which school?

[exiangwsu]

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I was accepted to u of florida, USC and interviewed at two other California schools. I am a California resident. I am torn in term choosing a schools. I am a research oriented student. I have four years of research experience. I have two years of industrial background working in a small biotech firm. I want to continue pursue a career in biotech or be specialized in clinical pharmacy. Cost is also an important issue for me. Could someone help me to compare the pro and con of UCSF, U of Florida, USC, UCSD.

 

[Schstk]

I'm also research oriented (only 2 years, though) working in a lab at my current university. I also interviewed at UF and UCSF, and from a research only perspective UCSF seemed a lot better an option than UF (I was in gainesville, not sure how other campus' are) on top of that, the PI in my lab did her post doc at UCSF and has nothing but good things to say about how good the school is. However, if cost is an important issue for you you have to decide if the massive increase of cost of living is worth it. UF locks you in at out of state tuition with no chance for residency, so it would be a constant 36 a year + rent (If I'm remembering correctly) while UCSF gives you the option for in state tuition after a year, it's still the same as UF tuition (36) and rent is a lot more expensive. I would pick UCSF over UF, but I guess it depends on just how much you value cost, and how much you would rather pay a few hundred on rent vs over a thousand.

 

[exiangwsu]

I'm also research oriented (only 2 years, though) working in a lab at my current university. I also interviewed at UF and UCSF, and from a research only perspective UCSF seemed a lot better an option than UF (I was in gainesville, not sure how other campus' are) on top of that, the PI in my lab did her post doc at UCSF and has nothing but good things to say about how good the school is. However, if cost is an important issue for you you have to decide if the massive increase of cost of living is worth it. UF locks you in at out of state tuition with no chance for residency, so it would be a constant 36 a year + rent (If I'm remembering correctly) while UCSF gives you the option for in state tuition after a year, it's still the same as UF tuition (36) and rent is a lot more expensive. I would pick UCSF over UF, but I guess it depends on just how much you value cost, and how much you would rather pay a few hundred on rent vs over a thousand.

U r exactly right. UCSF is a world class research institute. You will be working on some amazing project. The long term benefit of going to UCSF is unbeatable even if u paying thousand dollar extra in rent.
I dont know if I should choose UCSD over UF. But UCSD definitely tailor to my need too. It is a research oriented too. You get to spend one extra year on a research project if you interest in research.

 

[Schstk]

I don't know enough about UCSD to help you figure that one out, sorry. 🙁 You could try looking up faculty for both UF and UCSD, looking into what their research focus is, and see if what general things they're working on interest you. Maybe send an email to ask them about their research, and see if you can find any labs at either school that seem like something you'd be interested in pursuing further.