UWSOM vs UA Tucson vs UC Davis

[huskygirl123]

I like each school for different reasons and my ultimate career goal is to work with urban underserved populations most likely in EM. I've no ties to ether place so that won't be an issue, match lists seem to be comparable and I'm still waiting to hear about financial aid from UW and UCD.

UWSOM: Good reputation, higher ranked, unique decentralized program, living in Seattle for 2 years could be cool (but more expensive and rainier than other places), global health and Hispanic health tracks. On the other hand my interview date felt a little cold and rushed, and tour guide didn't seem super enthus about the school. I'd be OOR here but I hear that often times they give enough aid to offset OS tuition.

UA: I absolutely loved everyone there: staff, students, other interviewees, etc + global and Hispanic health, CUP, great support they seem to have in place for students, cheap living, fast response to any questions I've had so far, got 1/4 of tuition in scholarship, current students seemed to love school, great weather (except during summer).

UCD: in state tuition, strong student support in place, student run clinics, they 'give' a vehicle allowance, current MS1's also seemed to love school, and I've a CA license for my current profession so I'd be able to work a couple of times a month if needed.

Thank you so much for any input you might have!

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[mats7]

I'd go with UW, mostly since the research there is amazing, they have a great EM department, psychiatry department, and I've been blown away by some of the urban clinics there, especially for the underserved. In fact, they targeted very vulnerable populations like LGBT youth, people experiencing homelessness, and did it very well. I think they're setting best practices for the entire country and are recognized by national experts. I loved UCD's campus, though. It was a bit less urban than I would've liked, but maybe you like it? Congrats on getting into such great schools. I wouldn't base my impression on the school based on the tour guide (but if the students were iffy, that'd be another story), nor big shots, but the curriculum and opportunities themselves. Tuscon's pretty nice, not as hot as Phoenix, but it'd be kind of depressing there, and I don't think they have as many resources for research or urban clinics. At UW or even UCD (near Kaiser/Sacramento-ish) you'd get to look at different clinics and have more mentors.

 

[lungdocCA]

I like each school for different reasons and my ultimate career goal is to work with urban underserved populations most likely in EM. I've no ties to ether place so that won't be an issue, match lists seem to be comparable and I'm still waiting to hear about financial aid from UW and UCD.

UWSOM: Good reputation, higher ranked, unique decentralized program, living in Seattle for 2 years could be cool (but more expensive and rainier than other places), global health and Hispanic health tracks. On the other hand my interview date felt a little cold and rushed, and tour guide didn't seem super enthus about the school. I'd be OOR here but I hear that often times they give enough aid to offset OS tuition.

UA: I absolutely loved everyone there: staff, students, other interviewees, etc + global and Hispanic health, CUP, great support they seem to have in place for students, cheap living, fast response to any questions I've had so far, got 1/4 of tuition in scholarship, current students seemed to love school, great weather (except during summer).

UCD: in state tuition, strong student support in place, student run clinics, they 'give' a vehicle allowance, current MS1's also seemed to love school, and I've a CA license for my current profession so I'd be able to work a couple of times a month if needed.

Thank you so much for any input you might have!

Hi,

I went to UWSOM from 1984 to 1988 and had an excellent educational experience. It is a very large program with different sites for educational experiences throughout the Northwest particularly in the last two clinical years.
I actually did a postgraduate year at University of Arizona and ultimately am in the Central Valley in Pulmonary Medicine so I have been to all the areas you have mentioned. Good Luck!

 

[OrangeOrange]

These types of threads belong in pre-allo...but you should go to the school that saves you the most money

 

[wholeheartedly]

moving to pre allo school specific discussions

 

[Optikala]

Well the inside word from several MD and MD/PhD students at the UW is that the new curriculum introduction was really rough, so that might have influenced your tour guide's enthusiasm.

Regarding the winters here, if you have any pre-disposition to feeling blue during dark and rainy days, that is definitely something to watch out for. However many people do just fine (I was born here so I'm pretty used to it).

All the med students I know tell me that there is really no spare time, so I don't know if ability to work would be a huge deciding factor for me, but with the price of med school these days cost definitely is.

 

[Slack3r]

UW is the highest ranked, but not high enough where I'd pick it over a less expensive school. Pick the cheapest.

 

[tdc]

I'd be OOR here but I hear that often times they give enough aid to offset OS tuition.

Hi. I would clarify with UWSOM Financial Aid Department. They only give a limited amount of waivers for OOR students (10 total).

 

[huskygirl123]

Hi. I would clarify with UWSOM Financial Aid Department. They only give a limited amount of waivers for OOR students (10 total).

Absolutely! But still waiting to hear back...

 

[tdc]

Absolutely! But still waiting to hear back...

Waiting to hear back from FinAid? They are very responsive. If you call, they should pick up.

FYI, here's the student budget for UWSOM. For OOR costs, add 30k each for first year and second year 'totals'. And add 40k each for 3rd and 4th year totals.

http://www.uwmedicine.org/education...dent-affairs/financial-aid/budget-information