UCLA vs. U of Chicago-Pritzker

[Juan Solo]

Greetings! First off, I know we all hate these kind of threads. I apologize in advance but I would really appreciate to talk with some of you on SDN about a couple of topics or at least hear your input. I am trying to decide between these two programs (UCLA vs. U of Chicago-Pritzker).

A little bit of important background, I am an older/ish non-trad and I am a native of California. I have a SO that I have to consider when making these type of decisions (yes we have talked about this together already). She is from the East Coast and just moved to California with her career about a year ago and is not really ready to move out just yet.

COA is literally the same at both places when all fin aid/scholarships are factored in. Preference of living: I love California but would also love to experience something new. I have no specialty preferences at the moment.

UCLA:
Pros: Location, closer to family, weather, mixture of lecture and PBL, prosected cadavers, solid reputation, awesome hospitals and clinical experience. My SO can stay in California, continue her career in LA very easily and be around friends/support system that she has out here, her happiness is very important to me.

Cons: Traffic, larger class size, learning "systems", housing.

U of Chicago-Pritzker

Pros: Fun new city, anatomy is done in the first 3 months, more of a traditional style of learning in lecture based, awesome mentorship/multiple levels of mentorship, a smaller class size, a new fancy hospital, no or little PBL.

Cons: Weather/winters, not as large of a clinical/hospital network, my SO and I would know no body outside of my classmates and she would probably have to find a new job.


(I have left stuff out that both have in common whether good or bad) Honestly, I feel like at this point I personally can't go wrong with either program but I need some insight from others. Thank you for taking the time!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[d12]

Coming from somebody who spent his entire life in southern california and then moved to the midwest, this about sums it up: (just replace "go to high school" with "leave california")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKTN5NHfwlQ

 

[synecdoche]

I don't know much about how the two schools compare, but I'm from CA and went to the midwest for undergrad so I feel like I can comment on the cities themselves. If we're talking about the cities alone, I'd take Chi over LA literally any day. It's the best combination of fun and livable, and full of young professionals. The weather is worse but the culture is so much better. And you don't have to do nearly as much driving, which I love. But I understand that being near your family/support system may trump the interesting-ness of the city itself.

 

[ashylarry23]

its good to go to new places OP

 

[Juan Solo]

Coming from somebody who spent his entire life in southern california and then moved to the midwest, this about sums it up: (just replace "go to high school" with "leave california")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKTN5NHfwlQ

Interesting video selection, but thanks

I don't know much about how the two schools compare, but I'm from CA and went to the midwest for undergrad so I feel like I can comment on the cities themselves. If we're talking about the cities alone, I'd take Chi over LA literally any day. It's the best combination of fun and livable, and full of young professionals. The weather is worse but the culture is so much better. And you don't have to do nearly as much driving, which I love. But I understand that being near your family/support system may trump the interesting-ness of the city itself.

Yeah, I agree Chicago is an awesome city and is more enjoyable than LA (weather excluded). And yes you are right, family/support system and SOA happiness has to also be considered.

its good to go to new places OP

I agree completely that it is good to explore new places, however in this case there is more to it than exploring new places. I have to take other things into consideration. I can't just up and leave without weighing out the pro's and con's of being in a very serious relationship.

 

[Arbor Vitae]

Coming from somebody who spent his entire life in southern california and then moved to the midwest, this about sums it up: (just replace "go to high school" with "leave california")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKTN5NHfwlQ

don't listen to this guy Juan, but it's only because I live in LA and need your spot

 

[AnthonyBourdain]

LA hands down.

Here is why.

I have lived in Chicago, yes it is the best city in the country......if you never go outdoors.
\Winter is brutal and summers suck too with the humidity. Spring would be okay if it wasn't for the crazy temperature extremes and everything being dirty and dull.

Fall is pretty great, you can't beat it. But LA is pretty great 365 days of the year.

Anyways, If your SO is willing to pick up and move with you to Chicago. She must take your relationship pretty seriously, If you feel the same way, return the favor and pick UCLA. If you don't, please don't let her move out to Chicago with you. That is just asking for trouble. You can't expect her to make sacrifices when you can't do the same.

 

[The Beyonder]

Greetings! First off, I know we all hate these kind of threads. I apologize in advance but I would really appreciate to talk with some of you on SDN about a couple of topics or at least hear your input. I am trying to decide between these two programs (UCLA vs. U of Chicago-Pritzker).

A little bit of important background, I am an older/ish non-trad and I am a native of California. I have a SOA that I have to consider when making these type of decisions (yes we have talked about this together already). She is from the East Coast and just moved to California with her career about a year ago and is not really ready to move out just yet.

COA is literally the same at both places when all fin aid/scholarships are factored in. Preference of living: I love California but would also love to experience something new. I have no specialty preferences at the moment.

UCLA:
Pros: Location, closer to family, weather, mixture of lecture and PBL, prosected cadavers, solid reputation, awesome hospitals and clinical experience. My SOA can stay in California, continue her career in LA very easily and be around friends/support system that she has out here, her happiness is very important to me.

Cons: Traffic, larger class size, learning "systems", housing.

U of Chicago-Pritzker

Pros: Fun new city, anatomy is done in the first 3 months, more of a traditional style of learning in lecture based, awesome mentorship/multiple levels of mentorship, a smaller class size, a new fancy hospital, no or little PBL.

Cons: Weather/winters, not as large of a clinical/hospital network, my SOA and I would know no body outside of my classmates and she would probably have to find a new job.


(I have left stuff out that both have in common whether good or bad) Honestly, I feel like at this point I personally can't go wrong with either program but I need some insight from others. Thank you for taking the time!

The bolded portion seems to make this choice easy. If price is not an issue, be closer to family and make your SO happy.

 

[pachewisc]

The bolded portion seems to make this choice easy. If price is not an issue, be closer to family and make your SO happy.

+1. Those statements are also what swayed my vote. If she's as important to you as you say, staying at the excellent program in Cali is the way to go. UCLA gets my vote.

 

[487806]

UCLA:
Pros: Location, closer to family, weather, mixture of lecture and PBL, prosected cadavers, solid reputation, awesome hospitals and clinical experience. My SOA can stay in California, continue her career in LA very easily and be around friends/support system that she has out here, her happiness is very important to me.

Cons: Traffic, larger class size, learning "systems", housing.

U of Chicago-Pritzker

Pros: Fun new city, anatomy is done in the first 3 months, more of a traditional style of learning in lecture based, awesome mentorship/multiple levels of mentorship, a smaller class size, a new fancy hospital, no or little PBL.

Cons: Weather/winters, not as large of a clinical/hospital network, my SOA and I would know no body outside of my classmates and she would probably have to find a new job.

The bolded is key. Choose UCLA.

 

[Juan Solo]

LA hands down.

Here is why.

I have lived in Chicago, yes it is the best city in the country......if you never go outdoors.
\Winter is brutal and summers suck too with the humidity. Spring would be okay if it wasn't for the crazy temperature extremes and everything being dirty and dull.

Fall is pretty great, you can't beat it. But LA is pretty great 365 days of the year.

Anyways, If your SO is willing to pick up and move with you to Chicago. She must take your relationship pretty seriously, If you feel the same way, return the favor and pick UCLA. If you don't, please don't let her move out to Chicago with you. That is just asking for trouble. You can't expect her to make sacrifices when you can't do the same.

Thank you for your comment. I agree with what you are saying, which is why I made this thread so that I could hear other people's thoughts on this. Her moving to Chicago seems like it would be more difficult for her, and ultimately us, to get settled.

The bolded portion seems to make this choice easy. If price is not an issue, be closer to family and make your SO happy.

Yeah, this is important. I think it's difficult sometimes to not be selfish in picking a program just for yourself. I think that I am realizing that. Thanks for commenting!

+1. Those statements are also what swayed my vote. If she's as important to you as you say, staying at the excellent program in Cali is the way to go. UCLA gets my vote.

Thanks for your input! I appreciate it

 

[Arbor Vitae]

Obviously, from the UCLA thread you know what my choice is. But just keep in mind you will go through this all over again when you apply for residency. UCLA would give you a great shot of landing a residency in CA, but still, you could have to move again then. At some point, one of you is going to have to make sacrifices, either you sacrificing the field you want to go into to stay in CA, or your GF making sacrifices to follow you.

 

[earf]

I think you should go to UCLA because of your SO would be making a huge sacrifice. Not saying you won't be if you reject UChicago, but since you're choosing from one great school for another great one, it's less so. If you want residency in CA and maybe even start a family in CA, it seems to be much easier to do so at UCLA. Not sure the CA residency match for UChicago though since the match list doesn't say how many people applied to CA residencies as their top choice.

 

[nBeeDee]

Happy wife, happy life.

Sounds like the relationship is serious, so you should seriously think about it from her perspective if you go to Chicago. Not only would she have to find a new job within a pretty small time-frame (which may or may not be easy in Chicago), but she wouldn't have a support network to lean on while you will be very busy with classes, lab, studying, etc. I'm sure she would adjust and make plenty of friends after awhile, but she initially might be very lonely and your relationship may take a toll. If the schools were significantly different in price and/or resources/reputation, then it would make this decision more complicated, and we might be saying that your SO needs to be the one to move. But since it sounds like you genuinely like both schools and the other factors are similar, be good to your SO and go to UCLA.

This is all coming from from a guy who loves Chicago and hates traffic with a fiery passion.

 

[sobored]

Greetings! First off, I know we all hate these kind of threads. I apologize in advance but I would really appreciate to talk with some of you on SDN about a couple of topics or at least hear your input. I am trying to decide between these two programs (UCLA vs. U of Chicago-Pritzker).

A little bit of important background, I am an older/ish non-trad and I am a native of California. I have a SO that I have to consider when making these type of decisions (yes we have talked about this together already). She is from the East Coast and just moved to California with her career about a year ago and is not really ready to move out just yet.

COA is literally the same at both places when all fin aid/scholarships are factored in. Preference of living: I love California but would also love to experience something new. I have no specialty preferences at the moment.

UCLA:
Pros: Location, closer to family, weather, mixture of lecture and PBL, prosected cadavers, solid reputation, awesome hospitals and clinical experience. My SO can stay in California, continue her career in LA very easily and be around friends/support system that she has out here, her happiness is very important to me.

Cons: Traffic, larger class size, learning "systems", housing.

U of Chicago-Pritzker

Pros: Fun new city, anatomy is done in the first 3 months, more of a traditional style of learning in lecture based, awesome mentorship/multiple levels of mentorship, a smaller class size, a new fancy hospital, no or little PBL.

Cons: Weather/winters, not as large of a clinical/hospital network, my SO and I would know no body outside of my classmates and she would probably have to find a new job.


(I have left stuff out that both have in common whether good or bad) Honestly, I feel like at this point I personally can't go wrong with either program but I need some insight from others. Thank you for taking the time!

That's a PRO if I've ever seen one! Systems curriculum is so much better than traditional...most of your board prep material will be in systems style, and most schools are moving to this type of curriculum.

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

I also vote for UCLA. Why did you list housing as a con?

 

[crimsontide1]

Happy wife, happy life.

Sounds like the relationship is serious, so you should seriously think about it from her perspective if you go to Chicago. Not only would she have to find a new job within a pretty small time-frame (which may or may not be easy in Chicago), but she wouldn't have a support network to lean on while you will be very busy with classes, lab, studying, etc. I'm sure she would adjust and make plenty of friends after awhile, but she initially might be very lonely and your relationship may take a toll. If the schools were significantly different in price and/or resources/reputation, then it would make this decision more complicated, and we might be saying that your SO needs to be the one to move. But since it sounds like you genuinely like both schools and the other factors are similar, be good to your SO and go to UCLA.

This is all coming from from a guy who loves Chicago and hates traffic with a fiery passion.

I agree 100%. Schools are on the same level and SO just moved to Cali, don't make SO move again.

 

[yehhhboiii]

larger class size: pro. learning systems: pro. traffic in la is a huge minus, i admit that. anatomy in 3 months sounds too quick to me but i am a fan of lecture based. winter not so much of a big deal since you will be inside studying a lot anyway. but LA is awesome and good weather is always lovely.

sounds like la would be better for you. in my opinion, the most important factor when choosing a medical school is finances first, a strong support system second.

 

[Propylene]

Also throwing in a vote for LA; it sounds like it would be easier for both you and your girlfriend. Hope to see you there but good luck with your choice!

 

[Juan Solo]

Thank you all for taking the time to give me some off your perspectives on my situation. I really do appreciate it and think you all are awesome SDNers for do so.

 

[Arbor Vitae]

I also vote for UCLA. Why did you list housing as a con?

I think because of the cost and no pets, but I should probably let him answer for himself.

 

[Juan Solo]

I also vote for UCLA. Why did you list housing as a con?

Yeah, as stated above, the housing cost and renovation level of the units in my price range in west LA is a con compared to that of the housing in Chicago.

 

[mcatgeek21]

Join me in becoming a Phoenix next fall!

 

[Juan Solo]

Join me in becoming a Phoenix next fall!

One of the 88?

 

[milkphlegm]

I wanted to give some input here too, but I'm also torn on what to tell you. Although something makes me lean towards UCLA. You can't go wrong either way, like you said. So happy for you!

 

[Juan Solo]

I wanted to give some input here too, but I'm also torn on what to tell you. Although something makes me lean towards UCLA. You can't go wrong either way, like you said. So happy for you!

Thanks for your input milkphlegm, I agree I couldn't really go wrong with either program. I guess we will see very soon!

 

[Tots]

Thanks for your input milkphlegm, I agree I couldn't really go wrong with either program. I guess we will see very soon!

We are all waiting to hear ! No pressure though, you will be awesome wherever you go.

 

[Juan Solo]

We are all waiting to hear ! No pressure though, you will be awesome wherever you go.

Thanks Tots, I appreciate it.

 

[dbeast]

I voted UCLA because your username is glorious. We need people like you here.

 

[Arbor Vitae]

I voted UCLA because your username is glorious. We need people like you here.

The fuerzo is strong in this Juan.

 

[Juan Solo]

I voted UCLA because your username is glorious. We need people like you here.

Thanks for the name props! You know the way to my heart.

The fuerzo is strong in this Juan.

Nicely done, nicely done!

 

[dbeast]

The fuerzo is strong in this Juan.