medicine! My name is _____, and I am the Incoming Student Representative for the first year class. I know you've worked extremely hard to be where you are now. This marks the beginning of a very exciting year!

Now that you have been accepted, choosing a medical school can a daunting task. I truly love it here at UCSD for many, many reasons, and I could not be happier with my decision to come here. My job is to answer any questions about UCSD, living in La Jolla, adjusting to medical school etc, so that you can make the decision that’s best for you.

Please feel free to ask me about anything you would like. If I do not know the answer to your question, I will pass it on to someone who can better answer it. I want to make sure you’re aware of all the pros (of which there are many) and cons (of which there are few) of UCSD so that you can find that perfect fit.

Here’s a table of contents of what’s in this letter. There will be a lot of content (there’s a whole lot to say!), but I hope this will be a good reference for you as you make your decision.

1. The curriculum
2. Incredible academic support!
3. Electives, extracurriculars, and research
4. The indescribable awesomeness of our classmates
5. The super supportive administration
6. Life in gorgeous, interesting San Diego
7. Housing

Okay, here goes!

----- 1. The curriculum -----
a. LECTURE: As you’ve heard, your curriculum will NOT be lecture-based as ours was. It’s understandable that you may be apprehensive about the new curriculum, but remember that medical schools have to teach the same information no matter what – what we’re doing is more of a reorganization. You’ll likely have many of the same lecturers that we did, and they will provide lecture slides or even a written “syllabus”, which is like a mini-textbook on their topic. And hey – you don’t even have to go because 1) all slides are posted online, 2) most lectures are podcasted, and, best of all, 3) a classmate is assigned (and paid!) to take notes in each lecture, so you won’t miss the tasty tidbits that the prof says. People actually submit their notes after the first day of the class’ lecture and the best one is chosen, so you know you’re getting high quality study materials. Some people go to all lectures, some people go to none, and most people are somewhere in between. We love this because you can balance your schedule the way that makes you happiest and healthiest. You can skip lecture to sleep in, study for something else, or to go surfing! Without this flexibility and academic support, the student body wouldn’t be as happy and balanced as we are.

b. SMALL GROUPS: The new curriculum will be amplifying a portion of the old curriculum by increasing small-group time. Problem-based learning (PBL) has always been a part of our curriculum. Currently, nearly every class has some small-group component. We’ve had small group sessions discussing respiratory function of patients at high altitude for Organ Physiology, calculating proper drug doses for Pharmacology, and patient interviewing for our doctoring class, just to name a few. For me, small groups have been SUPER helpful to reinforce the information we get in lecture. As physicians, we will always be working in “small groups”, teaching our colleagues and learning from one another. The new curriculum will be a great way to foster this type of environment.

c. GRADING: Starting next year, your class will be completely pass/fail for the first two years, and there are honors possible during your clinical rotations. As far as I know, ever school has honors during the clinical rotations, as these are important for distinguishing candidates in the residency application process. And don’t worry about demonstrating your excellence to residency directors in the absence of preclinical honors; according to our professors, residents, and the AAMC, clinical honors (NOT preclinical honors) are very important for residency placement.


----- 2. Incredible academic support! -----
The academic support at UCSD is incredible! UCSD is the only med school in the country with a dedicated professional tutorial office called OESS (Office for Educational Support and Services). There are several tutors with advanced science degrees whose job it is to know our lecture material, hold office hours and review sessions, and provide study materials. They are truly an amazing resource! The nice thing about medical school at UCSD is that unlike your undergraduate experience, you are no longer proving yourself here. We already know you are smart! Those that go to the OESS are not thought of as any less bright than those that don’t go. On the contrary, those that go to OESS are the students who end up rocking the test!
Additionally, professors and fellow classmates are great resources. When I came to UCSD, I was truly amazing by how collaborative the students are. The mentality is that we want to succeed as a class. Because of the way our grading system is set up, no one has to fail. If the whole class scores above a 70%, then we all passed! I spend very little time studying by myself, and am often in the library’s group study rooms going over lectures or doing practice problems with classmates. We also have a forum where students post questions on lecture material, and other students, professors or OESS respond. It is an amazing resource! One of my classmates wrote over one hundred practice problems for a recent test, and posted it online for others to use. People also post charts, mnemonics, outside resources, etc. The tutorial office, in addition to the podcasting and note taking services, shows us that the school truly wants us to succeed.

There is a myth that circulated during MY application cycle that UCSD is full of competitive, unhappy gunners. This is absolutely untrue, for the reasons I have described above. I WILL say that this sentiment used to be true; however, our new administration (Dean Kelly et. al.) has done a spectacular job of choosing great students and creating specific programs and a general atmosphere that is very warm and welcoming. We work together to understand the challenging material. The collaborative environment is one of the things I love most about UCSD SOM.



----- 3. Electives, extracurriculars, and research -----
a. ELECTIVES: UCSD offers a broad range of interesting electives every quarter. I am currently taking Medical Spanish, and learning how to teach a diabetic patient to how to measure blood sugar completely in Spanish. I am also taking the free clinic class. This brings me to another amazing thing about UCSD, the Student Run Free Clinics! There are three clinic sites, Pacific Beach, Downtown, and Baker. Each clinic serves a unique patient population with particular challenges. In addition to providing primary care, there are also specialty clinics for Cardiology, Neurology, Dermatology, Orthopedics, Women’s Health and many more! In addition, we also offer acupuncture and dental care. These clinics are a great way to practice the skills of interviewing and physical examination that you learn in class. For me, it has been a great way to remind myself each week of why I am in medical school! Other electives include preceptorships in various specialties, International Health, Politics of Medicine, Nutrition, and more… There’s another neat one in which you get assigned to a pregnant woman, go to all her appointments, and get to see the birth. This is an awesome way to tailor your curriculum to YOU!

b. EXTRACURRICULARS: The medical students are active in extracurricular activities on and off campus! There are many student interest groups that you can be can interact with formally or informally. For example, the various interest groups invite physicians in the field to speak about their experiences, usually during our lunch breaks (lunch provided!). Many students are involved in sports activities. For example, a group of students meets every Friday to play pick-up soccer. Many students also play Intramural sports such as basketball. There are also awesome classes offered through the UCSD Recreation Department. I have always wanted to learn to surf, so this fall I posted on our student forum about taking a surf class. A bunch of my class mates signed up as well, so all of Fall quarter I learned to surf with 12 of my classmates (that’s 10% of the class!!) Some of my classmates have taken dance classes, tennis classes etc. Pretty much if there is something you want to be involved in, you will find it here at UCSD. And if not, you can start your own club or interest group! It is important to

c. RESEARCH: Research at UCSD is amazingly easy to get involved in, and extremely well-supported. So many grants are available from the NIH that most people able to get one. When (x student), the second year Incoming Student Representative was searching for a lab last year, the first doctor she emailed replied eagerly, offered her a first-authorship, and told her not to worry about funding! You should feel free to email her to find out more about her research experience (email address was inserted here). Now, you don’t have to do research by any means – you may have heard about our required Independent Study Project (to be completed by graduation), but this doesn’t have to be basic science research. It could be creating a healthy eating curriculum for local kids, writing poetry about medicine, or doing a clinical study on diabetic patients. It’s whatever you make it out to be, and it can be a great asset for residency applications. We even get time off in fourth year to finish the project.

----- 4. The indescribable awesomeness of my classmates -----
In my opinion, this is the MOST important reason to choose to come to UCSD. My classmates (yes, both the first and second years) are so friendly, supportive, interesting, inclusive, and intelligent. They are some of the most amazing people I have ever met. Although I am not friends with every single person in the class, I can honestly say that I can pick out something awesome about every single one of my peers. The vast majority of social activities are open to everyone: happy hour, birthday parties, camping trips etc. Just this past weekend, people posted on the forum about going to restaurant week (great time to try new restaurants!), beach camping, IM basketball, and a movie night. When I came to interview at UCSD, I realized that I really liked the people that I had the chance to interact with. I encourage you to take this into consideration when choosing a medical school. You will be spending an extraordinary amount of time with your classmates, and hopefully they are people who you not only get along with, but can learn from and enjoy spending time with.

----- 5. The super supportive administration -----
The administration truly listens to what we want and does what it can to take action. They’ve worked to accommodate our requests and concerns regarding testing dates and lecture organization. They also emphasize that their doors are open to all of us, and I would honestly feel comfortable going to any of them if I had a major problem. By the way, they actually know your name! I was amazed at the beginning of the year when Dean Kelly or Ramon Aldecoa, the Director of Student Life, said hello to me by name and struck up a conversation. We can’t express how wonderful it is to be in such a supportive environment!


----- 6. Life in gorgeous, interesting San Diego -----
There are so many things to do, regardless of what you like. Location is SO important during medical school because it’s stressful and you NEED to have a way to escape and relax. San Diego is perfect for me –it might not be perfect for you, so I hope to give you a picture of what life is like here so that you can decide if it’s right for you too.

I love that there are a variety of districts with different places to explore. You can find everything from great comedy clubs to fun bars to fancy restaurants to the zoo to public parks to beaches (GORGEOUS!!!) to cheap Mexican food. It’s great that San Diego has downtown areas but still maintains a relaxed, suburban feel –it’s not as crazy and fast-paced as New York. In fact, a nationwide survey recently came out that ranked San Diego as the #2 most desirable place to live in the United States! (Apparently, Denver is marginally cooler…)

And finally – don’t underestimate the importance of weather! Medical school is hard enough, and anything you can do to make it easier (such as not having to shovel snow or take the Metro to school) will definitely help you out in the long run! It makes a big difference when we get stressed or tired. Whether or not this beautiful climate is right for you, I do think you should consider all these location-related factors when you choose your medical school.

----- 7. Housing -----
On-campus housing is one option – apartments are decent (but dormish in appearance, not so stylish) and pretty cheap, maybe $400-700/month. There’s a new housing complex being built (you might have seen the construction during your visit) that’ll provide more options for health sciences students as well. I currently live in One Miramar, which is one of the newest grad student housing complexes. I love it because I can walk to campus (about a 15 minute walk), or I can take the FREE UCSD shuttle if it is late or raining. Additionally, there are many off-campus housing options to choose from! There is a huge area of apartments that house undergrad and grad students within a couple miles of campus, and you can expect to pay $700-800/month for these nicer places. Some students, particularly in 3rd and 4th year, choose to move closer to the downtown hospitals; the Hillcrest area is a little cheaper and more “hip” (lots of cool restaurants and all that good stuff).


You have made it to the end of what has been a very long novel about why UCSD is awesome… I commend you. There are a lot of wonderful things to discover, and I hope I’ve shown you a good taste of that.

I wish you the best of luck with the rest of your interviews. Please let me know if you have any other questions about UCSD! I am looking forward to an awesome incoming class!"

 

[Parts Unknown]

I am sorry to hear about your friend's experience in the army. I have heard that the different branches treat their people differently, but I really don't know too much about it.

It was the Air Force, and you're right, the different branches have varying reputations. AFAIK, the Air Force is actually considered the "nicest" one, with the most humane work environment, the least chance of getting shipped into a hot zone, and the shortest payback. The Navy is at the opposite end of the spectrum.

I highly recommend you check out the Military Medicine subforum.

What little authority I have on this subject stems from having friends, colleagues, and family members do military medicine. I never even considered it. As I mentioned earlier, it does have legitimate appeal to some individuals; a classmate of mine went to undergrad and med school on the Air Force's dime, and then did Family Practice. He has no debt, good work hours, full benefits, a salary comparable to that made in the private sector, and by the time he's done with his payback he will almost be eligible for a pension. From a financial standpoint, he's the sort of doctor for which the military path makes total sense.

You, on the other hand, have the opportunity to graduate from an excellent medical school with a rather paltry amount of debt. In terms of maintaining both personal and academic freedom, this is a highly desirable set of circumstances. If I were in your shoes I would need a very, very, very, very, very good reason to forgo that freedom for a scholarship.

 

[thesauce]

First off, congrats on your acceptances!

As for the matters at hand: go for UCSD. You basically sound like you aren't really interested in Dartmouth at all. Plus, it's frickin San Diego. You would be crazy to not want to live there! And I agree about the homogeneity of the population in Hanover. Much more diverse in SD, and if the opportunities to do what YOU want (with the clinic and whatnot) are better, then what are you even debating about? Money isn't that big of a deal, as many other people have said previously.

Yeah, crowded AND expensive, who wouldn't want that?

 

[UnlonelyRoad]

Hello all! I am in desperate need of some unbiased advice- I thank everyone in advance for taking the time to read about my situation and offer a thoughtful response.

First of all, I want to say that I am incredibly fortunate. I came from a below average state school with a 28 on my MCAT, and somehow I was able to land acceptances at UCSD (MD-only for now, potentially MD-MPH (PRIME)) and Dartmouth (MD-PhD). The Dartmouth offer is fully-funded, and the UCSD offer is partially funded (~100k total debt for 4 years).

If I were going to follow my heart, it would be a simple decision. UCSD is on the west coast close to my family in LA, they have a strong internal initiative of helping underserved communities, I LOVE the student-run clinic, the students I met were serious but fun/well-rounded, and overall, it is where I want to be. It is a miracle that I even got in to UCSD as an OOS applicant with my scores! I worry about the debt, but I feel that they offered me a generous financial aid package (with my limited knowledge of what constitutes a "good" financial aid package for MD-only students). I could transfer internally, potentially, into the MSTP if I really wanted it; however, I am not entirely convinced that I want/need a PhD to acheive my career goals anymore. I have been doing a lot of soul-searching into what I am hoping to get out of my medical education as of late, and my desire to complete the PhD portion seems to be in flux.

Dartmouth is an incredible school, too. They had an extremely supportive student community, strengths in placing people into great residencies, lots of student involvement in the administration and incredible research opportunities. Their location in limiting, though, in that the population is quite homogeneous and the student-run clinic doesn't hold a candle to UCSD. However, I was one of only a handful of people to be accepted into the MD-PhD program here- it's a hard offer to turn down.

Other considerations- I am waitlisted at UCLA and I was approached recently by the navy offering me an HPSP scholarship for UCSD. The HPSP offer is incredibly tempting, but it would restrict where I can do my residency and it seems like it would isolate me from my medical school class. On the upside, I would finish medical school with no debt and a small savings. I could also practice medicine the way it is meant to be practiced- without worrying about malpractice, patients who cannot afford healthcare, etc, and I can give back to my country by helping injured soldiers. I would be limited in my options to help underserved populations and go on medical missions to third-world countries, though. Luckily, there is a Naval hospital in San Diego, so I would likely be able to stay there for residency. I have no idea what military life would be like, so if anyone has any insight into physician life in the military that they can share, I would greatly appreciate it. I wonder how easy it is to go into private practice in the civilian world coming froma naval residency- does anyone know what others have experienced in their transition?

I have incredible options, and I really appreciate being in this position! I know there are no wrong choices; however, I really want to make an educated decision, one that I will not regret in the long run. Thanks again for taking the time to help shed some light on my issue

I think the simplest way to make your decision is to decide if a PhD is important to you. If the PhD is important to you, you should go to Dartmouth (I went there for undergrad, it's a great place and if you want they let you do your clinical rotations off-campus, i.e. California). If you don't care about the PhD, pick the environment you think would make you the happiest, screw the $$$, burnout is a far bigger enemy than debt.

Additionally, if you're interested in rural or small town primary care, IIRC Dartmouth is pretty excellent at that, though that isn't most people's cup o' tea.

 

[naijaboi]

Hmmm...well, I certainly did not mean to piss anyone off with my choice of phrasing. I would argue that my situation is rather incredible, though. I don't encounter people with outcomes like mine every day I have several friends with much more impressive stats who have not yet been accepted anywhere. If that isn't incredible (relative to medical school admissions processes), what is?

You had a 3.9 - those are awesome stats. 28 MCAT is less than awesome but I am sure that your research experience and ECs made up for it. Obviously you are a diverse candidate who has had to excel in the most challenging circumstances. Of course medical schools would want you. No need to continue being so humble (a little humility is good; but too much become self-deprecating).

Congratulations on your excellent choices. If you don't foresee too much research in your future, an MD-PhD is not for you. I imagine that UCSD is relatively cheap compared to private schools. You get an excellent education from a renowned program as well. As a doctor you will make a decent salary, and you can pay off your loans. If you are keen in working with disadvantaged populations (and it seems that you are), there are several loan repayment programs available.

Also, not having an MD-PhD will not hurt your research chances. My P.I. is an MD, but he does some hardcore basic science stuff. We create cancer mouse models. And because he doesn't have a PhD background, we focus mostly on what is relevant to the diseases we study, and none of that esoteric stuff. His schedule is hectic, flexible, but he enjoys it. He is involved in clinical research as well, he teaches, and he also sees patients quite often. He also got most of his loans paid off through a research fellowship after medical school.

You are leaning towards UCSD. It will be an excellent choice, especially coming from Nevada. Hanover, NH is mad cold, and people in the east coast can be very grumpy, me included.

 

[violincuty]

First, I just want to say WOW...thanks for all of the feedback everyone!! I never expected this type of response. You guys are awesome

It was the Air Force, and you're right, the different branches have varying reputations. AFAIK, the Air Force is actually considered the "nicest" one, with the most humane work environment, the least chance of getting shipped into a hot zone, and the shortest payback. The Navy is at the opposite end of the spectrum.

I highly recommend you check out the Military Medicine subforum.

What little authority I have on this subject stems from having friends, colleagues, and family members do military medicine. I never even considered it. As I mentioned earlier, it does have legitimate appeal to some individuals; a classmate of mine went to undergrad and med school on the Air Force's dime, and then did Family Practice. He has no debt, good work hours, full benefits, a salary comparable to that made in the private sector, and by the time he's done with his payback he will almost be eligible for a pension. From a financial standpoint, he's the sort of doctor for which the military path makes total sense.

You, on the other hand, have the opportunity to graduate from an excellent medical school with a rather paltry amount of debt. In terms of maintaining both personal and academic freedom, this is a highly desirable set of circumstances. If I were in your shoes I would need a very, very, very, very, very good reason to forgo that freedom for a scholarship.

I will definitely check out that forum. I agree that academic freedom is invaluable, especially for someone like me. I wish I had a better idea of what I plan to do in my career, but I don't think that is something I will really know for years to come. The military decision is hard when you hear glowing positive reviews from people you trust (like your interviewer) and passionately negative reviews from other people you trust. I am leaning towards not doing it just because it seems like a high risk for me...

I really do appreciate you taking the time to speak to me about it, though. Before I write it off, I am going to visit the Naval base/hospital while I am already in SD for revisit. I'll let you know how that experience goes. Thanks again!

Yeah, crowded AND expensive, who wouldn't want that?

Eh...this may be true of the greater SD area (not sure, haven't spent too much time there), but the student housing is gorgeous and heavily subsidized. At UCSD, I will live in a large 1 or 2 bedroom apartment with great amenities for only $600-700/month. Living in Hanover (where Dartmouth is) would actually be much more expensive. But...I see your point. If you prefer rural countryside, SD probably isn't for you. Having come from Las Vegas, though, I am definitely more of a city girl, I think

I think the simplest way to make your decision is to decide if a PhD is important to you. If the PhD is important to you, you should go to Dartmouth (I went there for undergrad, it's a great place and if you want they let you do your clinical rotations off-campus, i.e. California). If you don't care about the PhD, pick the environment you think would make you the happiest, screw the $$$, burnout is a far bigger enemy than debt.

Additionally, if you're interested in rural or small town primary care, IIRC Dartmouth is pretty excellent at that, though that isn't most people's cup o' tea.

Yeah, that point has been raised many times, and I agree with all of you. It's hard for me to admit that I was so gung-ho about the PhD just weeks ago and now I've changed my mind. I don't think I've abandoned research, though. I think I've just realized that all of my goals are attainable with an MD and that I can always earn the PhD at a later date. This seems like a much more honest track for me. It seems like it's unusual that a student gets in to both an MD-PhD program and an MD-only program, so I feel fortunate to be able to make this decision Life is pretty darn good right now!

You had a 3.9 - those are awesome stats. 28 MCAT is less than awesome but I am sure that your research experience and ECs made up for it. Obviously you are a diverse candidate who has had to excel in the most challenging circumstances. Of course medical schools would want you. No need to continue being so humble (a little humility is good; but too much become self-deprecating).

Congratulations on your excellent choices. If you don't foresee too much research in your future, an MD-PhD is not for you. I imagine that UCSD is relatively cheap compared to private schools. You get an excellent education from a renowned program as well. As a doctor you will make a decent salary, and you can pay off your loans. If you are keen in working with disadvantaged populations (and it seems that you are), there are several loan repayment programs available.

Also, not having an MD-PhD will not hurt your research chances. My P.I. is an MD, but he does some hardcore basic science stuff. We create cancer mouse models. And because he doesn't have a PhD background, we focus mostly on what is relevant to the diseases we study, and none of that esoteric stuff. His schedule is hectic, flexible, but he enjoys it. He is involved in clinical research as well, he teaches, and he also sees patients quite often. He also got most of his loans paid off through a research fellowship after medical school.

You are leaning towards UCSD. It will be an excellent choice, especially coming from Nevada. Hanover, NH is mad cold, and people in the east coast can be very grumpy, me included.

Thanks for the thoughtful response! I am really not trying to be anything, I promise (humble or otherwise). I come from years of being battered by family and colleagues telling me that I will never make it to where I am- so I can't help but feel like I overcame some pretty unlikely odds. My grades are high, but I don't reflect on those grades and remember all the time I put into it. Sure I worked hard, but more so, I just did what I love to do. There are very few classes that I took and ECs that I did because I thought that I "had" to. I viewed my undergraduate education as an opportunity to try something new and discover my potential in science, perhaps that is why I had so many unique opportunities. I think that is one huge mistake that most undergrads make- they view their college education as a means to get to medical school rather than a part of their training that they will only complete once and one that they should make the most of. From my perspective, it is worth taking 5 years to complete the degree if you get to do everything it is you want to do! When else in your life will you be able to study abroad, conduct research at any institution, take classes in any subject just for the heck of it, etc? I was in no rush to get out of college, and I had an amazing experience!

As far as tuition at a UC school goes, I actually cannot find the tuition costs for the 2010-2011 school year online! I only know my projected budget because of the financial aid package they sent me. I did find it odd how cryptic they're being about the tuition.

Lastly (and this is totally off-topic, admittedly), the phrase self-deprecating always makes me chuckle. Have you ever seen the movie Kissing Jessica Stein? There is a part where she is on a date with a douche type of guy and he is trying to impress her by using big words- though he says self-defecating instead of self-deprecating. Now that is all I hear every time someone uses that phrase

 

[thesauce]

Eh...this may be true of the greater SD area (not sure, haven't spent too much time there), but the student housing is gorgeous and heavily subsidized. At UCSD, I will live in a large 1 or 2 bedroom apartment with great amenities for only $600-700/month. Living in Hanover (where Dartmouth is) would actually be much more expensive. But...I see your point. If you prefer rural countryside, SD probably isn't for you. Having come from Las Vegas, though, I am definitely more of a city girl, I think

It isn't just the housing. EVERYTHING in that area (and most of Cali) is expensive. That being said, I don't find any fault with your decision-this is a personal choice and you obviously like the location. I chose to go to med school in metropolitan NYC thinking it would be so fun and exciting like everyone told me. In the end, I realized it wasn't the right choice for me and I chose differently for residency. Some love the big city and that's great for them, but you can't call someone crazy for not liking it.
.

 

[violincuty]

It isn't just the housing. EVERYTHING in that area (and most of Cali) is expensive. That being said, I don't find any fault with your decision-this is a personal choice and you obviously like the location. I chose to go to med school in metropolitan NYC thinking it would be so fun and exciting like everyone told me. In the end, I realized it wasn't the right choice for me and I chose differently for residency. Some love the big city and that's great for them, but you can't call someone crazy for not liking it.
.

I hear ya. I thought I really wanted to go to NYC for medical school too. I interviewed at Mt. Sinai and NYU, and I could not have been more excited at the time to get those interviews. Somehow the feel of the schools was different on interview than I expected them to be- not at all like the summer I had spent at Columbia. That being said, it is so hard to figure out if you want to spend 7-9 years in a location after a 2 day interview (those were both MSTP interviews). By the end of my interview trail, I actually withdrew from Einstein because I was pretty sure NYC was not where I wanted to go to school. I understand that the big city is not for everyone, but to be fair, I don't think any environment is for everyone. People are inherently different and have different needs...part of what makes life exciting and challenging

Out of curiosity, where will you be going for residency?

 

[Jihad]

I think we have established that Dartmouth and MD-PhD are out of the question. The only thing to consider is the military route.

Although I have already expressed my opinion on this issue and I believe you'll end up not doing the military route, I'll just say this.

The only option you have that will NOT close doors is the MD-only, non military route.

You will always have the ability to get a PhD and go to the military later.

Many people on this site, including myself, have underestimated how rapidly their feelings can change (about career paths, time commitments, etc.) Therefore the most logical path seems to take each step at a time and only when you are done with one step make a decision about the next. The military recruiters know this and they use the naivete of pre-med gunners to hook them early (not that they are bad for doing this bc our military needs docs too!) before they really know what they actually want.

So. I will rest my case here. BUT, please pm me or post here if you for some reason decide to do the military route. I have a whole bag of reasons why you shouldnt!