USC v. UVA??

[Crazynut]

I have been admitted to UVA (instate) and USC. There does not seem to be a very big tuition difference (no financial aid) between the two schools. I am having a really hard time deciding. Attracted by the weather/lifestyle in California. UVA is a higher ranked school with a brand new building/curriculum. Nice campus. I might want to settle out west eventually and do my residency there. Does it make more sense to go to USC?

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[mdeast]

I have been admitted to UVA (instate) and USC. There does not seem to be a very big tuition difference (no financial aid) between the two schools. I am having a really hard time deciding. Attracted by the weather/lifestyle in California. UVA is a higher ranked school with a brand new building/curriculum. Nice campus. I might want to settle out west eventually and do my residency there. Does it make more sense to go to USC?

You make personal connections during medical school (friends, significant others, etc.) that will often make it difficult to move afterwards from a social perspective. This is why so many people end up completing their training in the same institution they started it.

If you want to move out west, medical school is a good place to start.

UVA will for sure not bar you from going out West after you graduate. But, realize it will be another "reset" button on your life. I didn't think about this as much before entering medical school but after entering...it's definitely becomes more of an issue in the back of your mind.

 

[Equality]

I had the same dilemma when i was applying, too. USC was so much more expensive for me, so i chose to go with UVA, but there were other reasons too. i loved the fact that UVA had undergrad right next to the med campus so you can participate in the undergrad events. Uva's living situation is the total opposite of USC, where basically everyone commutes by car anywhere between 5-30 min each way (many UVA students walk to school). There seems to be more of a community of students at UVA. Also UVA campus is definitely more friendly and approachable than USC med campus.

Uva's curriculum and building is probably going to rank top 10 in the next few years when numbers like USMLE scores accumulate. UVa engineered their curriculum to be cutting edge and student-oriented. I've never seen a simulation center so med-student centered. Even at my institution (not uva or usc actually) that is highly ranked, i've never seen the sim center because it's mostly for post-graduate education.

Also to reiterate the important point that mdeast raised---think about where you may want to live for the next 10 years. That includes residency.

Having said that, USC's affiliation with the county hospital is hard to beat. You'll see textbook cases that are hard to find elsewhere in the country.



Ultimately the choice is yours.

 

[Steeler7588]

UVa won't prevent you from going to California later, and as a first year student, I can vouch for how great the new facilities and curriculum are (admittedly, some people are less enthused - people learn differently). UVa is probably more prestigious, but USC has a really great clinical environment. As far as training, both will prepare you well, but I'm a big fan of condensed curricula so I'd side with UVa.

However, if you're really serious about living on the West Coast later, I agree with mdeast that med school kinda helps set that process. Plenty of people move to completely different places after graduation, but the older you get, the harder that is. If it's just something that's crossed your mind a couple times though, I wouldn't base your decision off that.

 

[Crazynut]

Thanks. UVA's almost 10% increase in tuition for instate residents has almost taken the price difference out of the equation. How much did UVA medical school raise its tuition last year? Is this going to happen again next year?

 

[Richspiders07]

Just for the record - the current graduating class at UVA had 8 students match in California - 5 in LA, 2 at Stanford, 1 at UC-Irvine.

 

[Steeler7588]

Thanks. UVA's almost 10% increase in tuition for instate residents has almost taken the price difference out of the equation. How much did UVA medical school raise its tuition last year? Is this going to happen again next year?

I'm an OOS student, but for me, I think tuition rose less this year than last year. I haven't checked for sure, but the percentage seemed lower than what I remember was posted last year.