The Republic of California I: California > Texas

[Exalya]

That's all the norcal beaches are good for... sightseeing. If you take a trip south you'll actually be able to enter the water.

Heh. I studied marine biology up there. Tidepools, surfing, boats... I was always in the water. So it was cold.. that's what wetsuits are for. I'll take an encounter with a giant pacific over warm water any day.

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[DrSno]

My... 36C's beg to differ.

Nice.

 

[johnny11]

.

 

[Lukkie]

Nice.

....wat

 

[copingmethods]

It's funny that you mention this, because I could say the same thing about the rivalry...I've been living in NorCal for most of my life, and I had never heard about this rivalry until college, when a bunch of SoCal people came up here for college and mentioned it. In fact, I hardly ever heard the term "NorCal" and only picked it up as a counter-balance to the often-thrown about term "SoCal." I guess it goes both ways

Fair enough. Anyways, I think we can all agree that no other state, especially Texas, comes close to California in awesomeness.

 

[chessknt]

....wat

Seriously what is the context of that?

 

[Lukkie]

some AMAZING weather lately... driving down santa monica i was able to see all the way to big bear! so beautiful!

 

[BarberofSeville]

has anyone been outside in the past few hours? I'm in Anaheim right now, and it is HELLA foggy outside right now. maybe i'm a bit disconnected cuz i go to school outta state, but it might be the foggiest i've seen it here.

 

[RySerr21]

has anyone been outside in the past few hours? I'm in Anaheim right now, and it is HELLA foggy outside right now. maybe i'm a bit disconnected cuz i go to school outta state, but it might be the foggiest i've seen it here.

I KNOW!!! I was driving home from LA to San Diego...driving along the 5 and I was right by that border checkpoint, where its pretty close to the ocean, sorta by that military base.....I got really freaked out b/c I was driving normal speed probably about 70-75 mph and then all of a sudden i could not see a damn thing. Literally I could not see the lines on the road and couldnt tell which way the road was going (and that part is really curvy). If you looked at the the little bumps that they put on the lines, you coulndt see from one bump to the next. It was insane. Luckily, it wasnt THAT bad for that long, but was still really foggy and it freaked the **** out of me.

 

[droshan]

lol!!! lakers did beat the crap out of celtics yesterday

Btw, cbrons must be stoked cuz the blazers just beat the C's too.

 

[starl3tte]

Hey Californians! How many schools are you applying to? Which ones? How far are you in the app process? And why do my out-of-state relatives always request that I bring them pistachios?

 

[witness23]

enjoy not getting into med schools and paying a grand to travel to each of your interview teasers.


its okay, you still have that NBA trophy

 

[jvesco22]

Hey Californians! How many schools are you applying to? Which ones? How far are you in the app process? And why do my out-of-state relatives always request that I bring them pistachios?

because they love these nuts!!(California pistachios of course)

Reppin CALI all day!!

 

[DocDrakeRamoray]

Lakers----->

 

[zerial]

california is amazing. all i have to say.

 

[BlueElmo]

What an awesome thread. The world revolves around California.

Let's become a independant country.

 

[Appless]

enjoy not getting into med schools and paying a grand to travel to each of your interview teasers.


its okay, you still have that NBA trophy

lol so true we are ****ed. Thanks for pointing that out ass

Hey Californians! How many schools are you applying to? Which ones? How far are you in the app process? And why do my out-of-state relatives always request that I bring them pistachios?

i applied to 44.....because we live in a state that doesnt want us to go to medical school within a 1000 mile radius of cali -_-...Im going to go get TX residency so i can be guaranteed a spot lol

 

[longhorn09]

lol so true we are ****ed. Thanks for pointing that out ass


i applied to 44.....because we live in a state that doesnt want us to go to medical school within a 1000 mile radius of cali -_-...Im going to go get TX residency so i can be guaranteed a spot lol

Why people keep saying Texas schools are easier?....

 

[DrSno]

Why people keep saying Texas schools are easier?....

Because they objectively are. The stats of the Texas schools (except possibly Baylor and Southwestern) are lower than the California schools. Anecdotally, there are about 5 or 6 people in the Texas thread who got in this year with 26 and 27 MCAT scores. This could be remedied if TX schools didn't have to accept 90% TX residents. But then again I'm not sure the schools here are concerned with the stats.

 

[Aggro]

I'm applying to 19 schools, including the 5 UCs and USC. I'd give my middle nut to go to UCSF or UCSD, although UCSD has one major strike against it.

It's a D-II school. That's not cool.

Of the 19 schools I'm applying to, 17 are D-I, and 12 of them have football teams that compete in the FBS (counting UCSF as Cal since they're affiliated). After four years at a school without a football team, I'm dying to go to a medical school with a decent athletics department.

As such, UCSF/Cal is my top choice for a state school, but if that doesn't happen, Michigan would be fantastic just because they have nationally competitive football, hockey, basketball, and baseball teams.

Am I choosing medical schools for the wrong reasons?

 

[JediZero]

I'm applying to 19 schools, including the 5 UCs and USC. I'd give my middle nut to go to UCSF or UCSD, although UCSD has one major strike against it.

It's a D-II school. That's not cool.

Of the 19 schools I'm applying to, 17 are D-I, and 12 of them have football teams that compete in the FBS (counting UCSF as Cal since they're affiliated). After four years at a school without a football team, I'm dying to go to a medical school with a decent athletics department.

As such, UCSF/Cal is my top choice for a state school, but if that doesn't happen, Michigan would be fantastic just because they have nationally competitive football, hockey, basketball, and baseball teams.

Am I choosing medical schools for the wrong reasons?

Yeah, it's entirely possible that you are, but you know, what makes you happy makes you happy. Still, you gotta ask yourself, is D2 really that bad? Sometimes it pays to be a big fish in a small pond...

...like applicants from every other state. BOOYAH!

Reppin' NorCal and LA because I can.

 

[panthera]

What an awesome thread. The world revolves around California.

Let's become a independant country.

this brings up an interesting point. Because of the san andreas fault, years from now california will actually become its own island due to the theory of continental drift... we will become an independent island in the pacific ocean... sweetness

 

[Appless]

Why people keep saying Texas schools are easier?....

cause they are. They have a state quota that minimum 90% of matriculants must be residents. There are many schools in texas and at least based on matriculant data they arent stat heavy compared to many other US schools. Many TX schools regularly accept those with low mcats and gpa, while this is almost never the case in cali. Im not saying they arent good, just that in TX if you are even an average applicant you have a great chance at being an MD, while being an average applicant in cali means you are screwed as UCs throw your app in the trash and you pray that some place in NY, PA, or IL decides to take you... That or you are rich or have contacts and USC and someone just lets you in

 

[Aggro]

Yes, D-2 really is that bad. Have you watched D-2 basketball? I've seen pick-up games played at the local YMCA with the same talent. I've seen women's lacrosse games with more excitement. I've watched two guys play against each other in NCAA March Madness 07 on the PS2, and that was more enthralling than D-2 basketball. My school is bad enough in that it plays in the America East conference, which is so bad that the conference as a whole has won one NCAA tournament game in the last eight years.

Then again, when am I going to have time to watch sports in medical school

Bt dubs, I'm being kind of facetious here. Like everyone else, I'd be ecstatic to get in ANYWHERE, but if I am so fortunate as to be able to choose which school I'll attend, sports programs may be the deciding factor, haha.

 

[kdr411]

Yes, D-2 really is that bad. Have you watched D-2 basketball? I've seen pick-up games played at the local YMCA with the same talent. I've seen women's lacrosse games with more excitement. I've watched two guys play against each other in NCAA March Madness 07 on the PS2, and that was more enthralling than D-2 basketball. My school is bad enough in that it plays in the America East conference, which is so bad that the conference as a whole has won one NCAA tournament game in the last eight years.

Then again, when am I going to have time to watch sports in medical school

Bt dubs, I'm being kind of facetious here. Like everyone else, I'd be ecstatic to get in ANYWHERE, but if I am so fortunate as to be able to choose which school I'll attend, sports programs may be the deciding factor, haha.

"Athletics Department Looks Into D-I Leap"
http://www.ucsdguardian.org/sports/athletics-department-looks-into-d-i-leap-1.1759844

 

[BlueElmo]

this brings up an interesting point. Because of the san andreas fault, years from now california will actually become its own island due to the theory of continental drift... we will become an independent island in the pacific ocean... sweetness

yeah baby!

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

this brings up an interesting point. Because of the san andreas fault, years from now california will actually become its own island due to the theory of continental drift... we will become an independent island in the pacific ocean... sweetness

Ah, the "Island of California." Utopia

That's actually a misconception, though. It's a myth from a book called, "The Last Days of the Late, Great State of California." I was watching a show recently where a geologist addressed the myth and he was saying it's not possible because the San Andreas fault is transverse (or something), as opposed to divergent. I think that even if it was possible, we'd end up in Alaska...so either way, not good.

Incidentally, my family goes back 6 generations in California. Beat that!

 

[JackInTheBox]

Incidentally, my family goes back 6 generations in California. Beat that!

I'm pretty sure anybody with Native American heritage beats your family six ways to Sunday

 

[Aggro]

I dunno -- for a lot of people (myself included), it's nearly impossible to trace their Native American ancestry back more than one or two generations. They didn't exactly keep meticulous records in the 19th century (too busy being forced off the land by everyone else's ancestors)

 

[armybound]

Man, this thread is just flying. 130 posts in 6 months? You guys put the Texas thread to shame.

 

[RUcereus]

haha this thread is funny. The state that is having a fiscal emergency, run into the ground by a has been, mediocre actor who is throwing out IOU's to pay for their bills is greater than the state that declined to take any emergency funds and still maintains low levels of unemployment. Congrats to your 1 man basketball team for winning the championship lets hope kobe doesnt retire anytime soon that wouldnt be good for the lakers, would it?
Cali does have great weather though you got us there, its hot as hell here.

 

[batman1983]

Because they objectively are. The stats of the Texas schools (except possibly Baylor and Southwestern) are lower than the California schools. Anecdotally, there are about 5 or 6 people in the Texas thread who got in this year with 26 and 27 MCAT scores. This could be remedied if TX schools didn't have to accept 90% TX residents. But then again I'm not sure the schools here are concerned with the stats.

As a CA resident, I was accepted to Baylor and UTSW(with scholarship), but had to beg for interviews at UCLA and UCSD, only to be subsequently waitlisted at both. I think there are a couple reasons for why the UCs are so selective:

1) Stronger overall rankings for the UCs, higher # of CA premeds, and desire to be in CA, increases the applicant pool for the UCs, allowing them to be more selective.
2) Smaller class sizes for the UCs.
3) In my opinion, the TX schools place a stronger emphasis on GPA/MCAT(which I agree with), where as the UCs seem to place weight more weight on less quantifiable metrics. Dont get me wrong, obviously you need a decent MCAT/GPA to get into the UCs, but they also seem to place a lot of emphasis on race, life experiences, and ECs(besides the typical volunteering and shadowing). It seems like activities, such as research, seem to have more weight at the UCs.

While there were ppl with 26 and 27 MCAT that got into TX schools, the same thing could be said about the UCs as well.

 

[batman1983]

haha this thread is funny. The state that is having a fiscal emergency, run into the ground by a has been, mediocre actor who is throwing out IOU's to pay for their bills is greater than the state that declined to take any emergency funds and still maintains low levels of unemployment. Congrats to your 1 man basketball team for winning the championship lets hope kobe doesnt retire anytime soon that wouldnt be good for the lakers, would it?
Cali does have great weather though you got us there, its hot as hell here.

I am currently debating the merits of keeping my CA residency or declaring TX residency once I start med school this fall. While I would love to stay in CA because of family/friends and the great weather, I think TX is a better bet to live/practice in the long run. Besides coming out of med school with 1/3-1/2 the debt I would have had attending a UC. TX becomes a very attractive state to practice in when you consider the substantially lower cost of living, no state taxes (which will have a big impact on physicians practicing in CA), higher physician salaries, and lower malpractice insurance.

In addition, you have to figure with the current CA budget crisis, the state will either have to increase state taxes again(which is absurd since it already has one of the highest) or cut back on services. This would mostly likely result in another round of tuition hikes for the UCs. Either option is unattractive for the long term growth of CA and its economy. I think it’s a travesty that the state with the world’s 7th largest economy, numerous resources, and one of the highest state tax rates, should be on the verge of bankruptcy.

 

[Pedsbro]

haha this thread is funny. The state that is having a fiscal emergency, run into the ground by a has been, mediocre actor who is throwing out IOU's to pay for their bills is greater than the state that declined to take any emergency funds and still maintains low levels of unemployment. Congrats to your 1 man basketball team for winning the championship lets hope kobe doesnt retire anytime soon that wouldnt be good for the lakers, would it?
Cali does have great weather though you got us there, its hot as hell here.

We have a jealous North Dakotan (or other crappy state) in the house...

 

[witness23]

what the ****. this is such bull****. how do you get ron artest at 3yr/18 mill. the piece of **** rock city is overpaying ben gordon at 11 mill a year when their public schools are going bankrupt.


LeBron vs Kobe. Fix is in.

 

[pakola]

what the ****. this is such bull****. how do you get ron artest at 3yr/18 mill. the piece of **** rock city is overpaying ben gordon at 11 mill a year when their public schools are going bankrupt.


LeBron vs Kobe. Fix is in.

I have a feeling Artest won't fit in the way the Lakers hope he will. Ariza was a better fit for that team, and he was coming into his own, with many many years ahead. Artest is one blow up away from early retirement. I'll give him credit, he was SOLID for the rockets. But, he's turning 30 this year, while Ariza just turned 24! Plus, Ariza makes buckets without being the focal point of the team at all. Artest has to have the ball in his hands quite a bit to score, and he has a tendency to stand around with the ball. He's good one on one, but they don't need that. That's what Kobe's for. They need a guy who can make big plays when you need him to, consistently, without being an ego to feed. With the consistency that Ariza has given this team, and the edge that he's given them, I think they owed it to him to keep him. But basketball is a business, and LA is a place where it doesn't take a lot to get shipped out.

 

[Pedsbro]

what the ****. this is such bull****. how do you get ron artest at 3yr/18 mill. the piece of **** rock city is overpaying ben gordon at 11 mill a year when their public schools are going bankrupt.


LeBron vs Kobe. Fix is in.

Ariza is better than Artest at shooting and slashing, younger, and at least as good an on-the-ball defender now compared to Artest at his current age. Jackson is going to lose his mind with Artest...you think he'll buy into that meditation and Zen stuff? he's a thug...

 

[RUcereus]

We have a jealous North Dakotan (or other crappy state) in the house...

Tsk tsk pay attention pedsboro your going to be doctor when you grow up, I even have my MDapps listed with my state of residency...its texas born and raised. Your right all other states besides texas are crappy though

 

[Pedsbro]

Tsk tsk pay attention pedsboro your going to be doctor when you grow up, I even have my MDapps listed with my state of residency...its texas born and raised. Your right all other states besides texas are crappy though

Well first, pay attention and spell my screen name right...it's right directly in front of you. And why the hell would I care to look at your MDapps in a California is WAY better than Texas (and everywhere else) thread?

 

[LittleRocker]

Best traffic! best overpopulation! best smog! Best 2 hour commutes to work! Best housing bubbles! Best budget crisis!

 

[Kiliki]

Cali is the best state and there is no denying it. We have the best weather, best women, best college football and the best food(In and Out!). Cali is the place where everybody wants to be! WE SMASH TEXAS!!!

Seriously, I don't see the point of bashing other states, especially when you're not likely to REALLY know anything about Texas other than the common stereotypes. It's just snobby and annoying to assume that EVERYONE wants to be in California. What's wrong with Texas? Sure, the weather is not great during the summer. But the economy is very stable (especially important when you have a family), housing is affordable and the market is stable (unlike California!!), food is good, and believe it or not, people are usually friendly and not snooty. I didn't grow up in Texas, but I do like it here and it really is a nice and convenient place to live. Not to mention we have some really good and affordable med schools in Texas!!!

Grow up before you start med school!

Also, if you really believe California is THE place to be, then why aren't you going to med school there? Isn't Howard in DC??????????

 

[Kiliki]

I am currently debating the merits of keeping my CA residency or declaring TX residency once I start med school this fall. While I would love to stay in CA because of family/friends and the great weather, I think TX is a better bet to live/practice in the long run. Besides coming out of med school with 1/3-1/2 the debt I would have had attending a UC. TX becomes a very attractive state to practice in when you consider the substantially lower cost of living, no state taxes (which will have a big impact on physicians practicing in CA), higher physician salaries, and lower malpractice insurance.

In addition, you have to figure with the current CA budget crisis, the state will either have to increase state taxes again(which is absurd since it already has one of the highest) or cut back on services. This would mostly likely result in another round of tuition hikes for the UCs. Either option is unattractive for the long term growth of CA and its economy. I think it’s a travesty that the state with the world’s 7th largest economy, numerous resources, and one of the highest state tax rates, should be on the verge of bankruptcy.

Texas does have a better malpractice cap than other states. Check out this article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/us/05doctors.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

 

[Brent8927]

Seriously, I don't see the point of bashing other states, especially when you're not likely to REALLY know anything about Texas other than the common stereotypes. It's just snobby and annoying to assume that EVERYONE wants to be in California. What's wrong with Texas? Sure, the weather is not great during the summer. But the economy is very stable (especially important when you have a family), housing is affordable and the market is stable (unlike California!!), food is good, and believe it or not, people are usually friendly and not snooty. I didn't grow up in Texas, but I do like it here and it really is a nice and convenient place to live. Not to mention we have some really good and affordable med schools in Texas!!!

Grow up before you start med school!

Also, if you really believe California is THE place to be, then why aren't you going to med school there? Isn't Howard in DC??????????

Texans and Californians both seem to have a lot of pride in their states, which is great. Everybody has their preferences, and generally everyone loves where they grow up. Unfortunately, as you allude to, people don't seem to mind unfairly bash states they've never been to or fully experienced (ie, a short vacation in Dallas or Disneyland doesn't tell you very much about Texas or CA--just about the tourists who are also vacationing!)

I think every state is wonderful. Except maybe Nevada... I just finished a cross-country road-trip without AC and it was not a fun place to be. Hot, dry, and no shade in sight from route 80.

I did win $3.00 from one of the quarter slots though

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

The budget crisis is totally irrelevant to this discussion. California has a notoriously successful economy. Our current problems are not related to the state per se as much as the extremely high number of immigrants which have flooded our urban education and health care systems (in other words, non-tax payers using resources that require taxes). But we are merely ahead of our time, and this trend will eventually spread to the rest of the states, unfortunately.

 

[batman1983]

The budget crisis is totally irrelevant to this discussion. California has a notoriously successful economy. Our current problems are not related to the state per se as much as the extremely high number of immigrants which have flooded our urban education and health care systems (in other words, non-tax payers using resources that require taxes). But we are merely ahead of our time, and this trend will eventually spread to the rest of the states, unfortunately.

True, unfortunately, this is the one issue that the PC groups dont ever talk about. California's budget issues are not at the top level(ie, revenue), but rather the bottom line(due to high costs). While it can be argued that CA state government is inefficient in its usage of monetary resources(ex. the new Oakland Bay bridge) due to the large state bureaucracy(numerous regulatory bodies, environmental codes, and etc), nobody mentions the fact that alot of CA's budgetary issues arise from a strain on its social services. California ranks among the best in terms of services(education, healthcare,etc), yet this is being overused from illegal immigrants that dont contribute to its maintenance. If you ever want to fix CA’s fiscal issues, you have to addresses its illegal immigration problem. However, the politicians in Sacramento don’t want to address this subject since they know its political suicide in CA.

 

[Brent8927]

True, unfortunately, this is the one issue that the PC groups dont ever talk about. California's budget issues are not at the top level(ie, revenue), but rather the bottom line(due to high costs). While it can be argued that CA state government is inefficient in its usage of monetary resources(ex. the new Oakland Bay bridge) due to the large state bureaucracy(numerous regulatory bodies, environmental codes, and etc), nobody mentions the fact that alot of CA's budgetary issues arise from a strain on its social services. California ranks among the best in terms of services(education, healthcare,etc), yet this is being overused from illegal immigrants that dont contribute to its maintenance. If you ever want to fix CA's fiscal issues, you have to addresses its illegal immigration problem. However, the politicians in Sacramento don't want to address this subject since they know its political suicide in CA.

Unless you're referring to higher education, we're ranked 47th in education, which is nothing to brag about .

Having worked in social services, I understand a lot of money goes to helping the homeless, poor, and others who don't pay taxes. But I hardly think our multi-billion-dollar (26 billion, I believe) budget problem is due to illegal immigration--it's due to the passage prop 13 in the 70's and a tax revenue system that goes up and down with the economy (since it relies so much on income and sales tax rather than property tax). Every political scientist and economist I've heard from has stated that that is our problem, and that hopefully, with things as bad as they are now, it may finally be the time to fix our tax revenue system.

I do still, however, think CA is a wonderful place to live, especially anything in-between Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. And for the few and very lucky government employees and their family, Yosemite Valley .