CSPM:
Dr Gilson, the physio teacher, is a bit of a legend at CSPM. Yes she will yell at the class/specific individuals from time to time. But there is something to be said about her class, you will know physiology by the time you finish your time with her. If you memorize you fail. Its that simple. You have to have a deep understanding of the material to do well in her course. The physio board pass rates are high for CSPM.
We never had any retakes and I dont know where that came from, but I cant deny it as I dont know what the classes below me have really been up to. I do know the weekly exams are no more. Its back to a traditional exam schedule.
Early clinics: This is what sold me on the school. 2nd year was the hardest by far at CSPM. Balancing the 2nd year schedule with clinics really took its toll me and my fellow students. But by the time you are done with 2nd year you are able to efficiently work up a patient and perform minor procedures, which is an incredible skill to have to start 3rd year.
As a 2nd year I was preforming Chip and clip, matricectomies/avulsions, diabetic screenings, trauma/pre-op workups, charcot, ulcer debridement/offloading, etc etc. You are under the close watch of an attending, but as a student you also get to do a majority of the work (especially at highland).
3rd and 4th year are no different than any of the other schools. Rotate, extern, obtain a residency.
Oakland: Its not that bad. The parts of oakland (east oakland) that make it a legendary crime ridden city are the parts that students will never go to. If you stay/live in Alameda, Grand ave, Adams point, Piedmont you will most likely not run into any significant crime. These areas are also close to school.
No one in my class was ever involved in any major crimes and I dont know any students from other classes that were either. If you go looking for trouble in Oakland you can find it, but if you keep to yourself you will have a good experience there.
Most students at CSPM are from California. We do have a few from other areas of the country but most are from NorCal or SoCal. I dont know why CSPM is not represented more on SDN. Maybe its because we are so hard at work?
The weather in oakland/east bay cant be beat. 70 degrees w bright blue skies for 9 months out of the year. 50 degrees with grey (misty) skies for the other 3 months. There is a multitude of things to do in the bay when you have free time (which is almsot never!).
Rent in oakland can be found for ~$700/month if you have roommates. Many of my classmates chose to move to san francisco 3rd and 4th year which is significantly more pricy but can be found for ~$1000/month w a roommate if you live in the sunset, richmond, diamond, outer mission districts. Which also happen to be close to most of the clinical sites.
In the end im pretty happy with my choice of attending CSPM. It did have some downsides. Some of the professors could have been better. I could have saved more money by going elsewhere on rent, and the school has a terribly small library. But in the end I feel I have received the education I need to become a good physician.
