UMich vs. UCSF

UCSF off course. It is the best Medical school on west coast.

 

It is the best medical school on the west coast, but the OP doesn't appear to be from the west coast. I think the OP is concerned about moving so far away. If you're even still considering Michigan in the face of a UCSF acceptance, location must be quite important...

 

I say UCSF all the way.
1. It is academically superior
2. The grading is P/F vs. H/P/F
3. Michigan has quizzes every monday at 8am
4. UCSF only has classes until noon on most days
5. The weather in Ann Arbor sucks
6. SF is an amazing city
7. The weather in California is awesome, imagine running in shorts and a t-shirt in december
8. The tuition in state for michigan is 20K vs. 10K for SF. I know you will pay 20K the first year, but you are granted in state residency after the first year.
9. SF's match list is amazing, so is michigan's bu SF's is better
10. Most importantly you have been in michigan for four years, give the coast a try.

Good luck and ultimatey follow your heart, but remember that the easiest choices are not always the best ones.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Inspector Gadget:
<strong>
3. Michigan has quizzes every monday at 8am
4. UCSF only has classes until noon on most days
7. The weather in California is awesome, imagine running in shorts and a t-shirt in december
</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">3) at umich, the first year you have the option of taking the quizzes on fridays instead. you still have weekly quizzes, but at least you can enjoy the weekends, and the final exams don't count as much because you have some cushioning from the quizzes.
4) the second years at ucsf have a lot more class. i want to say it was something around 8 hours a day, but i could be wrong about that.
7) it is always cold at night in the bay area, especially in sf!! you may be able to wear shorts in the day time, but you'll need a sweater or coat at night, even in the summer.

i would probably still pick ucsf, but i thought i'd throw in a few points in defense of umich.

 

Before I applied... my top two choices were UCSF and Michigan. So I obviously think both schools are great. I currently live in San Francisco and I LOVE IT. I think it is the best city in the US. I think both schools are phenomenal and no doors will be closed for residency (residency directors highly respect both schools). I think the difference comes about where you want to live. Awesome city or awesome collegetown? That is the decision. Someone brought up a good point.... you have lived in Michigan... maybe it would be good to go somewhere else. That is the reason why I want to go to Michigan (I have lived in California for 20 years).

Another thing... THERE IS NO WAY YOU WILL BE WEARING SHORTS IN DECEMBER. I live in SF and it is does not belong to the "perfect California weather" stereotype. That is Southern California which is 400 miles away. Weather changes a lot in 400 miles. Also the area where UCSF is located is on a cool side of the city.

In summary:

-Both great schools (shouldnt be a factor)
-San Francisco is one of the best cities in the US (if not the best).
-Ann Arbor is one of the best collegetowns in the US (if not the best).
-Tuition will be a little cheaper at UCSF.
-California is somewhere new for you
-What did you think about the people you met during the interview?
-Although I like San Francisco's climate for most of the year... it is not like Los Angeles or San Diego. That is the biggest misconception.
-Michigan has a long winter, but it has 4 seasons.

If the difference to you between a collegetown atmosphere and a city atmoshpere does not matter to you too much, then I would pick UCSF if I were you; it is good to live in different places while you are young and especially in big cities. I personally want to go to med school in a collegetown because I have lived in LA for 20 years and SF for 1 year.... so that is why Michigan is my choice. Let us know what you decide to do.

By the way, you cant go wrong with either choice. Both locations are awesome (in different ways), both schools are powerhouses, and the people at both (to me) seem very cool and happy.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by dr. momo:
<strong> </font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Inspector Gadget:
<strong>
3. Michigan has quizzes every monday at 8am
4. UCSF only has classes until noon on most days
7. The weather in California is awesome, imagine running in shorts and a t-shirt in december
</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">3) at umich, the first year you have the option of taking the quizzes on fridays instead. you still have weekly quizzes, but at least you can enjoy the weekends, and the final exams don't count as much because you have some cushioning from the quizzes.
4) the second years at ucsf have a lot more class. i want to say it was something around 8 hours a day, but i could be wrong about that.
7) it is always cold at night in the bay area, especially in sf!! you may be able to wear shorts in the day time, but you'll need a sweater or coat at night, even in the summer.

i would probably still pick ucsf, but i thought i'd throw in a few points in defense of umich. </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Actually, on the new curriculum at UCSF, the first and second years have about the same workload (the imbalance between 1st and 2nd year was one of the things that was changed). We have most afternoons free, which is very nice.

Also, I can guarantee that you won't be running in shorts and a t-shirt in December here in SF (unless you're nuts or a polar bear). Like other posters mentioned, SF is often on the cooler side (50-60s), but it is pretty consistent. You won't ever have frigid winters, like you would in Michigan.

 

hi,

I was deciding between UCSF, Columbia, and Michigan until a couple days ago...and I was pretty much set on UCSF for all the reasons that others have said. I live in San Francisco, and it is indeed a great city. However, I've spent my whole life in California and was sort of looking for a change.

anyway -- Michigan made up my mind for me by offering me a dean's scholarship on tuesday, so I'm headed to Ann Arbor. I'm excited to see a new place in a new setting, at a school with pretty equal academic clout. Finances and my intuition tell me it's the best choice -- I'd say look at the technical stuff (i.e. finances, curriculum, etc) and also the intangibles that each school offers. Listen to your gut!

 

Congratulations on your scholarship--
And I think you will really like Ann Arbor.
As far as the winters go, I've lived in a lot of areas of Michigan, and Ann Arbor is relatively mild, if you consider all the lake effect snow, the lake effect winds and lower temps. in other parts of the state. I lived in Ann Arbor for 10 years, and although my particular old hangouts (okay...bars and clubs ) aren't there anymore, there are still plenty more...um...nice establishments to choose from. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> Oh yeah, and culturally speaking, it attracts top class performers/events.