harvard and ucsf both have outstanding matches, which is the bottom line, but it is not accurate to say that they are exactly the same. the harvard brand is better, and opens more doors. if you want to stay in california, then the two are probably equivalent. but if you want to do a residency outside of the west coast you'll get more pull. that said, it's kind of like comparing a salutatorian to the valedictorian; they both help out your resume, they both are achievements to be proud of, and neither would ever hold you back. now is the education any better at harvard? probably not. are the students smarter? probably not. will you end up being a better doctor there? who knows. ucsf has going for it that it's in a better city (i'm a new yorker, btw, who thinks new york is the center of the universe, but still think sf is a better city than boston b/c there's more to do in sf and the climate more friendly, though the culture in boston is probably a little more intellectual, with more history, so if that's your gig you may prefer it there.) the harvard hst program is also supposed to be particularly good. anyway, bottom line is the ucsf name will be a (very strong) positive factor whererever you apply for radiology in the country. it will be a (slightly less) positive factor than graduating from harvard. by all means, though, graduating from ucsf will always help you out, so choose btwn the two not out of desperation but for positive reasons. at this rate you may be posting on this site 10 years hence asking if your neighbors will like you more if you buy a mercedes or a lexus. oh how americans strive...
