Hi all! I am thrilled to have been admitted to two of my absolute dream schools, but it is making my decision a lot harder. I am from California but have lived on the East Coast for the past few years and have lots of friends/support in both places (though my parents are still in CA) and am leaning towards going to the East Coast for residency. I'm generally interested in academic surgery/surgical subspecialties, though not completely committed, and I am really interested in finding research opportunities in oncology or immunology.
UCSD
Pros
- Way less expensive (~30k less than Pitt)
- Much more diverse community
- Near family/beautiful location
- Flexibility for exploration for extracurriculars/hobbies
- Grad student housing is beautiful
- Overall students seemed a lot happier/less stressed, literally everyone talked about how much they travelled and how much fun they had? Almost feels too good to be true
Cons
- Graded clinicals with quotas on Honors/High Pass/Pass (1/3 of the class receives honors, 1/3 high pass, etc), but this structure may change
- Higher cost of living
- More traditional "lecture style" classes
- Not as robust of a hospital system compared to UPMC and older facilities
- Less opportunities to do the research I am interested in and no protected time for research
Pitt
Pros
- Interest in surgical specialties/academia
- Flipped classroom for hands-on learning opportunities
- Lower cost of living and transportation (I love walkable cities)
- Research built into curriculum and more opportunities for interesting research + funding in general
- Flex weeks end of blocks for extracurricular exploration
- Newer facilities/technology
- No quotas on grades during clinicals (students say that most people receive Honors/High Pass grades)
- Slightly more prestige ? Not a big deal to me but some people say that this will matter more with P/F STEP exams and being well-prepared for residency would be nice
Cons
- Extremely high CoA, though my aid package may change
- Required in-person attendance
- Students seemed much more stressed
I absolutely loved both schools during Second Look and met incredible people both places, so I am deeply struggling to make this decision
UCSD
Pros
- Way less expensive (~30k less than Pitt)
- Much more diverse community
- Near family/beautiful location
- Flexibility for exploration for extracurriculars/hobbies
- Grad student housing is beautiful
- Overall students seemed a lot happier/less stressed, literally everyone talked about how much they travelled and how much fun they had? Almost feels too good to be true
Cons
- Graded clinicals with quotas on Honors/High Pass/Pass (1/3 of the class receives honors, 1/3 high pass, etc), but this structure may change
- Higher cost of living
- More traditional "lecture style" classes
- Not as robust of a hospital system compared to UPMC and older facilities
- Less opportunities to do the research I am interested in and no protected time for research
Pitt
Pros
- Interest in surgical specialties/academia
- Flipped classroom for hands-on learning opportunities
- Lower cost of living and transportation (I love walkable cities)
- Research built into curriculum and more opportunities for interesting research + funding in general
- Flex weeks end of blocks for extracurricular exploration
- Newer facilities/technology
- No quotas on grades during clinicals (students say that most people receive Honors/High Pass grades)
- Slightly more prestige ? Not a big deal to me but some people say that this will matter more with P/F STEP exams and being well-prepared for residency would be nice
Cons
- Extremely high CoA, though my aid package may change
- Required in-person attendance
- Students seemed much more stressed
I absolutely loved both schools during Second Look and met incredible people both places, so I am deeply struggling to make this decision
