UC Davis or UT Southwestern?

[poikoi]

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I was accepted to both UC Davis and UT Southwestern and am conflicted as to which I ought to choose. It's coming down to the wire and I still have not made up my mind. What are your thoughts?

For money's sake, they are about equal. UTSW tuition would be around 12k and Davis after scholarships would be about 14k.

What do you think?

 

[LoneCoyote]

I know nothing about UT-Southwestern, but would be happy to answer any questions about Davis you might have as best I can. I'm a 3rd year at UCDSOM right now. Feel free to PM me.

One thing to think about is where you ultimately see yourself going to residency and practicing since you will make connections in medical school that can help you stay in a certain region.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I was accepted to both UC Davis and UT Southwestern and am conflicted as to which I ought to choose. It's coming down to the wire and I still have not made up my mind. What are your thoughts?

For money's sake, they are about equal. UTSW tuition would be around 12k and Davis after scholarships would be about 14k.

What do you think?

Not only does it hold to my standard answer of "Go to the cheaper school" in this case, the cheaper school is also in a better location. Choose UT Southwestern.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

UT Southwestern, but then again, I'm biased.

 

[badasshairday]

First of all. Congratulations.

Are you from CA or TX? If you are from TX, go to the TX school so you could give another Californian on the waitlist a shot at going to a UC.

 

[poikoi]

First of all. Congratulations.

Are you from CA or TX? If you are from TX, go to the TX school so you could give another Californian on the waitlist a shot at going to a UC.

I'm from SoCal. Either place would be sort of foreign, though Texas moreso.

 

[potato51]

do you prefer one curriculum over the other? do you see yourself practicing in California? prefer to be closer to home?

if you have questions about UTSW, you can PM me.

 

[bluesTank]

UT Southwestern because it's in Texas

 

[Hednej]

I think the big question is where do you want to live and where would you like to eventually settle down? If Cali, then go to UCD, if anywhere else, then UTSW.
I have to warn you though, UTSW does have a reputation for having gunnerish students here in TX.

 

[evade]

Honestly? Go where you think you will be the happiest. If one school gave you a better vibe than the other, choose that one. I won't vote, because it's a very personal decision that only you can make.

However, you may feel free to ask me questions about UCD. 🙂

 

[Vvandenn]

Texas sucks, stay in California. Of course this is coming from a person who desperately wants to leave Texas...so take it as you will.

 

[Darjeeling]

I'm from Califonia, very near Davis, but I have been living in Dallas and working at UTSW all year. Personally, I would go to UCDavis ovre UTSW in a heartbeat based on locatio nalone, but being from SoCal you might appreciate Dallas more than me. Do you like going to restaurants, going to bars, going to malls, and going to some more restaurants? Come to UTSW! Do you like doing... anything else? Do you like seeing or at least being close to mountains and water of ANY kind? Do you appreciate wildlife (beyond thousands of grackles)? Try UCDavis. Seriously, I have enjoyed it here more than I expected to- the people are very friendly and fun, there are great museums and....malls.... and restaurants- but I wouldn't want to stay much longer.

As for the schools: FWIW, here are the impressions I have gotten about UTSW while working here (bear in mind I never considered it for school so I haven delved too deeply): UTSW is a great school whose students work very hard and perform very well. I have also heard from a few student who did away rotations (UTMB) during 4th year that they felt very prepared and like expectations here are higher for the students. As for negatives: I have gotten the feeling that things here are more prescribed, less diverse- this refers to the students, their experiences, and their opportunities during med school. A little cookie-cutter, perhaps. I also have talked to one UTSW gen surg resident who came from another med school and thought that the resident who come from UTSW are "coddled"- less exposed to and prepared for the real world of medicine. That's just one person's opinion, though.

As for UCDavis, you probably have a better sense of the school than I do, having interviewed and whatnot. Great school, great combination of focus on researhc and primary care experience, great clinical training and opporunities to work in free clinics, etc. I cannot speak to the new facilities in Sacramento personally, but a friend whose dad works there says they are fantastic and that the students are very pleased.

Since you have two good choices, you should go to the place where you feel most welcome and comfortable. You should feel just plain happy with the school and the student body- and yes, the surrounding area matters too. It is your life and you want be in an environment that is a good fit for you for the next four years. Good luck! 🙂

 

[poikoi]

Boy, you guys are making this hard. The poll and the comments have been around 50:50. I was hoping for a landslide, but I guess popular opinion is as divided as I am. Thanks for all the help.

 

[rowdyrock]

Boy, you guys are making this hard. The poll and the comments have been around 50:50. I was hoping for a landslide, but I guess popular opinion is as divided as I am. Thanks for all the help.

I also work at UTSW---its a really good school, but man, I'd got to CA. I miss living near nature SO much. Especially if that's important to you, go to davis

 

[riceman04]

Many of my friends from Rice attend UTSW. They say that it is it sometimes unecessarily competitive...but for the most part people are civil. I only have one friend at Davis...but she LOVES it

 

[trevagandalf]

Go to UC Davis so the waitlisted people in UTSW can get in (aka me)

 

[DilatedPore]

Having gone to med school in Texas, I say go for California. (That is, if you like both of them equally well). California will likely give you better patient diversity (Dallas is pretty homogeneous) and tons of options for convenient away electives when you are in your 4th year. Think about how many residency programs are available in which state for the areas that you might be interested in. Look at the FREIDA residency database that is available for residency applicants on the www.aamc.org website to get a feel for what is out there. Also, if you can find it, compare the residency match lists for each of the schools to see if there's any regional bias for where the graduates end up. To help you make this decision, think past the immediacy of medschool and consider where you would like to be as a resident. Try looking at what this year's residency applicants are discussing about things that they wish they would have known prior to choosing schools, planning their rotations, etc. Obviously, if you have a better "gut feeling" about one school versus the other, then listen carefully to your innards. Good luck with your decision. And congratulations on being in this very good predicament.

 

[sprinkibrio]

(Dallas is pretty homogeneous)

Huh? Are you kidding me?

Anyways... if you can't figure out which school you would rather attend, think about which you would hate to withdraw from more. I think sometimes people get stuck when it comes close to decision time just because they don't want to limit their options. Just decide... you might never feel comfortable you made the right choice, but in the end you can get wherever you want to go from either school.

Btw I keep hearing there are a lot of SoCal folks in Dallas.

 

[Mardi-Bob]

Btw I keep hearing there are a lot of SoCal folks in Dallas.

Ya, and they never shut-up about how great Cali is.
Makes me want to shoot them.

 

[alok]

1. UTSW is ranked higher than UCDavis ( 19 vs. 49 in US News for top medical schools for research AND 18 vs. 30 for primary care)

2. Texas is cheaper than CA in terms of living expenses


I would choose UTSW over UCDavis anyday!! (I'm from Texas, currently in Northern Cali)

 

[FastForward]

I'm at UTSW you'll work hard anywhere but, I like it here and tjere is alot to do in Dallas.

 

[jaf72]

Go to where ever you feel most comfortable spending the next four years of your life.

 

[sprinkibrio]

So where did you end up choosing? It is May 15th!

 

[poikoi]

Well... I'm going to Davis. Southwestern is a great school, but perhaps a little too intense and too far away. My parents convinced me that I'd miss them too much if I went to Texas and would suck my thumb and curl up in the fetal position without them nearby. So I'm off to Sac-Town. Thanks for all the input on this thread, its been helpful in considering my options. Adios muchachos.