ucsd vs. northwestern

[sassy doc]

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what do you think?

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

how important is weather to you? being in a city?

 

[Towelie]

UCSD. Can't beat the weather.

 

[GIGATT]

what do you think?

I vote Northwestern... we need your spot here at ucsd 🙂

In all honesty, you can't go wrong with either one. Both schools are great!

I lived in the midwest for 5 years and i'll tell you, Chicago is one of my favorite cities in the world! It has everything you could want and more. The seasons are amazing- fall is gorgeous there and there is nothing like a snow covered white Christmas.

San Diego is awesome too... i live here and i've become quite spoiled by the weather.

 

[shadoctor]

Cost, location, ranking...... UCSD wins all three.

No brainer, especially if you are from CA.

 

[Wanna_B_Scutty]

Cost, location, ranking...... UCSD wins all three.

No brainer, especially if you are from CA.

Yup, UCSD.

Also, I'm pretty sure that CA has a special resident matching criterion in which state residents get priority in the match. If you're hoping to practice in CA, you'l want to keep this in mind, as well...

 

[melissainsd]

Yup, UCSD.

Also, I'm pretty sure that CA has a special resident matching criterion in which state residents get priority in the match. If you're hoping to practice in CA, you'l want to keep this in mind, as well...

Can you gain residency while in medical school? I grew up in San Diego but then ended up an AZ resident (because of my husband). If I came back to CA could I be a resident again?

 

[Wanna_B_Scutty]

Can you gain residency while in medical school? I grew up in San Diego but then ended up an AZ resident (because of my husband). If I came back to CA could I be a resident again?

I'm not sure if going to Cali for med school alone would work- you'd want to call and ask someone from Admissions if they could help direct you to someone who knows the answer.

I am pretty sure, though, that if you took a year off between years 2 & 3 and got a research job you'd be a CA resident. I know people who've gone out to Cali to work for a year on purpose before applying.

 

[melissainsd]

I'm not sure if going to Cali for med school alone would work- you'd want to call and ask someone from Admissions if they could help direct you to someone who knows the answer.

I am pretty sure, though, that if you took a year off between years 2 & 3 and got a research job you'd be a CA resident. I know people who've gone out to Cali to work for a year on purpose before applying.

Hmm...thanks. It may help that we would buy a house there and my husband would work there. Doesn't matter now, I am getting miles ahead of myself. I probably won't even get in.

 

[phishee]

Can you gain residency while in medical school? I grew up in San Diego but then ended up an AZ resident (because of my husband). If I came back to CA could I be a resident again?

At my interview, my tour guide said he did. I found this link for UCSD grad students about gaining residency. But I'm sure the same info applies:
http://www-ogsr.ucsd.edu/welcome/arrive.htm

 

[lord_jeebus]

Yup, UCSD.

Also, I'm pretty sure that CA has a special resident matching criterion in which state residents get priority in the match. If you're hoping to practice in CA, you'l want to keep this in mind, as well...

I'm at UCSD. I'm almost certain we don't get that kind of priority.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Can you gain residency while in medical school? I grew up in San Diego but then ended up an AZ resident (because of my husband). If I came back to CA could I be a resident again?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is you need to find out what the factors are that determine state residency and make sure you fulfill them. There is no guarantee that the criteria won't change although they have been stable so far. I don't know anyone who has had difficulty with that.

Also UCSD has a few scholarships to cover the OOS portion of tuition for a few students, but given the low OOS acceptance rate there is a good chance of getting one if you get in.

 

[PeripateticMD]

Can you gain residency while in medical school? I grew up in San Diego but then ended up an AZ resident (because of my husband). If I came back to CA could I be a resident again?

unless NorCal is a different state, you definitely can gain residency after being in school one year. Dean Wofsy at UCSF repeated this several times, you will only be OOS for the first year. And there's no rules to CA residency programs accepting CA residents (haha, the two residency definitions side by side), but they definitely look for a committment to staying and serving CA (which people never want to leave anyhow...)

 

[lord_jeebus]

I am pretty sure, though, that if you took a year off between years 2 & 3 and got a research job you'd be a CA resident. I know people who've gone out to Cali to work for a year on purpose before applying.

I know people who got residency after the first year so going to such lengths might not be necessary...

Working for a year in CA would certainly be sufficient (but again you need to be aware of the random residency criteria and make sure you meet them).

 

[lord_jeebus]

And to answer the original question, barring significant differences in financial aid I don't see a reason to choose Northwestern over UCSD.

 

[pyrois]

what do you think?

UCSD unless you have strong ties to the Chicago area. The schools offer arguably similar opportunities (although UCSD is ranked higher), but the average debt of UCSD grads is $60k while NW grads are looking at $130k.

You could send 2 people through UCSD for the same price as 1 through NW.

Plus, San Diego is a great place.

 

[sassy doc]

thanks for your help.

how do you feel about the curriculum at each of these institutions (ucsd vs. feinberg).

in any case, i'm probably going to end up in San Diego. Northwestern is just a gorgeous, though.

 

[portero23]

I'm actually wrestling with the same decision! In terms of stats and numbers, UCSD seems to have the upperhand. Northwestern in my opinion fights back with a very cool curriculum--very progressive and sociopolitically conscious, which jives with my educational history. Interactions with students at Northwestern also seemed to cement its place as a worthy UCSD adversary...

Ugh, I think I'll have to go to both admit days (if accepted of course...)

-P23

 

[deleted128318]

In terms of stats and numbers, UCSD seems to have the upperhand. Northwestern in my opinion fights back with a very cool curriculum--very progressive and sociopolitically conscious, which jives with my educational history. Interactions with students at Northwestern also seemed to cement its place as a worthy UCSD adversary...
-P23

Agreed.

Northwestern. And I'm IS at UCSD.

 

[UCLAMAN]

Yup, UCSD.

Also, I'm pretty sure that CA has a special resident matching criterion in which state residents get priority in the match. If you're hoping to practice in CA, you'l want to keep this in mind, as well...

as someone who has gone thru the match interview process and is originally from cali and is from northwestern i thought i would chime in.

it is true that you get some priority for being a california resident. however, the advantage it confers is very minimal(i mean really really small) compared to the weight of your board scores, class rank, AOA status, etc. furthermore, (as there is a large contingent of californians at northwestern) all you have to do when you apply is use your parents california address and you just conferred yourself that small advantage. also, there are quite a few people in my class who have absolutely no ties to california and have matched and interviewed at cali programs(in really competitive specialties at that) coming from northwestern. californians are brainwashed to think that if you leave, you can never come back. not true. really, the only advantage going to a california school has(in terms of the match process) is that you always have a greater chance of matching at your own institution.

 

[thegenius]

thanks for your help.

how do you feel about the curriculum at each of these institutions (ucsd vs. feinberg).

in any case, i'm probably going to end up in San Diego. Northwestern is just a gorgeous, though.

I am an M1 at Feinberg, and my understanding is that UCSD has a traditional, lecture based curriculum. There are numerous differences between both schools that it should not be all that difficult to make a decision. In most cases I tell candidates that there really isn't much difference between one school and another - everybody learns the same stuff.

- If you are CA in-state, go to UCSD. You'll save a ton of money.
- Rankings are virtually indistinguishable - last I checked NU was 20 and UCSD was ~15. Someone make a compelling argument as to why UCSD is a "better" school - you can't.
- If you like being spoon-fed information (and I mean that positively) vs. having to do some self-directed learning - then go do UCSD. At NU there is a sufficient amount of self-directed mumbo-jumbo where you have to explain yourself to other classmates that if you really don't like talking in-front of small crowds, don't bother.
- Location is big. If you don't like snow, then NU is not the place for you. Feinberg is smack in the middle of one of the nicest areas in the US. I don't know anything about UCSD though, but I hear nice things about San Diego.
- Class size might make a difference, NU has 175 people, and I consider that a lot. I wish our class size was smaller.
- Our hospital is so nice I smile when I enter it. Patients are treated with such class and dignity, not only by the staff but the commitment by the NMH founders who spent approx. $600M to build a beautiful and contemporary hospital. That will really mean something come your 3rd and 4th years.

This shouldn't be a difficult decision for you. These schools are at each end of the med school curriculas.

Good Luck!

 

[GalaxySystem]

I've been accepted to both Northwestern and UCSD, and I'm a CA resident. Here's why I'm going with Northwestern over UCSD: Northwestern is more recognized by residency directors in certain surgical specialties, and I plan to pursue one of those surgical specialties.

I've verified this with a residency director and a chief of a surgery dept at a well-respected academic-based hospital/med school (in CA).

That's my $.02