help me decide: ucsd som vs ucla-drew

[sagethesage3131]

hello! would be happy to hear thoughts on choosing between attending ucsd som vs ucla-drew for med school. i'm a nontraditional student (practicing artist, musician, filmmaker) and am very interested in pursuing emergency medicine/wilderness med as well as tackling local and global health inequity through care, policy, and technology. I'd like to practice in california, hawaii, and internationally in the future.

UCSD
pros:
-went here for undergrad, loved my experience overall (quality of life etc)
- very well connected with faculty, friends, broader community health orgs in the san diego region
- cheaper than la in terms of living
- enjoyable laidback lifestyle; i do love to surf, hike in nature (access to nature is very important to me), do roadtrips in mexico
- many underserved migrant, rural, refugee, and border communities to work with (one of my main interests)

cons:
- remember feeling bored of san diego by the time I graduated, like life was "too perfect" everyday (ie going to beach all time, chilling)
- arts and music scene nowhere near that of los angeles. hoping to at minimum continue my artistic practice in med school, i had difficulty finding a good artistic community to be a part of in greater san diego
- not as racially diverse as LA
-focus more broadly is on biotech, innovation, and research rather than health equity/health advocacy so hard to find an established community around that


UCLA-Drew
pros:
-impressed by the explicit focus on health activism and working with underserved populations both at geffen and specifically for drew
-have benefits of working with more diverse underinsured patient populations through UCLA clinical sites in addition to Drew clinical sites
-small tight knit cohort of 24; mix of private school and public school perks
- UCLA and broader LA community has world renowned arts/music scene (my SO is a full-time musician so also would benefit him; i could also be more involved in artistic +activist communities)
-oppts to collaborate with people at UCLA law school and more cultural emphasis on health policy/advocacy/community organizing
-more social culture (which I love, being extroverted)

cons:
- never lived long-term n a big city before, a little worried about lack of access to nature and the more fast paced/stressful pace of life in contrast to san diego
- stepping out of comfort zone (although this is strange because I have lived and worked in many other cultures and rural places around the world)... something about all the cement and traffic makes me a bit nervous
- unsure about financial aid offered yet

preference wise I keep switching back and forth between these two schools in my mind. my first reaction after interviewing was UCLA all the way (since its something new and literally so aligned with my interests) but recently have been second guessing if I should just go back to UCSD since i know i already had a great experience there, have existing support networks, and insider access to additional research funding etc

would appreciate any advice!

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[Nvrgiveup01]

This is a tough choice, especially since both of these schools are really good. For me, I am biased because I live in a big city and so I would choose UCLA if the overall costs were exactly the same between the two. BUT because I would be glad to go to either of these schools, and because I am trying my best to keep costs as low as possible, I would simply go with the lower overall COA. If that meant UCSD, then I would go there. If it were UCLA, then I would go there. It is tough, especially since you are unsure of financial aid from UCLA. At the end of the day, you really can't go wrong with either. Are finances a big factor for you?

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

I think you should go for UCLA based on your post. UCLA is a bigger name and you'd eventually appreciate getting out of your comfort zone and living in LA. And the west side of LA ain't all that far out of your zone, BTW. Griffith Park isn't too far away. Santa Monica Mtns too. School mission seems more aligned with yours.