Why would you choose USC??

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sagemedecon said:
I agree w/ Steve I think you'd be hard pressed to find a current doc that would recommend USC over one of the UC's for the sticker cost differential. My dad's a doc no one ever asks where he went to medical school - the only thing anyone cares about is residency. Granted some medical schools may help you get a better residency but I think the UC/USC difference really isn't worth that difference in price tag. If you think USC will do that much more for you at the margin I think you're mistaken.
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Careful there, keep suggesting USC isn't worth it and you might cause pennybridge to blow his/her top. Which I'd understand because no one would want to go to pay six figures and get no significant advantage come match.
 
Pinkertinkle said:
Careful there, keep suggesting USC isn't worth it and you might cause pennybridge to blow his/her top.
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I could care less if people who don't attend USC don't think it's worth it. You people have no bearing on my career or anyone else's career. I have a problem with people who talk down about a school and then go there anyway, it's pathetic and ruins the class for everyone who wants to be there.
 
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i think a black guy can take the armenian
 
Steve203 said:
You claim to be so smart...look at my previous posts. I said USC is a great school many times. I just said the price tag wouldn't justify going to SC over a UC, if one had the choice. I just wanted to know what reasons people had for picking SC over a cheaper UC.

Technically, since you don't have a choice, I'm not interested in your opinion.

And trust me, if I end up at SC when class starts, its already going to be ruined for you...I'll make sure of it.
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that's actually a good point steve...you'd probably be better off just focusing on the posts from current usc students or alum, especially those who said they had a choice between usc and a uc. hope you find your answer
 
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HreComesTheSun said:
that's actually a good point steve...you'd probably be better off just focusing on the posts from current usc students or alum, especially those who said they had a choice between usc and a uc. hope you find your answer
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I concur.............focus on the points that attracted the students each respective campus. Youll receive a much more VALUABLE perspective..😎
 
Pennybridge...if you and Steve want to go back and forth about which California schools are better..thats fine..if you guys want to make threats to one another..thats up to you guys (though I find it useless)..

BUT please dont bring up that CRAP about being handed an interview because he is an URM...if you didnt get an interview dont blame it on URM's...if you would do your research..you find out that less than 3% of the physicians in the entire country are URMs...so please..save your lame excuses for yourself😴

This site pisses me off sometimes because several non-URMs that dont get an interview..or an acceptance... are so quick to blame the URMs..(pathetic)..I mean..look at the stats and you will see that UCLA (one of the most diverse medical schools in the nation) admits approximately 10-15% URMs/year..with that said..there is still 85 PERCENT who are non-URMs...

Again..please leave URMs out of your argument..
 
icecoldalpha06 said:
please dont bring up that CRAP about being handed an interview because he is an URM...if you didnt get an interview dont blame it on URM's...if you would do your research..you find out that less than 3% of the physicians in the entire country are URMs...so please..save your lame excuses for yourself😴

This site pisses me off sometimes because several non-URMs that dont get an interview..or an acceptance... are so quick to blame the URMs..(pathetic)..I mean..look at the stats and you will see that UCLA (one of the most diverse medical schools in the nation) admits approximately 10-15% URMs/year..with that said..there is still 85 PERCENT who are non-URMs...

Again..please leave URMs out of your argument..
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?

If you look at the stats, it is less competitive for URMs. Your statistics show that....

Do I disagree with the philosophy behind that fact? No. But it is a fact.
 
Mr. Belding said:
?

If you look at the stats, it is less competitive for URMs. Your statistics show that....

Do I disagree with the philosophy behind that fact? No. But it is a fact.
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Yes..it may be less competitive to get an interview..HOWEVER..that doesnt guarantee an acceptance...AND it doesnt mean that URMs dont work our butts off just like everyone else..and it also doesnt mean that we are handed interviews..i know many qualified URMs that applied from my undergrad campus and didnt get secondaries or interviews from UCLA..so while it may not be as competitive for minorities (whatever that means)..it definitely still is competitive as hell no matter which way you look at it
 
We get it. You have options and USC is more expensive than UCLA or the other UC schools, if you are a resident of California which I am not. And these are all excellent schools where you will have a great future when you graduate. So, if you have been admitted to a UC school, go there and save some money. But for God's sake, let up on USC. It is a private school and tuition is more expensive. Do everyone a favor and do not go to USC because alot of people are going to find you very annoying. Steve, don't worry, be happy and choose the least expensive option. And as Mae West said, "If you want to be a doctor, then be a doctor, but if you want to make love, take off your hat." So, Steve, take off your hat and go to a med school that will make you happy.
 
mikeinsd said:
Well I am choosing USC over UCSD... I have a ton of reasons (started a very detailed thread a while back about usc vs. ucsd, it explains all my motivations is detail)

basically, for reasons that encompass the specifics of each school (curriculum, attitude towards students, etc) as well as personal factors (a desire to get out of sd, my best friend matriculating to USC, among others) I honestly believe I will be a much happier person at USC (MUCH HAPPIER!) so much so that i think i will be a better doctor by going to USC...

there is a lot more to it, but i am not going to get into it all again after writing a ton in the other thread

oh - and I honestly could care less about the money difference (and I am not getting any help from parents, i am taking on all loans - my parents, and I, are far from rich, so i am hoping to get some need aid at least)... I am not becoming a doctor to buy a ferrari, if i was, i guess i would suck it up and pick ucsd... but i am not, so if i have to spend more money to be able to do what I know i will be happy doing, i guess its worth it to me 😀
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i remember making some comments when you made this thread, congrats on your decision 👍 . That being said, I hope to dispel 2 notions that you bring up.

1. when you are a first year you will realize that different schools' curricula matter a lot less than you thought when you were applying.

2. money should NOT be trivial when making a decision, because so much of medical education is very similar anyway. And, it is very difficult to judge the quality of the education you will be getting your 3rd and 4th year, and of course all schools are going to *claim* that their clinical years are so great, and bring up isolated anecdotes like the apendectomy example given above. You have to see through the rhetoric.

I think if you are going to be happier for other reasons, like you mention, then it makes sense.
 
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Steve203 said:
Look buddy, you seem to be taking all this very personally, since you're resorting to name calling.

I apologize if I insulted you by saying I was gonna beat the **** out of you....and I also apologize if I hurt your feelings by questioning why someone would want to pay so much for USC.

You win bro.

For your own good, don't tell people that you don't know that you are going to kick their ass. To me, thats not a metaphor.....just be careful, you might say that to the wrong person someday and really regret it.

I really don't have a problem with you, in fact, you made my work day go by much faster, so for that I thank you. Your posts were entertaining and insightful.
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i am here to please. Thanks for the pro-tip btw re:ass-kicking, I will have to reconsider my go-to pick up line for bars...

"hey baby, how about we go back to my place and I kick your ass?"

I can see how she might not get the metaphor.
 
pennybridge said:
I will have to reconsider my go-to pick up line for bars...

"hey baby, how about we go back to my place and I kick your ass?"
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Try this one: Hi, I'm pennybridge. I'm all for diversity and URMs and $hit. Have you ever done a white guy?
 
and they lived happily ever after.......
 
SeventhSon said:
i remember making some comments when you made this thread, congrats on your decision 👍 . That being said, I hope to dispel 2 notions that you bring up.

1. when you are a first year you will realize that different schools' curricula matter a lot less than you thought when you were applying.

2. money should NOT be trivial when making a decision, because so much of medical education is very similar anyway. And, it is very difficult to judge the quality of the education you will be getting your 3rd and 4th year, and of course all schools are going to *claim* that their clinical years are so great, and bring up isolated anecdotes like the apendectomy example given above. You have to see through the rhetoric.

I think if you are going to be happier for other reasons, like you mention, then it makes sense.
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Well, I cannot dispute you on number one outright, because you are in med school, and i simply am not, so what you said very well be true, i might get there and find that to be entirely correct... in fact, if i was comparing two random schools i would agree with you...

BUT: the way i see it, UCSD and USC are pretty much at completely opposite end of the spectrum!

UCSD = much more emphasis on lecture, tons of class time, etc... little organized clinical exposure in the first years (besides the student clinic, which i believe to be an amazing asset of the school)... widely regarded as a school where the students are a bit overworked (please lets not get into this again either, I know it is getting better, but i fully believe it aint better yet)

USC = one of the first in the nation to introduce the new curriculum, students given immense amount of freedom and input, oh, and a little hospital called county... COUNTY!

so comparing these two i think the curriculum might come into play, since they seem top be so completely different, whereas normally i agree with you, the differences in curricula are not that noticeable...


all that said - you are right, i am picking usc for a host of highly personaly reasons that really only apply to me... and trust me, it took a while to even consider turning down UCSD for USC, and if i was advising someone else, i would likely tell them that ucsd is the better chioce... but such is life 😀
 
SeventhSon said:
1. when you are a first year you will realize that different schools' curricula matter a lot less than you thought when you were applying.

2. ...And, it is very difficult to judge the quality of the education you will be getting your 3rd and 4th year, and of course all schools are going to *claim* that their clinical years are so great, and bring up isolated anecdotes like the apendectomy example given above. You have to see through the rhetoric.
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1. I disagree. I really wanted a school with lots of clinical exposure early, and less time spent in class. Having this has made an enormous difference in my happiness this year. My favorite class BY FAR is ICM (intro to clinical medicine), and it's often what keeps me going. I can take a full history, and have had a lot of practice doing so, I can do quite a bit of a physical, and while I acknowledge that these don't really matter at this point, if I feel comfortable with them now, I'm going to be completely solid by 3rd year and able to concentrate on more interesting/important matters instead. Plus, talking to patients with diabetes, anemia, MS, CF, cancer, etc, makes it SO much easier for me to study, since I can see why I'm studying and make the correlation between the textbooks and actual patients.

2. Except that it isn't rhetoric here. 😛 Every 3rd and 4th I've talked to has mentioned the insane amount of stuff they get to do, and how much they're learning. I started getting discouraged by the negative attitude towards third year here on SDN, so I decided to ask every 3rd and 4th year I run into at my school what their experience has been. The responses have been overwhelmingly positive, and often include other such "isolated anecdotes".
 
Sophie said:
1. I disagree. I really wanted a school with lots of clinical exposure early, and less time spent in class. Having this has made an enormous difference in my happiness this year. My favorite class BY FAR is ICM (intro to clinical medicine), and it's often what keeps me going. I can take a full history, and have had a lot of practice doing so, I can do quite a bit of a physical, and while I acknowledge that these don't really matter at this point, if I feel comfortable with them now, I'm going to be completely solid by 3rd year and able to concentrate on more interesting/important matters instead. Plus, talking to patients with diabetes, anemia, MS, CF, cancer, etc, makes it SO much easier for me to study, since I can see why I'm studying and make the correlation between the textbooks and actual patients.

2. Except that it isn't rhetoric here. 😛 Every 3rd and 4th I've talked to has mentioned the insane amount of stuff they get to do, and how much they're learning. I started getting discouraged by the negative attitude towards third year here on SDN, so I decided to ask every 3rd and 4th year I run into at my school what their experience has been. The responses have been overwhelmingly positive, and often include other such "isolated anecdotes".
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I can say pretty much exactly the same about UCSD. Believe it or not you learn how to do an H&P and see live patients during the preclinical years. I also know a fellow 3rd year who was gifted enough to get to be the primary surgeon on numerous chole's, appys, and hernia repairs, once he proved what he could do (this is an extreme example but if you can distinguish yourself, such opportunities present themselves). I don't doubt that you're getting a great education at USC but the implications in this thread that UCSD education is somehow inferior seem unfounded.

Admittedly there are differences in style, and if someone really knows it will make a big difference they should take the more expensive option. I turned down a cheaper option to go to UCSD and I think it was the right choice.
 
lord_jeebus said:
I don't doubt that you're getting a great education at USC but the implications in this thread that UCSD education is somehow inferior seem unfounded.
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Sorry if I implied that - I didn't mean to! I just didn't agree with what SeventhSon said. I really have no idea what the curriculum is like at UCSD.
 
lord_jeebus said:
but the implications in this thread that UCSD education is somehow inferior seem unfounded./QUOTE]

if you are in any way implying that i meant that you may have misunderstood my point... by no means do i not think UCSD is a high quality education, I think it is amazing, I think both are... I just think they are both very great for specific types of people, and I am the type who will do better at USC

i know at least 3 or 4 people who are MS1's at UCSD and they say they love it... but I am convinced i wont (four a score of detailed reasons)
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Sophie said:
1. I disagree. I really wanted a school with lots of clinical exposure early, and less time spent in class. Having this has made an enormous difference in my happiness this year. My favorite class BY FAR is ICM (intro to clinical medicine), and it's often what keeps me going. I can take a full history, and have had a lot of practice doing so, I can do quite a bit of a physical, and while I acknowledge that these don't really matter at this point, if I feel comfortable with them now, I'm going to be completely solid by 3rd year and able to concentrate on more interesting/important matters instead. Plus, talking to patients with diabetes, anemia, MS, CF, cancer, etc, makes it SO much easier for me to study, since I can see why I'm studying and make the correlation between the textbooks and actual patients.

2. Except that it isn't rhetoric here. 😛 Every 3rd and 4th I've talked to has mentioned the insane amount of stuff they get to do, and how much they're learning. I started getting discouraged by the negative attitude towards third year here on SDN, so I decided to ask every 3rd and 4th year I run into at my school what their experience has been. The responses have been overwhelmingly positive, and often include other such "isolated anecdotes".
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Many schools, including the UCs, are emphasizing clinical education during the first two years. This is no longer unique to Keck.

It is probably true that USC student will get to "do more" during their clinical years. Is this a good thing? Not necessarily. USC is known for allowing lesser trained individuals to do more than they are trained to because there are fewer people available and patient's lives are "less valuable" because they are poor and don't have insurance. Whether this is a good thing or not is very controversial. You are not going to medical school to learn how to do an appendectomy-- save that for your general surgery residency. You are going to medical school to learn what the appendix is as well as the anatomy of the lower GI tract and the etiology and pathophysiology of appendicitis-- things which you can learn at any medical school, private or public.


Performing an appendectomy or doing similarly advance procedures as a medical student does not further your education and does not necessarily serve the patient's best interests.
 
mikeinsd said:
UCSD = much more emphasis on lecture, tons of class time, etc... little organized clinical exposure in the first years (besides the student clinic, which i believe to be an amazing asset of the school)... widely regarded as a school where the students are a bit overworked (please lets not get into this
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lecture is a tool available to you for learning. If it's not useful, don't go. If some of it is useful, go to some of it. Learn from the syllabus/class notes/books. I was worried that i might miss the points that they emphasized in lecture, but I honored physiology without attending more than 5% of the lectures!

Some people are aural learners and some are not. It surprised me at first, but some people want all that lecture... they thikn that for the 20-25k/whatever tuition they pay per year, someone should be available to explain that material to them. If that's the way they learn, more power to them.

And the thing about "not enough clinical exposure" the first 2 years at UCSD as absolutely ridiculous. If you want, you can go to free clinic 3 times a week, on top of our "intro to clinical medicine classes", and preceptorships available. How many other places have that opportunity available to you?
 
SeventhSon said:
And the thing about "not enough clinical exposure" the first 2 years at UCSD as absolutely ridiculous. If you want, you can go to free clinic 3 times a week, on top of our "intro to clinical medicine classes", and preceptorships available. How many other places have that opportunity available to you?
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Well UCLA and USC both have required preceptorships, and at Keck, you can work at the state's largest free clinic: County.
 
You sure talk a lot for a premed who hasn't seen a minute of medical school.
 
pennybridge said:
They have an older average class than the UCs, which is helpful for people like me who find your average premed/first year INCREDIBLY annoying.
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I don't think so. The average age of UCD's first year class was almost certainly greater than USC's last year. I would imagine the same holds for UCSF's class. Perhaps the kids at UCI, SD, LA are younger. I found the SC kids to be incredibly young (and white, and largely upper-middle class).
 
Pinkertinkle said:
You sure talk a lot for a premed who hasn't seen a minute of medical school.
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yes because working in a medical school for the past three and a half years, speaking with the students there, and working next to residents and attendings at said medical school for the same amount of time means I'm completely in the dark. 👍


but of course, if you think you're such a hotdog, you could argue with any of the things i say if you think I'm wrong. I'm game for a spirited debate.
 
pennybridge said:
yes because working in a medical school for the past three and a half years, speaking with the students there, and working next to residents and attendings at said medical school for the same amount of time means I'm completely in the dark. 👍


but of course, if you think you're such a hotdog, you could argue with any of the things i say if you think I'm wrong. I'm game for a spirited debate.
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Sorry, I don't waste my time making lengthy arguments on the internet with jerks like you. Goodbye now, see you on my ignore list.
 
argonana said:
I don't think so. The average age of UCD's first year class was almost certainly greater than USC's last year. I would imagine the same for UCSF's class. Perhaps the kids at UCI, SD, LA are younger. I found the SC kids to be incredibly young (and white, and largely upper-middle class).
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Percent of students not coming directly from college after graduation:
UCD - 35%
UCI - N/A
UCLA - 5% (yeah, don't know what's up with that, gotta be a typo)
UCSD - 66%
UCSF - 70%
USC - 39%


so my guess is that Irvine's is around Davis, which is similar to USC. USC says their freshman class is ~24yo and has virtually the same demographics as UCSF, UCD, and UCI.

And there's more white people at Irvine.
 
Pinkertinkle said:
Sorry, I don't waste my time making lengthy arguments on the internet with jerks like you. Goodbye now, see you on my ignore list.
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well thanks for checking in anyway 😕
 
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