UCSF vs. WashU in St. Louis

[superbug99]

Hi friends! I am so so fortunate to have acceptances to great schools, but I'm a little confused on what I should do now.

Right now, I have acceptances to UCSF, WashU in St. Louis, and UVA (awaiting results from UW and Columbia interviews now). I think I am going to withdraw from my spot at UVA, as I don't think even a total COA scholarship would compel me to choose it over my other two schools. Currently, I am heavily leaning towards UCSF (for their P/F/lack of AOA), but I would definitely consider WashU over UCSF given a generous financial aid package. I would also heavily consider Columbia/UW (if I get in lol) again with financial aid in mind. How should I go about letting schools know my thought process? And does the SDN community have any insight/guidance they could give me? For additional context, I am thinking about OBGYN right now, but don't want to completely shut down the possibility of pursuing a more competitive specialty.

I really don't want to seem tone-deaf, and I recognize I am in an extremely fortunate position! I also recognize that I'm holding onto a lot of acceptances right now, and the general tone on the premed subreddit seems to be if I can narrow down my choices at all to help other applicants, I should do so. Any guidance would be much appreciated! Here are my complete list of pros/cons:

UCSF
Pros:

• P/F pre-clinical and core clerkships, no AOA
• tendency to match students to West Coast, which I would prefer over East Coast
• BIG name in medicine (T5), think it would keep doors open in the event I pursue more competitive specialties/academic medicine
• lovely vibe from the interviews and student sessions, seems like P/F really contributes to well-being

Cons:

• larger class size than WashU
• I've grown up and only lived in the Pacific Northwest, and I am interested in broadening my horizons
• high COL in SF area
• meme answer: imagine rotating in the Zuckerberg General Hospital lmao

WashU in St. Louis
Pros:

• much lower COL than SF
• smaller class size
• would expose me to other parts of the country, something I'm very interested in regardless of whatever specialty I choose
• P/F pre-clinical
• at interview sessions, students seemed to be really involved in ECs, striking me as good work-life balance at least through pre-clinical
• interview sessions made it a point to say that WashU gives generous financial aid to almost all of their students

Cons:

• would be more expensive than UCSF without generous financial aid
• students' vibe seemed a little more strung-out than UCSF
• not as big of a name as UCSF? hate that I have to think about it but it is what it is
• H/HP/P/F clinical and in subsequent courses

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[MadRadLad]

SF is better than SL and UCSF is a slightly better name than WashU, although it's splitting hairs a little. I'd chase the money and where you want to end up long term. No doors will be closed on any location between these programs.

 

[yuhh]

i saw no actual cons for ucsf… also who tf wants to live in st.louis lol…. if i were u, i wud choose ucsf 10/10 times. huge name in medicine, prestige, beautiful cali weather

 

[seeinghowitgoes]

I’d go UCSF unless washu makes it free.

Better cost, more national brand in medicine, will match wherever you want on the west coast, cool city (you’re right cost is horrible though), and while you’ve been in the PNW SF is still a different culture and you’ll grow your horizons.

 

[chilly_md]

Agree with the above, UCSF is the way to go

 

[lacrossegirl420]

agreed, ucsf

 

[mangowolf]

UCSF, especially because you stated a preference for the west coast! P/F core clerkships are a big deal maker too.

 

[superbug99]

Thank you everyone for your responses! I'm honestly still a little overwhelmed/flabbergasted by the acceptances, so it's been hard for me to sit down and do some objective comparisons. Tbh, I was having a hard time coming up with cons for UCSF, and I think that speaks volumes

 

[treatem-and-streetem]

UCSF for sure, WashU is amazing but St. Louis isn't. Both will get you where you want to go if you work hard

 

[wagonwheel23]

Is working at SF General actually a con for you for UCSF?

 

[superbug99]

Is working at SF General actually a con for you for UCSF?

Haha no no, I was honestly just having a bit of trouble coming up with cons for UCSF, and the name for SF General has come up in a few conversations

 

[wagonwheel23]

Ah got it. It's a great hospital! And we just call it SF General in our notes. Most of us are not fans of the name AT ALL.

 

[Davidfromcali]

Can’t go wrong with UCSF. Also, going to UCSF will help you stay in the West long term for residency and onward. With step being P/F, all you need to really do is research and build solid connections for LOR’s when it comes time to match. No need to worry about class rank or subjective clerkship grading. It’s nice and makes medical school life 1000x easier

 

[ocean_med6819]

WashU. St. Louis is a great city. After living in SF and STL, I prefer STL. The people are friendlier, there's great food (not that SF doesn't have great food), Forest Park is super nice, and it is way more affordable. Congrats on both!

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

SF hands down. WashU is great but STL is meh…

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

SF is better than SL and UCSF is a slightly better name than WashU, although it's splitting hairs a little. I'd chase the money and where you want to end up long term. No doors will be closed on any location between these programs.

This is highly subjective. For rents, 1000 in St. Louis is 3500 in SF. That’s per year difference for schools. Most of my friends who went to San Francisco after graduating have already left for midwestern or southern cities.

Obviously if money isn’t an object (trust find, wealthy parents etc.) it probably doesn’t make a difference. But 120k with interest isn’t really loose change for anybody

 

[JohnJacobJingleheimer]

Both awesome schools, congrats. Can’t go wrong with either really; I agree with the sentiments that you should really consider wherever gives you more money, considering I don’t think there is more than ~50k worth of differences between these schools, over the course of 4 years.

I haven’t heard great things about the culture at WashU though… gunners are the norm there, apparently. Who tf knows though.

I’d also seriously consider columbia if you get in! Best of luck and congrats on killing it so far

 

[proudofmykids]

This is highly subjective. For rents, 1000 in St. Louis is 3500 in SF. That’s per year difference for schools. Most of my friends who went to San Francisco after graduating have already left for midwestern or southern cities.

Obviously if money isn’t an object (trust find, wealthy parents etc.) it probably doesn’t make a difference. But 120k with interest isn’t really loose change for anybody

The 120K different, is only accounting for COL differences.
I believe OP didn’t quantify the scholarship they imply was received at Wash U. Which is commonly anywhere from 1/2 to full tuition.
UCSF is very tight with need-based financial aid.

@superbug99 maybe you can add some info. Also to get a very rough idea of need calculations, use an UNdergraduate Fin Aid Estimator since it, like med schools, include parental income and assets. This estimate would also indicate expectations from Columbia need-based, and although NYC, they have inexpensive student housing for their graduate schools.

Wash U in no way shape or form, despite their grading, will hold you back from any residency compared to the other schools. Don’t pay a big premium to not go their or UVA.

And, don’t release any Acceptance until you have the complete picture for yourself of all Acceptances and aid so you can make a holistic decision.
No Acceptance will go wasted, no matter when released, it will get recycled into an acceptance for another student.