UCSF straight-MD vs. UCSD MSTP

[hillbilly3000]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi guys,

A little late, but I hope you are all still reading. I just got a UCSF med school acceptance in the mail. My interests are neuroscience and systems biology. I would need to apply to the MSTP program at UCSF after the first debt-incurring year. (I don't know the odds of actually making the switch). UCSD seemed pretty great though the first two years of training seemed like a bit of a drag. I have about a week to decide.

The negatives I see at UCSD are the traditional coursework and that it rep is less flashy. The negatives I see at UCSF are that I might not be able to switch programs and that debt might force me to prioritize things I don't care about (like the allmighty dollar) in the future. Do UCSF students acquire less debt than at other schools. My Estimated Family Contribution was around $10,000 and I don't really understand what that translates to in the long run. I plan to call the MSTP and financial aid offices on Tuesday.

During the revisit, I heard a fair number of the MSTPs planning to go to UCSF for their residencies. Does the sunshine, bunnies, and beaches eventually lose its luster? What about the potentially conservative politics in the surrounding areas? How do current students feel about the quality of their lives. Any regrets?

Thanks in advance.

 

[tedrik]

Congrats on your acceptances! Did you apply MSTP this year and not get accepted? That would change things significantly. When you call the MSTP office, go ahead and explain your situation and ask them to asses the probability of your being accepted into the program internally.

I know one person who applied to their MD program, got accepted and then decided he should have gone for their MSTP (which he applied to everywhere else). He called their office and they told him that if he did a summer rotation at UCSF that he had a very strong chance of being accepted internally.

Maybe they will be straightforward with you as well.

Good luck!

 

[hillbilly3000]

Congrats on your acceptances! Did you apply MSTP this year and not get accepted? That would change things significantly. When you call the MSTP office, go ahead and explain your situation and ask them to asses the probability of your being accepted into the program internally.

Thanks for the congrats and for responding so quickly. I did apply to their MSTP this year and was rejected. How does that change things significantly?

 

[uproarhz]

Thanks for the congrats and for responding so quickly. I did apply to their MSTP this year and was rejected. How does that change things significantly?

Jana from UCSF is very good about "hinting" at your chances and being honest. Obviously they won't give you a guarantee either way, but if they think you have very little chance of getting in internally they will tell you that. Just call her up and tell her your senario.
I can also confirm that they seem to really care about that summer rotation with someone at UCSF. For this year, they mentioned that there were 4 internal applicants from the MSI class and only one of them got accepted because he was the only one who had done a summer rotation with a PI there.

About the issue of surrounding areas, San Diego is well just gorgious, but it's more low key with less things to do (compared to SF). I guess the lure of sunny beaches does fade eventually mainly because during residency you don't really have a whole lot of time to enjoy them. And I wouldn't call the areas surrounding either one of those cities conservative (though I don't know where you are from or where are you comparing them to).

On another note, I personally would take the MSTP over an MD. It is true that the first two years at UCSD are more traditional and the grades make it perhaps even more competetive but in the grand scheme of things, that's only two years out of your 7-8 year long program (<30% of your training). Unless there are PIs at UCSF that you would rather die than pass up the opportunity of working with, why take the risk and the possible debt with it?

 

[Vader]

It sounds like you already have a pretty good sense of your two options. Be aware that the UC Regents are deciding how much to raise tuition/fees for this fall and the total could be around $22,500 (an increase of $2,000). Depending on your situation, this may be significant.

Unless there is a particular reason (i.e. personal) that you would like to be in the Bay Area or if you have doubts about doing the MD/PhD, I would probably take the sure thing at UCSD. While UCSF arguably has the best neuroscience graduate program in the country (according to US News), UCSD is an excellent program as well, with many of the best faculty among any institution. You would not be at a loss to find excellent researchers there.

Good luck and just know that you can't go wrong with these options.

 

[Newquagmire]

I agree with much of what has been said here already, particularly with the advice to call UCSF and ask them to assess your situation. Though, you'll have to take it with a grain of salt, as anything other than a flat out "yes" or "no" is pretty much worthless. Also, note the likelyhood that tuition and fees will continue to rise above the rate of inflation in the immediate future.

San Diego does vote Republican, but it seems like that is mostly based on economic principles than "moral" ones. As a whole, the campus is generally apathetic on political issues. The only regret I have about going to UCSD is not taking more time off before starting.

 

[Caribou]

Come to UCSD. We have some awesome PIs here and a really great medical school. Besides, the grading doesn't really make a huge difference when you're in the MST program since you'll already have a huge advantage over the reg. MDs when you graduate and apply for a fellowship/residency.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

I agree with the above. Unless there's something at UCSF that you absolutely love, go with the sure thing.

A note about grades and curriculum during 1st and 2nd year med school.

First of all, grades during the pre-clinical years mean little or nothing. I don't know how the curriculum setups compare at UCSF and UCSD but there is only one important thing about MS1 and MS2 year. That is USMLE Step 1. Whatever you decide to learn during these two years culminates to this one day. So the curriculum really only matters with respect to which curriculum jives best with you so that you can learn the necessary information the best you can and kick ass on Step 1. That's it.

When it comes to grades, it is the 3rd year of med school that really counts (assuming you're striving to match in an uber-competitive specialty). So before you make your decision, I would really look at how the clinical phase at the two institutions work...granted, you won't hit this part until several years from now but believe me, before you know it, you'll be a MS3!

I agree with the above...you can't go wrong with these two options. Of course, the worst case scenario is that you graduate from UCSF in 4 years and in debt. That's not the worst thing that can happen to ya 🙂

 

[housecleaning]

While UCSF arguably has the best neuroscience graduate program in the country (according to US News), UCSD is an excellent program as well...

i would go with ucsf. a transfer to their mstp would probably not be an issue if you're really interested in that. & definitely worth the extra $15-20K to find out if that's what you want.

whatever you decide, don't pick it based on usnews, as vader suggests. that's just a big mistake.

 

[oasis786]

Although we'd love to have you here at SF, I'd caution you about coming with the expectation to transfer. Yes, it's definitely doable. Based on what I've seen here so far, it seems like priority is given to M2s transferring in - besides, you'd have to do some pretty amazing stuff and show some amazing commitment during the summer and fall of your entering year to be able to get into the MSTP beginning with summer between M1-M2. You'll also be doing a lot of things (summer research, possibly taking a grad class) to show your commitment to the MSTP with no guarantee that they will pay off. I've only been here one year, but it seems that one applicant is taken internally each year, maybe two. There are several people in my M1 class who will be applying in, meaning you will face some competition and will have to invest lots of energy into shmoozing the powers that be. I'm simply echoing some previous posts that it's probably best to go with the sure thing (if MSTP is important to you), unless there is a really big reason why you need to be in SF. Nonetheless, it would be a good idea to call Jana and talk over your options. Good luck, I know it's not an easy decision!