UCSF, anyone turning it down?

ha

 

I'm sure I'm in the vast minority, but I dropped UCSF for Pritzker. I'm not in love with the new curriculum, I prefer a more lecture based approach to the first 2 years, and I'm definately not in love with the thought of being the second round of guinea pigs for it. There were a lot of problems this year in the prologue block, and I just forsee that when make so many changes to fix it, we'll run into a new host of problems. I understand that that's what you have to do to implement a new system. But I only get to go to med school once, so I'm more keen on a school where I feel more comfortable with the curriculum. Plus I liked a lot of what Pritzker talks about as their emphasis in the MS3/4 years about the added respect and responsibility given to students. I also was not impressed by what students at UCSF (in real life and on that 'you got accepted' CD they send you) had to say about the good things about their school. Almost all of them said either "it's so cheap", "it's so prestigious", or "is so prestigious and its cheap, best of both worlds." I'm trying to put this in a way that is not me bashing the school, but just why it didn't feel like the right fit for me. I was a lot more comfortable with a place that gave more meaning loaded answers to such a question. Chicago's system just felt like a better fit for me.

I hope you get my spot. good luck

 

i work near ucsf and have heard a lot of derogatory things about the new curriculumn from current MS-1's. i hear that they're also trying to make class and PBL attendance mandatory, which i think sucks. people will tell you all the great stuff about the school, but i just wanted to give you a look at the downside, just so that you have a balanced outlook.

aside from the academics, the weather is cold and foggy 95% of the time (i'm not exaggerating) and there is ABSOLUTELY NO PARKING. there is a new and well kept gym, but it's fairly small and you have to pay extra to take aerobics/fitness classes. taking out your eye teeth is easier than finding an apartment and when you do, be prepared to pay $800-1500/month for a hole in the wall, or "remodeled" basement in someone's home. the prices were going down due to the fact that most of the dot-com'ers were moving back to nerdsville, but they will start going back up, especially near the fall when students start returning to school. almost everything out here is more expensive than on the east coast.

on the bright side the people - not necessarily students - are very easygoing, chill, outspoken and tolerant and there is a BEAUTIFUL view almost anywhere you go. <a href="http://www.craigslist.org." target="_blank">Craig's List</a> you can find a job, a place to live, furniture, roommates, a boyfriend/girlfriend, and make weekend plans there! good luck with your decisions.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by serendipity475:
<strong>aside from the academics, the weather is cold and foggy 95% of the time (i'm not exaggerating) and there is ABSOLUTELY NO PARKING.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Just curious... is it still legal to park in Golden Gate Park? I worked at UCSF two summers ago and had no problem with parking if I got there by 8:30 a.m. or so. Now, if you're not allowed to park in the park anymore, you're screwed.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Cdc28p:
<strong> </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by serendipity475:
<strong>aside from the academics, the weather is cold and foggy 95% of the time (i'm not exaggerating) and there is ABSOLUTELY NO PARKING.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Just curious... is it still legal to park in Golden Gate Park? I worked at UCSF two summers ago and had no problem with parking if I got there by 8:30 a.m. or so. Now, if you're not allowed to park in the park anymore, you're screwed.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It's still legal, but watch where you park. I parked there and there was an obstructed "can't park between these hours" sign and the car got towed, ouch.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by CoffeeCat:
<strong> </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Cdc28p:
<strong> </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by serendipity475:
<strong>aside from the academics, the weather is cold and foggy 95% of the time (i'm not exaggerating) and there is ABSOLUTELY NO PARKING.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Just curious... is it still legal to park in Golden Gate Park? I worked at UCSF two summers ago and had no problem with parking if I got there by 8:30 a.m. or so. Now, if you're not allowed to park in the park anymore, you're screwed.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It's still legal, but watch where you park. I parked there and there was an obstructed "can't park between these hours" sign and the car got towed, ouch.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I work at UCSF and wanted to make a few observations:
1) You can still park at GG Park after 9am until 6 am the next morning. They don't tow (unless you have a lot of outstanding tickets). The fine is $50.
2) Rent is way down. If you look for a place starting in June you will be fine. The closer you live to UCSF, the more expensive it gets. The closer to Ocean Beach, the cheaper.
3) The further you get from UCSF, the easier it is to park. I have a car, I live a few blocks away on 5th avenue and have little trouble finding a spot, although street cleaning is a bitch. You do have to get a permit to park though ($27.50/yr) because its all 2Hr parking near the hospital and surrounding areas.
4) The weather does suck. If you go a mile to in any direction though, it is usually sunny. Coming from Vegas, it was dificult to adjust to sun-less summers.

Any other questions, let me know.

 

I just talked to a friend of mine yesterday who has yet to hear from UCSF but if she gets in she will be turning it down.

She is into Columbia, Baylor, and UPitt. But she said she definitely wanted to live on the East Coast and so she is pretty set on Columbia.

 

i can't imagine anybody turning down ucsf for anything but another good school in a more-desired location (i got rejected after the interview, but i would have rejected ucsf *only* if ucla took me). or ok, if you got into harvard/hopkins and really really must have that "name"

good luck, souljah! hopefully you'll soon be a happy admit of the best school in the country

 

Well, it was a beautiful sunny day here today in SF. True, the weather isn't exactly southern California's, but it isn't exactly Boston or Baltimore's either. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

The rule for weather in SF: the farther west you go, the cloudier it gets. It's because of that off-shore marine layer fog. It does gives SF that somewhat mystical, London-like feel though. Nothing like seeing fog clouds float down the street at night or mist brush through the trees in Golden Gate Park.

As for parking, yes it is a problem around the school, but many students live nearby and walk, or take public transportation (MUNI). The streetcars and buses are a pretty good option. As you get farther from campus (a few to several blocks), it gets much easier to find street parking.

About rent, while it is definitely true that the cost of living in San Francisco is high, prices are coming down because of the recession and many apartments are available. My apartment is far from a hole-in-the-wall and I pay under $1000 per month. In New York City, you generally pay the same or higher for MUCH smaller places. Plus, San Francisco's Victorian style places can't be beat.

I think UCSF tries to sell itself on the prestige + low cost combo. That is probably the reason you hear it so often. You have to admit that it is quite a deal. I could say lots of good things about the school, ranging from the well-integrated new curriculum and clinical relevance to the excellent teaching hospitals (Moffit-Long, SF General, VA, etc). Or the concern that the administration shows for students in hearing our feedback and implementing solutions. Or the great community involvement, from free clinics to teaching elementary students basic anatomy and science. How about the extremely diverse patient population? Or the excellence in basic and clinical biomedical research. Or the general collaborative and collegial atmosphere between faculty, administrators, and students. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

Certainly, those are valid concerns about the new curriculum. Most of the bugs will have been ironed out next year. Anatomy is being decompressed and spread out over a longer period of time. Additionally, this year's entering class will have access to our old midterms/finals, plus additional self-assessment materials. You will also have the second years as resources. What is really great is how responsive the administrators and faculty have been. Also, it was very heartening to see how the class has pulled together to write up study notes and to work in small groups to learn the material.

Coop, I'm sorry that the students you met didn't give you a better (i.e. more descriptive) assessment of what UCSF is all about. Congratulations though on making a decision and good luck in medical school!