UCSF vs Yale

[ironcondor]

Hi guys,

Lurker here but I have just about a week to decide. Thanks in advance!

UCSF (In-State + aid = $220k total COA)
Pros
-Bay area native (1 hr from family)
-Cheaper ($150k difference)
-Incredible prestige in medicine
-Love the vibes
-Complete P/F + no AOA

Cons
-Less known on the East Coast? (I spoke with a few older laymen, and they hadn't really heard of the place)
-SF not as vibrant as NYC, which is closer to New Haven
-No undergrad campus; am going straight through so scared of missing the college town life + student orgs I could be part of (e.g. choir)

Yale (No aid = $370k total COA)
Pros
-Ivy prestige
-4 more years on the East Coast
-Collaboration with law and policy schools so maybe more global health opps too?
-Closer to NYC + undergrad
-Has similar lay reputation and student scene as my undergrad

Cons
-Vibes seemed a bit off even with Yale system but still pretty chill
-Expensive ($150k more total)
-Not as good of clinical training
-Not eager to take a fifth year, which seems pretty common
-Farther from family (but still unsure how bad this is, given how far I've been during undergrad)

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[MercifulCamper]

UCSF easy. Idk why you’re focusing so much on NYC. Yale isn’t in NYC. You’re still two hours from it on a train. Med school is busy you’re not gonna be going there that much and it’s gonna cost you some money to travel there. Plus 150 K of debt? Idk doesn’t make sense when UCSF is just as good, if not better in your eyes clinically. It definitely is superior (although marginally) when it comes to research infrastructure.

Also layman prestige is not worth that 150 K debt. You know who does know about UCSF? All the academic physicians and program directors you will be intimately interacting with in your future.

 

[sugar_n_splice]

Hi guys,

Lurker here but I have just about a week to decide. Thanks in advance!

UCSF (In-State + aid = $220k total COA)
Pros
-Bay area native (1 hr from family)
-Cheaper ($150k difference)
-Incredible prestige in medicine
-Love the vibes
-Complete P/F + no AOA

Cons
-Less known on the East Coast? (I spoke with a few older laymen, and they hadn't really heard of the place)
-SF not as vibrant as NYC, which is closer to New Haven
-No undergrad campus; am going straight through so scared of missing the college town life + student orgs I could be part of (e.g. choir)

Yale (No aid = $370k total COA)
Pros
-Ivy prestige
-4 more years on the East Coast
-Collaboration with law and policy schools so maybe more global health opps too?
-Closer to NYC + undergrad
-Has similar lay reputation and student scene as my undergrad

Cons
-Vibes seemed a bit off even with Yale system but still pretty chill
-Expensive ($150k more total)
-Not as good of clinical training
-Not eager to take a fifth year, which seems pretty common
-Farther from family (but still unsure how bad this is, given how far I've been during undergrad)

Full disclosure: I am currently making the same choice.

To me it sounds like UCSF has less major cons. I went to school in NYC and while SF and NYC are very different, exploring a new city with your classmates will be very exciting. I also know that the rec pass could offer cool opportunities to further explore the west coast/ connect with nature.

Do you want to match close to home? UCSF would be an advantage.

Also in terms of community, UCSF has the Vocal Chords group that you could join (and a student said there is currently only 1 med students... this could be your chance to connect with students across all of the schools).

I think the prestige is a non-issue because everyone will know UCSF when you apply for residency and you can always get ivy prestige as a resident.

Just my two cents as a fellow applicant weighing both of these schools!

 

[Egg-Benedict]

There are a lot of tough choices posted on this forum, but this is not one of them. Unless you really hate SF and don't care about being near your family, UCSF is the obvious choice.

 

[Dr. Sahab]

UCSF by a mile. UCSF is very well known and highly regarded in medicine, is significantly cheaper, and is in a more vibrant city to my knowledge. The choice is clear here.

 

[BritainKittenMittens]

UCSF

 

[texlonghorn]

UCSF.

 

[liketb12]

Yeah clearly from everyone's comments, this is a pretty easy choice with not many complexities not much long windedness here.

UCSF across the board is hitting all your pros and I would argue some of your cons for it are actually pros instead? UCSF is arguably regarded as top 5, if not the number 1 medical school in the country if you're looking at it by NIH funding (x, x), which most schools/residencies do now - the prestige in medicine is the SAME if not better than some of the ivies. UCSF is also one of the most regarded in the global health space, moreso than Yale.

Also, the community at UCSF from what I hear is unmatchable and there are strong alliances with the other bay area schools. You will not be missing out on an 'undergrad' campus - its med school, not undergrad for a reason haha so lean into it! You'll have a great med school class with awesome vibes, family/support system nearby, and the bonds from med school will knock any undergrad nostalgia out the park. Also, at Yale, the med school is not on the undergrad campus at all - you're separated by the highway overpass and its like a 15 min walk that is not necessary really for you to ever be over there beyond vibes. Lastly, it seems from my time there, the people I know there, and applicants who visited, Yale is very hit or miss based on your personality - most everyone is constantly complaining about the off vibes here & disjointedness within their class (as a result of everyone being kinda in their own lane bc of the Yale system) so especially if you felt like that you didn't mesh from the jump, you kinda have your answer.

Like others have said and being from NYC, lol Yale is literally 2 hours away from NY by train and with traffic 3 hours by car - it is not close at all. Every time you'll want to visit family, you'd have to make this trek, in addition to the one from NY to the west coast. On top of being so much more expensive it seems like a no-brainer to pick UCSF!

 

[hydroflaskhomie]

I think you should go to UCSF from this list unless I am not adequately weighting your cons - Yale does have a great connection to its undergrad campus and other graduate schools which I enjoy immensely. Lay prestige is also higher. I also think clinical training shouldn't be a con - you'll see more than enough to get a robust clinical education. However, not worth an extra $150k.

It's very easy to take metro north into the city (some months I have taken it every week to see friends/go to events) - I just study or read or chat with friends. Runs every 20 minutes. Never going to say Yale = NYC but I do think it is valid to mention it as a pro.