UCSD really that miserable place?

[Saved Satan]

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Why do I hear that med student life at UCSD is more miserable than other med schools, ie. other UC schools for better comparison?

How valid is this rumor? Any pros and cons from current UCSD students?
What are miserable factors, if any?

 

[dr_pepper]

The weather is terrible and you're nowhere near the beach.

 

[cammy1313]

I went to UCSD for undergrad and I can attest to the fact that it is a gorgeous campus, great weather, stone's throw from the beach (I'm guessing Dr. Pepper was being sarcastic). I'm also from SD (been here about 12 years or so) and I can't think of a better place to live. If you want to talk strictly about the school, here's my opinion. As an undergraduate institution, the pre-meds were very cut-throat and just not people I was generally interested in socializing with (had no pre-med friends, just nerdy scientist wannabes). Had a good friend from high school go to UCSD undergrad then go into UCSD med and he loved it but he was of the ultra-competitive type. Personally, I compete with myself and don't care much for the strictly gunner environment which is why I'm not too disappointed about my lack of response from SD. But, if you are of that sort then I'd say don't worry. Also, I'm sure this is a gross generalization and I'm sure there is cohesiveness and collaboration amongst at least some of the students. Basically, I wouldn't judge it until you've visited the school yourself and talked to current students. The location is reason enough to be enamored with the school, if you ask me 🙂 Hope this helps.

 

[constructor]

yeah, i think that's about right. honestly, the fact that the weather is great and the beach is so close is going to mean very little for those who go to medical school there. it seemed like the people there were far more miserable than at the other UC's that didn't have the great weather, etc. i still can't believe they have honors/p/f freshman year. what're they thinking?

 

[derf]

yeah, i think that's about right. honestly, the fact that the weather is great and the beach is so close is going to mean very little for those who go to medical school there. it seemed like the people there were far more miserable than at the other UC's that didn't have the great weather, etc. i still can't believe they have honors/p/f freshman year. what're they thinking?

yeah, I heard about the miserable student stories also and was actually surprised at how happy the students were. So, I guess I just didn't see it during my trip. Maybe I caught them at a less stressful day 😉

Regarding the honors, keep in mind that schools like UCLA and UCSF also distinguish or rank their students, but they do it at the end of the first two years whereas SD separates students as they move along the path. So maybe the honors thing tends to be more psychological than anything else.

 

[flash]

I started this process thinking that hp/p/f and grading was a big deal, now I am not so sure it matters too much. I am going to U Miami I think (which has percentile grading masked in a P/F what I understand) , and I am not too worried - I'm going to learn as much as a I can and study as hard I can...if not for anything other than the Steps. It's not like u can veg if your school is P/F. I have no basis for my comments and don't know a thing...I'd appreciate ur comment and thoughts.

I just kind of feel that it's a 22 yo pre-med thing - the value of the p/f concept.

 

[Dog's Bark 2]

I just kind of feel that it's a 22 yo pre-med thing - the value of the p/f concept.

I have never met a student at a P/F medical school that has had any problem with that grading system. In fact, they rave about about--and the positive comments aren't limited to the younger students alone.

However, I have talked with many H/P/F students that are quite stressed; many of them (certianly not all) wish they had gone to a P/F school.

 

[freaker]

I have a friend who is now in her third-year at UCSD, and she constantly refers to "her gunner classmates." Apparently things are pretty competitive there. Then again, she hangs out with some more laid back people in the class.

With that said, I'd put up with gunners to live in La Jolla any day of the week.

 

[Dog's Bark 2]

I have a friend who is now in her third-year at UCSD, and she constantly refers to "her gunner classmates." Apparently things are pretty competitive there. Then again, she hangs out with some more laid back people in the class.

With that said, I'd put up with gunners to live in La Jolla any day of the week.

Isn't San Diego really expensive? (especially La Jolla)

 

[BananaSplit]

I just finished my first quarter at UCSD and I didn't think it was bad at all (first quarter is just P/F w/o honors). My classmates are awesome (although this doesn't really distinguish SD since most med students are a pretty remarkable bunch in general) and everyone in class has a great sense of humor. I haven't met any gunners (if you define gunner to be someone who goes out of their way to excel at the expense of others). We do work very hard here, but I think every medical school necessitates a considerable amount of work. There was a controversy last month about grading policies not being sufficiently clear, but the administration moved very quickly to address our concerns. The weather is unbeatable and coming back to the Bay Area for Christmas break has been a little depressing. Once you get used to all that sunshine, three straight days of rain can get you down.

But to address your initial question:
Pros: Weather (if you're a fan of doing anything outdoorsy, this is the place to do it), classmates, frequent free food
Cons: Longer class hours (although some are somewhat optional). Now our official "class hours" eg hardcore basic science lectures aren't any longer than other schools, but we have a bit more fluff classes than other schools. By fluff I mean classes that aren't really essential but contribute to your road to doctoring in one way or another: journal reading group, small group ethics discussions, etc. I don't think fluff classes are useless, but they do eat up quite a bit of time.

I am very happy with my choice. It's close enough to home that I can visit every other month, but far enough that I am shielded from family drama. I am a Cali resident and despite the tuition hikes, after the financial aid, this place was still a steal. I think the best thing for you to do is to come here and take a look for yourself. You wouldn't buy a car without test-driving it once or twice...why would you choose a school solely based on the opinions of others? Ultimately, it's about finding a good fit for you.

 

[Dog's Bark 2]

I just finished my first quarter at UCSD and I didn't think it was bad at all (first quarter is just P/F w/o honors). My classmates are awesome (although this doesn't really distinguish SD since most med students are a pretty remarkable bunch in general) and everyone in class has a great sense of humor. I haven't met any gunners (if you define gunner to be someone who goes out of their way to excel at the expense of others).

Do you think that things will change once your classes become H/P/F, rather than P/F alone?

 

[Bear1220]

yeah, I heard about the miserable student stories also and was actually surprised at how happy the students were. So, I guess I just didn't see it during my trip. Maybe I caught them at a less stressful day 😉

Regarding the honors, keep in mind that schools like UCLA and UCSF also distinguish or rank their students, but they do it at the end of the first two years whereas SD separates students as they move along the path. So maybe the honors thing tends to be more psychological than anything else.

At UCSF, a strong emphasis is placed in your clinical years and that is based on letters of recommendation. Your pre-clinical years are P/F and do not "stratify" the class. Even in the dean's letter for UCSF, the first two years are summarized into a sentence or two essentially just stating that UCSF is P/F and that the student passed.
As a current UCSF student, I can say that the stress level is low. That being said, I'm sure the academic stress level will be relatively low at most P/F schools.

 

[Vacant]

I just finished my first quarter at UCSD and I didn't think it was bad at all (first quarter is just P/F w/o honors). My classmates are awesome (although this doesn't really distinguish SD since most med students are a pretty remarkable bunch in general) and everyone in class has a great sense of humor. I haven't met any gunners (if you define gunner to be someone who goes out of their way to excel at the expense of others). We do work very hard here, but I think every medical school necessitates a considerable amount of work. There was a controversy last month about grading policies not being sufficiently clear, but the administration moved very quickly to address our concerns. The weather is unbeatable and coming back to the Bay Area for Christmas break has been a little depressing. Once you get used to all that sunshine, three straight days of rain can get you down.

But to address your initial question:
Pros: Weather (if you're a fan of doing anything outdoorsy, this is the place to do it), classmates, frequent free food
Cons: Longer class hours (although some are somewhat optional). Now our official "class hours" eg hardcore basic science lectures aren't any longer than other schools, but we have a bit more fluff classes than other schools. By fluff I mean classes that aren't really essential but contribute to your road to doctoring in one way or another: journal reading group, small group ethics discussions, etc. I don't think fluff classes are useless, but they do eat up quite a bit of time.

I am very happy with my choice. It's close enough to home that I can visit every other month, but far enough that I am shielded from family drama. I am a Cali resident and despite the tuition hikes, after the financial aid, this place was still a steal. I think the best thing for you to do is to come here and take a look for yourself. You wouldn't buy a car without test-driving it once or twice...why would you choose a school solely based on the opinions of others? Ultimately, it's about finding a good fit for you.

I am coming to UCSD in the fall. Question is how much are we really saving at the end of 4 years by going to the state school (i'm CA resident) instead of some private school?
Also what are off-campus rental price like for studio or 1 bed apartment within 20min ride to school?

Multiple thanks!

 

[BananaSplit]

I am coming to UCSD in the fall. Question is how much are we really saving at the end of 4 years by going to the state school (i'm CA resident) instead of some private school?
Also what are off-campus rental price like for studio or 1 bed apartment within 20min ride to school?

Multiple thanks!

The best deal (school-wise) depends on your personal financial situation and that of your parents. I think this is how need is calculated at UC's. They take total cost of living plus tuition and fees...they subtract estimated family contribution and $8500 (which is the max Stafford loan/year). The rest is your financial need which will be met by a combination of scholarships, grants, and loans. The grants are need-based (I think last year grants went up to $12-13K) and some scholarships have a need component (UCSD has a huge number of scholarship programs...flip through the financial aid handbook given to you at your interview for reference). Most of the loans offered will be subsidized meaning that the government or the school will pay the interest on your behalf while you are in school and possibly during residency.

If you are accepted early enough, you can opt to participate in an elective (which seeks to address healthcare barriers for the deaf community) which has a stipend of ~$8000 for the first two years.

And if walking out of med school with low debt is a huge priority to you and you like research, you may want to try the SP2 program, which is essentially like MSTP except the funding comes from UCSD and not the NIH. Here, you would still have to pay for your first two years of medical school (but you would still get grants, loans, and scholarships for those years), you would get paid for your PhD years, and then your last two MD years would be tuition free. Overall, I think UCSD offers its students a pretty good package. If you're looking for a comparison across schools, I think US News publishes average student debt in its school rankings.

Off campus housing. I think you can get a very nice two bedroom apartment for $1200-$1400 close to campus. I think a studio/1-bedroom will cost you about $900. Not cheap, but if you're from the Bay Area or LA, you're probably used to these prices. Parking permits are quite expensive, so I would recommend taking the shuttle if you live along a shuttle route. During the school year, the shuttle runs every 7 minutes. Hope this helps!

 

[Saved Satan]

thank you all for the kind replies.
Do they have blocks meaning having to study one subject only at a time and exams not every week. If that's the case at UCSD, it can't be any more stressful than any other med schools.