- Joined
- Apr 23, 2020
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Hello! I am extremely grateful to be in this position and to have these opportunities. I would love some advice while making this decision! Thank you all so much!
Some things to consider: I am not fixed on any speciality just yet. However, my interests currently lie in some competitive specialities (particularly surgical specialities) and I am not as interested in primary care as of now (though again, that could change). My eventual career goals are to work in an academic setting and to do policy work aimed at ameliorating health disparities in medicine and in the speciality I am in. I hope to get an MPH or take a research year before applying to residency. I hope to end up back on the East coast or Boston area for residency/practice. Lastly, both schools have the same grading format.
UCLA DGSOM
Pros
UMASS
Pros
Summary: Overall, I keep going back and forth as to which school to attend. Some people are telling me that being close to a support system is very important in medical school and so I should choose the closer school. Others are saying that prestige gives you a significant advantage in residency applications and academic medicine later on so I should choose the more prestigious school. And others say that student loans can prevent you from pursuing further fellowships/opportunities, and so I should choose the cheaper school. Lots of factors to consider!
Some things to consider: I am not fixed on any speciality just yet. However, my interests currently lie in some competitive specialities (particularly surgical specialities) and I am not as interested in primary care as of now (though again, that could change). My eventual career goals are to work in an academic setting and to do policy work aimed at ameliorating health disparities in medicine and in the speciality I am in. I hope to get an MPH or take a research year before applying to residency. I hope to end up back on the East coast or Boston area for residency/practice. Lastly, both schools have the same grading format.
UCLA DGSOM
Pros
- prestige factor - name has national recognition, has a much higher PD ranking (UCLA is #10 as compared to Umass which is about #61), in terms of match lists, I am not sure how to compare them so I linked them below , prestige may matter more because of STEP 1 P/F but not sure about this
- new curriculum - didactics are covered in one year with no summer break, third year is free to pursue a dual degree/research/scholarly pursuit, not quite sure if this is a pro or a con, however, considering I want to do research and/or pursue a dual degree, I like how this is integrated in the four years
- grad programs in one area - I like how the medical school is close to all the other UCLA grad programs. I am interested in policy work and health equity work so I would love to collaborate with the school of public health.
- about 30K more expensive per year than UMass - Also, throw in additional costs associated with moving everything across the country and visiting home on breaks, I am taking on full unsubsidized and private loans for medical school so this may matter, the first year will come out to be 105K in loans
- really far from home (on the opposite coast) - I am very close to my family and never lived far from them, I am worried about moving to a place where I don't know anyone, I do feel that it will be a rough transition but it could get better with time
- lots of logistical things to manage - I'll have to convert to California residency to get in-state tuition after my first year. I know this is a long process and some people have to try a couple times. The requirements of being in state also will prevent me from leaving the state for 365 days. I know the first year can be bad in terms of homesickness, and so I am a bit worried about this as well.
- vibes - I have been getting some competitive vibes from the student body. Being so far from home, I am worried about a cut-throat environment. The out-of-state students also seemed to be very homesick and stressed overall.
UMASS
Pros
- slightly cheaper because I qualify for in-state tuition
- close to family and home - the school is about 30 minutes from my home and this could help me save some money if need be due to easier logistics, I know the city extremely well already so no learning curve there, I have lots of connections with my undergrad organizations and can continue and expand upon the work I have been doing for the past few years. I can also start new initiatives and have the connections to pursue that
- I have heard that they have an excellent reputation in Massachusetts and match as well as some of the higher ranked schools. I heard that they have good connections with a lot of the Harvard residencies in Boston ( a student told me there is good umass representation at Harvard's plastic surgery residency as well as ortho). I have attached the match list below for comparison. The school is also top 10 for primary care and the teaching is absolutely phenomenal.
- vibes- I felt that the student body is extremely supportive and not cut throat at all. They all seemed very relaxed and happy
- doesn't have as much prestige and has a much lower PD ranking, wondering if Step 1 will exacerbate this, about 53% of students get their first choice in the match and I have heard most match primary care
- lower research ranking - I do want to get deeply involved with research so I am worried about this
- rotate through mostly smaller community hospitals
- very very primary-care focused
- not as many connections to other grad schools, I would have to look elsewhere for a dual degree during my gap year
- In a way, staying here makes me feel as if I am staying in my comfort zone. I do understand that medical school is hard no matter where I go and it will be here too. For some reason, I can't shake this feeling though.
Summary: Overall, I keep going back and forth as to which school to attend. Some people are telling me that being close to a support system is very important in medical school and so I should choose the closer school. Others are saying that prestige gives you a significant advantage in residency applications and academic medicine later on so I should choose the more prestigious school. And others say that student loans can prevent you from pursuing further fellowships/opportunities, and so I should choose the cheaper school. Lots of factors to consider!
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