UCLA and Pitt

[ocguy]

I loved Pitt when I went to second look and am excited about the possibility of going... but I also like UCLA, not as much as Pitt, and I get in-state tuition... any suggestions?

P.S.
I want to get into surgery.

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[silas2642]

UCLA. Can't beat instate tuition.

 

[ocguy]

bump

 

[Gardenia]

I loved Pitt when I went to second look and am excited about the possibility of going... but I also like UCLA, not as much as Pitt, and I get in-state tuition... any suggestions?

P.S.
I want to get into surgery.

If you went to UCLA, would you wonder throughout your 4 years what UPitt would have been like? Its a matter of which you find as more important: your loving the school or lesser amount of loans.

Plus, UPitt seems to have a large surgery department and are well known for that (particulary transplant).

 

[Saluki]

I'm a big fan of following the money.... UCLA is an incredible school.... So is UPitt but if you're not getting financial aid from them, I don't think it's worth it...

 

[notdeadyet]

UCLA. The only reason to pay significantly more money for med school is if you'll get a significantly better education. That's a nonissue here.

 

[CaliPlease]

Why don't you wait until second look weekend to make up your mind? Personally, I would take UCLA in a heartbeat. But you might as well not sweat it and wait a few weeks till after second look. Remember that most schools (but I don't know about UCLA) are doing a sales job at second look weekend and are working hard to make you excited to attend. I am not sure how hard the public schools work at it. So take the feelings you get from second look weekends with a grain of salt. And, congratulations on two fabulous choices.

 

[yodel]

bump

it all depends on what's important to you. ucla is certainly higher ranked (if that's important to you) and instate tuition is always nice (though cali instate tuitions aren't as nice as other state instate tuitions). if working in cali after med school is important to you, ucla would most definitely be the better choice. pitt's very strong in surgical specialties, so it would present great opportunities for a surgical track. finally, the people you're going to spend the next four years with are also important. second looks are great opportunities to get a feel for that. anywho, i'm sure you'll do fine anywhere.

 

[chaldobruin]

I loved Pitt when I went to second look and am excited about the possibility of going... but I also like UCLA, not as much as Pitt, and I get in-state tuition... any suggestions?

P.S.
I want to get into surgery.

I would definitely go with UCLA, given its prestigious reputation, in-state tuition, and westwood (best college town ever!!). Plus we got a kick ass basketball team! Then again I'm biased as a UCLA undergrad. If you felt like it was in your destiny to goto Pitt, then only you can answer this question. Both great schools, congrats.

 

[Bluntman]

This really shouldn't be a question.

 

[pattayapus]

UCLA!! I'm surprised you didn't like it! (Why, by the way?)

 

[bubblez]

this is a tough decision. for ppl who didn't interview at Pitt or who didn't feel that connection at Pitt, i guess the obvious choice would be UCLA.

i interviewed at both and LOVED Pitt for reasons i can't even fully understand yet (im from CA but Pitt is one of the schools i would leave CA for). there's just something about Pitt, the curriculum, their philosophy, how sincere the ppl were...maybe. but yes, the weather definitely won't match up with CA.

i liked UCLA a lot too. but just didn't get as strong of a positive "gut feeling" there as i did at Pitt. still trying to figure out why cuz UCLA obviously was one of my top choices, being from CA and everything. even i am surprised at how much i liked Pitt.

but anyways, $$$ and the happiness factor during med school are very important as well, so i guess you'll have to make a decision based on what you feel is most important to you. both are great schools so i'm sure you'll be fine either way.

i don't get why ppl hate Pitt so much. lol. all these Pitt vs. XXX SOM threads floating around. curriculum-wise it's similar to UCLA (some PBL some lecture), both have pretty good research (sure Pitt is ranked lower), but Pitt does have a very cool simulation center and pretty strong surgical specialities i think. haha. ANYWAYS, not trying to convince anyone here, it's just interesting to see how ppl judge schools.

 

[Saluki]

I've heard a lot of awesome things about Pitt, and that would be a good choice as well.... And gut feeling is important- a lot of people would have taken Vandy rather than Cleveland, but I felt differently..... However, four years at Pitt could get really pricey.... Will you qualify for any financial aid there?

 

[Faust]

I loved Pitt when I went to second look and am excited about the possibility of going... but I also like UCLA, not as much as Pitt, and I get in-state tuition... any suggestions?

P.S.
I want to get into surgery.

Overall, UPitt has a better reputation nationally-especially for very competitive residencies. There are a bunch of UCLA quacks here supporting ucla myopically.
Most probably never been to the east. In the east, one mentions UCLA medical school and the response is oh yeah, that's part of the UC system, right? They think of it as a SUNY system . If you want more respect go with UPitt. (Funny thing is that I got rejected from UCLA: I think they noticed how much I disliked the Hollywood-esk fake atmosphere)

 

[ocguy]

Thanks everyone for your input... the thing is that I like UCLA, and think I can be happy there... I didn't even consider Pitt until the second look, and I feel as if I go to Pitt, I will be the happiest... but the cost difference is making this a harder decision than it has to be...

 

[Bluntman]

Funny thing is that I got rejected from UCLA

Really?! I would never have guessed that just from reading the rest of your post.

 

[Saluki]

Really?! I would never have guessed that just from reading the rest of your post.

You know, even though the rejections can make you a tad bitter it doesn't necessarily affect your opinion of the school... I got rejected post-secondary by UMich and Hopkins, but I still think those are incredible schools. I would encourage anyone to go there, though the class sizes are a little large for my personal taste....

 

[waterlily]

Overall, UPitt has a better reputation nationally-especially for very competitive residencies. There are a bunch of UCLA quacks here supporting ucla myopically.
Most probably never been to the east. In the east, one mentions UCLA medical school and the response is oh yeah, that's part of the UC system, right? They think of it as a SUNY system . If you want more respect go with UPitt. (Funny thing is that I got rejected from UCLA: I think they noticed how much I disliked the Hollywood-esk fake atmosphere)

I'm having the same dilemma...UCLA or Pitt. I disagree with the post above though. When I tell people on the west coast about I'm considering UPitt, they're like oh..why?? UPitt is only recognized in the medical community. When I talked to med students on the east coast about UCLA, they recognized that it's a good school, not just "another UC school." Either school will give you a chance for a competetive residency. For US News Ranking assessment score by residency directors, both schools got a 4.0 out of 5.0.

To ocguy, I'm curious to why you'd be happiest at UPitt? I loved the school and people, but I really didn't like the location. It was too brown and old for me. I guess I'm so used to Cali with its beautiful weather, colorful, new and modern buildings. Which is quite funny because I originally was from New England, so I shouldn't have a problem with the east coast scenery. And actually my situation is completely opposite of yours. I think I'd be happiest at UCLA but financially, UPitt is better b/c they offered me a full scholarship.

But I'm gonna wait til after UCLA's second look when I have gotten the feel of both schools. Then I'll be able to put everything into prospective. I think ultimately, despite which one is better financially, I'm going to go with my gut feeling, with whatever place I feel like I'd be happiest in. B/c regardless, your experience at whatever school you go to is going to be affected by your outlook. And if you think of the overall picture, if you choose the more expensive school, that's only a year's worth of salary down the line that you'd accrue in loans...which isn't that much relatively.

 

[bubblez]

haha, it's funny that people have totally opposite experiences at the same school. I wonder if it's because we talked to different people there or what. Anyway, what i've been told about Pitt, and what I observed there, is that students are very focused academically but they're also fun-loving and know how to have a good time. That's all good, but I still got a weird vibe when I was there, for the silliest reasons too. I just felt really insecure there, and I've never felt that way at any other school. I guess it's not something I should base my decision on, but regardless, my gut-feeling towards Pitt was just not good, and I think I better listen to my gut even when it's being a temperamental and insecure brat . I guess this means I can't join the PalPITTations then--gosh darnit!

One thing I'm envious about is how you were able to judge how "sincere" the students were about their school. My Dartmouth tourguide seemed very sincere in his love of the school, but it was because he had the roundest blue eyes...

ocguy, the cost difference will definitely dispel some of your enthusiasm for pitt, but I don't think cost should ever be a big deciding factor, esp. if you're planning to go into surgery. You'll start making the big bucks soon enough.

sure, there is no definite proof for the "sincere" part of what i said. but then again, it was just part of my ramblings because im still trying to figure out exactly why i liked Pitt a lot. lol. meeting/talking to different ppl probably made a difference between our experiences, and none of us will be able to find out what a school REALLY is like until we go there. and well, we all have different guts/backgrounds/personalities, so of course gut feelings won't be the same. didn't need to be so sarcastic...

 

[PittBruin]

Overall, UPitt has a better reputation nationally-especially for very competitive residencies. There are a bunch of UCLA quacks here supporting ucla myopically.
Most probably never been to the east. In the east, one mentions UCLA medical school and the response is oh yeah, that's part of the UC system, right? They think of it as a SUNY system . If you want more respect go with UPitt. (Funny thing is that I got rejected from UCLA: I think they noticed how much I disliked the Hollywood-esk fake atmosphere)

I'd tend to disagree with this post too. I don't see why Pitt would have the better reputation nationally. UCLA is one of the best public schools in the nation and has the better reputation by far if you take into account undergrad and grad programs. I'm a UCLA alum so I may be bit biased, but I did choose to go to Pitt for med school. And who in their right mind would compare SUNY to the UC system in terms of reputation? There's no comparison.

For the OP, I'd go to UCLA if I were in your shoes. But really, you can't go wrong with either choice.