Top Students Tell Why They Chose UCSF

During the recent student orientation day at UCSF, Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, welcomed students from schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy and the Graduate Division to the health sciences university.

For Desmond-Hellmann, it's a chance to get out of her office and meet and greet first-year students for a fun afternoon full of optimism and hope.

"It's unbelievable, this combination of almost giddiness that here you are at UCSF and terror at realizing here you are at UCSF. It's just infectious to see their enthusiasm, their intelligence and their passion. It's really great," she said, describing the experience at her recent State of the University address.

One of UCSF's top goals is to attract and support the most talented and diverse trainees in the health sciences. This year, the graduate health sciences university welcomed 810 students from all around the world and from varied backgrounds. Some of them described why they chose to study at UCSF in this video capturing the spirit of the day.

Founded in 1864 as Toland Medical College, UCSF was devoted from the start to training the future leaders in health sciences and biomedical research, and remains the only campus in the 10-campus University of California system with that singular focus. As the University expanded its professional training, it also developed a strong commitment to interprofessional education and collaboration among the professions, as well as a commitment to the underserved and reducing health disparities around the world.