UTSW (full tuition) vs UCSF vs BCM

[Papabless21]

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Hey there, first time posting. I've been having a hard time deciding between my current school list, and was hoping I could get some input.
Some background: TX resident , STRONG interest in neuro/neurosurgical specialty, interest in making a career in academic medicine. (Have not received financial aid packages from BCM, nor UCSF)

UTSW
PROS:

• Would be closer to family
• Full tuition
• Great basic research institution
• Strong neuro program
• Enjoyed atmosphere/ talking to current students seem happy
• Parkland Hospital (strong emphasis in helping underserved communities)

CONS:

• Not as highly ranked as other two (have heard this is important for competitive residencies)
• Avg. USMLE Step 1 scores not as high as BCM

BCM
PROS:

• National average USMLE Step 1 scores among the highest
• TMC is impressive.
• Enjoyed atmosphere
• More research funding than UTSW (more research opportunities?)
• Great IS tuition

CONS:

• Neuro program not as highly ranked as UCSF (less opportunities?)

UCSF
PROS:

• Leader in neurosurgical research/best funding
• Has among the best neurosurgery and neurology residency programs in the country
• Loved they Bay Area
• Was very impressed by students, and the facilities there
• I observed the most diversity within the student body out of all 3 campuses
• Big emphasis on both research and primary care
• Most prestigious out of all 3 schools.

CONS:

• So expensive to live in Bay Area!
• Not likely to get as good of a financial aid package as other schools
• I'm a bit wary of the new Brigdes curriculum. Does taking STEP 1 in year 3 really improve scores?
• Does not emphasize STEP 1 preparation as strongly as BCM, from what I've heard.

Any input on this would be greatly appreciated!

 

[willow84]

I feel like if you want to do a super competitive residency in something like neurosurgery and you want to be in academic medicine that you should go to the biggest name that you can... so UCSF.

 

[SCN1a]

yeah UCSF 100%

 

[sunshine859]

Absolutely UCSF if you're thinking about neurosurgery. The extra cost is worth it in terms of residency placement.

 

[asrw77]

UCSF is undoubtedly the place to be if you are very serious about neuro/NSG. That said, something to consider is that UCSF is known to have quite a malignant neurosurgery program. For the strength of the med school and reputation of the residency, UCSF med school does not tend to match very many into neurosurgery. I wonder how much of this is due to negative experiences with the residency program. A full tuition scholarship at UTSW, where it sounds like you would be very happy, seems to me like a great deal.

 

[Skittsie13]

First of all, congrats on all these amazing acceptances! I'm biased as a current UTSW student but a full scholarship is nothing to sneeze at. UCSF is so, so expensive comparatively. If they give you a decent fin aid package it may be worth it but at sticker price I don't think so. UTSW is still a great school even if it's not quite as highly ranked as UCSF, and based on recent match lists they seem to match the same # of students to neurosurgery (though UTSW obviously has a bigger class).

One thing I just wanted to highlight as a UTSW student is that even if UTSW does receive less research funding than Baylor, it is definitely more highly regarded in research of the two (especially in basic science, I know the Nobel laureate thing gets touted incessantly to interviewees but it's true!) My classmates and I are definitely not hurting for research opportunities -- it took sending 1 email to 1 professor to get my (clinical, not basic) summer research position. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about UTSW 🙂

 

[SpoiledMilk]

n=1. I am aware of an applicant accepted at BCM and Mayo in Mn. They let BCM know about Mayo's scholarship offer. BCM desired them so much that it came up with a full scholarship which they accepted.

Consider letting BCM know ASAP about the UCSF offer. Perhaps you can also wrangle full tuition from BCM.

 

[JPmoleymole]

UCSF >> Baylor >>> UTSW

All great schools however

 

[scienceguy95]

I'm probably in the minority with this opinion, but I honestly don't think UCSF will provide you with opportunities that Baylor won't. Among those, go to the one that is the best fit and cheapest.

 

[TRT7]

UCSF >> Baylor >>> UTSW

I've worked at two of your prospective schools (as a student or surgery resident) and visited the third. I agree with the above ranking, generally. UCSF has the most prestige, but Baylor and UTSW are also very well regarded schools.

Starting right now, you have to be a value-oriented shopper. Would you really spend $182,000 (cost of 4 years OOS at UCSF) at of your own money for a new Ferrari if someone was willing to give you a new Audi RS5 (~$80k value) for free? I'll field this one for you: NO.

If your ultimate goal is to match to UCSF's neurosurgery program, have a look at the residency's website and research the background of their trainees. 6/19 have MD-PhD degrees, only 1/19 graduated from UCSF without an MD-PhD. That $182,000 doesn't guarantee a spot in their residency, and might not even help that much.

There seems to be an opinion that going to med school at UCSF will give you a definite, but poorly-defined advantage in the neurosurgery match. UCSF's online match summary shows that in most years since 1997, they have matched 1 or 2 students into a neurosurgery program, rarely 3, and once, 4.

UTSW matched two students into neurosurgery programs in each of the last two years.

I submit that your chances in the match depend more on your grades (relative to your classmates) test scores, research background, and interview skills than where you went to school.

 

[cke11]

If you eventually want to match at UCSF, 100% go there. I currently work here with many surgical residents and medical students. As much as people are saying you have an equal opportunity elsewhere, there is a saying around here that UCSF is also known as "U Can Stay Forever." They like to train students and keep them in their system

 

[TRT7]

According to a UCSF SOM "match results summary" available online, 16 of their students matched into neurosurgery programs in the last 7 years. Of the residents in their 7 year program, only 3 are UCSF graduates, and two of those also obtained a PhD. You might be able to stay forever in a medicine subspecialty, but the neurosurgery program is difficult to get into, even for UCSF grads. One applicant matched in seven years with a straight MD doesn't seem like much of an advantage. Perhaps the other 13 are all training at Stanford , Hopkins, or UCLA, and perhaps not. It's not even stated whether or not all applicants matched in neurosurgery.

 

[Willy38]

If you know you want to NSG then I think you'd be crazy to turn down UCSF. Everyone knows everyone in such a small field and having some big names go to bat for you/ doing top notch research matters much more than a few points on boards (which comes down to personal prep anyways). The scholarship is a big factor too but if you want to do NSG then probably matters less in my opinion.

 

[libertyyne]

UCSF probably has one of the best, if not the best NSG programs.Both research wise and volume wise.