UCLA vs. UCSD

[thrwaway535353]

UCLA
Pros

• Residency Program Director prestige edge over SD
• very familiar with the area/extremely comfortable
• have lots of nostalgia/good memories associated
• slightly closer to family
• Possibly interested in MD/MBA and they have Anderson

Cons

• slightly higher cost of living

UCSD
Pros

• Students seemed happier/fit may have been better (?)
• Currently cheaper option by 50k (but UCLA may be willing to help with this?)
• like the idea of living in SD as a city

Cons

• housing options didn't seem as nice (?)
• convenience of stores didn't seem as easy as UCLA's area

Summary: Overall, I know this is a great situation to be in, but I am incredibly torn between these options.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[thrwaway535353]

Would really love some help on this!

 

[Lardy Boy]

Can't go wrong with either. Those schools are fantastic for medicine. Maybe being in LA would keep you from exploring the area too much and distract you from studying? Yea this is a hard choice. I'll just let a coin decide for me.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[NeuroSoph75]

If UCSD seemed like a better fit AND is cheaper, I would chose that school. Also, I've only ever heard great things about San Diego, it's on my must see list!

 

[thrwaway535353]

Thanks for the input guys! Does anyone else have any thoughts?

 

[Dox4lyfe]

They're both in amazing locations. The cost difference is relatively insignificant. It seems like you'd be happy going to either one and wouldn't regret your choice later on. Also, I don't think being in LA would be a distraction for you at all (like the previous poster had said) given that you're already really familiar with the place.

I'd say go with ucla because you're way more comfortable there and your family is closer. Those two things are really important. Also, the slight residency advantage helps a bit too.

You can't really go wrong with either, but I'd say ucla!

 

[Spr1ngrolls]

Former undergraduate UCSD student here.

1. UCSD is actually located quite far from the actual downtown San Diego. It's in La Jolla which can take anywhere from 20 mins - 1hr depending on traffic
2. La Jolla housing is NOT cheap. It is one among one of the wealthiest neighborhoods. With that said, weigh your housing options a little more closely. Typically students try to commute to school more from other areas around La Jolla and Downtown San Diego (look in to PB, Mission Valley, Escondido, etc).
3. The location of UCSD's campus is unparalleled. It's literally sitting on a cliff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. You will absolutely fall in love with everything it has to offer in terms of scenery.
4. La Jolla, even in just the time I was there, had MAJOR developments. It's quite a nice little bustling city now. I would say it's far from a "college town" (which is good and bad). But it certainly has all the convenience stores you could possibly need. Also, the transit system offered by the university is actually quite nice albeit it can be a little bit crowded. In my time there the transportation crisis was all the rage and they've since been working with the transit systems there to improve the efficiency

 

[trobinsonmd]

I'm from LA, go to med school in NYC, and did an away rotation at UCSD... I can 110% say that UCLA is the best option here... the med students I worked with at UCSD seemed very cliquey and the class seemed to have a lot of drama... La Jolla traffic is really really bad... also a lot of the med students told me the housing through the med school was hard to get and it wasn't very nice from what I saw... the one draw that I feel like UCSD has to it is that it is a strong research institution, but since your other option is UCLA, that is not relevant... another thing to consider is where the two schools rank... UCLA is consistently top 10-15, whereas UCSD has been constantly sliding down for the last few years... in the long run, 50k is a not a large amount, especially if you are getting the MBA