UCSF or Stanford?

[roboyang]

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So I just heard back from UCSF the other day (i got in), and I have a Stanford interview next month. I am wondering which school is better academic wise and overall..

Being from outside of Cali, all I wanted was a school in North California with no specific preference. So I was wondering if anyone had any inside scoop on which school has a better reputation for being friendlier.. or better in all the other areas..? Any suggestions/input would be welcomed.

Thanks!

 

[automaton]

My opinion is that UCSF has the better prepared graduates. Both schools will match exceptionally well though, even though I've heard that Stanford grads aren't very respected due to lack of clinical knowledge. That probably has something to do with the fact that Stanford is pass/fail all four years, which could be either good or bad based on what you're goals for medical education are. So if you're like me and don't care about being less prepared, and think cruising for 4 years is the way to go, then you should go to Stanford. You'll match well regardless, like I said. Look at Stanford's matchlist - it's incredible.

 

[DubZteR]

So I just heard back from UCSF the other day (i got in), and I have a Stanford interview next month. I am wondering which school is better academic wise and overall..

Being from outside of Cali, all I wanted was a school in North California with no specific preference. So I was wondering if anyone had any inside scoop on which school has a better reputation for being friendlier.. or better in all the other areas..? Any suggestions/input would be welcomed.

Thanks!

Unless you have a money tree ... I would pick the school that is going to be cheaper for you. SF is a pretty expensive place to live in from what my friends' tell me.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Unless you have a money tree ... I would pick the school that is going to be cheaper for you. SF is a pretty expensive place to live in from what my friends' tell me.

SF is an expensive place to live, but tuition at Stanford (private) is much higher than UCSF (public) for in-state. I'm not sure how much higher tuition is at a UC for out-of-staters.

 

[Davina3000]

The cost of living in Palo Alto isn't exactly low. 😱

I don't think that $ is going to be the way to make this decision for an out of stater. Unless there is an amazing scholarship/financial aid package in the works.

 

[MWillie]

I'm going to have to go with UCSF's better affliated hospitals and clinical education.

 

[Quentin Quinn]

Educational opportunities are ridiculously amazing at both... I say the more important question is where you would feel more comfortable spending four years. City or suburb? Big school or small?

 

[calstudent]

if you do a search, this has been covered already when someone was choosing between the two (last year, i think).
you are in a wonderful position. i envy you!

 

[wxl31]

uh...to many of you this is going to sound like a stupid thing to consider, but parking is way better at stanford.

ucsf does not subsidize parking at any of its teaching hospitals/sites, so you'll be paying a lot or will be taking public transportation. i had a job last year that req'd me to drive everywhere in san francisco. every few days was a new place. the driving/traffic/hills drove me mad.

 

[Cat's Meow]

Parking issues aside, UCSF is better than Stanford in my opinion--but not by too much.

I think the thing that Stanford has going for it is the comfort of Palo Alto and the proximity of the undergrad campus (this has a lot of benefits). Also, Stanford generally has better financial aid and living arrangements.

But I beleive that UCSF's hospitals, research, and level of service to humanity far outpaces Stanford's.

My 2 cents.

 

[Cat's Meow]

I'm going to have to go with UCSF's better affliated hospitals and clinical education.

👍 This is true.

 

[wxl31]

I'm going to have to go with UCSF's better affliated hospitals and clinical education.

the clinic that i work in has 4 (that i know about, maybe more) assoc. or assist. clinical professors. they are amazing ppl and amazing teachers. so at least where i work, the clinical education is top notch.

all of them practice in community health and from time to time, i see med students following them around. so far all of the students have been girls. it's weird.

 

[Jeffy]

So I just heard back from UCSF the other day (i got in), and I have a Stanford interview next month. I am wondering which school is better academic wise and overall..

Being from outside of Cali, all I wanted was a school in North California with no specific preference. So I was wondering if anyone had any inside scoop on which school has a better reputation for being friendlier.. or better in all the other areas..? Any suggestions/input would be welcomed.

Thanks!

That is both the most specific and most impossible goal I've ever heard with respect to med schools. Nice job on the acceptance, I guess. 👍

"All I want is a school in Harvard." Jesus.

 

[brs23]

hey man...you can't blame somebody for wanting to live in your state...local was one of my top priorities in this process.

 

[AJM]

I would recommend that unless it will put you in severe financial hardship, you should keep your Stanford interview. A lot of people tend to say a lot of uneducated things about both schools on this board, and to use posters' "expert" opinions to decide to turn down an interview at a school in an area you really want to be would be pretty silly, IMO. After all, 4 years is a long time, and it's important to be as happy as possible during med school.

Stanford is a great school, as UCSF is, but they are both very different with different cultures. UCSF is not the best fit for everyone, and in the same light, not everyone would like Stanford. However, you are in an admirable position where you can choose which culture/environment might suit you the best. Don't just go for the school that gave you the admission first - you may regret it later on.

Just a note: you should decide for yourself on the quality of clinical training of medical schools, rather than listening to hearsay. IMO, Stanford has amazing clinical training, although many would like you to believe otherwise. I know, because I went there for med school, and have since been able to compare my experiences with those of graduates from many other medical schools. In my residency program, there are interns and residents from both Stanford and UCSF, and they are equally strong in their clinical skills and knowledge base.

So, my advice is to go to your interview. You may be pleasantly surprised. 🙂

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

 

[AJM]

Hmm, I just reread your post - I had previously thought that you were trying to decide whether to cancel your interview now that you have an acceptance, but now I see that wasn't the question. oh well - my post above isn't quite as relevent then.

But I still think that you should go where you would be happiest, and the only way to tell is to personally visit each place and get a feel for the atmosphere. Whichever school you end up going to, you will have excellent clinical training, outstanding research opportunities, and will match well for residency.

 

[Shaz]

This is a tough one. I would say, choose Stanford. My reasoning is this: UCSF is an awesome school, a few hair's below Hopkins and Harvard. However, in terms of name recognition for your paitent's if you're going into private practice, Stanford beats out UCSF.

The one BIG thing I didn't like about UCSF during the interview was that the student talking to us during the lunch session (he went to Harvard for undergrad) started bagging on "public schools". Hell, public schools in California, namely the UC system, rivals any private school in the USA or the world. I went to a UC and I loved my education. However, I know I have to pick and choose my battles, and if I were in your situation, I would go with a private school for a change.

 

[Cat's Meow]

This is a tough one. I would say, choose Stanford. My reasoning is this: UCSF is an awesome school, a few hair's below Hopkins and Harvard. However, in terms of name recognition for your paitent's if you're going into private practice, Stanford beats out UCSF.

The one BIG thing I didn't like about UCSF during the interview was that the student talking to us during the lunch session (he went to Harvard for undergrad) started bagging on "public schools". Hell, public schools in California, namely the UC system, rivals any private school in the USA or the world. I went to a UC and I loved my education. However, I know I have to pick and choose my battles, and if I were in your situation, I would go with a private school for a change.

But why would you pick a pretty good private school (Stanford) over an exceptional public school like UCSF?

 

[Cat's Meow]

Didn't UCSF and Stanford try to make a joint healthcare program a while ago?

 

[Shaz]

But why would you pick a pretty good private school (Stanford) over an exceptional public school like UCSF?

I guess I was incoherent in my previous post (a post-nap post). Take home message: name recognition.

 

[Cerberus]

I hate you for having that option

 

[shivalrous]

I hate you for having that option

Hence, you are the antagonist...haha

 

[jhugti]

I've heard UCSF lacks some of the "life" that Stanford has as a consequence of it being a graduate-only institution. I could definitely imagine Stanford's undergrad campus and college town feel would be much more fun. That said, there are probably more important considerations to keep in mind too.

 

[Cat's Meow]

I hate you for having that option

I hate you

Just kidding.

To be honest, that's a great position to be in--but it is also mentally and emotionally stressful. It's really a hard decision to make 🙁

For me, it's UCSF 🙂

 

[LoneCoyote]

I wouldn't write off Stanford. Go to the interview and see if you like their curriculum and the feel of the school. It's not for everyone and it will really help you decide. I thought that their interview day did a good job of that for me last year. Their financial aid is AMAZING and is very likely to be a better deal than a UC, especially if you are coming from out-of-state. And the clinical opportunities are definitely there. I wouldn't let that make the decision for you.

 

[Bear1220]

I've heard UCSF lacks some of the "life" that Stanford has as a consequence of it being a graduate-only institution. I could definitely imagine Stanford's undergrad campus and college town feel would be much more fun. That said, there are probably more important considerations to keep in mind too.

Palo Alto is more fun than San Francisco? hmmmmmm...

 

[Cerberus]

I hate you

Just kidding.

To be honest, that's a great position to be in--but it is also mentally and emotionally stressful. It's really a hard decision to make 🙁

For me, it's UCSF 🙂

I knew the people who got into top schools would end up being trolls. Did you mention your hatred of the jews in your interview?

 

[Cat's Meow]

I knew the people who got into top schools would end up being trolls. Did you mention your hatred of the jews in your interview?

Don't hate, you a**hole. You are such a narrow-minded jerk and it is you who are the troll.

Please get off this thread if you have nothing good to contribute, you jerk.

And just because you haven't gotten in to UCSF, doesn't mean that you can put me down.

So go back to your cave, troll.