Northwestern vs UIC (partial scholarship) vs Rosalind (large scholarship)

[ChicagoDoc95]

Hi all long time lurker here,

I am very fortunate to have received an acceptance to Northwestern, UIC and Rosalind Franklin medical schools. I feel Northwestern is best in terms of academic and research opportunities, however, I have received no scholarships from them and would have to take out loans for full cost of attendance (~220k + living expenses ). UIC awarded me a 10k/year scholarship meaning I'll take out ~140k + living expenses over the 4 years. Rosalind awarded me a scholarship that added up to 45k/year so I'd only take out ~40k in loans over the 4 years + living expenses. The COA difference among all the schools is quite staggering. I know Rosalind doesn't have the "prestige" of NU or even UIC but is attending either of those schools worth it over a "lower ranked" school that gives a very manageable cost of attendance?

For the record, if it came down to NU vs UIC I'd choose NU since COA difference is only 80k over the 4 years. So it basically comes down to NU with ~220k of loans or Rosalind with ~40k of loans.

Thank you for any advice!

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[Bethany555]

Congrats on the acceptances and scholarships! If I understand correctly, Rosalind Franklin isn't in Chicago but rather North Chicago (an hour away). NU is in the nicest (most expensive) part of Chicago. Assuming equivalent lifestyle, you will be paying much more in rent at NU (I'd look up apartments online that you'd potentially like to live in for both).

Let's assume 80k cost of living for 4 years for both. Interest accrues during medical school, residency and fellowship (assuming unsubsidized).

NU: ~300k --> ~450k
Rosalind: ~120k --> ~180k

If you want to pay it off in 10 years post-residency, the payments would be ~3800/month for NU vs. ~1500/month for Rosalind, not taking into account for differences in COL. Personally, I would go for Rosalind, given the difference. However, it depends on your personal situation. What do you want to go into? How much do want to live in downtown Chicago? Can your family help with the COA?

 

[ChicagoDoc95]

Thanks for the reply Bethany! I want to go into a competitive specialty like neurosurgery or ophthalmology. Students at Rosalind move downtown for rotations during their M3 and M4 year so not living downtown first two years does not make any difference for me. I may receive assistance as far as living expenses go but tuition will be covered purely by loans.

I feel an advantage NU holds may lie in getting more competitive research opportunities and as a result, more competitive residencies? I understand a lot of the performance in medical school is on the student but graduating from a well known medical school with good research should atleast count for something? Though the almost 200k difference in tuition prior to interest is fairly substantial... I've been told by a few physicians that graduating with minimal debt will change your life as a resident and physician. Do you guys think that's overblown or a valid claim?

 

[throwaway948738]

Thanks for the reply Bethany! I want to go into a competitive specialty like neurosurgery or ophthalmology. Students at Rosalind move downtown for rotations during their M3 and M4 year so not living downtown first two years does not make any difference for me. I may receive assistance as far as living expenses go but tuition will be covered purely by loans.

I feel an advantage NU holds may lie in getting more competitive research opportunities and as a result, more competitive residencies? I understand a lot of the performance in medical school is on the student but graduating from a well known medical school with good research should atleast count for something? Though the almost 200k difference in tuition prior to interest is fairly substantial... I've been told by a few physicians that graduating with minimal debt will change your life as a resident and physician. Do you guys think that's overblown or a valid claim?

Rosalind had 4 people match neurosurgery this year. Northwestern 1.

Northwestern had 4 match optho. Rosalind 3.

Your scholarship is looking pretty nice if those are the specialties you want.

 

[Bethany555]

Older attendings (and FMG) never had this issue, since medical school used to be substantially cheaper. Most attendings in their 30s, who face this issue, would say to reduce debt as much as possible. Most are getting married, starting families, want to buy a house, etc. and having >200k of student loans makes that hard. By the time you pay off your debt (due to interest), you could probably have bought a house with the difference. However, I wouldn't completely give up short-term happiness because of that. Did you go to revisit day and like one school better?

As a medical student, I would recommend you do clinical research (not basic science). Postdocs usually take 2+ years to publish a high-quality basic science publication working full-time. If you have a good mentor with an idea/data available, a clinical study can take as little as one or two months to submit for publication (quite possible over the summer or even the school year).

 

[tantacles]

Rosalind had 4 people match neurosurgery this year. Northwestern 1.

Northwestern had 4 match optho. Rosalind 3.

Your scholarship is looking pretty nice if those are the specialties you want.

As a student at RFU:

Most of the people who do neurosurgery from RFUMS end up taking a year off, while that often isn't necessary at a prestigious program like Northwestern. Keep that in mind as it results in a year's difference in when you go to residency and thus when you become an attending. Some at Northwestern still take a year off to match into a more prestigious program, but at RFU, it's almost necessary to do that just to match.

 

[ChicagoDoc95]

Thank you for the responses. During second look I felt like NU was the better fit overall. The students were more laid back than I expected for a top 20 institution and were very proud to be there. Also seemed like they have a good amount of free time during the M1 year which is a plus. However, it's not a perfect world and 200k+ hold a large influence.

I wasn't aware taking a year off was a necessary step for neurosurgery at RFU. That does potentially create setbacks.

In the end, the vast majority of medical students take on astronomical amounts of debt yet most attendings seem to be doing alright even while paying off loans. While very important, could the strong focus on COA be overblown?

 

[fhexhockey]

Thank you for the responses. During second look I felt like NU was the better fit overall. The students were more laid back than I expected for a top 20 institution and were very proud to be there. Also seemed like they have a good amount of free time during the M1 year which is a plus. However, it's not a perfect world and 200k+ hold a large influence.

I wasn't aware taking a year off was a necessary step for neurosurgery at RFU. That does potentially create setbacks.

In the end, the vast majority of medical students take on astronomical amounts of debt yet most attendings seem to be doing alright even while paying off loans. While very important, could the strong focus on COA be overblown?

I feel ya on this type of dilemma. I don't have this large of a price difference, but I'm also deciding between NU and one of my IS schools.

 

[lemonylime]

Congratulations on your acceptances and scholarships! While I think money is important, my vote is to choose an alma mater. What will open more doors for you? Who can you easily ask for recommendations/projects? Choose a school for its opportunities, not its cost