UCLA (Need-Based Scholarship) vs. UC Davis (Merit-Based Scholarship)

[Reverants]

Hey guys! I've been fortunate enough to receive acceptances at two wonderful locations, however, I'm struggling to decide which place would be a better fit for the next four years of my life.

UCLA DGSOM vs UC Davis

UCLA

Pros:

• Prestige - may help with residency applications
• Attended undergrad here, developed many connections (friends and faculty) and may be able to continue running a club I started
• Strong research opportunities
• It's in Los Angeles, although there's traffic, there's lots of stuff to do and I've loved living here the past 4 years
• Always dreamed of going here
• Can see family more often

Cons:

• Large class size
• Just over half-tuition need-based scholarship, less than Davis (makes it ~14k tuition/yr + other expenses like room+board, books, etc.)

UC Davis

Pros:

• Merit-based scholarship that covers tuition and fees for four years (would only have to pay for room + board, books, etc.)
• Smaller class size
• Match list looked solid as well
• Staff and students were friendlier and more welcoming here based on the interview

Cons:

• LA seems to be a better location due to proximity to the beach, things to do, etc. but I haven't lived in Davis before so I can't say for sure
• Family still able to visit, just not as often
• Mid leveling students??

Overall: Both schools are very prestigious and I'm lucky to have this option to decide between them. The main thing that's keeping me from choosing DGSOM at the moment is the cost factor, however, it doesn't seem to be that significant. My goals are to match into a decent IM program post-graduation, so UCLA might have the upper edge in that regard.

Thank you for any and all advice!

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[965978]

Tuition is low to begin with at UCLA so in this case it would be worth it to consider trading money for the school with more opportunities.

 

[B4y 4RE4 N4Tiv3]

I've been to both and I would say although Davis is very boring, its only a $50-100 plane ticket to LA. Most of us gotta move outta state to go to med school without any scholarships. Lastly cost of living is slightly less in Sac.

 

[ihaveagf]

I would go to UCLA. It’s a great school. No regrets !!!!

 

[Medcat47]

May I ask you what your stats were to gain acceptance into these two schools ? My dream school is UCLA; though unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend there for undergrad due to out of state costs, I’ve attended many conferences there and recently got accepted to SHPEP at UCLA this summer and am hoping to create more connections for when I apply to medical school !

 

[Melanogaster]

What's the actual cost difference?

 

[Reverants]

What's the actual cost difference?

Sorry, I forgot to include that in the original post. I just updated it:

UCLA: ~14k tuition/year + room/board, books, etc.

UC Davis: would only have to pay for room/board, books, etc.

 

[Melanogaster]

Sorry, I forgot to include that in the original post. I just updated it:

UCLA: ~14k tuition/year + room/board, books, etc.

UC Davis: would only have to pay for room/board, books, etc.

I would go to Davis and save ~$60,000, but I thrive in a smaller class.

No wrong decision.

 

[Reverants]

May I ask you what your stats were to gain acceptance into these two schools ? My dream school is UCLA; though unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend there for undergrad due to out of state costs, I’ve attended many conferences there and recently got accepted to SHPEP at UCLA this summer and am hoping to create more connections for when I apply to medical school !

Messaged

 

[jessicajonesharvard]

Go to UCLA. The 60k difference is nothing in this case. UCLA is a solid top tier, UCD is a solid mid-tier. Prestige difference is huge here.

 

[realitysickness]

Congrats on getting in to both schools! I think you should also consider UCLA if that need based scholarship is guaranteed for four years (ie you know your family’s finances won’t change drastically). The difference between the cost of attendance for both schools is not outrageous (under $100k and closer to $50k). Your family and social support seems to be concentrated in LA and having support nearby for medical school cannot be understated. I actually really like Sacramento where Davis is located but it’s got nothing on LA. To access the fun exciting parts of NorCal you would have to drive 2 hours to get to the Bay Area. Meanwhile, UCLA is in Westwood and you can do so many things there especially if you’ve already built a community there. That being said, there are certain places where Davis shines over LA and that includes its rural medicine and primary care focus. If you have health policy interests Davis > UCLA as well.

 

[DonutPremed]

Congrats on getting in to both schools! I think you should also consider UCLA if that need based scholarship is guaranteed for four years (ie you know your family’s finances won’t change drastically). The difference between the cost of attendance for both schools is not outrageous (under $100k and closer to $50k). Your family and social support seems to be concentrated in LA and having support nearby for medical school cannot be understated. I actually really like Sacramento where Davis is located but it’s got nothing on LA. To access the fun exciting parts of NorCal you would have to drive 2 hours to get to the Bay Area. Meanwhile, UCLA is in Westwood and you can do so many things there especially if you’ve already built a community there. That being said, there are certain places where Davis shines over LA and that includes its rural medicine and primary care focus. If you have health policy interests Davis > UCLA as well.

I’d disagree and say that LA beats Davis in terms of primary care. Both have free clinic options, but LA’s hospital network is top-tier. Similar to what other have said, UCLA is overall much more prestigious (T10 in both research and primary care) and worth the extra cost imo

 

[lalalallala]

14k a year plus the COL difference isn't negligible but also does have to be the end all be all depending on your career interests and attitude about debt. If money wasn't an issue you would pick UCLA? Is your need based aid situation likely to change at all? For some people they get generous need based aid and then it drops off so merit aid (aka your full tuition and fees scholarship) can be the safer choice. I would probably go with UC Davis but that is just me

 

[rball]

I would probably go to UCLA if I were you - it sounds like you would be happier there, and it would give you leg-up in matching into top residency programs in IM. UCLA tends to send many/most of its IM and family med students to UCLA/UCSF/Stanford, so it is clear they have a track record for doing pretty well in these fields. The school has tremendous opportunities in these fields, probably more so than Davis.

That being said, UC Davis is no slouch either. If you prefer the smaller class size + atmosphere there and cost is a big factor for you, it's not a bad option. It is going to be a bit harder coming out of there to match into a top IM program, but the difference in outcomes vs. UCLA is not as large as you may think, especially if you want to do IM in CA.