UC Irvine vs Vanderbilt?

[shemarty]

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On behalf of a friend who's scared of SDN 😛

UC Irvine vs Vanderbilt?


Finances not a factor

CA resident, prefers CA-lifestyle/culture

Wants to return to CA for residency and practice here

Interested in global health. Interested in basic sci research.

Would prefer to stay in CA, but is worried that Vandy's reputation is significantly stronger than UCI's.

~~~

Some decisions are more obvious than others. I don't know much about either school, so I don't know whether this is an "obvious" decision or not.

Thoughts?

 

[eight sat up]

My sister went through a similar decision a few cycles ago, deciding between UCI and a top 15 school on the east coast, but ultimately stayed with UCI, and is having a blast. She's vying for an ultra-competetive spot in derm, but has already made several contacts with both her home dept, as well as UCSF's derm dept.

I'll be applying soon, and she advised me that going to school in CA simply makes making contacts in CA that much easier.

Obviously, this is just anecdotal evidence, but I hope it offers some sort of perspective on the decision. In any case, that's a ridiculously awesome position to be in!

 

[shemarty]

I'm going to give this a bump.

Anybody who knows anything about UCI or Vandy, my friend would appreciate the input.

 

[nuffles123]

I have 2 friends at Vandy that absolutely love it, and I know some people at UCI that don't like it at all. Definitely Vandy!

 

[guestdoc]

On behalf of a friend who's scared of SDN 😛

UC Irvine vs Vanderbilt?


Finances not a factor

CA resident, prefers CA-lifestyle/culture

Wants to return to CA for residency and practice here

Interested in global health. Interested in basic sci research.

Would prefer to stay in CA, but is worried that Vandy's reputation is significantly stronger than UCI's.

~~~

Some decisions are more obvious than others. I don't know much about either school, so I don't know whether this is an "obvious" decision or not.

It sounds like your friend already is already set! If he/she would prefer the California lifestyle/culture, would prefer to stay in CA, and then wants to do residency and practice in CA (although Vandy won't preclude this), why leave to Nashville?

This decision does seem to be obvious, unless the reputation thing is too big to get over.

Good luck to your friend! (shemarty... always helping others...) 🙂

 

[CAMed]

You are so lucky that money isn't an issue! That said, you should go where you got the best feeling. Med school is med school is med school. We all take the exact same exams. Go where you got the best "vibe".

Also, I work at UCLA in the hospital and the residents come from all over the country. As long as you do well on your boards I really don't see why you would need to stay in CA to get a CA residency. I would just make sure to keep your legal state of residence as CA (aka your parent's house). Plus, I am a 7th generation Californian (A serious California lifestyle lover) who went to college on the East Coast and I LOVED getting to know a new place and new people. Honestly, you can do anything for 4 years and it is such a fun adventure and a perfect opportunity to go somewhere new.

Good luck with your exciting decision!

 

[shemarty]

I'm surprised the votes have been exactly 50/50...

I didn't know much about either school, so I was hoping a SDN poll would make it more clear for her.

I guess 50-50 means that there is no wrong choice, so she should just pick the one that she has the best gut feeling about.

She should have this thread bookmarked, so even though she's not replying, she should be reading this!!

 

[aebvd97]

I'm surprised the votes have been exactly 50/50...

I didn't know much about either school, so I was hoping a SDN poll would make it more clear for her.

I guess 50-50 means that there is no wrong choice, so she should just pick the one that she has the best gut feeling about.

She should have this thread bookmarked, so even though she's not replying, she should be reading this!!

hah what do you mean you don't know much about either...you interviewed at Vanderbilt! I saw you there 😉

I'm voting for Vanderbilt, but I'm biased. I also happen to think California is not the best place to ever exist, and I would think she might want to explore another part of the country before settling down forever in Cali. I think that with a Vanderbilt pedigree she won't be hindered in matching back to California.

 

[ButImLETired]

Well, it totally depends on whether your friend wants to try out something new or not. As everyone has said, the Vanderbilt name won't hinder her if she wants to come back to CA. One away rotation, and she'll be set. On the other hand, of course staying would make it easier to form contacts and get to know *more* people around here, thereby pretty much guaranteeing a spot in CA if she wants it.

So really, it comes down to how open-minded and adventurous it is. I'm the biggest proponent of moving away and experiencing a new part of the country- I think it's healthy, and as someone above me mentioned, actually *really* fun. This is basically the last time in our lives that we'll get to go somewhere totally untethered, and I think people should take advantage of that if they can. On the other hand, if she is the type who needs her support system really close 24/7, or who isn't good at keeping up with friends and family when she's a plane ride away, then that's a different story, and you certainly shouldn't go somewhere that makes you miserable.

Prestige is kind of a stupid reason to pick a school. Pick Vanderbilt cause you like it best, with all that it entails, or go to UCI.

 

[shemarty]

hah what do you mean you don't know much about either...you interviewed at Vanderbilt! I saw you there 😉

Haha, I was WL'd so I never looked into it anymore!

 

[CAMed]

Just curious, where did your friend decide to go? The poll was pretty even...