Warren Alpert (Brown) vs. University of Wisconsin vs. Columbia

[TheKMan1]

So I've been accepted to both Brown and University of Wisconsin (in-state). I was waitlisted at Columbia. First I'm trying to decide if clawing my way off of the waitlist at Columbia is worth the effort. The school is incredibly expensive (80k per year total cost of attendance versus 40k at UW) and I feel like taking on that much debt would push me towards a more lucrative specialty, regardless of my interests. At this time I have no idea if I want to be a super specialist surgeon or do infectious disease and go into research, i.e., no idea about my specialty interests at all. I just know that I'm interested in academia. Any insights on this matter?

Assuming I don't get into Columbia, anyone have any thoughts on UW versus Brown? UW is a great value for sure, but I felt I jived really well with the culture at Brown, and expanding my comfort zone and network in a new area of the country would be great. Also, being interested in a career in academia, maybe Brown would set me up better for this? With Brown the same financial constraints come into play as with Columbia.

Thanks for any thoughts!

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[SN12357]

If Wisconsin was my in-state school (I interviewed there as an OOSer) there's no chance I'd go anywhere else unless a full-tuition scholarship were involved.

I can say with good certainty that Brown isn't going to set you up better for academia than Wisconsin. For a little external confirmation take a look at their research ranking in USNews. Wisconsin is higher, although both are so close that the difference doesn't really mean anything.

 

[TheKMan1]

Thanks for the input @SN12357. Would you pass up Columbia for instate at UW as well?

 

[SN12357]

Thanks for the input @SN12357. Would you pass up Columbia for instate at UW as well?

I would pass up Columbia at full cost for Wisconsin at in-state tuition, yes (I interviewed at Columbia as well). If the cost was the same or fairly close I would probably pick Columbia.

 

[ace12345]

I would try to work my way into Columbia, but that is only my perspective as an applicant. UW is great either way.

 

[TheKMan1]

Can any residents or beyond comment on this? Five days to decide! I was also accepted at McGill, just to complicate matters.

 

[yankees26]

Yea, in my opinion, I would pass up Columbia at full cost for Wisconsin at in-state tuition. If the cost was the same or fairly close I would probably pick Columbia. Dont know too much about McGill, but you could not go wrong with Wisconsin anyway.

 

[Amba]

OP - I'm in state for WI and am facing a similar situation. I'm probably choosing UW, but feel free to PM me and I will explain more candidly why.

 

[alpinism]

Can any residents or beyond comment on this? Five days to decide! I was also accepted at McGill, just to complicate matters.

If you want to do residency in the US (especially at top academic hospitals) do not leave the US for med school. While McGill is admittedly a great med school, you'll still be at a disadvantage vs US grads when applying for residency.

UW has a slightly better reputation than Brown.

That being said, UW also has more research opportunities and more top residencies.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Since you don't have a financial aid package from Columbia I would assume equal cost and ask yourself if at equal cost is it worth the effort. The average debt out of Columbia is ~100k, and when you take out people with full rides/no debt, it's 150k.

 

[TheKMan1]

What extra effort are you referring to? To get in or to study there? Either way, those debt numbers are including all of the students who have parents paying tuition or have other means of income. Brown's avg debt is similarly low, yet my actual projected debt there with my package is 100k more than listed avg debt.

That's kind of a tangent, though. Assuming brown and Columbia are 100k more than uw... Is that worth it? For me, there's enormous value in leaving my hometown and the school where I got my bachelor's. But idk if it's worth that much...

McGill seems like a slight disadvantage for residencies, but the opportunity to learn French and live in Montreal in my twenties is super appealing...

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

There's no way you should be considering McGill if you want to stay in the US for residency. You can look up these data but the % matching for US senior grads vs IMGs is very different and is definitely not worth the opportunity to learn French.

I would pursue the waitlist at Columbia and failing that, it sounds like you liked Brown better so I'd go there.

 

[TheKMan1]

Are mcgill grads IMG? I'm under the impression that they're 100% accredited and not any different than us med schools - unlike Caribbean.

Anyway, thoughts on taking on 100 to 200 K extra debt to be at Brown or Columbia? Uw was my undergrad, so I'm concerned about feeling inbred...