UCLA vs UCSF (both IS)

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runnerdoc922

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School 1: UCLA


Pros:

About $25k cheaper (total across the four years)
Closer to home and opportunities to make connections for future employment (I am from Los Angeles, am in love with the city, and hope to practice here one day)
Has more of a "university" feel, since the campus includes all professional/graduate programs, as well as undergraduate; big, beautiful campus
Ease of living: many convenient housing options, Westwood has many grocery stores, restaurants, and stores that are walking distance... just an overall fun area

Cons:

I'm unsure how true this is because I've had a hard time getting a feel for the school culture - I've heard that the environment can be somewhat competitive
More difficult to find patients because of location in Westwood (affluent area surrounded by Beverly Hills and Culver City).. community service is huge to me, so I'm worried about service opportunities and clinical experience



School 2: UCSF


Pros:

I had an amazing interview experience and had several opportunities to speak to current students; it seems to me that the culture is very collaborative and students are very well-rounded
Built-in independent study time and summer break between D1 and D2; I would use this time to do research and explore specialties
Reduced class size for the incoming class of 2025 (UCLA and UCSF are typically 88, but UCSF is going to be 60)
Opportunity to move to a new city (I love exploring)

Cons:

Housing is much less convenient and is more expensive (fewer options that are walking distance to school)
Unsure of what the general culture / life is like in SF - I'm very active and love living in LA (beach, hiking, running, great food)
Campuses are smaller and more spread out (several locations)





Summary:

Both schools are P/F (though UCLA has honors), have great match rates for those interested in specializing, great research opportunities, and are located in nice neighborhoods within larger cities. At this point, I am leaning slightly towards UCSF, but am still very open. Please comment any other differences that I may have missed, or if there any misconceptions in my post (particularly when it comes to school culture).

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UCLA
Youre from the area and youre planning to practice afterwards in the area so going there would give you more opportunities to network. UCLA is also cheaper both COA and COL. Id go with this one.
 
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