UCLA vs. Hopkins

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? You didn't burst my bubble. I have no idea about Baltimore's public transportation, all I could speak to was how abhorant LA's is... but yeah, I getcha. Apparently nobody will be going to either for the public transportation. hehe

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Baltimore has terrible public transportation.

Inter-city transport is pretty good, and we go to DC all the time and Philly sometimes with the MARC and Amtrak. Also, there's a good university shuttle that leaves frequently and goes to some of the more interesting neighborhoods (both residential and active) in the city, but it doesn't go nearly everywhere.

So you will need a car to get around baltimore, particularly if you do any rotations at another hospital (which most people do, because our Bayview campus is about 20 minutes away from the East Baltimore campus, and it is the main campus for a few of our specialities, and there's also a lot of smaller community hospital). So by third year you probably will need a car, or at least you'll be bumming lots of rides.

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as a hopkins student, i can say that i think the school is fantastic. the people are great, and the environment is an excellent one for learning. i am sure ucla is great too, though, so it really is a matter of preference regarding location. imo, thinking about the curricula and stuff is pointless stuff that premeds do; anywhere you have to go you have to memorize a great deal of information, some of which you will retain. you need to be somewhere where you are happy, and you really can't go wrong with your options.

now a selfish question for jhoprevisit: how easy is it to get to and from dc via those public transportation methods you mentioned? how much does it cost? where does it take you in dc? can you get back up to baltimore via the same method? i have not yet been down to dc and i am without a car, but i am dying to go.

thanks for the info and good luck op with your decision.
 
Yeah, I realize in reality you can't just stay within Westwood. In reality, you must at some point venture to another part of LA. And that is when either you or your friend better have a car. hehe

LA just absolutely BLOWS for public transporation, for two reasons:

1) It's ACTUALLY a huge, spread out collection of mini-cities that are many times quite far from each other and can be as different as night and day from each other (in almost every way).

2) There is a huge "not in my backyard" (Carlin) sentiment among the affluent white - primarliy westside - population. My neighborhood has meetings in which home owners brainstorm "good" reasons they can give for rapid mass transit being inappropriate in their area.

Yucky poo to all of it. LA is overrated and is undercriticized for it's superficial and umhomely atmosphere... in my opinion.

You don't realize how crappy LA is until you live in a real city for a few months.

In general, Westwood is OK without a car, though it depends how far you are from Ralph's (and Trader Joes)... carrying groceries uphill to Veteran can get annoying. I heard the med school has some away rotations (Harbor, MLK) that a car would be necessary to get to. You can always find some buddies to carpool with, but life in LA is just so much easier with a car.
 
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have you ever been to bmore?
baltimore-inner-harbor-night.jpg

Inner_Harbor_at_Night.jpg

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oriolepark.jpg

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so yea i was just trying to say there is a lot to do in bmore. it's a city of neighborhoods. some places are nice, some arent so nice, but there are lots of great places.. im sure LA is 'better' but bmore isnt exactly hell. (fells point, mt vernon area, homewood, inner harbor (camden yards - orioles, m&t bank stadium-ravens, national aquarium, lots of places to shop and eat including malls, somekind of big theater thing, other places to sightsee), lots of museums, historical areas (fort mchenry, etc.), tons of clubs, lots of colleges (2nd most in country after boston).
and of course i'll throw in a pic of the med school:
JohnsHopkinsMedicalCampus302.jpg


Looks like garbage compared to LA, sorry.
 
In terms of public transportation, I can't think of a worse city than los angeles.


I agree that LA has bad public transportation (not sure about the worst city in the United State though).
 
You don't realize how crappy LA is until you live in a real city for a few months.

In general, Westwood is OK without a car, though it depends how far you are from Ralph's (and Trader Joes)... carrying groceries uphill to Veteran can get annoying. I heard the med school has some away rotations (Harbor, MLK) that a car would be necessary to get to. You can always find some buddies to carpool with, but life in LA is just so much easier with a car.

Born in New York City, lived in Seoul Korea, lived in Los Angeles and surrounding suburbs, now live in Raleigh, NC and go to school in NJ.

I never realized how well I had it in Los Angeles until I moved.
 
Yeah, I realize in reality you can't just stay within Westwood. In reality, you must at some point venture to another part of LA. And that is when either you or your friend better have a car. hehe

LA just absolutely BLOWS for public transporation, for two reasons:

1) It's ACTUALLY a huge, spread out collection of mini-cities that are many times quite far from each other and can be as different as night and day from each other (in almost every way).

2) There is a huge "not in my backyard" (Carlin) sentiment among the affluent white - primarliy westside - population. My neighborhood has meetings in which home owners brainstorm "good" reasons they can give for rapid mass transit being inappropriate in their area.

Yucky poo to all of it. LA is overrated and is undercriticized for it's superficial and umhomely atmosphere... in my opinion.

Well your opinion suuuucks... in my opinion. :)
 
lol fair enough, to each his own..
but LA isn't exactly perfect.. it has its fair share of rough areas [and smog].
but it's not too too bad. hopefully i can check it out this summer.
1557352161_034b7617f8_o.jpg
 
hopkins>ucla

there, i said it. that's all the empirical evidence that you need.
 
"Let me just say that Johns Hopkins was ranked by Reader's Digest as the safest university campus in the country, and this is partially due to Hopkins having manned checkpoints at every building entrance and security all over the surrounding streets."

Either this is a joke or a really bad study. It is one of the least safe areas, and the fact that they need all these manned checkpoints proves that it is not a safe area.
 
"Let me just say that Johns Hopkins was ranked by Reader's Digest as the safest university campus in the country, and this is partially due to Hopkins having manned checkpoints at every building entrance and security all over the surrounding streets."

Either this is a joke or a really bad study. It is one of the least safe areas, and the fact that they need all these manned checkpoints proves that it is not a safe area.

But it is precisely this that makes Hopkins such a safe campus. Yes, the area around Hopkins Med is one of the less "safe" parts of Baltimore, so to compensate, Hopkins really goes overboard with the security. As a result, Hopkins and its immediate surroundings are actually quite safe.

That said, independent of Hopkins, Baltimore is no different from any other major city.
 
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why are people so scared to venture out of their surburbian comfort zones and go out there and live like most people in the world do. unless you plan to run a crackhouse on the side, no one is going to try and shoot you. if make smart decisions you can stay out of trouble in most places, and baltimore is no exception. there is something to be said about building up a sense of empathy through experience since many of the patients you'll be seeing will be from similar situations. if you're already scared to associate with them now, what are you going to do when they come rolling through your ER?

don't think of it as a ghetto, this about it as a real world experience, and it should be right up there next to avg step 1 scores, and 2008 match lists when considering schools. sure as hell can't get it in westwood, though i guess you could get a place in south central...
 
It's like this:

You are amongst exellence at UCLA

You are amongst brilliance at Harvard

You are amongst genius at Hopkins
 
It's like this:

You are amongst exellence at UCLA

You are amongst brilliance at Harvard

You are amongst genius at Hopkins

Name one way in which Hopkins > Harvard in terms of student body.
 
Name one way in which Hopkins > Harvard in terms of student body.
danbo could have been talking about the medical community at large at these schools.
 
danbo could have been talking about the medical community at large at these schools.

Correct - I am comparing the medical communities of each, I am not comparing the universities. Hopkins Medicine is just in its own world...
 
I can't speak for Hopkins or Baltimore, but I can speak of LA. LA has the best weather I've ever seen. It is never too cold, and it's rarely too hot. We're talking 65-85 year round. Now, this is different in other parts of SoCal, closer or farther away from the ocean. But Westwood has excellent weather. Also, LA is the kinda place that you can do pretty much anything imaginable. The options for entertainment, food, sports, real estate, etc. are pretty much unmatched by any place I've ever been in my life. That being said, there is a general arrogance and attitude that you might come across in LA. People may seem abrasive, and they will be quick to judge you. If you've seen the movie "Crash", that is LA for you. So, at first it might seem like you're just living in a city of *******s, but once you find the people that you like and the stuff you like to do, it's all you'll ever want to know. Again, can't comment for Baltimore or Hopkins. UCLA is true Pass/Fail if I'm not mistaken too.
 
First of all, I've got to say that this thread has become pretty amusing. I mean I think the OP had a great question with valid concerns, but we're arguing some pretty subjective stuff here, no? That said, I have my own view of Los Angeles... I've spent a lot of time/energy contrasting East Coast (NY) and West Coast (LA) as I'm from NY and my husband is from LA, and I've spent a great deal of time there. I think there are three types of reactions to LA, personally... one tends to come from the life-long resident, and the other comes from the outsider. Everyone who's from LA (usually) is greatly passionate about the city, loves the weather etc., and is willing to look past its downsides (eg. building your entire life around when it's not insane to get on the 405). People who aren't from LA tend to be either one of two types. If they're from somewhere very cold (and not be offensive, but usually somewhere not very nice) they tend to be pro-LA as its a better place than where they're coming from. Finally, there are those of us who come from other large and great cities and don't see anything special about LA. The weather's nice, for sure, but it doesn't outweigh the negatives. That said, there's a fair chance that given my personal circumstances I'll eventually end up in LA, so you can never say never.

On the other side of the coin, I think Baltimore is a great city (and I've made it no secret that Hopkins is my top choice). My sister attended Hopkins as a undergrad and found it to be an awesome place to live, even coming from NYC. I've spent enough time visiting her there to know that its a city full of funk, culture, sophistication and class if you know where to look, and there's the added benefit of being on the water.

Both cities have amazing opportunities, medical and otherwise. Both schools are excellent and have strong histories of sending students toward the futures they desire. I've come to strongly feel throughout this process that you've got to follow your gut and go where you enjoyed the people and you could honestly see yourself spending four years. We can list a million other ways to determine a decision, but the only other factor that I think should hold any weight (at least between two excellent schools like these) is financial aid. Beyond that, you have to follow your heart, because there is no do-over, no second chance.
 
Having lived in the LA area all my life until college, and then gone to JHU undergrad and now working in Baltimore, I feel compelled to comment.

Here is the way I would compare the two cities on topics that have been discussed above:

1) Public Transportation:

LA - You will need a car here, not only for rotations but for general life. I can not imagine not having a car in LA. Even though there's a lot of restaurants, etc. in Westwood you would get bored and go broke if you did all your shopping there every day.

Baltimore - Public Transportation is just as bad if not worse here (Buses in LA are much cleaner/safer than MTA) than in LA. You would need a car in Baltimore as well, especially because there is nothing around the Hopkins hospital area. The subway line is a joke (has like 5 stops). Taxis here are very affordable, though.

2) Weather:

LA - is unmatched by any place that I have ever been in the US. This includes Florida/Texas/Southwest and the Bay Area/any other part of California. But again, I have met plenty of people who claim they love to have "seasons" and the truth is LA maybe has two, max. So, if constant sunshine isn't your thing, then this may not be the place for you.

Baltimore - is relatively mild for East Coast cities but is SO unpredictable (sunny and nice one day, then snowing the next). This makes it really easy to get sick, but again the weather is not nearly as bad as other East Coast cities and the spring/fall here are beautiful (although they last for like 3 weeks).


3) There is WAY more to do in LA than in Baltimore. Nightlife, things to do (beach, driving distance to skiing/snowboarding, etc.) is not even comparable to Baltimore in any shape or form. Baltimore has a decent dive bar scene, though, and going out here is probably 1/4 of the price of going out in LA on average.

P.S. Those pictures of Baltimore are nothing like what Baltimore looks like on a daily basis, sorry. And they show one tiny part of the city


4) Food in LA >>>>>>>>>(x10000) than food in Baltimore. This may seem insignificant, but if you love food as much as I do, this can make a huge difference in happiness/quality of life. After eating at many many restaurants in Baltimore over the past 5 years :)scared:) , I can only name a handful that I like and it's not because I don't like seafood (I actually love it). Mexican/Asian/Italian food in general here is terrible. Sorry if I offend anyone but it's the truth.


With all this being said, I am also going to have to make the decision potentially between Hopkins and UCLA and will still have a tough choice (even though it's clear I prefer LA as a city). Unlike most of the other people on this thread, I do feel like you do lose something tangible in terms of saying no to Hopkins. Hopkins is the place where medicine became what it is today and there is a sense of history/tradition that you do not get at UCLA or mostly any other school. I find that very hard to say no to. I also feel like carrying the name of Hopkins does make a difference to residency directors (from medical students/residents I have talked to from a few different schools).

Baltimore is a very livable city and I wouldn't make your decision based entirely on the comparison between Baltimore/LA. I am going to wait until second looks myself to decide because I think the people/school are going to be what matters to me more than the location. I loved my time in undergrad because of the people/school I was with, not because of the location. I think if you like your classmates and Hopkins style fits in with you, you will not be unhappy in Baltimore.
 
When I think of LA, I still conjure this:
la-smog.jpg



Is smog still a problem in the city of angles?

Haha, absolutely it's the worst. But, Baltimore is actually also one of the smoggiest cities in the country because it's geography (next to the ocean/Bay, surrounded by Appalachians) is similar to LA's and there's a lot of car traffic that goes through (lack of public transportation).
 
Haha, absolutely it's the worst. But, Baltimore is actually also one of the smoggiest cities in the country because it's geography (next to the ocean/Bay, surrounded by Appalachians) is similar to LA's and there's a lot of car traffic that goes through (lack of public transportation).

I was able to get from the airport to the campus on $3. I cannot say they have poor public transportation.
 
Westwood is WAY WAY WAY nicer than the area around Baltimore. I haven't spent a lot of time in Baltimore so I cant' comment on the city as a whole, but I really didn't like or feel safe in the area right around JHU. Westwood however is one of the coolest places in the world.

I mean come one. UCLA has Diddy Riese, price increase or no I still think that is a reason to pick UCLA. :)
 
I was able to get from the airport to the campus on $3. I cannot say they have poor public transportation.

I'm not trying to argue, but it's funny you say that because the Hopkins hospital is about the ONLY place you can get in Baltimore (other than Camden Yards) by public transportation from the airport (b/c the hospital has a subway stop). I'm guessing you took light rail to the subway?

After living here for 5 years, I know that anywhere outside of a few spots (hospital, downtown) you want to go, you need a car or need to take a taxi (such as the mall, grocery store, movies, bar scene etc.). The Hopkins shuttle helps out a little if you want to live near the undergrad campus (much nicer area) and will take you to the train station, but really public transportation outside of these few places is nonexistent.
 
I was able to get from the airport to the campus on $3. I cannot say they have poor public transportation.

The non-stop shuttle from LAX to Westwood is $4.
 
Having lived in the LA area all my life until college, and then gone to JHU undergrad and now working in Baltimore, I feel compelled to comment.

Here is the way I would compare the two cities on topics that have been discussed above:

1) Public Transportation:

LA - You will need a car here, not only for rotations but for general life. I can not imagine not having a car in LA. Even though there's a lot of restaurants, etc. in Westwood you would get bored and go broke if you did all your shopping there every day.

Baltimore - Public Transportation is just as bad if not worse here (Buses in LA are much cleaner/safer than MTA) than in LA. You would need a car in Baltimore as well, especially because there is nothing around the Hopkins hospital area. The subway line is a joke (has like 5 stops). Taxis here are very affordable, though.

2) Weather:

LA - is unmatched by any place that I have ever been in the US. This includes Florida/Texas/Southwest and the Bay Area/any other part of California. But again, I have met plenty of people who claim they love to have "seasons" and the truth is LA maybe has two, max. So, if constant sunshine isn't your thing, then this may not be the place for you.

Baltimore - is relatively mild for East Coast cities but is SO unpredictable (sunny and nice one day, then snowing the next). This makes it really easy to get sick, but again the weather is not nearly as bad as other East Coast cities and the spring/fall here are beautiful (although they last for like 3 weeks).


3) There is WAY more to do in LA than in Baltimore. Nightlife, things to do (beach, driving distance to skiing/snowboarding, etc.) is not even comparable to Baltimore in any shape or form. Baltimore has a decent dive bar scene, though, and going out here is probably 1/4 of the price of going out in LA on average.

P.S. Those pictures of Baltimore are nothing like what Baltimore looks like on a daily basis, sorry. And they show one tiny part of the city



4) Food in LA >>>>>>>>>(x10000) than food in Baltimore. This may seem insignificant, but if you love food as much as I do, this can make a huge difference in happiness/quality of life. After eating at many many restaurants in Baltimore over the past 5 years :)scared:) , I can only name a handful that I like and it's not because I don't like seafood (I actually love it). Mexican/Asian/Italian food in general here is terrible. Sorry if I offend anyone but it's the truth.


With all this being said, I am also going to have to make the decision potentially between Hopkins and UCLA and will still have a tough choice (even though it's clear I prefer LA as a city). Unlike most of the other people on this thread, I do feel like you do lose something tangible in terms of saying no to Hopkins. Hopkins is the place where medicine became what it is today and there is a sense of history/tradition that you do not get at UCLA or mostly any other school. I find that very hard to say no to. I also feel like carrying the name of Hopkins does make a difference to residency directors (from medical students/residents I have talked to from a few different schools).

Baltimore is a very livable city and I wouldn't make your decision based entirely on the comparison between Baltimore/LA. I am going to wait until second looks myself to decide because I think the people/school are going to be what matters to me more than the location. I loved my time in undergrad because of the people/school I was with, not because of the location. I think if you like your classmates and Hopkins style fits in with you, you will not be unhappy in Baltimore.
your stats are scary.. almost feel as though i shouldn't argue w/ you haha.. almost

do you frequent the inner harbor?? everytime i go it always looks like this!!
and yea lol i basically only had pics of the inner harbor (the library was the only exception--its in mt vernon area). i dont know the other areas nearly as well.
 
The non-stop shuttle from LAX to Westwood is $4.
Argh, wish I knew that before I spent $50 on a cab. It was a last-minute trip though, so maybe I wouldn't have been able to get the shuttle anyways...

Okay, sorry for the hijack =]
 
ew. I could walk into the Hooters in east Baltimore and find better looking girls than that. UCLA cheer fails. Esp for LA.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Here's the perfect example of an "internet male"

Honestly Tupacalipse, unless you are ****ing scarlett johansen(sp?), those girls are 10s in your book, and 11s in most others (except for the asian girl on the far left).

I think the point is pretty much proven: the women in LA are much more attractive.

However, I can't believe this kind of thing would come up in a discussion about which med school to attend.
 
I think the point is pretty much proven: the women in LA are much more attractive.

However, I can't believe this kind of thing would come up in a discussion about which med school to attend.

Word, every UCLA vs anyschool thread needs to know that ucla has the hottest undergrads to hit on. So yes go to ucla if you have some game, if you have none and prefer hitting the books to hitting on girls then go to the other school.
 
Word, every UCLA vs anyschool thread needs to know that ucla has the hottest undergrads to hit on. So yes go to ucla if you have some game, if you have none and prefer hitting the books to hitting on girls then go to the other school.

Dont forget USC lol, they have some hot girls too
 
I think you were dating Scarlet for a while there, weren't you?

Indeed. Since freshman year. But like many on SDN, I had to face the music. The next ~decade is not going to be very conducive to a relationship. Especially with attention mongrels. And every beautiful girl is an attention mongrel.

Vadd, this post is ripe for misinterpretation :laugh: Good thing I scrolled back and read the thread...

LOL. Don't deny our love. Let the world know.
 
Dont forget USC lol, they have some hot girls too

UCLA may have the better medical school...

BUT

USC girls >>>>>>>> UCLA girls. FACT

usc_clicks.jpg



USC (TOP)

UCLA (Below)







Brianna-UCLA_29.jpg


I forgot that I had removed the filter from google images so I had to search a bit for ones where they were wearing clothes...

Both are good...USC is best though
 
UCLA may have the better medical school...

BUT

USC girls >>>>>>>> UCLA girls. FACT

usc_clicks.jpg

This is what I'm talkin about. These are women worthy of being a part of your medical school decision.

forgot that I had removed the filter from google images so I had to search a bit for ones where they were wearing clothes...

lol. Good ol' USC.
 
UCLA girls and USC girls both are quite the spectacle.
If you go to UCLA med, you might end up meeting some hot USC girls at a party as well or on the street. They're not too far away (20 miles?).

ucla.opbb-2867-mid.jpg
 
ahh, butherfaces.
 
There are attractive women at almost every major state university.

Yes but USC seems to have an ridiculously large number of them

lmao to the comment a couple posts up. It is a FACT!
 
There are attractive women at almost every major state university.

You are right and city colleges have even hotter girls, but UCLA is a top notch med school with the best hospital in the west, actually number #3 hospital according to usnews (mayo being #2 soon to be #1, just had to throw that in) and some of the hottest undergrads to hit on. USC girls are hot too and I'd say are hotter then ucla but most of them are rich or plastic and won't talk to a broke ass student or resident. So go bruins fight fight fight.
 
You are right and city colleges have even hotter girls, but UCLA is a top notch med school with the best hospital in the west, actually number #3 hospital according to usnews (mayo being #2 soon to be #1, just had to throw that in) and some of the hottest undergrads to hit on. USC girls are hot too and I'd say are hotter then ucla but most of them are rich or plastic and won't talk to a broke ass student or resident. So go bruins fight fight fight.

haha, I forgot about that aspect of USC girls lol but I think your right
 
How did this discussion turn into an objectification of women?

By the way, those USC girls look like white trash. Come on guys...
 
Copingmethods, I made this same decision last year. I ended up choosing Hopkins and I'm very happy with the choice, but I just want to encourage you to go to both revisits and consider the schools and people you meet more heavily than the city you'll live in. I also didn't love Hopkins on interview day, but felt it was the right fit after spending mor.e time here during revisit. The reason I would say don't consider the city too much (or at least in the way people are describing on this threat) is because no matter where you go a lot of your life is going to focus around school so as long is there is stuff to do (which there is a lot of in baltimore, though probably not as much as LA) and people you like, you'll be fine. Having grown up in LA, a factor in my choosing Hopkins was wanting to experience a "real" city (not so spread out) and I'm really enoying Baltimore. It's cheap and easy to get around, which is great for med school. It has a lot to work on and one thing I like a lot about Hopkins is that everyone chose to be here and be part of east baltimore, so there is a lot of interest in working in the community that I never experienced in West Los Angeles.
THat's my 2 cents, feel free to PM me for more information!
 
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