Hi all, of course, I want to say that I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that I have. Coming from a poor background and being a first generation college grad I would have never thought that this was the position that I was going to be in. Hard work does pay off.
UCSF
Pros:
Four-hour drive from family
Better recreational facilities/gym. This is HUGE for me.
The new curriculum seems innovative with the inquiry element, however, I am unsure if it is lecture based or pbl?
Nice weather
Mission Bay dorms are nicer than living in Vandy imo (haven't looked at the options in Cambridge).
Better clinical training? I read this from another post but I am unsure if it is true
Has a UCSF wellness pledge - demonstrates to me that they consider fitness important in my eyes
Cons:
Not as well known as Harvard in the general community. I am not sure if it can open as many doors as Harvard can for me nationally or internationally. Practicing medicine abroad is an idea of mine.
If new curriculum is lecture based then that is a con
Harvard
Pros:
Pbl based curriculum
The prestige of the school in the non-medical community
Research opportunities that may not be available at UCSF?
Possibly cheaper option for me than UCSF.
Cons:
Subpar gym. Again, this is HUGE for me.
Across the country from my family.
Not as centered on student wellness as UCSF
Unfortunately both second looks are on the same weekend.
Of course, other factors can be stated that I do not have a lot of knowledge about: availability of training at multiple hospitals etc. My intuition is telling me UCSF but maybe that is because I am unfamiliar with the East Coast and am unsure if one school will open doors that the other will not. The financial offers are not in yet but given similar offers, I feel that I should go to UCSF but I do not know if I am making a mistake by doing this. Again the gym is important for me and I have goals in this area of my life also. I understand I can search for a gym in Boston that caters to my needs but I wonder the convenience and the extra cost of this. Another thing about UCSF is that I can hang up some gymnastic rings on any pull-up bar outside all year round and go to town. I want to go to the place where not only will I learn the most amount of medicine that I can but also be the fittest that I can.
What do you guys think? Will the Harvard name open doors that UCSF won't in the medical field (not just nationally but internationally)? Any input is great guys. And if someone can substantiate that UCSF has better clinical training that would be great. I am currently interested in medical genetics but I know that may change. I want to be in the forefront of medicine and am pretty idealistic about pushing the frontier. I know that may sound silly and I know my specialty of interest may change. Apologies for the long post and thanks again.
UCSF
Pros:
Four-hour drive from family
Better recreational facilities/gym. This is HUGE for me.
The new curriculum seems innovative with the inquiry element, however, I am unsure if it is lecture based or pbl?
Nice weather
Mission Bay dorms are nicer than living in Vandy imo (haven't looked at the options in Cambridge).
Better clinical training? I read this from another post but I am unsure if it is true
Has a UCSF wellness pledge - demonstrates to me that they consider fitness important in my eyes
Cons:
Not as well known as Harvard in the general community. I am not sure if it can open as many doors as Harvard can for me nationally or internationally. Practicing medicine abroad is an idea of mine.
If new curriculum is lecture based then that is a con
Harvard
Pros:
Pbl based curriculum
The prestige of the school in the non-medical community
Research opportunities that may not be available at UCSF?
Possibly cheaper option for me than UCSF.
Cons:
Subpar gym. Again, this is HUGE for me.
Across the country from my family.
Not as centered on student wellness as UCSF
Unfortunately both second looks are on the same weekend.
Of course, other factors can be stated that I do not have a lot of knowledge about: availability of training at multiple hospitals etc. My intuition is telling me UCSF but maybe that is because I am unfamiliar with the East Coast and am unsure if one school will open doors that the other will not. The financial offers are not in yet but given similar offers, I feel that I should go to UCSF but I do not know if I am making a mistake by doing this. Again the gym is important for me and I have goals in this area of my life also. I understand I can search for a gym in Boston that caters to my needs but I wonder the convenience and the extra cost of this. Another thing about UCSF is that I can hang up some gymnastic rings on any pull-up bar outside all year round and go to town. I want to go to the place where not only will I learn the most amount of medicine that I can but also be the fittest that I can.
What do you guys think? Will the Harvard name open doors that UCSF won't in the medical field (not just nationally but internationally)? Any input is great guys. And if someone can substantiate that UCSF has better clinical training that would be great. I am currently interested in medical genetics but I know that may change. I want to be in the forefront of medicine and am pretty idealistic about pushing the frontier. I know that may sound silly and I know my specialty of interest may change. Apologies for the long post and thanks again.
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