Why would you choose USC??

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Oddsnends said:
Wow. Can anyone confirm that? Thanks for the info btw.
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yeah no it's gotta be wrong. I think they mean 50%? It's from USNWR 2006 med schools book.
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pennybridge said:
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.
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Unfortunately, these statistics don't account for number of years out. Having 15 classmates who spent a year or two out of college is different from having 5 or 10 who had completely different careers before arriving at med school. Are there any med students at USC in their late 30's/early 40s? I don't remember meeting or hearing of any in last year's first-year class. Overall, this type of diversity exists in a spectrum that is hard to quantify.
 
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. :thumbup:


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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pennybridge, did you work at usc? you seem to take offense to anything that could be remotely construed as negative, but if you are familiar with usc at all, you would know that dodger dog is right on the mark. he spent alot of time there, so you may actually want to unplug your ears. and it doesn't seem to me like he is actually trying to deter people from going there, more like he's just giving the inside scoop as to the positives and negatives about the school.
 
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argonana said:
Are there any med students at USC in their late 30's/early 40s? I don't remember meeting or hearing of any.
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Keck does accept a number of students from their post-bacc program. Many of these people are in their late 20's to early 30's. I know at least one is > 40yrs. You make a good point though. I have been unable to find a resource that provides such stats.
 
HreComesTheSun said:
pennybridge, did you work at usc? you seem to take offense to anything that could be remotely construed as negative, but if you are familiar with usc at all, you would know that dodger dog is right on the mark. he spent alot of time there, so you may actually want to unplug your ears. and it doesn't seem to me like he is actually trying to deter people from going there, more like he's just giving the inside scoop as to the positives and negatives about the school.
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no no I think you're misunderstanding. I'm not saying there's nothing negative about the school. There's negatives for every school. I'm disagreeing with particular points that dodger is making because I don't agree with them.

For example, if someone were to say that a large number of keck's students are wealthy, entitled, white pricks, and had data to back it up, I would say "yeah, that parts going to suck, but it won't be hard to avoid them"

but if someone says "there's no value in doing surgeries as a third year" 100% of the time I'll disagree. It doesn't matter if you're the dean of the whole school, I'd disagree with that statement.

I'm not trying to make sweeping generalities, if that's what it seems like I apologize. I'm trying to be as specific as I can.


edit// for clarity, the parts of Dodger's post I disagree with are based on his/her personal opinion about what is useful to students and what is detrimental to patients. While he/she may not find something useful to his/her education, that doesn't mean it's across-the-board useless. and the whole deal with "oh dear the patients are being taken advantage of" definitely has truth behind it, they aren't going to be getting the best care that the US medical system can offer, but that's just the way our healthcare system works. Same reason why you can make money testing experimental drugs.
 
Pennybridge, you can disagree with my points, but please don't resort to personal attacks. It's really immature and makes you sound ignorant.

I respect the clincial education at Keck-- but it's not the only way to do things and it's not necessarily the right way to do things. If you search my previous posts, you'll know that I am a big fan of Keck and will always be a part of the Trojan family.

I've had family members and my closest friends go through Keck. I apologize if you think I was really speaking poorly of the school because that was not my intention. I was simply trying to provide an alternate point of view.
 
that's cool penny :) i think that dodger is a good resource on info about usc, but i do see what you were saying

i was just going to second your above post, i am hoping hoping hoping that my class has some more nontrad students who have spent some time out of class as well...big difference in mentalities
 
pennybridge said:
uh, I'm pretty sure I am, in addition to learning other practical things that doctors do. But please, tell me more about why I am going to medical school...

and at Keck you can also learn how to cut it out and then actually cut it out. If that sort of thing does not appeal to you, then don't participate. Sit back and watch and enjoy all of the other interns wherever you end up walking all over you.
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The purpose of a Surgery clerkship is to learn perioperative medical care and indications for surgery. If you get to cut, that's a bonus, but that's not the purpose of the clerkship. That's why the national shelf exam for Surgery does not test surgical methods and techniques. If you're going into Surgery, great, you're two hours ahead in surgical training of your peers. If you're not, it probably isn't going to be a useful skill for your future career.

In all honesty a typical appy is not that difficult, and although I prefer cutting to retracting, I don't see a significant educational benefit to doing it. The valuable learning expected of all graduates of a medical school is knowing what to do when the patient presents with abdominal pain, and knowing what to do when complications develop after the appendectomy.
 
Sophie said:
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.
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The point we were trying to make is that you always hear about what I call "isolated anecdotes" going on at USC. There are also (in my words) "isolated anecdotes" here too, and at any school. In order for you to have a point, you would have to imply that there are more of those at USC than here, and you really have no basis for that statement.
 
pennybridge said:
Well UCLA and USC both have required preceptorships, and at Keck, you can work at the state's largest free clinic: County.
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So you are complaining about our array of available clinical exposure on the basis that it is not mandatory? Get some motivation, and don't force all of your classmates to do something that they might not want to.
 
SeventhSon said:
So you are complaining about our array of available clinical exposure on the basis that it is not mandatory? Get some motivation, and don't force all of your classmates to do something that they might not want to.
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I should add that there is mandatory clinical exposure (part of Intro to Clinical Med) during 2nd year. I got assigned to a military infectious disease clinic and had a great time.
 
SeventhSon said:
The point we were trying to make is that you always hear about what I call "isolated anecdotes" going on at USC. There are also (in my words) "isolated anecdotes" here too, and at any school. In order for you to have a point, you would have to imply that there are more of those at USC than here, and you really have no basis for that statement.
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welllll...if you are going to make a direct comparison between ucsd and usc as far as clinical experience, i'm sorry but there is just no comparison (and don't jump to conclusions here, i'm an alum of ucsd and loved it). of my group of friends who went to ucsd med, the biggest and most common complaint was lack of quality clinical exposure. i was so surprised by how little they get to do. it was the complete opposite for my friends at keck. they are very well trained.
 
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argonana said:
Are there any med students at USC in their late 30's/early 40s? I don't remember meeting or hearing of any in last year's first-year class. Overall, this type of diversity exists in a spectrum that is hard to quantify.
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I don't know my classmates' exact ages, but there's definitely one 40+, at least 2 (I think) who are in their late 30s, and quite a few in their late 20s (and possibly early 30s).
 
HreComesTheSun said:
welllll...if you are going to make a direct comparison between ucsd and usc as far as clinical experience, i'm sorry but there is just no comparison (and don't jump to conclusions here, i'm an alum of ucsd and loved it). of my group of friends who went to ucsd med, the biggest and most common complaint was lack of quality clinical exposure. i was so surprised by how little they get to do. it was the complete opposite for my friends at keck. they are very well trained.
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What year are these friends? If you're talking about 1st or 2nd years who choose to do non-clinical electives, that's one thing.

If you're talking about graduates or those in the clinical years, I'm not quite sure how we're supposed to get more clinical exposure than we're already getting.
 
i went PhD first, so all of my friends have already graduated from med school... i've heard some good things about ucsd as well, but comparing the clinical experience there to that at usc is a big stretch
 
i just remembered this, which is why i am now posting it, it isn't in regards to anything anyone in particular has said...

when i was at my ucla interview, the dr interviewing me asked if and where i had gotten in - i told him the truth, just down the road at usc, and at my alma mater, ucsd

the very next thing he said was that he saw a number of keck grads who did residency at ucla, and that on a whole he considered them very good (yes he actually used the term very good)

he could have said pretty much anything, about either school, and he chose to compliment USC in what felt like a big way... so for me, i guess i liked hearing that

for me, it isn't about what is said about both of them, it is about what is not said... the doctor above is one example, the other is this - allthough i have heard from some people that UCSD is great, the majority of what i hear is that it 'isnt as bad' and then every once in a while, you hear of someone you is struggling and doesnt like it... on a whole i am sure it isnt like it used to be, and it is better, and for some people i am sure it is a really great fit... but whenver i talk to someone about usc, the reaction is nearly always overwhelmingly positive, people seem to love it there (in fact i dont know if i have ever heard anything trully bad about it)...

see why i think there might be a difference?
the difference b/w 'its better' and 'its amazing i love it' is enough to convince me

ps - dont take this as UCSD bashing, again, for the right type of person UCSD would be great (like the same few who, time and time again, come to its rescue on these forums...?) but i dont feel like that type of person, which is why i made the choice i did. and thats about it :)
 
haha this thread is so hot and cold. I agree with 'slash' understand pretty much everything that's been said since my last post.

Sorry for the "personal attacks" I'm fairly hotheaded especially on the internet and use the term "idiot" loosely to describe anyone who doesn't agree with me:laugh:

don't mind me, I'm a prick :love:

to lighten the mood, here's a quick sound-bite from a resident I worked with at UCLA (emergency med). It's her take on the difference between the ucla/harbor em program and county's:

"At Harbor it's more attendings teaching residents...County is too cowboy for me" :laugh: :thumbup:

so yeah, different strokes I suppose. :hardy:
 
so i became interested in this thread because so far unless i get off any of my many waitlists, it looks like i will be going to USC. i feel like people who go to USC are clearly biased, and like to claim that USC is so great because they go to USC. actually my brother goes to USC. I know it's good... but I guess I always secretly thought I could do better. but honestly, can someone tell me what the general consensus is about USC?
 
ghsieh said:
so i became interested in this thread because so far unless i get off any of my many waitlists, it looks like i will be going to USC. i feel like people who go to USC are clearly biased, and like to claim that USC is so great because they go to USC. actually my brother goes to USC. I know it's good... but I guess I always secretly thought I could do better. but honestly, can someone tell me what the general consensus is about USC?
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dude are you serious? Go read the first three pages worth of posts
 
ghsieh said:
so i became interested in this thread because so far unless i get off any of my many waitlists, it looks like i will be going to USC. i feel like people who go to USC are clearly biased, and like to claim that USC is so great because they go to USC. actually my brother goes to USC. I know it's good... but I guess I always secretly thought I could do better. but honestly, can someone tell me what the general consensus is about USC?
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Dude..I agree with Steve...have you read the first three pages? Im not raggin' on you..but everything you want to know is in the first three pages...:sleep:
 
mikeinsd said:
for the right type of person UCSD would be great (like the same few who, time and time again, come to its rescue on these forums...?) but i dont feel like that type of person, which is why i made the choice i did. and thats about it :)
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ucsd has a bad rap on these forums, that's no secret, and I feel I should dispel lies to people who hear them (i.e. we have class on saturdays, there is not enough clinical exposure the first two years). Many of these are perpetuated hearsay and many of these people, to put it bluntly, have no idea what they're talking about.
 
oh simmer down seventh, can't you see this thread stopped doing hateful ages ago?
 
HreComesTheSun said:
oh simmer down seventh, can't you see this thread stopped doing hateful ages ago?
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well, I mean, the night is young, I could oil up and get back into my leather fem-dom submission suit.




the safety word for tonight is "elephant"
 
Pinkertinkle said:
As a medical student, you do about 1 year of real rotations. Do you guys honestly think that USC's clinical experiences are going to be significantly superior to any UC's? And if so, is that one's years difference worth a ferrari's worth of debt?
The ones that really benefit from any superior clinical experience are residents, and they pay you to do that.

Here's a ferrari just for reference:
1549451_2.jpg
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And this year's winner for best use of a photograph when settling an argument goes to....

Pinkertinkle!
 
RokChalkJayhawk said:
And this year's winner for best use of a photograph when settling an argument goes to....

Pinkertinkle!
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but who would waste their money on a 360 when they can get an f430?


and yellow? come on.
 
You forgot the eye candy!

05.ferrari.f430.spyder.act.f34.2.500.jpg
 
I care about $ too Steve. I am picking UCSD over USC. It's about time some of us happy people matriculate into UCSD and change its image.
 
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