UTSW vs UCSD

[hopesolo]

hey guys i need your help in deciding between UCSD and UTSW!

I was set on going to UCSD but I recently got off the wait list to UTSW.

Here are some pros and cons of each school; if you guys feel like i've left something out for each respective school, i would greatly appreciate it if you would enlighten me.

UCSD:
Pros - weather, location, awesome facilities, higher ranked, P/F for 1st 2 years
Cons - cost, further away from family

UTSW:
Pros: cheap, great reputation in Texas, closer to family
Cons - p/f only part of 1st year?, bigger class size

Thanks in advance!

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[dblue10]

hey guys i need your help in deciding between UCSD and UTSW!

I was set on going to UCSD but I recently got off the wait list to UTSW.

Here are some pros and cons of each school; if you guys feel like i've left something out for each respective school, i would greatly appreciate it if you would enlighten me.

UCSD:
Pros - weather, location, awesome facilities, higher ranked, P/F for 1st 2 years
Cons - cost, further away from family

UTSW:
Pros: cheap, great reputation in Texas, closer to family
Cons - p/f only part of 1st year?, bigger class size

Thanks in advance!

UTSW! Both good schools but it looks like UTSW is a LOT cheaper. And having family nearby is a huge help imho.

Edit: You might be able to establish CA residency at some point, which sort of complicates things.

Did you like either one better? Do you have a preference for where you want to practice later?

 

[trtls]

UTSW seems like a no brainer to me. CHEAP, very comparable in prestige to ucsd, and close to family. But go with your heart.

 

[CargoPants]

hey guys i need your help in deciding between UCSD and UTSW!

I was set on going to UCSD but I recently got off the wait list to UTSW.

Here are some pros and cons of each school; if you guys feel like i've left something out for each respective school, i would greatly appreciate it if you would enlighten me.

UCSD:
Pros - weather, location, awesome facilities, higher ranked, P/F for 1st 2 years
Cons - cost, further away from family

UTSW:
Pros: cheap, great reputation in Texas, closer to family
Cons - p/f only part of 1st year?, bigger class size

Thanks in advance!

I am assuming you are a Texas resident.

You may want to try and weight the pros and cons or try to compare the schools a little more directly. Having what I consider a "prestige" qualifier in both pros sections will cloud your decision-making.

Here are some questions I would consider if I were in your shoes:
Do you need your family's support during medical school/do they need your support?
Will you have or be provided financial support? How much will you have to take out in loans?
Are you highly active and more equipped to enjoy weather/climate conditions?
Are you better equipped to study under a grading scheme or under a P/F?
How important is prestige?

From the way you introduced your problem, it sounds like you'd prefer UCSD, but either school is excellent.

 

[Shmemifly]

This is 100% a money and location question -- their reputations are not significantly different enough to matter. Where do you fit in most genuinely? How large is the cost difference?

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I'd go for UTSW too, it's a great school and much cheaper for you.

 

[drizzt3117]

I'd pick SD; stronger school, better location, p/f; what else do u need?

 

[EvilSponge]

i'd pick ucsd unless you live in texas

 

[hopesolo]

the cost difference between the 2 schools will be about 70k over the four years. and yes my family lives in dallas so that is a huge plus. the only thing that is really pushing me away from utsw is the fact that it isn't p/f the first 2 years, but besides that i understand utsw is an awesome school.

 

[dblue10]

the cost difference between the 2 schools will be about 70k over the four years. and yes my family lives in dallas so that is a huge plus. the only thing that is really pushing me away from utsw is the fact that it isn't p/f the first 2 years, but besides that i understand utsw is an awesome school.

The cost difference isn't small and the actual cost of attending UTSW is pretty cheap. Not counting cost, still UTSW because of family and because it seems like staying in the south may be a strong possibility for you for residency. It seems like a reputable school so if you do fine you'll end up where you want to be.

You'll survive non-P/F...tons of people do. I feel like when you're in the thick of it, everyone has something to complain about and some other program will always seem better. At least that's what I've seen among med student friends.

 

[trtls]

Compared to those big pros for UTSW, p/f shouldn't even be that big of a deal for you. You're obviously smart and will succeed despite the preclinical scoring system. Also, with the cali budget crisis, UC tuition is only going higher and higher! Believe me, I go to a UC.

 

[hopesolo]

How are the faculty members at UTSW, in terms of teaching the content?

 

[mrfuumanchu206]

How are the faculty members at UTSW, in terms of teaching the content?

So I'm a current MS2 at UTSW (technically done w/ the year just studying for STEP 1), just thought I'd weigh in.

They are currently discussing moving the first 2 years to pass/fail, and at the very least 1st year. One thing I will say is that I like having grades, while you may want P/F because there's "less pressure to study", once it comes times to study for STEP 1 you'll be glad you studied well during the first two years. (This is something I've come to realize through my studying, I wanted P/F initially too).

To address your question about faculty members, I think it's like any other school where it can be fairly hit or miss. For the most part, I think our professors are very good and do a good job of highlighting things that will either show up on STEP 1 or be very clinically relevant once we hit the wards 3rd year.

To be honest, I think a lot of it comes down to $ and your classmates. I love my classmates here, everybody is super helpful and supportive of each other, so that's a definitely plus.

Also, don't discount the cost of tuition. Just based on tuition alone you'll be saving 20-25k a year (we're atl ike 16K and I assume UC schools are ~40K?. Also...cost of living in Dallas would be cheaper than Cali and flying back and forth from SD 2-3 times a year will all start to add up.

Anyways, good luck w/ ur decision and PM if you have any other q's.

 

[Nymphicus]

OP, do you want to stay in Texas or California or neither/don't care.

If it's one of the first two, the answer is obvious.

 

[jHustle]

Ucsd because California > Texas

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[mybubbles627]

UTSW. It is a great school and will save you a lot of money. The only reason to consider UCSD is if you want to practice in California, and even then you could still get a residency in California after attending UTSW and saving A TON of money.

 

[rubisco88]

I think you should go to UTSW. I went to a UC out of state instead of a Texas school for UG and OOS tuition was ridiculous. On top of that they kind of tricked me that I would get residency tuition after a year, but they make it impossible unless you are supporting yourself fully or your parents move there. Also, as someone else stated there is a big budget crisis in the UC system and tuition rises every year and not only by a little (33 %!!). I wish I stayed in Texas for UG to save money. Now I just have a lot of loans and I just really want to stay in Texas for med school because the tuition is cheap.

However, if money is no issue to you, I guess you should go to UCSD. UCSD has a slightly better reputation and the weather and beach in SD can't be beat.

I think going to either school will give you similar opportunities.

 

[Slack3r]

Umm, this seems easy...