UCSF vs. NYU (full ride)

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UCSF or NYU?

  • UCSF

    Votes: 28 23.9%

  • NYU

    Votes: 89 76.1%
  • Total voters
    117
S

soccerlady2045

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Looking for some guidance here. I just got notified that I got a full tuition + cost of living scholarship from NYU. I've also gotten into UCSF. I really love both locations for different reasons (hiking vs. culture, closer to family vs. closer to friends).

I'm interested in going into OB/GYN which is why I was so excited about UCSF. They have amazing research centers and a great reputation for women's health. Everything else being equal, I would probably choose UCSF.

However, I'd be over 120,000 dollars in debt if I chose UCSF and completely debt free if I went to NYU. Do you think that the clinical and research experience over UCSF is important enough to warrant the dollar difference?

I've been agonizing over this decision and would love any advice!
 
NYU. It's still a fantastic school that'll give you many opportunities. The lack of debt will be very nice to have.
 
UCSF and NYU are both great schools, and I think you could enjoy OB/GYN opportunities in NYU even if they seem to be not up to par with UCSF. Prioritize the money and choose NYU.
 
NYU, 120K (+interest) is a ton of money to save by going to one great school over another.
And of course, congratulations! That's quite an accomplishment. I'd imagine if you have what it takes to get into UCSF and get a full ride to NYU you will be successful at either school.
 
neekzg said:
Completely debt free??

As an incoming student at SF I wish I could tell you to choose SF but your other option is too great to pass up. Enjoy your four years at NYU and come back to us for residency. 🙂
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Absolutely
 
Does anyone have any insight on how hard it is to switch back to the West Coast after going to school in New York? My family lives on the West Coast now and I'd ultimately like to settle down there. I've heard it can be hard to get into California residencies when you come from the East Coast which is another factor drawing me towards UCSF.
 
soccerlady2045 said:
Does anyone have any insight on how hard it is to switch back to the West Coast after going to school in New York? My family lives on the West Coast now and I'd ultimately like to settle down there. I've heard it can be hard to get into California residencies when you come from the East Coast which is another factor drawing me towards UCSF.
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Your best option is to have a strong med school performance. This means high board scores+clerkship grades+rec letters then geography isn't going to limit you.
 
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You'd be stupid to turn down a full ride. Your debt-free self at the end of residency will thank you.

Also, I wouldn't worry about going back to the west coast for residency right now; but most likely won't be a problem.
 
Lawper said:
UCSF and NYU are both great schools, and I think you could enjoy OB/GYN opportunities in NYU even if they seem to be not up to par with UCSF. Prioritize the money and choose NYU.
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This really wouldn't matter much as a med student re: ob/gyn opportunities.

soccerlady2045 said:
Does anyone have any insight on how hard it is to switch back to the West Coast after going to school in New York? My family lives on the West Coast now and I'd ultimately like to settle down there. I've heard it can be hard to get into California residencies when you come from the East Coast which is another factor drawing me towards UCSF.
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You need to beast med school to go to cali or stay there.

Cyberdyne 101 said:
I'd probably take UCSF if I were in your shoes-lol. That said, NYU is a phenomenal school.
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Do you honestly think you would do that? The schools both have superb reputations, but one lets you have like 240k more in your wallet by the time loans would be paid off.

OP, 120k is pretty 'reasonable' debt for med school. With interest, it's likely to end up being about 2x that number though. CA salaries are often way lower since everyone wants to go there, having much less debt will allow you to move there for a job without worrying about sacrificing your quality of life etc to do so. This is something worth thinking about.
 
ridethecliche said:
Do you honestly think you would do that? The schools both have superb reputations, but one lets you have like 240k more in your wallet by the time loans would be paid off.
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I don't want to derail this thread with hypotheticals, but yes, I would most likely pick UCSF in this scenario, even if it meant incurring 6 figure debt.
 
Given that you like NY as much as SF, and seem to consider the schools fairly equal based on what you've posted. it sounds to me like you should take the full ride. I'm another one who probably would have made the opposite decision myself, but if you love both equally, then I think making the more financially-smart choice is probably the best thing to do.

Best of luck either way!
 
soccerlady2045 said:
Does anyone have any insight on how hard it is to switch back to the West Coast after going to school in New York? My family lives on the West Coast now and I'd ultimately like to settle down there. I've heard it can be hard to get into California residencies when you come from the East Coast which is another factor drawing me towards UCSF.
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That's a valid concern. Except that you'll be an NYU grad - the school is well known and highly respected. Plus with family in Cali, and the fact that OBGYN is not a competitive match, there's zero reason to worry. You'll get a residency spot in CA.

p.s. there is no reason to choose UCSF if you've got a full ride at NYU. Don't listen to Cyberdyne, or anyone else who offers bad advice.
 
doc05 said:
That's a valid concern. Except that you'll be an NYU grad - the school is well known and highly respected. Plus with family in Cali, and the fact that OBGYN is not a competitive match, there's zero reason to worry. You'll get a residency spot in CA.

p.s. there is no reason to choose UCSF if you've got a full ride at NYU. Don't listen to Cyberdyne, or anyone else who offers bad advice.
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I wasn't offering any advice! I only said what I would do in this scenario, which should have no bearing on the OP's decision. In case you missed it, I tagged an attending ob/gyn to help answer the OP's matching questions. I also agree with differentiating's post about taking the $ if she likes both locations equally.
 
Completely free education plus living expenses at NYU. I'm confused..what's the decision??

Might even be that you're inspired to work even harder in school since you want to eventually get back to the west coast! Congrats!
 
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At the medical student level, there's no point in trying to make distinctions between two schools of the caliber of NYU and UCSF when it comes to your future career. If you do end up applying in Ob/Gyn, NYU is highly respected. It will not hold you back one iota when it comes to opportunities, and the ability to match wherever you wish. And it's where you train that really matters in medicine. Take the phenomenal free education and then become a "UCSF doc" by doing residency or fellowship there.
 
Cyberdyne 101 said:
I'd probably take UCSF if I were in your shoes-lol. That said, NYU is a phenomenal school.
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I might consider it too even though I recommended NYU lol

Also, I met a handful of cool admits at UCSF second look that had very generous offers at NYU and were leaning towards the latter solely for that reason. Why do they have to have so much money :|
 
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