UC Davis vs UC Irvine

[mdstompa]

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Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some input as I’m deciding between UC Davis School of Medicine and UC Irvine School of Medicine.

Background:

• From Sacramento (strong support system at Davis)
• Long-term preference for Southern California
• Interested in Internal Medicine with the goal of matching into as strong of a California residency program as possible
• I know I don’t want to be “gunning” for honors during med school and worry that wanting to match well in IM will require me to do so?

​

UC Davis: ​

– Pros​

• True Pass/Fail for all 4 years (less stress, more collaborative environment)
• Strong support system (family/familiarity in Sacramento)
• Known for student wellness and less competitive culture

– Cons​

• Location (I strongly prefer Southern California)
• Ever so slightly less national reputation compared to Irvine

UC Irvine: ​

– Pros​

• Location in Southern California (major personal preference)
• Strong health system with many opportunities
• Slightly stronger reputation/network, especially within SoCal
• Potential advantage for matching in Southern California programs

– Cons​

• Honors/Pass/Fail system (both pre-clinical and clinical years), which may create pressure to “gun”
• Potentially more competitive environment

​

My Dilemma: It really comes down to quality of life vs. grading system. I value a low-stress, non-competitive environment (favoring Davis), but I also strongly prefer being in Southern California and recognize Irvine’s potential advantages for networking and matching. Would love to hear thoughts, especially from current students or anyone who has faced a similar decision. How much does true P/F vs H/P/F actually impact day-to-day stress and residency outcomes?​

 

[River777]

Did you go to UCI's second look day/speak personally with current med students? I think that would be the greatest resource to get some of your questions answered. Full disclosure, I'm WL at UCI so not sure how much help I can be. TBH for me the location and opportunities/networking at UCI would be hard to pass up. I got the feeling that UCI is also not competitive, very collaborative, and the students are happy. The school has a very strong reputation especially in socal if you want to be here for residency and as an attending and really takes care of their own. The match list also is a tad bit stronger, but ofc that also depends on the students interest. IM isn't difficult to match, but the networks and opportunities will probably be important longer term.

But def try to talk to current uci med students about the environment. Ultimately, both are great and can't go wrong either way!

 

[ryliecahill2]

Davis for staying near your support system and more stress-free grading. Davis’s match list looks pretty strong to me, and Davis / Irvine have similar recognition. P/F at Davis means that you will have more time for research, extracurriculars, and board exam prep to help your residency application stand out. I’d only choose Irvine if you strongly prefer the location and value that over being near your support system and having P/F clinicals.