Brown vs UCI for med school

[CrimsonTurtle57]

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Just got off the waitlist at Brown.

CA resident, Bay Area native, want to practice back in California long-term. Open on specialty (potentially psych) but leaning toward something that uses my data science background.

Brown Alpert pros:

• Got really strong vibes from the student community on interview day, felt collaborative and not gunner-y
• Ivy name carries weight nationally and internationally
• From what I've seen, Brown matches people back into California pretty well if that's where you want to end up
• Northeast network and exposure to a totally different region
• Forces me out of the CA bubble for four years, which I think would genuinely be good for me

Brown Alpert cons:

• Location, far from family
• New England winters when I've been in CA and TX my whole life
• Completely new to the area, would have to rebuild my community from scratch
• COA about 100k more over the 4 years but really not a big factor for me as ill be taking a loan from my parents (interest-free)

UCI pros:

• Closer to home (bay area) and family
• Already have a connection to start doing AI research there, so I could hit the ground running
• easier match in CA (?)

UCI cons:

• Doesn't have the same national or international recognition as Brown
• Staying in CA means I'd never really leave the bubble I grew up in
• Risk of feeling like I "played it safe" and wondering later what could have been

I am actually torn between these two and its going to be a hard decision either way. Any insight would be much appreciated.

 

[Invisible_sun332]

Brown

 

[Golden_Fox]

Incoming M1 here but I’ve heard support system preached countless amounts of times as super important in medical school. I say go UC Irvine here as it is also a quality school. If you have never moved out of California and want to experience something new, however, Brown could be great. But I’d say after looking at your list go UCI.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I am almost certain that, as an M1 at UCI, you will NOT hit the ground running with your AI research.

Also, the only people that would care about Brown vs. UCI prestige would be the PD's you'd be sending ERAS apps to four years from now.

If your parents are saying they'd pay for you to live away from home so you could be with a community you feel more connected with, even if you'd be taking cross-country flights to see family, ... do you feel the Brown student support is enough to overcome any "I can't believe I'm in f'in Providence vibes"? Have you talked with students from California there?

 

[Entadus]

my mom went to UCI undergrad. Then was in one of the first Classes at Brown med in the 1980's. She hated it and dropped out. Went to a UC to finish her MD. Totally irrelevant cause this was all >40 years ago.

Irvine is pretty boring so it's a tight race (I spent my first 18 years in Irvine). I've never lived on the east coast but I did med school in the mid west and the winters were awful. It was good for my maturity and growth, though (with rose colored classes in retrospect). Irvine is the most bubbly place in the CA bubble.

My vote is still for UCI cause you could use that $100k for other things. Would your parents help you out with housing or other big expenses instead? That money would pay for a ring+wedding+honeymoon+first apartment. Or car+big trip after graduation+hobby. etc

One big factor to look at is, how much do you enjoy seeing your family, spending holidays with family, and how much do despise cross country flights? If you have friends and family in Socal, probably better to avoid being alone in a cold place

 

[Zeke11113]

I feel like UCI is a very well respected medical school and prestige won’t play a role in your eventual residency applications. There are also a lot more opportunities around Irvine and the greater Los Angeles area than their are in a small city like Providence which you can take advantage of to boost your resume and experiences for residency.