Michigan vs Yale vs UCSF vs Drew/UCLA vs UChicago Pritzker

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congratulations!!! i would say pritzker or ucsf, and ofc ucla depending on aid. I’m surprised that you put lack of diversity for ucsf as I’d imagine it would be one of the most diverse T20 schools….maybe look into that a bit and talk to current med students about what the environment is really like.
 
mangowolf said:
congratulations!!! i would say pritzker or ucsf, and ofc ucla depending on aid. I’m surprised that you put lack of diversity for ucsf as I’d imagine it would be one of the most diverse T20 schools….maybe look into that a bit and talk to current med students about what the environment is really like.
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Congrats on your cycle as well. I put lack of diversity for the JMP in particular, not necessarily UCSF as a whole. Can I ask why you put Pritzker over the other choices?
 
I would pick michigan because it's on the same caliber as the others. I would only turn down a full ride if it was some random non-prestigious state school vs T20 but Michigan is a powerhouse and a known brand.

"not known for primary care training" should not be a con. Schools LOVE to brag about how good their primary care training is because that's what gets them brownie points in the media/general public - but in reality every MD school has MORE resources than you need to be an excellent PC doc. Some DO schools will even use that as a selling point "75% of our graduates matched primary care!!!!!!!!!!" as if it was by choice - but the general public doesn't understand the intricacies of residency applications and competitiveness. Anyways, all of your options are solid and I would pick the cheapest one.

As you explore more specialties you might become interested in them instead and it's good to have some options. Luckily, all of your schools will get you to where you want to go
 
HUGE congrats on all your acceptances! you have amazing choices 🙂
after viewing your pros & cons list for each school, i would say either yale, pritzker or ucla [depending on aid ofc for all]
i'm sure you'll excel and be successful no matter where you end up going! congrats again 🙂
 
brown_skin_girl said:
Congrats on your cycle as well. I put lack of diversity for the JMP in particular, not necessarily UCSF as a whole. Can I ask why you put Pritzker over the other choices?
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mainly proximity to home - I’m assuming this means you have other support system like friends based here, even if your family oversteps boundaries. the small class size. Also, actually doing things about social justice vs just philosophizing about it, is another thing that I think Pritzker does well.
 
Congrats on your cycle! You've clearly already put a ton of thought into what you are looking for in a school, so given that all your options are fantastic it might be worth trying to narrow it down further - what will really make your experience more enjoyable/less stressful at one institution over another? Going into primary care actually releases a lot of the pressure that grades/AOA add - and primary care rankings really don't matter since you Will match successfully to basically wherever from any of these spots, so consider what your pros/cons look like without them?

I guess otherwise - aid is important (especially going into primary care) but idk if it's worth your sanity to follow if you don't think you'd be happy there, especially if other spots have relatively similar overall costs of attendance. Likewise, since you have the privilege, think about the community you'd hope to live in the most for 4 (possibly more) years - everywhere has people who prioritize social justice but it seems especially celebrated at UCSF and Pritzker. Would you actually enjoy an entire extra year on a masters? Would the cold actually spoil an otherwise amazing experience? IMO you can't go wrong, these really are fantastic choices - good luck with your decision!
 
So, I know people who went to UCSF and are in the UCSF/JMP program. The lack of diversity is a problem. Also, this is not publicized but the class at UCSF is hit or miss. Some classes have had issues with racism towards Black students and some have not. Personally, I was advised to stay away by a couple current Black students. However, this is not everyone’s experience so it should be taken with a grain of salt.

I would say UChicago or Yale based on what you wrote.
 
I'd cut down to UCSF vs. Yale. UCSF/Prime is theoretically like *the* disparities/primary care program, so on paper it seems like it'd be ideal for you, but it sounds like you have well-founded reservations. Yale will give you a great education, open up a ton of doors, and you'll be able to match easily to a good primary care if that's what you are still interested in. Given your pros/cons lists, I'd go UCSF if you see yourself want to stay in California afterwards, and Yale otherwise.

Some other things you might want to consider in your decision regardless of where you go:
  • What place has the biggest policy heavy hitters/people working with top pubs/media appearance/federal appointments? These are connections that can help you inform primary care at a broader level later in your career
  • Would you be happy in a private hospital system? Private systems have a lower percentage of low-income and diverse patients, and they may not accept Medicaid/etc, so you will often find you're often not serving the population you are passionate about. That being said, this will be more important in residency and you can always match at a public system later. Also private systems often have more money to make your life a little nicer/more organized as a student
 
Since you said you want to do primary care, I would say Michigan. A scholarship will save you from worrying about money down the line and Michigan is still a top rated school.
 
Assuming you have a 0 EFC you would still be caught for COL at UCSF which is super high (prob 80k in debt). The curriculum at UCSF is comparable to Yale's in that its somewhat relaxed and clinicals are P/F.

Michigan will be tougher class wise, but you'll be good.

I would lean towards UCSF because 1) your interested in primary care which has several loan forgiveness options later down the line 2) It is the highest ranked and no doors will be closed if your mind is changed ( though all the schools you list are high ranked enough) 3) It has the chillest curriculum second to yale).

This is all assuming fin aid covers most of tuition. If not I would go Michigan.
 
brown_skin_girl said:
Bumping because financial aid info is updated for most schools. Still negotiating, but I would appreciate any more thoughts!
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Ahhh this is hard. Honestly, depends on how much you value prestige and where you want to live.

Right now it’s Michigan v UCSF v Yale.

All 3 are good schools. Here are my reasonings for each, if one dosent vibe with you then you can take it off your list

Michigan- Cheapest tuition, T20 prestige, most social environment, cheapest COL, college/business school experience.
Cons- clinical grades, class size

Yale- medium cost ( I feel like 40k is neglible over the long run, but you may feel different)
Unbeatable grading system, Ivy League prestige

UCSF- highest COL, but this is a certified T5. Some may even consider it the best medical school in the country. Grading system almost as chill as yales.


Not gonna lie, I was prepared to pay a premium for a T5 school. This is on your resume forever, but other may feel prestige is overrated.

If you care about social -> choose Michigan
If you care about prestige -> choose UCSF

If you want that Goldilocks middle -> choose Yale
 
You're already dealing with the cream of the crop schools and none of those debt amounts are that high. I'd say go where you'll be happiest. Feel free to message me if you have any questions about Yale
 
Going to visit Michigan soon, but I guess what is holding me back from committing to Yale is the debt. Would I be insane for turning down Michigan’s offer? I did email to try and negotiate with Yale, but we’ll see.
 
brown_skin_girl said:
Going to visit Michigan soon, but I guess what is holding me back from committing to Yale is the debt. Would I be insane for turning down Michigan’s offer? I did email to try and negotiate with Yale, but we’ll see.
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30k?! Sorry that’s really not significant in the grand scheme of things. Even as a primary care doctor, you will pay that off in less than a year.
 
Negotiate with Yale as best as you can, then accept there. Michigan is a truly top-notch program as well, but sounds like you (and tbh most people) would be happier at Yale. $30k over 4 years is really a trivial difference. That's like 1-month of an attending salary in exchange for 4 years of increased happiness and networking (supposing you feel Yale is a better fit). Only hesitation I'd have about Yale for you is that unlike Michigan it is a private health system, whereas UMich is a public institution, which has implications for whether equity measures are just talked about or actually part of a hospital's mission. However, that honestly won't make a huge difference as a medical student so I'd still say go Yale.

Congrats and good luck!
 
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