UC Davis vs. University of Rochester - Help!

[lirpa2004]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I have a really difficult (and unexpected) decision to make in the next 10 days!

I would love to hear any opinions/information you have about these schools.

Here are some things I'm considering:

I really like Rochester's curriculum. Davis' seems fine. The administrative support seemed stronger to me at Rochester, at least based on the interview day. I would like live somewhere outside of California at some point in my life and Rochester seems like a cool place, but I don't know how I'm going to handle the extreme weather. I don't have strong feelings one way or the other about Davis/Sacramento. My family is in California, but my boyfriend will be living in NYC. Rochester's estimated budget is about $10,000/year more than Davis', but I haven't heard from their financial aid offices yet so I can't really compare costs.

I'm leaning towards Rochester, but as a California resident I'm hesitant to turn down a UC and move all the way across the country to attend an (arguably) comparable school. I'm also concerned that don't know very much about Davis. Please help!

Thanks!!

 

[nikoo]

for me, it would be davis hands down. as a california resident, it would be in your best interest because davis places very well in california. it has an awesome curriculum and their community service opportunities rock! I am not going to davis but i was really impressed with it when i visited. rochester is a great school too but there is little to do there and the weather is not too fun!

 

[LoneCoyote]

I'm a big fan of Davis. Here's what I posted in another thread for someone who asked for pros and cons:

I'll be at Davis in the fall, have talked to a a lot of med students there, did a research summer there, went to second look. So let me tell you what I have picked up from all of those experiences.

Pros:

Amazing student run clinics that you can get involved with early on
Laid-back, really nice student body, P/F grades 1st 2 yrs, H/P/F clinical yrs
Really supportive administration that seems to care about students and wants them to succeed
Amazing medical center that treats everyone and everything in all of NorCal from just north of Oakland to the Oregon border
Sacramento is very diverse so you'll have a really diverse patient population in addition too all the serious stuff that comes in from all over NorCal
Davis is a college town, good place to study for 1st 2 years
Cost of living is lower than at most other UC schools and in Washington, DC
If you want community medicine/primary care it's a great place. This year's 4th years class had a lot of people match into specialties too so it's not just a primary care school
Some new research stuff going on, including new genetics facilities
Still cheaper tuition than a private
New college system being implemented to help to integrate the classes and connect students with faculty and community docs

Cons:
Some students who wanted to do a competitive specialty complained it was harder to get research opportunities here than elsewhere, others said if you looked for it you could easily find it
Summer after first year is somewhat shorter than at other schools (they are going to change the schedule for class that enters in 2005)
Location is bad for some people, esp. those who are used to a more urban experience (Sacto is definitely not Washington, DC)
UC professional school tuition seems relatively unstable since the budget problems are not being addressed. Since it has doubled in 2 years we can't be sure what will happen in coming years
Student-run clinics are the main place to get clinical experiences prior to the clinical rotations so you have to take initiative to have that experience if you want it


I do not know too much about Rochester since I did not apply there. But one of my close friends really loved that school and had a very hard time deciding. From what she told me it sounded like the curriculum was awesome and she got a great vibe from the students and faculty. It sounded like they had a similar philosophy to Davis in some ways and that it too was a fairly laid-back place. Search for some threads on Rochester cuz I know there are some people on SDN who are going there.

 

[lirpa2004]

Thanks nikoo!

What do you like about the curriculum at Davis?

 

[exmike]

While Rochester is an excellent school, I dont think its so much better than Davis as to justify the difference in tuition costs. I've said before that personally it would take an "elite" east coast school to get me to give up a chance to go to a UC. Good luck with your choice though, I know thousands, yes thousands of applicants from CA that would love the chance to go to a UC med school, myself included.

 

[lirpa2004]

Wow, thanks LoneCoyote! I agree that Davis and Rochester seem to have similar philosophies. I think that if Davis had accepted me earlier, I would have gone there for sure. But now that I've had six months to to find out more about Rochester and get really excited about it, this has become a really hard decision!

 

[jlee9531]

i have to 2nd the davis comments.
they are very supportive of their students and assistant dean bera is a prime example of that.

davis students are really happy and chill.
plus how can you beat the clinics at davis?

 

[ZekeMD]

Contrary to popular belief, the weather in Rochester is not that bad. I've lived in the Rochester area my whole life and love it there. The winters may take some getting used to, but when you think about it, you'll be inside the hospital a majority of the time so what does the weather really matter that much. Rochester curriculum is IMHO the best in the country. It seems most of the previous posters would choose davis because they would want to remain in Cali. If you're hoping to get a Cali residency I can see the logic behind this, but if not, I wouldn't even think twice about the decision and would go to Rochester. Just my 2 cents. Let me know where you decide to go, and if it's Rochester I'll see you in the fall!

Zeke

 

[exmike]

It seems most of the previous posters would choose davis because they would want to remain in Cali. If you're hoping to get a Cali residency I can see the logic behind this, but if not, I wouldn't even think twice about the decision and would go to Rochester. Zeke

Isnt one of the reasons Rocherster is appealing to you is that is it near your home?

I've heard great things about the rochester double helix curriculum. definitely something to consider.

 

[ZekeMD]

Isnt one of the reasons Rocherster is appealing to you is that is it near your home?

I've heard great things about the rochester double helix curriculum. definitely something to consider.

Actually, not really. It's just a coincidence that I'm from that area. I went away for undergrad and am moving back for med school. Distance from home had no part in my decision. I fell in love with Rochester when I went there.