UCSD vs Cornell -- Help!

[ang104]

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Hey folks,

I'm trying to decide on UCSD vs. Cornell for medical school. Any thoughts you have would be welcome.

I've lived in NYC for the past 7 years and may be getting sick of it. Also, I fear my quality of life in the city would be quite low during medical school with no salary and limited vacation time. Yet Cornell is a terrific school and very seductive.

I'm from San Diego and would love to move back. At the same time, I don't know much about UCSD, particularly the curriculum (besides that it's getting revamped), or life during clinical years. I liked that Cornell's curriculum was mellow, and that third year you can get out of surgery rotations, etc. I fear UCSD may be more demanding.

Though I plan to go into psychiatry, I am also slightly nervous about the prestige factor of UCSD -- but maybe I'm being stupid. Maybe it's more prestigious than I give it credit for? Having grown up in San Diego, maybe I don't give UCSD its due, particularly since I did Harvard undergrad.

Really, any thoughts would be welcome. I'm very torn.

 

[mdeast]

Hey folks,

I'm trying to decide on UCSD vs. Cornell for medical school. Any thoughts you have would be welcome.

I've lived in NYC for the past 7 years and may be getting sick of it. Also, I fear my quality of life in the city would be quite low during medical school with no salary and limited vacation time. Yet Cornell is a terrific school and very seductive.

I'm from San Diego and would love to move back. At the same time, I don't know much about UCSD, particularly the curriculum (besides that it's getting revamped), or life during clinical years. I liked that Cornell's curriculum was mellow, and that third year you can get out of surgery rotations, etc. I fear UCSD may be more demanding.

Though I plan to go into psychiatry, I am also slightly nervous about the prestige factor of UCSD -- but maybe I'm being stupid. Maybe it's more prestigious than I give it credit for? Having grown up in San Diego, maybe I don't give UCSD its due, particularly since I did Harvard undergrad.

Really, any thoughts would be welcome. I'm very torn.

Where do you want end up post-medical school? In NYC or in California. Going to UCSD will give you a leg up in California. Although, it's not as if Cornell is bad.

Cornell is more internationally/nationally well known. UC-SD is better known on the West Coast, but it is still well respected. Both are ranked similarly so there's little overall prestige difference.

I'd choose on location and residency preferences. Where, geographically, would you be happier for the next 4 years.

Also, it seemed like Cornell kids do have a lot of fun despite being in medical school. I think you could still enjoy Manhattan. I think you'd also enjoy the San Diego weather.

(I'm waitlisted at Cornell, but my opinion is meant to be objective).

 

[lord_jeebus]

(If you're 100% set on psychiatry, read no further and choose the cheaper option.)

UCSD's clinical years are demanding, but not unreasonably so. I would argue that it is a waste of your time and money to go to a "mellow" school.

I am not familiar with Cornell, and perhaps it is more rigorous than you believe.

I did my internship at a school known for coddling its students. Many of them had a weak fund of knowledge and had difficulties with the fundamentals of clinical judgement. Nevertheless they will soon be MDs - MDs I hope my friends and family never encounter in any specialty. Do you want to be a great physician, or are you looking for the path of least resistance? UCSD sets the bar high and even its weakest graduates have a strong foundation for residency and the rest of their lives. Ultimately you are a physician first and a specialist second, and looking for ways to bypass core areas of knowledge (including surgery) is a disservice to yourself and your patients.

I still had a lot of fun and free time at UCSD (admittedly not so much 3rd year), but when I worked I worked hard.

I wouldn't worry about prestige - UCSD's prestige in the medical realm is greater than that of its undergraduate programs. Even on the East Coast you will do very well when applying for residency. An above-average UCSD student should be able to interview and match at any Psychiatry program in the country.

 

[BlueElmo]

I would choose UCSD, you seem to prefer it as well.