Michigan vs UCSF

[confusedM0]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hello! I'm beyond grateful to have gotten acceptances to these schools but I'm having a really hard time deciding between them.

Interested in global health, research, OBGYN or psychiatry as specialties as of now.

Cost of attendance/living is not a deciding factor as with scholarships they both average to be about the same.

UCSF
Pros:
- Did not approve me to defer for a year, which I was hoping to do to pursue research abroad (have things lined up but of course am aware COVID makes those uncertain)
- Highly ranked program
- Urban location
- Went to undergrad in the Bay Area (and currently live here) and have a lot of friends that stayed in the area so some sense of support
- Diverse patient population
- All pre-clinical and clinical are true P/F
- Bridges curriculum seemed great but hard to tell without being in it/experiencing other types of curriculums (I like it's <2 years pre-clinical though)

Cons:
- Have been living in this area for 5 years now and feel ready for a change
- Was viewing medical school as a "fresh start" and a place to make new friends and explore a new environment, which staying in SF wouldn't provide as much as going somewhere new would.
- Haven't gotten the nicest/most supportive vibes from the administrators/my undergrad PI at UCSF so far. Makes me nervous about the community/faculty as a whole
- It seems like there aren't as many student groups of interest as Michigan
- Exams are 4 hours long and at a set time (no weekend windows)

Michigan
Pros:
- Approved me to defer for a year to pursue research abroad. Obviously this is now up in the air but they said I can have until July to see how things with COVID are panning out. And it would be nice to potentially avoid starting medical school online.
- Amazing curriculum, I love that you get your pre-clinicals done with in a year
- I loved my interview day and was happiest afterward compared to all other interviews
- Thought Ann Arbor was cute and enough of a college town that I could (hopefully) live there for 4 years without going crazy and missing city life
- Ability to take your tests online on the weekends anytime from F-S
- Lectures mostly non-mandatory/online which also works with my learning style
- Felt like the administration/people I met have been nothing but super kind and supportive (is this a Midwest thing???)

Cons:
- Not urban
- Less diverse patient population?
- No support system nearby
- Winters will suck
- Would definitely need a car and driving is not my favorite activity

 

[Yhwach]

Disclaimer: I am in Michigan's WL

I think Umich is better here just due to the flexibility of the program (defer, flex quizzes, the 3rd year)
Your cons for Mich was just annoyances (besides maybe the diverse pt population but Detriot training nearby can give you this).

I don't think the difference in prestige should matter that much.

 

[mrcoffee24]

Michigan.

It seems like it made a better impression on you and that you are excited to leave SF for a fresh-start. Additionally, Ann Arbor is an incredible place and Michigan is a top 10 program so you lose very little in prestige.

 

[phillip.anjum]

You can't go wrong with either school. I lived in the bay area and have visited SF a lot, and I completed a graduate degree at Michigan's medical school. I think you should give Michigan a try! As mrcoffee mentioned, both schools are ranked so high that there's not really a difference in quality. Several of my friends who attended Michigan raved about being able to take exams whenever they wanted.

Food for thought:

1. Maybe your calculated cost of attendance equals out, but I would bet that overall, living in Ann Arbor will be much cheaper than living in SF
2. You won't be taking much advantage of the things to do in either city, it's more important to ask, which school will be better for studying? Ann Arbor has a ton of study spots and quiet nature areas to sit and think. SF is busy.
3. Transportation. Travel takes forever in the bay because too many people live there. Save yourself the headache and buy a bike in Ann Arbor and never worry about long commutes for at least 4 years.
4. Con: diversity. This is one of the main reasons I ultimately left Ann Arbor myself. Fortunately, you have opportunities to interact with diverse populations in neighboring Dearborn, Ypsilanti, and Detroit, but Ann Arbor has either shipped off or gentrified a lot of its minority populations. Michigan is a university where 8% of the student body is black, and Hibajis write articles in the Michigan Daily about attending huge lectures where they are the only Hijabi in the room.
5. People in Ann Arbor/Michigan always came off as a little pretentious to me, which is another reason why I left. I grew up in a working class city/household, and the constant "superiority" from everyone rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe you won't notice.