<p>So first post here, thanks in advance for the help. I tried doing a search and couldn’t come up with much, so sorry if this is a recurring question.</p>
<p>Anyway, I’ll be applying to PhD programs in the fall and I was curious about the differences between these two programs. It seems to me that I could end up in the same lab no matter which program I apply. I researched the coursework outline and BMS seems more loaded with studying how tissues function and such (obviously?). So does anyone have any insight as to the differences between the programs?</p>
<p>Is my assumption that I could join the same lab if I am in Tetrad or BMS true?
Also is there a difference in acceptance rate?</p>
<p>And lastly, do UC schools give preference to California residents? (similar to that of undergraduate applicants.)</p>
Almost certainly, and it’s true for other schools with multiple biological sciences PhD programs as well. The program is just a way to administer PhD requirements; it’s not usually a bar to keep anyone from any particular lab.</p>
<p>I don’t believe UC graduate programs give preference to California residents (although it’s possible I’m wrong here). UC PhD programs will expect non-California residents to establish residency in California after the first year of the PhD program.</p>
<p>I went to the UCSF Tetrad interview weekend and my general impression was that Tetrad is more oriented towards basic sciences rather than more translational bio (but just my opinon). Also, Tetrad is mainly based on the Mission Bay campus whereas BMS is mainly on Parnassus. Tetrad said that you can rotate in almost any lab (including BMS labs) as long as there is one rotation in a tetrad lab.</p>
<p>I just got back from interviewing with BMS and absolutely loved it. </p>
<p>There is a lot of overlap in faculty between the two, most certainly. In that regard, you could have a very similar experience with either one when it comes to your research.</p>
<p>However, it’ll be up to you to decide which program better reflects your personal interests. Obviously it’s UCSF, so all programs will be dedicated to questions in human health, but how they’re organized is different. Tetrad has biochemistry, cell biology, developmental biology and genetics as their four programs. Contrast that with things like BMS’s cancer biology, immunology, neurobiology, and microbial pathogenesis (incomplete list), and you quickly get a feel for the different organization between the two groups. Someone in Tetrad might be primarily interested in cell biology and happen to be studying some aspect of cancer. Someone in BMS might be a cancer biologist who happens to be studying a cellular mechanism.</p>
<p>You should think about the kinds of people you want to be around as well since you’ll be spending a lot of time with your fellow students and program faculty. Using the example above, a person in Tetrad is more likely to want to hear about cell biology in contexts outside of cancer, while someone in BMS is more interested in learning more about cancer in contexts outside of cell biology.</p>
<p>So basically, it’s two different ways of organizing the same things. I hope this helps!</p>
<p>I am leaning towards Tetrad, however I hope that doesn’t mean I’ll be stuck in basic research forever haha. I’ll go read up on the programs a bit more.</p>
<p>I definitely got the feeling that all the department lines at UCSF are blurred. But yeah, Tetrad is definitely basic science. However, many labs, I found, do many levels of research short of clinical.</p>
<p>Oh, and I’m only speaking from the point of view of someone who visited, but it seems like a phenomenal place to be a grad student!</p>