UCSD vs. Vanderbilt?

[plasticdiscoball]

Hello everyone, thanks in advance for your help! Like the title says, I'm trying to decide between UCSD and Vanderbilt. I am interested in doing research/academic medicine in a very niche field. UCSD and Vanderbilt are basically the only two med schools in the country that have research institutes dedicated to my specific research interest, which is why I'm so interested in both of these schools.

UCSD
Pros:

• close to home (lived in SoCal all my life) and beautiful location
• sweet sweet in-state tuition (about $20K/yr cheaper than Vandy)
• interested in staying in CA for residency
• perfect fit for my research interests

Cons:

• expensive cost of living
• so close to home... was kind of hoping to experience what it's like to live in a different part of the country

Vanderbilt
Pros:

• really enjoyed the atmosphere and students/admin seemed genuinely happy
• also perfect fit for my research interests
• prestige? I've heard that prestige is very important for anyone hoping to make a career in academic medicine?
• cheaper cost of living

Cons:

• more expensive tuition (about $20K/yr more expensive than UCSD)
• not very excited by the location... (sorry to any Southerners reading this!)

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[Kingsmen2018]

UCSD. Both great, but UCSD has so much prestige as well. Closer to home, cheaper, and U wanna stay in CA for residency makes it an easy one IMO

 

[1203xx]

Definitely SD. The weather in SD is as perfect as it gets. Why go to the South when you can go to a highly ranked CA school in a perfect location.

 

[Manzielf]

Going to Vanderbilt is not going to prevent you from matching anywhere in the country.

You don’t really have major pros and cons for either school so go wherever you think you’d be the happiest.


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[SpoiledMilk]

Southerner here. Cali>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Tennessee.

 

[DSM_302.0]

OMG UCSD

 

[plasticdiscoball]

Lol, looks like the consensus is pretty clear. Thanks everyone!

 

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

Tennessee grows on you. Just throwing that out there. Nashville is my 2nd home!

 

[MDhopeful324]

Tennessee grows on you. Just throwing that out there. Nashville is my 2nd home!

Agreed. I have two friends who were super hesitant about going to Vandy just because of the location. They pretty much won't come home now lol.

 

[trobinsonmd]

I am also from SoCal (LA) and got into UCSD a few years ago, but ended up picking NYU... I knew I wanted to get back over to SoCal for residency (just matched in SoCal actually), so med school would be my only chance of living outside of California and experiencing a different culture. my girlfriend is from Nashville and I've spent a lot of time there... being from LA, at first I was not into it at all and sometimes even refused to go, but once I got to stay for longer than a week and mingle with the people, it was hard to leave and I still visit regularly to this day even though she no longer has her family there... it is a lot of fun and I feel like the people are warmer and more fun... not to mention the school has a great reputation amongst residency directors everywhere... UCSD is also a solid option, but It has been slowly slipping the last few years, so who's to say it won's continue to slide down over these next four years? something to consider if you are eyeing a competitive residency. I'd def say Vandy... feel free to msg me if you have any Nashville questions

 

[PeninsulaDude]

Vanderbilt

 

[878956]

UCSD because it will save you 80k.

 

[trobinsonmd]

UCSD because it will save you 80k.

I would agree that the 80k is a major draw to UCSD, but you can't really put a price on the prestige that comes with Vanderbilt and schools of that caliber... when residency directors are ranking applicants during match (especially competitive specialities), this could definitely give you an advantage over someone with similar step and clerkship scores/research experience... so if you are looking to get into a competitive residency in a desirable spot, def go Vanderbilt... also long term, 80k is not much money and Vanderbilt will also have a lot more scholarships available... look into the various scholarships they offer (some of them are specific to what year you're in)

 

[plasticdiscoball]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I actually ended up getting into another school which is my dream school, so I will most likely be matriculating there instead. Thanks again for the discussion, it was useful to get everyone’s viewpoints.