UCLA vs Pitt

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GTea

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Hi everyone,

I know some people don't like this kind of thread, but I am having a very difficult time deciding. I really like both schools. Before applying, I had no idea that I would like Pitt. But out of all of my interviews, I probably got the best impression from Pitt. On the other hand, I went to UCLA undergrad and know that I like their med school for sure.

In terms of residency, I don't know where I want to end up. CA is definitely nice, but I'm not too determined to stay here like many of other CA residents.

Which school would you go to, and why? I would appreciate any comments or thoughts. Thanks.
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omg are you serious? I'd pick UCLA in half a heartbeat.
 
I'd go with UCLA as well. Great oppurtunities, great location, great access to resources. Plus you can get to Disneyland a lot easier from LA than Pittsburgh.
 
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If you're from cali, I would say go to UCLA. It's a solid school, and it's way cheaper than Pitt. I am a HUGE fan of Pitt, but nonetheless, I would kill to be in cali :).

Good luck!
 
id have to say ucla as well.

ucla can get you a nice ca residency, and at the same time since it is a top 15 school, you can do a residency elsewhere if you choose. plus it will end up being cheaper in cali and you already like ucla as well.

pitt also an excellent school and would prolly get you a good residency in the east coast, but i would think id be harder for someone to come back to cali. more expensive. can you handle the weather?

just some thoughts.
 
Even though I'm not a Big Cali person, I'll go for UCLA. My sister goes to Carnegie Mellon (Which is like right next to U Pitt Med Center) and the city's not very vibrant.

The new med center at UCLA should be real nice and it'll be an incentive to stay around UCLA for another 4 years.
 
Thanks guys!

I guess all votes go to UCLA. Maybe I'm crazy having such a hard time. UCLA has always been one of my very top choices. But since my Pitt interview, I've been picturing myself there... but then maybe b/c it was my first interview. I don't know... Anyone else care to comment?

BTW, I thought Pittsburgh (city) was cool. Not too big and not too small.
 
Originally posted by GTea
Thanks guys!

I guess all votes go to UCLA. Maybe I'm crazy having such a hard time. UCLA has always been one of my very top choices. But since my Pitt interview, I've been picturing myself there... but then maybe b/c it was my first interview. I don't know... Anyone else care to comment?

BTW, I thought Pittsburgh (city) was cool. Not too big and not too small.
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No you're not crazy. I'm still pursuing a couple of waitlists even after the UCLA acceptance b/c I thought that exploring a new place will be cool. Everyone seems to like Southern Cali, but after being around UCLA for like 5 years, I'm a little bit tired of it and wanna move to another place.
 
Originally posted by GTea
Thanks guys!

I guess all votes go to UCLA. Maybe I'm crazy having such a hard time. UCLA has always been one of my very top choices. But since my Pitt interview, I've been picturing myself there... but then maybe b/c it was my first interview. I don't know... Anyone else care to comment?

BTW, I thought Pittsburgh (city) was cool. Not too big and not too small.
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I agree about Pittsburgh - I have completely loved living here for just that reason - not too big, not too small. It has a lot to do while still having a "small town niceness" to it. I know nothing about you, so I can't tell you which school to choose - I can tell you that I chose Pitt because I loved it when I was here for my interview, I had great interactions with the administration and students after my interview, and when I came back for second look, I knew that this is where I wanted to be... And I haven't regretted the decision at all - it has proved to be the perfect fit for me. At the same time, I easily might have said that about the other schools that I chose not to attend.
 
Contrary to what some may say, Cali is not the greatest place in the world. I have lived here in LA for 4 years and I cannot wait to leave this vapid, polluted and utterly plastic wasteland they call a city.

Go Pitt!!!
 
I've heard nothing but good things about Pitt. I regret not applying there this cycle. Although if I had to choose between the two schools, I'd pick UCLA, but I'm from the East Coast and would be looking for something different. Since you've spent alot of time at UCLA, maybe a change would be nice.

good luck with your choices!
 
Originally posted by personal jesus
Contrary to what some may say, Cali is not the greatest place in the world. I have lived here in LA for 4 years and I cannot wait to leave this vapid, polluted and utterly plastic wasteland they call a city.

Go Pitt!!!
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I've lived here for 15 years. I do agree that L.A. is not the greatest city out-of-staters tend to think - esp. high cost of living & TRAFFIC . But I do believe that it is a city with one of the greatest amount of cultural diversity and opportunities.
 
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Originally posted by GTea
I've lived here for 15 years. I do agree that L.A. is not the greatest city out-of-staters tend to think - esp. high cost of living & TRAFFIC . But I do believe that it is a city with one of the greatest amount of cultural diversity and opportunities.
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I have lived in a few different cities in my life, and I'm not a big fan of L.A. at all. I still can't get used to a place where everything's spread out, public transportation system's weak. There aren't even that many skyscrappers here!
 
skyscrapers are a good thing to have?
i always thought people wanted fewer skyscrapers...
well, anyway, here's my 2 cents...or 1 cent, whatever you think it's worth....
a lot of people want to stay in cali because they are rooted here already...family, friends, used to the area, not looking for a change....then there are those that ARE looking for a change for a while (4 years to be exact) and want to experience something different before they get older and find somewhere to settle down for good.....maybe you are the former, and maybe the latter, i think only you know for sure......but you know what's holding you here, and you know what's pulling you towards pitt.....just weigh the push and pull and see which is stronger.....
good luck, either way you're going to a great school :)
 
i'd go to ucla.

cheaper, cali weather, better hospital system.

with that being said, i love pitt. i was very pleasantly surprised during my interview and felt that the administration genuinely goes out of its way for its students. they are making a big push to get top students and increase their reputation and thus can't rest on their laurels like some higher ranked schools. everyone in the country still thinks of pittsburgh as being a run-down steel town and the name pitt doesn't have anywhere near the same cachet as say columbia, yale, or even georgetown. but prestige aside, their curriculum is amazing and i felt that the entire school will do everything they can to help you get the residency of your choice.
 
Originally posted by raincrew
better hospital system.
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Cause we all know that UPMC sucks.
 
i'm not saying it sucks. i mean, i'm probably 95% going to go to pitt next year. but ucla has a better hospital system. it's one of the top three, if not the best, hospital on the west coast and for what it's worth, us news even ranks it higher than mass general.
 
ive lived on both the east coast and the west coast and for me and compared to all of the places that i have lived throughout my life...

id have to say cali is a great state. the weather is pleasant. if you want snow and boarding that is available as well. its versatile and even though LA may not be the best of cities...ucla is in a great area. overpriced yeah...but you pay for the things around you. beverley hills, santa monica etc...

but yeah...both schools are awesome.
i may miss the east coast once in a while...but its only a place i would go back to visit...not live in again.

but like some others have said. cant go too wrong if you have the $$ to live and attend school out of state.
 
Well... saying it's a flat-out better hospital system isn't necessarily accurate, as UPMC also ranks in the Top 10 Honor Roll. It's got a veritable monopoly on western PA's healthcare provision, so the diversity of your training is hard to beat. I think both hospital systems are great. :thumbup:
 
We're talking about Los Angeles vs. Pittsburgh....are you kidding. I've been to both cities and its not even close, Los Angeles wins by far. Isn't the average age of people in Pittsburgh like 60 or something? Don't they have some old steel mill's, and didn't their gross lab have this preserved person that died from a lung disease he got from working in those factories? I know a couple of people here at USC that picked USC over Pitt just for location. UCLA is a great school, but maybe you should go over to Pittsburgh so someone that is dying to get into UCLA can go.
 
Thanks people. I really appreciate all of you responding.

About $, I called UCLA today. I guess they won't know the tuition for sure until July. The estimated tuition is around $22,000. Also, maybe it has been answered in one of the threads already, but they do have some merit-based scholarships - but this will not be known until around June/July, so you won't know until after choosing your school on May 15th.
 
Originally posted by GTea
Thanks people. I really appreciate all of you responding.

About $, I called UCLA today. I guess they won't know the tuition for sure until July. The estimated tuition is around $22,000. Also, maybe it has been answered in one of the threads already, but they do have some merit-based scholarships - but this will not be known until around June/July, so you won't know until after choosing your school on May 15th.
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Damn!!!
 
if that estimated tuition of 22K holds up...that would be sweeetness!!
 
Originally posted by weirdo700
We're talking about Los Angeles vs. Pittsburgh....are you kidding. I've been to both cities and its not even close, Los Angeles wins by far. Isn't the average age of people in Pittsburgh like 60 or something? Don't they have some old steel mill's, and didn't their gross lab have this preserved person that died from a lung disease he got from working in those factories? I know a couple of people here at USC that picked USC over Pitt just for location. UCLA is a great school, but maybe you should go over to Pittsburgh so someone that is dying to get into UCLA can go.
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I don't think Pittsburgh's the way you describe it...
It's a smaller city than L.A. and get much less sun, but people prefer different living environment, and many times that has a lot to do with where they grew up.
 
Originally posted by jlee9531
if that estimated tuition of 22K holds up...that would be sweeetness!!
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Not good for Out-of-staters though. With 40% tuition hike (Currently it's $27,500), it'll be around 40K next year. Since I'm international, I'll have to pay out-of-state forever.
 
hey everyone,

I was in the last group of people that got interviewed at PITT this past Tuesday. Well, I actually also interviewed at UCLA and UCSD, and of the 3, I think PITT truly cared about the students........i honestly felt offended by the ucla interview, it was so disorganized, it was so NOT informative, and they had just one interview. I would think such a great school would be a little more organized and professional during the interviews.

Pitt and Ucsd both had well planned days and I LOVED my pitt interviewers......I seriously felt like they were my old friends and we were just chatting, it felt so great.

i have also lived in la ...for about 20 years now, and i also attended ucla as an undergraduate. I LOVE ucla, but i do also feel that once you have lived here this long and the TRAFFIC....dammit man, honestly its seriously really really really really BADDD!!!....living in la gets pretty annoying.

i loved the neighborhood Shadyside in pittsburgh, it reminded me of san francisco. I do admit though it is quite different from la, and the weather is no where near la.

For me, both schools are amazing, its just really a personal choice for anyone.....if i had to pick.....hmmm thats HELLA HARD...but im pushing toward pitt!
 
Originally posted by CalBeE
No you're not crazy. I'm still pursuing a couple of waitlists even after the UCLA acceptance b/c I thought that exploring a new place will be cool. Everyone seems to like Southern Cali, but after being around UCLA for like 5 years, I'm a little bit tired of it and wanna move to another place.
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funny u say this. my friend who went to ucla says the same thing; he hates it after so many years and wouldnt want to go there for dental school. i kinda feel that way about usc too! ide hate to be at usc another 4 yrs and maybe longer for residency. weird, but i guess im not alone.
 
Originally posted by docmemi
funny u say this. my friend who went to ucla says the same thing; he hates it after so many years and wouldnt want to go there for dental school. i kinda feel that way about usc too! ide hate to be at usc another 4 yrs and maybe longer for residency. weird, but i guess im not alone.
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It's sorta the feeling of Been there Done that. I mean, it's not that I know every part of the UCLA campus well, but having been here for 5 years...it's the same every day I wake up for classes.

But then again, look at all the people who went to East Coast for colleges and would kill to come back to California for med school. I think location can really affect someone's decision...

Now I even have the crazy thought of choosing Nashville (Vanderbilt) over L.A., but I've already withdrawn from vandy a month ago so that's not a possibility anymore...
 
in response to what bjorknradiohead said...

im sorry you felt this way.

my experience at ucla on that interview day was amazing. maybe it was because we only had like 3 interviewees that day. the person interviewing me was very informative and it was one of the deepest interviews i have ever conducted.

i had a decent tour of the place and the students that took us around were awesome. told me a lot of information about the school and the new curriculum and everything. the students were hella informative. plus i also got to see my other friends that attend the med school, dental school and public health school so that was nice as well.

i know that ucla cares for their students. when i was there for an interview they saw how tired i was since it was 8am and they offered me things like coffee and small breakfast foods etc...it was a nice gesture on their part at least.

yeah ive lived in la for a while and the traffic sucks etc...but at least i wont have to commute into ucla from oc since ill be living in the area if i did get accepted. i dunno know about you but i deal with the 405 traffic everyday and eh i get used to it now. its something you account for on your daily drives to and from work...gives me time to catch up on sports rumors on the radio or talk to friends that i usually dont have a chance to talk to...etc...

but anyways. for one negative response about ucla, there shall be one positive one as well :)
 
It is totally personal and very subjective in choosing a school. For those living in LA for a long time, it is very normal they want to change. A lot of them move north to the Bay Area. I think the major factor between LA and Pitt is the weather. When I am watching the NFL playing in Pitts, I say to myself, I don't think I could take the cold weather like that.... Both of them are great school... However, the LA new hospital is a world class KICK ASS FACILITY...IT RANKED THIRD(MOVING UP FROM FIFTH per US News), it has passed Mass General Hosp(Boston, where the elite Harvies do their things there) for the first time.... in addition, LA get all the hot chicks.... can you handle it?...HEHE :clap: :clap:
 
Originally posted by CalBeE
It's sorta the feeling of Been there Done that. I mean, it's not that I know every part of the UCLA campus well, but having been here for 5 years...it's the same every day I wake up for classes.

But then again, look at all the people who went to East Coast for colleges and would kill to come back to California for med school. I think location can really affect someone's decision...

Now I even have the crazy thought of choosing Nashville (Vanderbilt) over L.A., but I've already withdrawn from vandy a month ago so that's not a possibility anymore...
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Hey Calbe,

I think you need a long long vactaion before the med school. go travel to Europe, Asia, S. America, Africa, go to Australia(will be their winter in July) and have a feel of their weather. Then you come back to LA, you will appreciate the sunny weather again. I know a lot of Calif people went to East Coast for school and dying to come back to the Golden State. Just my 2 cents.
 
I too had a pretty bad impression of UCLA from the interview day. Its not that the person who interviewed me wasnt nice (although he did show up 10 minutes late) but the entire day I felt as if the school's attitude was completely indifferent to us. Instead of having a meeting with an admission officer I got two pieces of paper describing the school and a literary magazine. Give me a break! They cant take the time to have a real person answer our question?? The basic attitude I gathered was "we shouldnt have to sell the place because you would be lucky just to get in"
I realize that the admissions office is just one part of a school and really has no bearing on the next 4 years. That being said, I still think that this is possibly indicative of the schools general attitude towards students. The truth is a public school probably does not have the same resources to dedicate the students that a private school will.



Oh one other thing, CalbeE if you are going to pay 40k a year (assuming no more tuition hikes) how can you not choose somewhere else? With LA cost of living you might be looking at 60K a year in expenses.
 
Legend123: I guess for me it's more of knowing what I don't like than what I like. Contrary to what most people feel, I don't like hot weather. I have tolerated a hot humid weather almost my whole life before I came to California. Although Cali is DRY and hot instead, which is much better, but it still bothers me.

So no, I guess I don't really know how a cold place will be like...

Personal Jesus: If I get lucky and won the Green card lottery (I'm not joking, this is for real, they give out green card for free to lucky people), then there will be a big reduction in tuition for me...

I like many things about UCLA and that's probably where I'll end up next year. It's the only acceptance I'm holding on now, and the waitlists I'm on don't seem to move much.
 
Does anyone have Pitt's FULL match list not just a summary? including psych, medicine, peds,PMR, path etc.?
 
Originally posted by Loves_Chai
Does anyone have Pitt's FULL match list not just a summary? including psych, medicine, peds,PMR, path etc.?
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Either A) look in the Allo forum as people have suggested or B) call the admissions office and see if they will mail you one. It really is in the allo forum if you just do a quick search.
 
last year I chose Pitt over UCLA and haven't looked back. if you want more info, PM me. good luck with your choice.
 
If you want to be in california for residency, ucla. If you want to be in east coast, ucla might probably still give the edge but they're almost equal. If you want to be in penn, probably pitt.

Regional bias is a HUGE issue comes residency. Since most specialties are 4 yrs or greater, especially surgical ones, it's an issue. If you're sick of cali, you can defer a year and do research in east coast or teach in europe. Unless you are quite sure you want to be out of cali for possibly 10 yrs, I wouldnt go to Pitt. Not sure if it matters but this is coming from a med student from cali.
 
if i were you, i would only go to pitt if i absolutely needed a change of scenery. barring that, ucla offers everything pitt does and more. the regional bias you get in cali for going to ucla will be huge come match time. heck, i turned down pitt for usc, and usc is ranked about 15 or 20 spots lower than ucla. having gone to the east coast for college, i couldnt see myself living there another four years. but if pittsburgh (???) is your thing, and you don't like beaches, sunny weather, cheaper tuition, and a better match list, then i say go to pitt.
 
That's EVIL Mr. Reddly :D
I love Calvin and Hobbes though. In middle school there was a comic script contest (Like they blank out the bubble in the comic dialogue and you fill in something creative). I won the contest and the prize was a Calvin and Hobbes Comic book.
 
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