My concern is that I will be turning down the "better" program and better fit for personal reasons. I have been accepted to UCLA ACCESS and UCSD Biomedical Sciences. I get the sense that UCSD is the better overall program; it has more research opportunities, more collaboration, better resources, more funding, and (dare I say it) is generally considered more prestigious in the sciences than UCLA, although that distinction may be negligible. Aside from that, UCSD is a better fit for me in about every conceivable way, academically and otherwise. That being said, I'm experiencing the two-body problem with my girlfriend being in LA. Now I won't ask anyone what I am to do about this, but I can ask if my decision matters. Do you think there is much of a difference between a top program and a not-quite-top program in terms of training, resources, and job prospects? Is it a problem that I'd be turning down a school that is a great fit for a school that is a good fit? At the end of the day, you are the product of a single lab, it's collaborations and your own hard work, so does strength of program really matter that much at two good programs? Any comments specifically on UCLA or UCSD would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. I want to study cancer by the way.
