University of California-San Francisco Reviews

"Overrated. Most educators taught well in first two years, but good luck when you hit the clinical rotations—You are expected to know and perform—sink or swim because you are being evaluated all the time. Once a while you might get lucky to get a nice (overworked) resident who will teach you a thing or two, but most of time, you better learn on your own or pick up what you can from your competitive classmates on your rotation. Attendings may give a didactic session here and there as time allows, but you will rarely get one-on-one preceptor teaching to help you learn what you don’t know. Perhaps what I am describing is not atypical of all medical school education, but be fully warned that there is no standardization of clinical experiences here and your grades on the clinical rotations will highly depend on how gracious or passively aggressively your attending and senior resident is. This is one of the few medical schools that require a sub-internship rotation in internal/family medicine for graduation, and if you don’t pass, you will probably need to say bye-bye to your medical degree and be stuck with 3-4 years of med school debt. They are very proud of their « high » standards and « exceptional «  clinical training. I saw many people comment on financial issues. While it’s true that rent is high on average in SF, you can sometimes find cheap places to rent due to rent control and if you are flexible enough. The biggest plus is that there is cheap and good produce and food. What’s more unbearable is the windy, chilly, gloomy weather all the time in the city. While the tuition may be cheaper than a private school, you will not get much if any in terms of grants or scholarships. Unlike my undergrad where there is free unlimited transcript ordering and printing for students, you will be paying $15 per transcript ordered and who knows how much per page printed here now. You can definitely tell that they are not financially as strong as private schools. Just look up the David Kessler scandal."

"This program is overrated and overpriced. The university jacked up tuition several times, and once at ten times the rate of inflation (36%), during the recession no less. The estimate of costs they gave ended up being doubled by the time I graduated, along with $9,000 in accrued interest by graduation day. The quality of instruction is very average and is too reliant on back-to-back hours of power point presentations, many of which were not well designed. The only lectures I loved were when we had guest lecturers from the School of Medicine because they gave some real substance and depth that most of the nursing lectures lacked. Beyond lectures, there were few other learning modalities available, and I never once got a rotation in my chosen specialty registered with the school. Their excuse was that the rotations are scarce and difficult to come by. I did get an interesting opportunty to participate in a hospital-based research project, but that was limited to looking at data online and writing a class paper based on the results. I had richer research experiences as an undergraduate. The statistics classes were at a lower level than I had as an undergraduate at Berkeley because the nursing students in the class could not grasp the most basic concepts. The exams for that class were all an easy 100% because they had to dumb everything down. I also found the discussion sections uninteresting because it became very clear that they were not interested in any real debate or differing opinions. I had never heard the expression “Nurses eat their young” until I was in nursing school. I had several experiences of inappropriate behavior by faculty including a dressing down in front of a patient, her family, and several other nursing students, because my discharge was “taking too long.” I was looking into the medication error I had discovered and had been on the phone with the pharmacy to get it corrected. She apologized afterward for being wrong, but this type of experience was not isolated. Nursing is already a stressful endeavor so an education program should do more to create a supportive learning environment. I spent three months working on writing my thesis and I waited a month to get their written response back. It scored well, but the faculy reviewers each gave me one sentence about it. Even seven years later, I see this program as an overpriced heap of disappointment."

"Having access to a ton of extracurricular activities was a game changer for my career. UCSF has great electives, optional research opportunities, teaching opportunities, and specialized professors that love the profession. There’s a lot to do in PT school regardless of what program you choose, but if you’re looking for more than just simply passing your board exam, UCSF is the place to be."

"My time at the university of San Francisco has been a wonderful journey, it has helped develop my love for sports into my career. The school gives you the resources to connect with sport management professionals all around the world, bettering my career."

"UCSF is an amazing program for those in pursuit of a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. UCSF emphasizes in interprofessionalism between their medical, nursing, pharmacology and physical therapy programs. The faculty is deeply involved in the students' mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health and deeply cares about the students' general welfare. I have never been to a university that cares so much about their students, especially in our current hard times."

"UCSF is one of the finest institutions in the world. I can say this first-hand after receiving a dental degree from Australia and now from UCSF. UCSF is uniquely globally-focused and nurtures a sense of curiosity and innovation that drives self-belief."

"UCSF School of Dentistry is a rigorous, rewarding, community-minded, diverse, and research-focused program. We are one of the top dental schools in the nation, and we prioritize giving back to our community. In my first year, I have worked in womens shelters, encouraged middle school girls to pursue their passion for the sciences, and volunteered at our weekly free Community Dental Clinic. Annually, our school offers Give Kids A Smile Day to provide free dental care to marginalized children. Volunteering has inspired my classmates and me as we work through the toughest academic years of our lives. Through the wide variety of clubs and professional fraternities, we are encouraged to find innovative ways to support the underserved populations of San Francisco. With the support of the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD) and specialists in both the Schools of Dentistry and Medicine, I have been leading an effort to create a series of educational pamphlets for patients on the oral health implications of head and neck radiation therapy, supporting them in the fight against cancer. This topic is close to my heart as my parents both conquered their cancer diagnoses. UCSF has given me countless opportunities to give back in ways that are meaningful to me. We are proud of our diversity. Our 2020 class is 63 percent female and 80 percent people of color, with the majority being Asian (56 percent), Hispanic (11 percent), African American (7 percent), and Filipino (5 percent). We receive more funding for biomedical research from the National Institute of Health than any other dental school in the nation. In my first year I am completing two research projects: 1) Comparing the oral health curricula available in Spanish to that available in English and 2) A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials published in the last six years). I love UCSF, just three blocks from Golden Gate Park, situated in a safe, adorable, and quieter part of San Francisco. Once I graduate, I will be positioned to thrive as a dentist and support my community."

"The Master's of Science in Biomedical Imaging offered at UCSF serves as a fast-paced (one-year), fully immersive training program in the interdisciplinary fields of biomedical technology, neuroscience, and radiology. During the program, students work together and with top-ranked faculty, medical doctors, and researchers to learn hands-on how to use imaging technology (e.g., MRI, PET, CT, PCR, SPECT, qCT, etc.) to analyze, diagnose, and treat all manners of medical diseases and disorders. Graduates of this program go on to work in industry, medical domains, and research fields. The training and networking offered by the MSBI program at UCSF is unparalleled, and should be considered by anyone looking for training in current biomedical imaging techniques."

"Great program and good professional development. Good program for those with some medical background. Would recommended not for undergrads right out of college. Good to have prior work or other graduate program experience prior to beginning this program."

"Currently, I am a double major. I am attending UCSF School of Dentistry for my Doctorate in Dental Surgery and USF School of Management for my Masters in Business Administration. Both Universities have exceeded my expectations and are both amazing to attend. They are very student focused and do what ever they can to help you succeed. UCSF School of Dentistry is one of the few schools that has a contract with USF to obtain both DDS and MBA at the same time. They want their students to work hard and achieve greatness in all aspects of their education, business and science. I feel blessed to be able to attend both schools."

"Such a great program, part of an incredible academic and medical community. Lots of resources available. Faculty are supportive."

"Tough first year academically for physical therapy. Brilliant professors, incredible classmates. Lots of resources. Great city."

"Prestige, Opportunity and great Match placements. It's located in a very expensive city and just as expensive as some top tier private schools."

"UCSF provides an environment for cutting edge technology and up to date information as far as best clinical practice. The faculty members are compassionate and make sure to continuously relate the coursework to the reason for being in school -- to help our future patients. San Francisco is also an outstanding place to be immersed in. Unfortunately, cost of living is extremely high in this city which adds to student debt and UCSF is partnered with SFSU which causes same-day commuting between campuses which can be draining."

"An amazing school of pharmacy where they really care about you and invest in your future as a pharmacist"

"The faculty is very engaged and willing to help mentor students and encourage growth and development toward career success. This school is home to some of the top researchers in the world with extremely impressive publication records and contributions toward public health. The city is an expensive place to live, which makes the students stretch their stipends in order to succeed in the city."

"Love the education, but San Francisco is ridiculously expensive! I feel that UCSF should be using more technology in the curriculum given its proximity to silicon valley and the partnerships that they could easily form with large tech companies."

"UCSF is a highly ranked and well-respected medical school. Overall it is a great value, especially for in-state residents. It's strength lies in its diversity of educators, student body, and patient population. In addition, UCSF medicine has done well in securing research funding. Attending school for 4 years in San Francisco certainly has its benefits as well. The city has plenty to offer, although it is one of the most expensive places to live in the country."

"The staff is extremely helpful and very available"

"UCSF so far has been a great graduate program. They offer many resources and faculty accessibility in order for the students to succeed. They have simulated hospital rooms and patients which give it a real life learning experience. In addition to these simulations, they have great opportunities to participate in research projects. The only con at this point is the (lack of parking). But I guess that's what public transportation is for!"