.

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Sort by date Sort by votes
purely from your pros and cons lists, I get the impression that you're the most excited about Pritzker > UCLA/Drew > UCSF PRIME. Pritzker seems to have the edge on mission fit (MBA opportunities + huge focus on social justice and caring for underserved populations) and student happiness; I think you'll have to weigh that with the slight bump in prestige the other two options have (T10 vs. T20? Pritzker has GREAT matches to IM though) and location in CA/proximity to family.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
First off congrats on all your options!! I agree with the poster above that it does seem like you're most excited about Pritzker (I may be slightly bias, as I'm leaning towards going there). It seems like their administration really goes above and beyond for its students which I think certainly plays a role in student happiness.

As someone who's also from CA one thing I've been thinking a lot about is that this might be my only chance to give Chicago a try before I have to really settle down (just a thought!). Quite a few of their students end up in CA for residency- so you could always return to CA after med school!

You did list ranking/prestige as a con twice when it comes to Pritzker which really makes it seem like that's a big factor holding you back. I think rankings matter to an extent but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself if you care more about your happiness or going to a higher ranked school?

Also people say money should play a large role in your decision so perhaps your aid packages will help sway you in one direction!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
roasted_oolong said:
purely from your pros and cons lists, I get the impression that you're the most excited about Pritzker > UCLA/Drew > UCSF PRIME. Pritzker seems to have the edge on mission fit (MBA opportunities + huge focus on social justice and caring for underserved populations) and student happiness; I think you'll have to weigh that with the slight bump in prestige the other two options have (T10 vs. T20? Pritzker has GREAT matches to IM though) and location in CA/proximity to family.
Click to expand...
Agree with all of this, plus would like to add that as recently as 2016, Pritzker was ranked higher than UCLA almost every year (Historical US News Rankings). But you already know the rankings are silly, so please don't let them influence your decision.

All 3 schools are very well known and respected, so matching into any of those specialties you mentioned won't be an issue (although you should see if Drew students have the same access to clinical opportunities as UCLA students). Pritzker has the most diverse student body and patient population, the best MBA program, and the strongest social justice orientation...I say choose Pritzker.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Sorry, correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Drew/UCLA has the same weight as UCLA DGSOM especially if you're concerned about prestige. If thats the case you might argue UCSF > U. Chicago > Drew depending ultimately on your career goals. Based on your cons for UCSF, U. Chicago sounds like the best option for you personally to have the freedom to pursue a more competitive speciality while still getting the social justice aspect you're searching. I don't know too much about Charles Drew but it sounds like the school is very primary care oriented with emphasis on serving the underserved (which is fantastic) but if you're not set on a primary care speciality the support and resources you might need to be more competitive for surgical specialities (urology esp.) would probably be more accessible at U. Chicago than at Drew. And lastly if you're getting an MBA U. Chicago has a phenomenal business school.
 
Upvote -1 Downvote
All 3 of your options are dream choices!! Have you talked to anyone at UCLA about doing your MBA during the discovery period in the new curriculum? I know that dual degrees are an option during the discovery period in the new curriculum. I am personally debating dual degree options vs advocacy and research.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
7summers said:
Sorry, correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Drew/UCLA has the same weight as UCLA DGSOM especially if you're concerned about prestige. If thats the case you might argue UCSF > U. Chicago > Drew depending ultimately on your career goals. Based on your cons for UCSF, U. Chicago sounds like the best option for you personally to have the freedom to pursue a more competitive speciality while still getting the social justice aspect you're searching. I don't know too much about Charles Drew but it sounds like the school is very primary care oriented with emphasis on serving the underserved (which is fantastic) but if you're not set on a primary care speciality the support and resources you might need to be more competitive for surgical specialities (urology esp.) would probably be more accessible at U. Chicago than at Drew. And lastly if you're getting an MBA U. Chicago has a phenomenal business school.
Click to expand...
Drew/UCLA is essentially being a UCLA student with the extra resources from Drew + automatically being in more urban underserved clinical locations. One's medical degree says both Drew/UCLA and you are considered matching from UCLA (hence the match list falling under UCLA's umbrella).

Also Drew has stated in pre-interview info their personal match list. Students are not pushed towards primary care and are encouraged to explore/pursue any specialty that they'd like because URM physicians are needed in both primary care, but also direly in specialties.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
All these schools are prestigious and recognized across the country so comparing prestige is like splitting hairs. Once you are talking t20 schools, you should be choosing places based on fit and where you would be the happiest. Plus, you are interested in family/internal medicine so prestige is even less important IMO. I know UCLA/Drew has programs/clinics geared towards HIV disparities and behavioral sexual health so one point there. However, after reading your "a little about me" list and before even looking at your pros/cons list, uchicago seemed like the perfect match. Reading your pros/cons reaffirmed that. uchicago seems like it has all you are looking for. Cost would be an important factor and I suspect uchicago will come through in that department. Congrats! These are amazing options.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
smallermarine said:
Drew/UCLA is essentially being a UCLA student with the extra resources from Drew + automatically being in more urban underserved clinical locations. One's medical degree says both Drew/UCLA and you are considered matching from UCLA (hence the match list falling under UCLA's umbrella).

Also Drew has stated in pre-interview info their personal match list. Students are not pushed towards primary care and are encouraged to explore/pursue any specialty that they'd like because URM physicians are needed in both primary care, but also direly in specialties.
Click to expand...
Ah okay thanks for clarifying. Every time I attempt to research Drew the information online is extremely scarce! Apologies for my earlier comment.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
DoctorMelanin said:
* Curriculum is very standard; students told me they're in class for a long time throughout the day... compare that to UCSF or Drew/UCLA where I've been told students have about 2-3 hours max of class each day
Click to expand...
I'm not sure when you interviewed and/or if you mainly spoke to M1s, but the amount of time you have to spend in class varies wildly depending on which academic quarter you're in. There are definitely blocks where you spend a max of 3ish (or less) hours in class per day. It's true that Pritzker is primarily formatted as a lecture based curriculum (and certainly that's not for everyone!), but it makes up for it with a non-mandatory policy, and with the few mandatory parts usually being small groups or interesting clinically/socially relevant lecture topics.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom