Choosing the right school?

[buckyftw]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if anyone could give me their opinion which of these schools would be the best option. I know that there are a ton of threads that say, you should just go where you feel you fit, etc etc, but gut feeling aside, is there any real difference in terms of the schools themselves?

Here are the schools I need to decide between...
U of Iowa (OOS fyi)
U of Rochester
USC Keck

I have a hard time slogging through all of the rhetoric each school throws around, so if anyone has any suggestions, they would be appreciated. Thanks!

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[illegallysmooth]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if anyone could give me their opinion which of these schools would be the best option. I know that there are a ton of threads that say, you should just go where you feel you fit, etc etc, but gut feeling aside, is there any real difference in terms of the schools themselves?

Here are the schools I need to decide between...
U of Iowa (OOS fyi)
U of Rochester
USC Keck

I have a hard time slogging through all of the rhetoric each school throws around, so if anyone has any suggestions, they would be appreciated. Thanks!

I think most of the people here would rather help you sort through your own thoughts and reasoning than just give them to you and do the "slogging" themselves.

What did you think of the schools? What is important to you? What are the differences you observed?

 

[brygguy1]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if anyone could give me their opinion which of these schools would be the best option. I know that there are a ton of threads that say, you should just go where you feel you fit, etc etc, but gut feeling aside, is there any real difference in terms of the schools themselves?

Here are the schools I need to decide between...
U of Iowa (OOS fyi)
U of Rochester
USC Keck

I have a hard time slogging through all of the rhetoric each school throws around, so if anyone has any suggestions, they would be appreciated. Thanks!

Personally, I would choose USC-Keck over Iowa or Rochester. USC typically has very good USMLE scores and residency placement. Also, the atmosphere there seems very encouraging and uplifting. The people there are great. Weather in SoCal is also better than NY or Iowa. Going to USC is also kind of like joining a nationally recognized "family." It seems like everyone I've been in the USA, you always meet a Trojan fan or alum. This would mean a lot to me.

The only downside I can think of is the cost of Keck. I'm not familiar with how much Iowa or Rochester would cost, but I'm guessing they would be a little cheaper.

 

[TexasPhysician]

What city do you want to live in?
Which is cheapest?

Only 2 questions that matter.

 

[morning]

If Iowa allows you to become in-state after a year, go there.

My advice probably sucks. Money is a concern for me.

 

[MiniMoo]

Rank what's important to you and then see how the schools stack up. Personally, I would look at cost (tuition and COL) first. Next would be location and curriculum structure. Overall "feel" when I interviewed there would be used last as a tie-breaker.

 

[buckyftw]

I think most of the people here would rather help you sort through your own thoughts and reasoning than just give them to you and do the "slogging" themselves.

What did you think of the schools? What is important to you? What are the differences you observed?

I didn't mean to ask people to do the research for me, I just figured that if anyone knew a lot about them it might help. And thanks for the advice everyone, I know that money will ultimately play a role, but I also feel like unless they are extremely disparate, I would rather spend 4 years of my life at the better school.

I guess the main thing that I was wondering is if there is anything different between the potential to match from each school. I realize that boards/grades are more crucial, but do you think that if I wanted to do residency in a certain region, ie. east coast vs west coast, that should factor in?

 

[J ROD]

So Cal!!

Easy choice for me in that list....

 

[Omni]

In medicine, you don't choose schools. School choose you.
Unless you're Chuck Norris, then you choose schools.

 

[JJMrK]

USC is really expensive. How do Rochester and Iowa look?

Also, moving this to School Specific Discussions.

 

[the duck]

Its kinda hard to know without a bit of background information. If you could provide ball-park estimates of what price your looking at, or any other information you have available that would help.

 

[buckyftw]

Its kinda hard to know without a bit of background information. If you could provide ball-park estimates of what price your looking at, or any other information you have available that would help.

Well I haven't received my aid packages yet, but I think that Rochester is about 59k, USC is more like 72, and Iowa is about 60. If by other info you mean stats, I have a pretty average 33/3.85 sci and cumm, so probably no giant grants for me (especially as a white male haha).

 

[ApoK]

Well I haven't received my aid packages yet, but I think that Rochester is about 59k, USC is more like 72, and Iowa is about 60. If by other info you mean stats, I have a pretty average 33/3.85 sci and cumm, so probably no giant grants for me (especially as a white male haha).

What about Minnesota?

 

[Hifey]

Well I haven't received my aid packages yet, but I think that Rochester is about 59k, USC is more like 72, and Iowa is about 60. If by other info you mean stats, I have a pretty average 33/3.85 sci and cumm, so probably no giant grants for me (especially as a white male haha).

72 for four year is A LOT. That is INSANE. I don't know if it is only tuition or if COL is included in this but LA is NOT CHEAP. I live here so I would know. If you don't care about money, I would say USC....If not then I would go with Rochester. SoCal weather is hard to beat but 72 grand+ x 4 years=

 

[ApoK]

72 for four year is A LOT. That is INSANE. I don't know if it is only tuition or if COL is included in this but LA is NOT CHEAP. I live here so I would know. If you don't care about money, I would say USC....If not then I would go with Rochester. SoCal weather is hard to beat but 72 grand+ x 4 years=

That is including cost of living. I believe he is stating the projected COA for each school. Of those 3 choices, I would definitely take USC. Seriously, it's such a higher quality of life out there vs. Rochester/Iowa.

 

[buckyftw]

What about Minnesota?

Ha I was waitlisted there actually. Not a huge fan of their giant classes and most of their facilities being underground. And ya know, not bitter at all about the WL

 

[ApoK]

Ha I was waitlisted there actually. Not a huge fan of their giant classes and most of their facilities being underground. And ya know, not bitter at all about the WL

Well, if you're still interested in MN, I guarantee they take a bunch of people off the waitlist. I personally know 6 people with acceptances there (including my girlfriend and me) that are definitely withdrawing. Well, regardless, congratulations on your acceptances.

 

[Julietcf14]

Well, I dunno if this advice helps because I don't know anything about the other two schools you are deciding between, but I know a lot about Keck. The 72k seems like a lot but thats the max you can take out in a year. There are plenty of people who have cheaper rents (by that I mean like 700 a month) and take out less than that. It is expensive, but I never hear a single complaint about it because we are all so fricken happy to be here. Not just because of the good board scores and residency placements (although last years USMLE step 1 average was 236 which does help a bit) but mostly because everyone here is supportive, friendly, and fun. We are definitely a social school and somehow we make a LOT of time for fun activities. Plus, So Cal is such a great place to live. Everything is pass/fail so people work hard but there is not any competition (no joke). I speak for most of the people at my school when I say we would not want to be anywhere else. I know the money is a big issue, but for me personally, being happy for 4 years and getting into the specialty I wanted was a bigger issue. I am certainly not rich, and the debt is definitely big, but who else can say that med school has been some of the best years of their life?!?!?!