BU vs UCI vs Einstein *UPDATE*

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DevinBookerMD

DevinBookerMD

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Post step 1 mania, I'm not sure what to do. Before today I was camp UCI for in state tuition and was probably going to live at home for first two years. Now I am seriously reconsidering.

BU

Pros:
  • Higher rank T30
  • Cool city, lots of things to do
  • More research opportunities
  • Been wanting to move out, stayed at home for college
  • True P/F preclinical
  • BMC right on campus for all rotations
Cons:
  • Cost $$$ significantly more expensive received a scholarship, read down below
  • Away from family and SO
UCI

Pros:
  • Cheap $
  • Close to home and SO
  • Went to undergrad here so familiarity
  • Good urology department which i'm interested in
  • In state, get to stay in california
Cons:
  • Lower rank/prestige T50
  • H/P/F
  • Hospital 20 min away from school
  • Went to undergrad here lol. Have to live at home again.

Einstein

Pros:
  • NYC
  • Liked the vibe on ii day
  • Have extended family here
  • P/F
  • Cheap housing
Cons:
  • Lower rank T40
  • Away from family and SO
  • Expensive
Also thinking about Einstein but if I'm moving across the country I'd rather just go to the higher ranked school. Thoughts please? Have not received Financial Aid yet from anyone.
 
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wait for fin aid, and look at the residency programs , imagine all the programs you could be interested in and see if UCI has all of them. Thats all that really matters at this point., then wait for the financial aid package.
Also are you willing to do bench research?
Because going to BU over UCI would be benficial if you are willing ot do bench research.
 
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libertyyne said:
wait for fin aid, and look at the residency programs , imagine all the programs you could be interested in and see if UCI has all of them. Thats all that really matters at this point., then wait for the financial aid package.
Also are you willing to do bench research?
Because going to BU over UCI would be benficial if you are willing ot do bench research.
Click to expand...
I'll check UCI's departments now. Looking for clinical research over bench to get more productivity.
 
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UCI hands down. It’s California and still a respected school. BU and Einstein are arguably within the same range any way. Might as well attend a Cali school; it’ll give you the best shot at matching in the region.
 
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I withdrew my Einstein II after getting into UCI because I didn’t feel like the small discrepancy in ranking was meaningful considering I want to match back to CA.

I’m not sure if BU is regarded in the same class as t20 schools. If you feel it is, it may be in your best interest to attend, given the shift to pass/no pass. If you really want to get a new experience outside of Cali this might be a good chance to do so.

I’ve met faculty at several schools in CA who hold UCI in high regard. Paying less and being closer to family wouldn’t hurt either. Irvine’s rank may also be increasing, given that they’ve shifted toward a higher stat pool as of last years msar. Their accepted medians are nearly identical to that of Pitt and UCSD, pretty much universally considered t20 schools.
 
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blurb_123 said:
I withdrew my Einstein II after getting into UCI because I didn’t feel like the small discrepancy in ranking was meaningful considering I want to match back to CA.

I’m not sure if BU is regarded in the same class as t20 schools. If you feel it is, it may be in your best interest to attend, given the shift to pass/no pass. If you really want to get a new experience outside of Cali this might be a good chance to do so.

I’ve met faculty at several schools in CA who hold UCI in high regard. Paying less and being closer to family wouldn’t hurt either. Irvine’s rank may also be increasing, given that they’ve shifted toward a higher stat pool as of last years msar. Their accepted medians are nearly identical to that of Pitt and UCSD, pretty much universally considered t20 schools.
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thanks for your input! yea that's why not really thinking about einstein atm. i don't think BU is T20 so thats why i'm leaning towards UCI rn. i think i was just worried the last few days because I asked reddit this question first and it was a unanimous result, everyone told me to go to BU. SDN has let me calm down a bit (haha who would've thought).
 
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DevinBookerMD said:
thanks for your input! yea that's why not really thinking about einstein atm. i don't think BU is T20 so thats why i'm leaning towards UCI rn. i think i was just worried the last few days because I asked reddit this question first and it was a unanimous result, everyone told me to go to BU. SDN has let me calm down a bit (haha who would've thought).
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I think they’re underestimating the strength of regional connections and the “UC connection”/mutual respect that the UC med schools seem to have for each other.

But I can see good arguments for both sides.

I’d choose the school you’d feel more happy and secure at.
 
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blurb_123 said:
I think they’re underestimating the strength of regional connections and the “UC connection”/mutual respect that the UC med schools seem to have for each other.

But I can see good arguments for both sides.

I’d choose the school you’d feel more happy and secure at.
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part of me likes the thought of boston but that quickly just turns into anxiety and leaving everything i’m used to. and the debt. UCI wins so far, will update based on financial aid and next rankings in March!
 
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Alot of this decision will come to down to just how badly you want to stay in Cali. If your open to leaving and experiencing a new city, than BU and Einstein are serious options. Theyre both great schools that'll take where you want to go.

I wouldn't take rank into consideration. None of these schools have the pedigree like that of Upenn, Hopkins and Vanderbilt, so it wont make a huge difference when thinking solely about the institutions reputation.

If anything, the regions in which the schools are located are gonna give you the best shot at matching in certain programs. That's the most important part here. Going to UCI will give you a huge leg when it comes to matching at programs in Cali. BU will also give you a leg up if want to stay in the Northeast.

It seems like this Step 1 mania is clouding your judgment to point where your making a life altering decision based of assumptions that probably aren't correct or totally valid.
 
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blurb_123 said:
I withdrew my Einstein II after getting into UCI because I didn’t feel like the small discrepancy in ranking was meaningful considering I want to match back to CA.

I’m not sure if BU is regarded in the same class as t20 schools. If you feel it is, it may be in your best interest to attend, given the shift to pass/no pass. If you really want to get a new experience outside of Cali this might be a good chance to do so.

I’ve met faculty at several schools in CA who hold UCI in high regard. Paying less and being closer to family wouldn’t hurt either. Irvine’s rank may also be increasing, given that they’ve shifted toward a higher stat pool as of last years msar. Their accepted medians are nearly identical to that of Pitt and UCSD, pretty much universally considered t20 schools.
Click to expand...

BU is not a T20.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Pepe18 said:
You asked on the urology forum and we all said UCI.

Med school rankings are fancy pedigree schools (UPenn, Harvard, etc)> all other MD schools= all other MD schools. Premeds are the only ones who care about specific number rankings. BU is not more highly regarded than Einstein and UCI. They are viewed in the exact same way. BU won't be seen differently than someone coming from their state school either.

Region is also a huge factor in where you match. Whether you do urology or some other field, you want to increase your chance of ending up in the location you want to be.
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yea I was 1000% certain on UCI after that urology post but reddit scared me when asked on there after the step 1 news. i’ve come back to reality. thanks for saving me 200k! my 30 year old self really appreciates it
 
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update:
just received BU fin aid offer. received a $28.5k/yr scholarship as well as a $20k/yr need based loan that will not accrue interest during school or residency! this is guaranteed for each of the 4 years. this brings my COA down from 89k to 60k and factoring the money i would save from interest my COA at BU vs living at home with family at UCI are the same. going to wait for UCI fin aid before I make a decision but if I don't get anything from them, what would you do?
 
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Are you cool with living at home? Is money your priority over everything else?

Someone posted something for another help me choose and go do a pros/cons list for your school and compare it side by side. Whoever school wins the pro gets a point or something g like that. Can’t remember who posted it but it helped someone decide
 
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DevinBookerMD said:
update:
just received BU fin aid offer. received a $28.5k/yr scholarship as well as a $20k/yr need based loan that will not accrue interest during school or residency! this is guaranteed for each of the 4 years. this brings my COA down from 89k to 60k and factoring the money i would save from interest my COA at BU vs living at home with family at UCI are the same. going to wait for UCI fin aid before I make a decision but if I don't get anything from them, what would you do?
Click to expand...

If you want to match to UCLA or cedars Sinai id choose UCI.
 
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