UC Davis vs UCI vs NYU vs MSSM

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dabenxiong

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Hi Guys,

These are the schools that I think I have a decent shot at post-interview (most likely I'll find out all their decisions by next week). Assuming that you got in all 4 and money is not an issue, which one would you go and why? I am a California resident and want to stay close to home, but I am also a city person. So, anyways, it is quite a hard decision for me and I just want to hear your inputs. Thanks a lot.

DBX
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NYU- best rep
UCI- Good rep for great price.

I personally would suck it up and pay the private tuition at NYU. Thats what loans are for.
 
I went to Sinai, and all of my classmates from California couldn't wait to go back. They missed the lifestyle and the access to the outdoors mightily. If you are thinking of returning home for residency you might want to stay in California. Just a thought.

Personally I would have loved to do residency in Davis.
 
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you must have a crystal ball if you can be sure that davis is gonna give you a decision by next week.

but anyways...out of all the schools you mention id do go to davis.

its in california. nice location to be able to do a lot of things that are relatively close by.

ranked in research and highly ranked in primary care. the sac med center kicks ass. and if you want to do residency in california...davis is number 1 in the state in that category where around 75% of the students do their residency in cali.

yeah uci is nice but for me at least i need a break from oc.
 
as a socal native i would go w/ UCI.

but i'd love to go to any of those 4 schools. good luck!
 
MSSM has the best combined peer assesment and residency reputations of those schools, followed closely by NYU according to US News (in correction to BigRed). Regardless, if I were you, I would definitely go to UCI. Can't go wrong in sunny Cali, especially if you want to stay close to home for med school and residency like you suggest. Good luck man!
 
Are you refering to that "scholarly, peer reviewed" journal, US news? Don't forget your diploma is gonna read MSSM of NYU! :D

Originally posted by TheFlash
MSSM has the best combined peer assesment and residency reputations of those schools, followed closely by NYU according to US News (in correction to BigRed). Regardless, if I were you, I would definitely go to UCI. Can't go wrong in sunny Cali, especially if you want to stay close to home for med school and residency like you suggest. Good luck man!
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by BigRedPingpong
Are you refering to that "scholarly, peer reviewed" journal, US news? Don't forget your diploma is gonna read MSSM of NYU! :D
Click to expand...

MSSM and NYU I would say have pretty equal reputations. You can't go wrong either way. As for MSSM of NYU, I didn't know about that, but I would assume that by the time we graduate from MSSM, that will no longer be the case anymore. The merger is in the process of being dissolved right now...and as far as I was aware, the medical schools were kept totally separate from everything involved in the merger. That makes MSSM of NYU a little weird. Are you sure about that?
 
Yes, Although I;m just messin' with flash, it is true. Your diploma will read MSSM of NYU. Look on sinai's web site. Somewhere buried in that disorganized pile of html you will find it.

Originally posted by facted
MSSM and NYU I would say have pretty equal reputations. You can't go wrong either way. As for MSSM of NYU, I didn't know about that, but I would assume that by the time we graduate from MSSM, that will no longer be the case anymore. The merger is in the process of being dissolved right now...and as far as I was aware, the medical schools were kept totally separate from everything involved in the merger. That makes MSSM of NYU a little weird. Are you sure about that?
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Facted,

Where did you get the info about the merger disintegrating? Is that true or just a rumor?

here is a quote from MSSM FAQ page:

What is the relationship between Mount Sinai and New York University?
Mount Sinai School of Medicine and New York University School of Medicine are completely independent entities, each having its own Dean and Board of Trustees. In July 1999, Mount Sinai School of Medicine changed its academic affiliation to New York University and, hence, its diplomas read Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University. However, all curricular development and student rotations are unique to each institution. The students of each school have always been able to, and will continue to be able to, schedule electives at the other school, just as they can schedule away electives at any LCME accredited school.

link:

http://www.mssm.edu/bulletin/faq/faq.htm#n
 
There was a huge article in NYT that I read saying they were in the stages of trashing the merger. It didn't go well for anyone involved and the main thing holding them together was the huge debt they both had. They have to figure out a way to split it up. That's what I read. As far as I know, they're dumping each other, but I don't know that for 100% truth. thanks for the link...very helpful :)
 
Yep the merger is dead on the hospital end... schools are taking a bit longer, but they never really merged so the physical disentangling should be straightforward when it happens.
 
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Just to add another confirmation, a friend of mine working at the hospital said there was an internal project sheepishly called "Project Divorce" to try to untangle the IT systems (which were in fact merged). As I recall, IBM was called in to manage the divorce.

As for the diplomas, a friend of mine graduated from Sinai last May and his diploma does have NYU on it. I'd hedge my bets that in 5 yrs, those diplomas will only have Sinai on them. Hey, either way, you can't lose :)--two great teaching hospitals.
 
Originally posted by BigRedPingpong
Are you refering to that "scholarly, peer reviewed" journal, US news? Don't forget your diploma is gonna read MSSM of NYU! :D
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'd give the merger another 2 or 3 years before it's completely disintegrated. As for "just messin' with flash," how about we settle this argument in a ping pong tournament? I ain't no joke when it comes to two paddles, a table, and a ball. :D

tf
 
No wonder I am having a hard time deciding! There seems to be an equal number of votes for every schools. Currently, I am leaning towards UC Davis because my gf has been bombarding me about how she wants to see me on weekends (she lives in SF). However, the other 3 also gave me a very positive impression when I interviewed there. An acceptance from UCLA will surely make this process much easier....

Thanks for all the inputs guys.
 
thinking along the same lines as jlee...dabenxiong, is there a reason that you think davis will get back to you soon? did the admissions office tell you something along these lines? i only ask because i've been waiting anxiously to hear back from them for 14 weeks since my interview!
 
Personally, having spent significant time on both coasts I'd pick Davis, especially if you are a native Californian. If you want to do residency here it is best to stay in state. Davis has a good rep for both primary care and these days for matching people into specialties. Their research facilities are definitely moving up. The med center is awesome and serves a diverse patient population. And of all the 4 schoosl you mentioned it is by far the lowest cost of living, though if $ is not a factor for you that probably doesn't matter. It's about an hour to SF w/o traffic, so it's not as isolated as some people think.

The only bad thing is how long you have to wait for a decision... like jlee and hapkidochic I am patiently waiting....

Bottom line, I doubt you could go wrong with any of the 4 schools, but if you plan to practice in California I'd stay here. Good luck.
 
To get back to the original point, and also being from both coasts, I'd say:
1) can't lose with any of them
2) stay in Cali if you want to end up in Cali
3) if you're not sure where you want to go and like NY on initial visit, I say come out here. I think it will make for a much more well-rounded experience. NY has a feeling all to it's own. Most mock me for coming back to the East after undergrad, but I was just too drawn by the crazy-ass pace of life here--I feed off it.
4) go with your gut - all other factors equal, just do what feels right. You're the one that knows where you'll have the best overall experience.
5) Enjoy it! You're in to some of the best med schools in the country. It's one of the better decisions to have on your plate right now!

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the replies, guys.

To answer your question, jlee and hapkidochic, I said I'll find out about Davis next week because I am applying to the MD/PhD program and we (the PSTP interviewees) were told that the decision takes roughly 3 to 4 weeks to get through. During my 2-day interview (1/22~1/23), I had a chance to meet with the director of admissions for the medical school. According to him, no more than 20 students had been accepted to the MD program, thus I wouldn't stress yet if you haven't heard anything back from them.

Hope this helps.
 
I do so love that kind of advice posting from undergrads.
 
Originally posted by DoctorDoom
I do so love that kind of advice posting from undergrads.
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i love it too. prick.

NYU is a dump but the kids there love it for the dump it is.
 
Originally posted by mufaddal
i love it too. prick.

NYU is a dump but the kids there love it for the dump it is.
Click to expand...

Stay away from the expletives, ace. You wouldn't have the stones to talk to me that way if we were face to face, don't do it behind the safety of a computer screen.

I did rotations at NYU when I was in med school. I thought it was a great place with great residents. Your post however, presented no reasoning and no explanation for your answer, and appeared to be based on no experience as a student or resident. I called you on it. Don't resort to name calling unless you can back it up, and even then don't do it to me.
 
Originally posted by DoctorDoom
Stay away from the expletives, ace. You wouldn't have the stones to talk to me that way if we were face to face, don't do it behind the safety of a computer screen.

I did rotations at NYU when I was in med school. I thought it was a great place with great residents. Your post however, presented no reasoning and no explanation for your answer, and appeared to be based on no experience as a student or resident. I called you on it. Don't resort to name calling unless you can back it up, and even then don't do it to me.
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wrong again. i would. come down to TX and i'll show you :D
 
Guys guys. I really appreciate the enthusiasm, but I started this thread trying to get honest opinions about these 4 schools. So it'd great if you can please only post reponses relevent to the topic of the thread. Thanks.
 
Originally posted by mufaddal
wrong again. i would. come down to TX and i'll show you :D
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LOL... ok tough guy. We'll see what we'll see. PM me your address and let's find out.

Actually, you'll be in my neck of the woods soon, perhaps. Let me know, sparky.

Ahhh... DBX is right, this is purposeless.

Good luck.

Sorry DBX, I got a little riled... it sounds like you should stay in California for several reasons, and the city life should be only one consideration. After all, you'll be working pretty hard, so your access to city living will be somewhat limited anyhow.
 
NYUs admissions process (the postcards, etc.) is outdated and slow--Seems like they are about 10 years behind in technology...I love NYU, but I would go to davis or irvine.
 
Go UCD OR UCI
Can?t leave behind Cali weather.
 
I think it depends on wether or not you want to be a primary care doctor and stay in CA or not. If so then I would go to one of the state schools maybe, otherwise I would go elsewhere (Although maybe I'm just bitter because neither UC I or Davis has interviewed me yet). The clinical training that you get at a NYC school will probably be far superior to davis as they see so many more patients with varried conditions, whereas the Davis patient population is probably very homogenious.
 
My mom did her internship at UC Davis and had an absolutly horrible experience, partly because this was back when few women were admitted to medical school. But basically, she knew much more than the residents because she did her training at a large iner-city hospital and had much more hands on experience than they had had at Davis. Plus, based on personal family experiences I would say that the UC Davis medical center is not that good. My great uncle was taken there after a bad car reck, they didn't do everything that they should have, and he died soon after. Similarly, my dad was seeing several UC Davis doctors because he lives near the medical center, and now that he's switched to non-Davis doctors he's getting much better care, and they are taking care of some of his problems.
But I havn't actually visited the medical school, so maybe things are getting better.
Good luck with your decision! I think that any of those schools will help you be a good doctor.
 
it all comes down to personal opinion. they are all good schools that will provide you with a good education. i'd pick uci or ucd, because i couldn't take 4 years living in nyc. but some people would enjoy 4 years in nyc...
 
Originally posted by rebeclette
I think it depends on wether or not you want to be a primary care doctor and stay in CA or not. If so then I would go to one of the state schools maybe, otherwise I would go elsewhere (Although maybe I'm just bitter because neither UC I or Davis has interviewed me yet). The clinical training that you get at a NYC school will probably be far superior to davis as they see so many more patients with varried conditions, whereas the Davis patient population is probably very homogenious.
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The town of Davis itself is rather homogeneous, but the population that the Davis Medical Center serves is not. It's in Sacramento and serves as major tertiary center to several counties, therefore, you see a lot of crap because everything in the hills comes down to the sac medical center.

And don't bash Davis doctors and residents. Their training is excellent and is well received in residency circles.
 
Originally posted by rebeclette
I think it depends on wether or not you want to be a primary care doctor and stay in CA or not. If so then I would go to one of the state schools maybe, otherwise I would go elsewhere (Although maybe I'm just bitter because neither UC I or Davis has interviewed me yet). The clinical training that you get at a NYC school will probably be far superior to davis as they see so many more patients with varried conditions, whereas the Davis patient population is probably very homogenious.
Click to expand...

Try doing a little research before you post.

Davis is a suburb of Sacramento, a metropolitan area of about 1 million people. You obviously don't know the area, because it is the most diverse area of the country, where many different races live together in the *same* neighborhoods--unlike *cough* LA, which thinks its diverse--one black, one hispanic, one asian, and one white neighborhood in the same city--is not diverse to me.

The patient population may numerically be less than what you would see in New York, but it is by *far* not monolithic...:rolleyes:
 
I was born at the UC Davis medical center, and spent a large part of my life in Sacramento. My dad lives about 2 minutes from the medical center, and my mom did her residency there and worked as a practicing physician in the greater sacramento area for a long time. I'm just trying to share my own opinions, I think that thats what the original poster wanted. I'm sorry if I offended everyone, and I'm sure that you'll be a great doctor with your training there.
 
And what the *heck* do you know about UCDMC? Have you ever been there?

So you base your advice on your "grandfather's" experience with "one" doctor at Davis? I beg your pardon, but Davis students get a crap load of clinical exposure as many people from all over the rural parts of Northern California are shuttled there. I just don't understand why you result to personal attacks on a school in which you know *nothing* about.

Thinking that the Sacramento area is monolithic is just laughable, so you lose all credibility with that stupid comment.
 
Originally posted by rebeclette
I was born at the UC Davis medical center, and spent a large part of my life in Sacramento. My dad lives about 2 minutes from the medical center, and my mom did her residency there and worked as a practicing physician in the greater sacramento area for a long time. I'm just trying to share my own opinions, I think that thats what the original poster wanted. I'm sorry if I offended everyone, and I'm sure that you'll be a great doctor with your training there.
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Obviously you don't...

I'm just so tired of taking crap from people on this board about my school. This is a great institution, with great students, great faculty, and great inhabitants. By telling people that the UCDMC doesn't "train" their residents properly is a slap in the face to those of us (like me) that worked their a*ses off to get into a Cali med school, and think its an honor to attend school here.

Keep your negative (and biased) comments to yourself next time...especially if you know nothing about the UC Davis Health System...:rolleyes:
 
wow...let's all just chill now...i love davis too and think it doesn't get the respect that it deserves...but lets all chill...lets not let ignorant premeds get the best of us.
 
I think the California medical schools are some of the best and most applicants would love to go to just about any of them. It seems that rebeclette may be drawing at least some of her conclusions from how UC Davis existed in the past. As I know UCSBPre-Med1 already knows, Davis has a pretty good mix of male and female applicants with recent years having women outnumber the men. This appear to not have been the case when rebeclette's mother went there. No one can draw accurate conclusions about the care provided to a few individuals. Davis does serve a large population of very diverse individuals (Russian, Hmong, Hispanic, etc). Additionally, UC Davis medical center functions as the county hospital of Sacramento (there is no official county hospital). This means that the residents see a large number of indigent people-something that unfortunately may mean great pathology. But this also means that a lot of private practice patients are also seen at the hospital. The mix provides a unique experience to the residents and medical students. Personally, I think UC Davis is a pretty good hospital that often gets overshadowed by the other excellent UC medical centers.
 
hey dbx...
i interviewed with you on the 22-23rd...
any news yet?? its been six weeks...
 
BigRed you changed your location and signature. Why would you do such a thing? They were fascinating and very unique. :laugh:
 
Originally posted by UCSBMed1
Try doing a little research before you post.

Davis is a suburb of Sacramento, a metropolitan area of about 1 million people. You obviously don't know the area, because it is the most diverse area of the country, where many different races live together in the *same* neighborhoods--unlike *cough* LA, which thinks its diverse--one black, one hispanic, one asian, and one white neighborhood in the same city--is not diverse to me.

The patient population may numerically be less than what you would see in New York, but it is by *far* not monolithic...:rolleyes:
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though you are a laker hater...i say folks listen to him.

the ucdmc is an amazing place and i was very impressed with what i saw there. spent most of my time at shriners and the main hospital and i would love to get my medical training there.
 
As somebody who has trained at UC Davis (and other hospitals) I think I can answer this better than someone who had a bad experience associated with a "car rek".

The community is quite the opposite of "homogenious"-- if you did some research you would find that there are seven languages spoken by 2% or more of the Sacramento population (I believe they are English, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Hmong, Tagalog... can't remember the seventh) which is on par with the most diverse cities in the country.

The hospital is top-notch and serves a very wide geographical area. There are nationally known clinicians in many specialties. The nursing staff is all-RN, which I have heard can only be said of two hospitals in the USA. The clinical training at UCD is quite excellent and very well respected by residency programs in California and elsewhere. Over the last several years graduating students have been exceptionally succesful in matching in all competetive speciaties as well as primary care.

The only drawback is that it is a little less cheap to attend than it was a few years ago, giving it less of an edge in that department vs. private med schools.

I would be happy to answer additional questions.

Good luck with your choice.
MadC
 
Don't count your chickens before they hatch... come back when you've actually been accepted. You're wasting jlee's valuable time! :laugh:
 
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