UCSF--Avoid at all costs

Get Your Med School Admissions Questions Answered!
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
E

eatprayloverun

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2012
Messages
29
Reaction score
27
Recent grad here....word to the wise: Do. Not. Go. To. UCSF.
Seriously.
You will graduate in a tremendous amounts of debt, the new curriculum is terrible, and the administration is criminally unsupportive.
Go anywhere else, especially if you are given a good financial aid package.

I say this all the while having succeeded myself personally (currently at a top residency in a competitive speciality).

DM me if you have questions.
Members don't see this ad.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
eatprayloverun said:
Recent grad here....word to the wise: Do. Not. Go. To. UCSF.
Seriously.
You will graduate in a tremendous amounts of debt, the new curriculum is terrible, and the administration is criminally unsupportive.
Go anywhere else, especially if you are given a good financial aid package.

I say this all the while having succeeded myself personally (currently at a top residency in a competitive speciality).

DM me if you have questions.
Click to expand...

Would you care to elaborate with more specifics?

Like were there unexpected fees beyond the estimated cost of attendance on the website?

How is the administration unsupportive?

What are the weaknesses of the new curriculum?
 
New curriculum is a major weakness. Far too condensed. First class with the new curriculum had a much lower average step one score. They are also getting rid of pass/fail during 3rd year, which sounds great in theory, but makes it that much harder to get into a competitive specialty.
 
May I suggest that those who are interested in UCSF apply, interview, ask questions, attend second look (if they have one), ask more questions, consider financial aid package and make a decision after a thorough consideration of what UCSF offers and what other options are on the table.

OP is giving you some idea of the questions you might want to ask on interview day or after receiving an offer.
 
MemeLord said:
As an applicant who wanted to stay on the west coast if possible, I initially had UCSF on my list.

As an applicant with a wife and child, I removed UCSF off of my list once I realized a 2-BDRM apartment is pushing $4,000+ a month ifyou want to be anywhere within 10 miles of the school.
Click to expand...

Definitely feel you... I did my undergrad in the Bay Area and it cost me 800 a month to SHARE a small room. One bathroom for 5 people.

Silicon Valley encroachment on Oakland/Berkeley real estate is absolutely disgusting, but the local government doesn’t seem to care or too incompetent to do anything.

/rant
 
MemeLord said:
As an applicant who wanted to stay on the west coast if possible, I initially had UCSF on my list.

As an applicant with a wife and child, I removed UCSF off of my list once I realized a 2-BDRM apartment is pushing $4,000+ a month if you want to be anywhere within 10 miles of the school.
Click to expand...

The worst part is that the cheap tuition doesn't even make up for it.

First year they'll charge you 48k then 36k for the other three = 156k total.

Compare that with a 57k/year tuition: 228k - 156k = 72k that you save going to UCSF

But if you take the national average national rent for a 2-BD ($1500/month), that's a $2,500 difference. Take that across all 4 years and you get 48 * 2,500 = $120k that you pay extra living in SF.

So you save $72k in tuition. But you pay $120k more in rent. Balance comes out to about $48k extra.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Seihai said:
What beef do you have with the people of California? 🙁
Click to expand...
The average rent in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho a decade ago was about $550 (adjusted for inflation) for a one-bedroom apartment. We have seen an influx of migrants from California increasing our population by 50% and our rent average up to $875 with a continual 8% year-on-year increase in pricing. The care-free and competitive lifestyle that silicon valley types live yields destruction of housing markets. When people leave California due to high COL, they bring the high COL with them.
 
MemeLord said:
The average rent in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho a decade ago was about $550 (adjusted for inflation) for a one-bedroom apartment. We have seen an influx of migrants from California increasing our population by 50% and our rent average up to $875 with a continual 8% year-on-year increase in pricing. The care-free and competitive lifestyle that silicon valley types live yields destruction of housing markets. When people leave California due to high COL, they bring the high COL with them.
Click to expand...

Don't know why someone would want to move to Washington. Ya'll don't even have a basketball team.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
MemeLord said:
The average rent in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho a decade ago was about $550 (adjusted for inflation) for a one-bedroom apartment. We have seen an influx of migrants from California increasing our population by 50% and our rent average up to $875 with a continual 8% year-on-year increase in pricing. The care-free and competitive lifestyle that silicon valley types live yields destruction of housing markets. When people leave California due to high COL, they bring the high COL with them.
Click to expand...
They're both carefree and competitive?? Damn, Californians really do have the rest of us beat on all fronts.
But in reality, that's not a character flaw, its a housing market issue. Californians can't be blamed for looking elsewhere in search of a more affordable cost of living.
 
MemeLord said:
The average rent in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho a decade ago was about $550 (adjusted for inflation) for a one-bedroom apartment. We have seen an influx of migrants from California increasing our population by 50% and our rent average up to $875 with a continual 8% year-on-year increase in pricing. The care-free and competitive lifestyle that silicon valley types live yields destruction of housing markets. When people leave California due to high COL, they bring the high COL with them.
Click to expand...

Wait... so let me get this straight. Your dislike of the people in California comes from people who left California and are, decidedly, no longer Californians? (I'm mostly making this post in jest, for the most part, but am also a bit confused here).

I would kind of think the average Californian definitely does not live a "care-free" or "competitive" lifestyle, and the people who do move out can't be assigned a judgment for simply trying to find a cheaper place to live.
 
MemeLord said:
The average rent in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho a decade ago was about $550 (adjusted for inflation) for a one-bedroom apartment. We have seen an influx of migrants from California increasing our population by 50% and our rent average up to $875 with a continual 8% year-on-year increase in pricing. The care-free and competitive lifestyle that silicon valley types live yields destruction of housing markets. When people leave California due to high COL, they bring the high COL with them.
Click to expand...
lol this is such a vague statement! I'm sure there are actual points you can make with the "care-free and competitive lifestyle" that drive the prices up, which I genuinely would like to know more deets about. But as you've written it, it just sounds hand wavey; "people came from california and our rent increased, thus californians increased our rent".
 
Seihai said:
Wait... so let me get this straight. Your dislike of the people in California comes from people who left California and are, decidedly, no longer Californians? (I'm mostly making this post in jest, for the most part, but am also a bit confused here).

I would kind of think the average Californian definitely does not live a "care-free" or "competitive" lifestyle.
Click to expand...
Oh no, I have no beef with the people who are physically present in California. ****s rough. High COL, high poverty, high discrimination, high everything for 95% of people. It is the wealthy there that ruin it for me. It is the super wealthy that ruin the state in general. Then they leave, take their money and their problem-generating elsewhere, and let the rest of California suffer.

This is more an internalized hatred of consumerism. You can ignore memelord. He doesn't hate California. He hates wealthy consumerism, which just happens to be very prominent in California.
 
TRexLife4 said:
1) Too many stoners
2) Poor working conditions (LOOKING AT YOU AMAZON)
3) Too much rain
Click to expand...
You are talking about Western Washington. Seattle and everything west of the cascades is only about 1/3 the land mass of the state. Eastern Washington (the other two thirds of the state) is a desert, agricultural land, some mountains, and fairly conservative republican. Blends in with the Northern Rockies of North Idaho.
 
MemeLord said:
You are talking about Western Washington.
Click to expand...

Western Washington holds about 80% of the population......

Screen Shot 2019-08-08 at 3.32.27 PM.png
 
TRexLife4 said:
Yes but it holds about 80% of the population......

View attachment 275440
Click to expand...
Oh yah, and Seattle too has influx of population. However, Seattle/King county population increase is from people across the country (predominantly young) moving there seeking new opportunity. That red spot out east (Spokane) has yielded predominantly former Californian wealthy folk fleeing the liberalization of Cali for a more conservative area.
 
MemeLord said:
Oh yah, and Seattle too has influx of population. However, Seattle/King county population increase is from people across the country (predominantly young) moving there seeking new opportunity. That red spot out east (Spokane) has yielded predominantly former Californian wealthy folk fleeing the liberalization of Cali for a more conservative area.
Click to expand...

Sources?
 
rollingstoneshill said:
Moral of the story is @MemeLord made an excellent judgement call in not applying to UCSF as he would have hated it.
Click to expand...
Although, I did apply to Stanford and UCLA because of the dope financial aid paired with awesome California and good schools. All of this was just to vent about housing prices. Don't judge me.

This thread deserves hijacking....we all needto follow LizzyM's advice...their class is gonna fill up regardless.
 
What are the plus sides of seattle? Just curious
 
Engrailed said:
What are the plus sides of seattle? Just curious
Click to expand...
In reality, Seattle has a booming job market, relatively affordable housing if you are willing to have a 20-35 minute commute, high wages ($15 minimum wage), LOTS of outdoor activities, Cool yet consistent climate, great cultural scene, great foodie scene, plus their Pride fest is FIRE (coming from a straight white dude)
 
TRexLife4 said:
Xenophobia
Click to expand...
On the part of those fleeing the area? Yes, it is. Ever since the Oakland riots of the 80's when around 50,000 people left Cali for Idaho, the rates of White Supremacy have skyrocketed here.
 
On a brighter note... if you choose any city, where do you guys want to go to medical school and do residency? (If you could go anywhere..)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
All Late Interviews
Replies
7
Views
985
LizzyM
LizzyM
ParentOfReapplicant
How choose schools to avoid rejection due to yield protection?
Replies
8
Views
1K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
V
Yale vs UCSF
Replies
8
Views
1K
Yhwach
Yhwach
I
Einstein vs UCSF
Replies
7
Views
1K
aquamist
aquamist
P
Acknowledging intersectionality, avoiding identity politics
Replies
7
Views
880
Goro
Goro
Top