UC Irvine vs. Columbia

[alifbatasoup]

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Hi all, would love to hear your thoughts on these two options. A bit about me: I hope to eventually settle down/practice in California and am most likely interested in something primary care with underserved communities -- though I would like to keep my options open in case I become interested in another specialty. I'm also interested in the medical humanities and public policy. Also, I spent a summer doing research in NYC and enjoyed the fast-paced environment.

UCI
Cost: $30K if I live at home/ $45K if I do not

Pros

• Close to home and family, lots of support
• Lots of med students match in California
• On interview day, students seemed really chill and friendly
• In state tuition is less expensive
• Option to do a MD/PHD in the Humanities
• Unique HEAL-IM opportunity (if accepted)
• Could build networks with physicians in California
• Small class size
• Ultrasound training

Cons

• Lower ranked
• Suburban environment --> patient population generally more affluent
• Driving required - hospital 30 min away
• Staying too much in my comfort zone
• Worried that Irvine would be less diverse in clinical exposure
• Smaller network

Columbia
Cost: ~$40K (the rest covered by scholarship) but could end up being less

Pros

• Highly ranked, prestigious
• Narrative Medicine program/track
• Global Health opportunities - more formalized opportunities
• New VEC building with lots of great study space and facilities
• Generous with need-based financial aid
• Really liked the faculty members I met; they seemed really supportive and encouraging of research
• Asylum clinic (have an interest in refugee health) and 4 other student run clinics
• P&S Club really cool
• Lots of really great hospitals and research facilities in NYC
• Larger Columbia network
• Opportunity to branch out of comfort zone
• Strong activist/organizing culture in NYC

Cons

• Could be more difficult to match back in California?
• Far away from family
• Cost of living is higher
• Total cost will be higher
• Didn't really vibe as well with some of the students I met; could have just been the luck of the draw though as I really liked others
• Larger class size

Summary: I can imagine being happy at both places but am trying to figure out whether the value of attending a more prestigious school like Columbia outweighs the potential challenge of matching in California down the line. Any and all thoughts are appreciated!

 

[Quantal Reasoning]

Primary care + wanting to match to California = UC Irvine.