Baylor (full tuition) vs. UT Southwestern (full CoA)

[Hydrochlorination]

Hello SDN. I am extremely blessed to receive amazing offers from both of these schools. Currently, I am unsure as to which is the best option for me, and would appreciate any input.

Background: interested in academics for a relatively competitive specialty (not derm or ortho level competitive). I am originally from Houston. I feel good about both choices, and go back and forth as to which one is best. My gut/heart is confused about which one I should attend.

Baylor

Cost of attendance: $20K/yr... $80K over 4 years

Pros
+ "True" T20
+ High step 1 with fantastic curriculum
+ Family is in the same city
+ Slightly stronger match list (in specialty of interest)
+ Texas Medical Center is cool
+ Slightly stronger national reputation (?)

Cons
- Paying cost of living
- Not as much freedom to grow
- Expensive parking
- Internal rankings (?)


UT Southwestern

Cost of attendance: $0

Pros
+ Literally free
+ Financial independence
+ Protected research time
+ Stronger home department for my specialty of interest as compared to Baylor
+ Stronger research programs in specialty of interest
+ Parkland is legit

Cons
- Slightly weaker match list (in specialty of interest)
- Campus feels grungier
- farther from home
- AOA includes preclinical grades
- Curriculum is not focused on step (subsequently, lower step scores)

All input or thoughts are welcomed. Thank you for reading 🙂

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[pommes]

Pretty amazing deals. Given the way you've written the pros/cons, I'd go Baylor. Sounds like you're a bit more excited for Baylor (and I'm assuming preclinical is P/F?) and you'll have a good support system nearby. Can't speak much for your specialty of interest but I suspect you'd be well prepared either way.

 

[metview]

These two schools are pretty much the same in terms of reputation. Both are always ranked between 20-30. If UTSW has a better department for your specialty of interest, I would 100% go there because that is what will help you match at the best possible place. Also, I don't think any school's curriculum is better for preparing you for step. 99% of it is what you put in.

 

[toottoottoot]

One of the things to be wary of (that may have already been discussed elsewhere on SDN) is the uncertainty surrounding Baylor's relationship with Harris Health moving forward. Last thing I read/heard was that they still had not agreed on a new contract. With the arrival of U of H's new medical school, it wouldn't be beyond the bounds of possibility for Baylor's relationship with Ben Taub to change significantly over the next few years. All speculation though.

On the other hand, the thing that struck me about UTSW when I interviewed there is just how incredibly solid their clinicals are. They're a powerhouse in North Texas, only rivaled by Medical City, and the system is only growing. Really think about how important clinical experiences are to you. If they're important, I think UTSW is the place to go.

 

[tulsajoe94]

UTSW looking like the winner from what you've written. I mean, FREE and with a fantastic department in the speciality you are interested in? With the 80k you save, you can fly to Houston every weekend to visit your family and still come out less in debt!

 

[957940]

I personally preferred utsw's vibe and facilities (gym, study space, parking). Also felt that utsw's administration seemed a bit more responsive to student concerns than baylor's. But, from your pros/cons list, seems like you are leaning baylor. How debt-averse are you? How much do you value being close to family? I think those should be the main concerns here since the schools are so similar.

To address some of your points though:
-I don't think baylor has internal rankings... I know the MS4 presenting told interviewees that there are, but have been told by MS2s and MS1s that they have gotten rid of this since his year. Their preclinicals are true p/f
-Pretty sure that baylor's step scores are higher because they take it third year, not because of their curriculum content. Also, weren't the averages this year something like 239 vs. 244? Idk is that really that significant
-Aoa at utsw doesn't include all preclinical grades, only the IM block 2nd and 3rd semester. The administration only did this because utsw students asked them to (After switching to P/F current MS4s were super annoyed that aoa selection was coming down to extracurriculars when it's supposed to be an academic honor society)
-I highly, highly doubt baylor would let ben taub slip through their grasp, or that ben taub would break its longstanding relationship with baylor. Also, I don't really think this should be a concern for you since UH's first class comes after you matriculate

 

[puahate]

Is UTSW associated with MD Anderson?

 

[Hydrochlorination]

Is UTSW associated with MD Anderson?

Baylor sends quite a few students to do research at MD Anderson (Houston). UTSW is Dallas

 

[Hydrochlorination]

Looking at the match outcomes, it seems like Baylor has a better track record for sending its students to top academic centers. Their residencies in this specialty are equal in caliber (with UTSW being a little better), but on the med student side: Baylor seems to match into better programs.

Thank you everyone for the replies, they've been very insightful + helpful in my decision making process. Still taking a few days to absorb it all in

 

[puahate]

Ok just curious because i get Texas schools mixed up.

Baylor sends quite a few students to do research at MD Anderson (Houston). UTSW is Dallas

 

[Lucca]

Is UTSW associated with MD Anderson?

MD Anderson is more closely associated with McGovern

 

[Lucca]

UTSW being free is huge honestly. How much UG debt do you have? If you have 0$, then 80k total debt for Baylor is honestly pennies in the lifetime of a physician. If it's substantial, then being financially independent faster wins out IMO. I dont think youll be held back from an academic career going to either institution, honestly.

 

[Hydrochlorination]

Thanks for the replies! Coming out with $0 UG debt, and family will likely be able to contribute a decent amount to that $80K figure.

Update: I've been leaning Baylor. They match more nationally (something I'm interested in), and proximity to family. The schools seem about equal in my head academically. Going to wait a few days and see if this feeling sticks.

 

[Lucca]

Thanks for the replies! Coming out with $0 UG debt, and family will likely be able to contribute a decent amount to that $80K figure.

Update: I've been leaning Baylor. They match more nationally (something I'm interested in), and proximity to family. The schools seem about equal in my head academically. Going to wait a few days and see if this feeling sticks.

Sounds like your mind is made up. Go with your gut on this then seeing as the debt will not be too much of an issue.

Also Houston is way better than Dallas 😉.

 

[Hydrochlorination]

Going to Baylor! Thank you for the help everyone.

 

[Hydrochlorination]

Update 6 months in (inspired by swgadoo updating)

im super happy with choosing Baylor. I have several friends who went to UTSW and it is a fantastic school. However, for me it seems to have worked out well to be closer to family and the TMC is amazing. Worth the extra debt burden

I think one take home message from all of this is that I would have been happy at both schools, it’s a matter of picking which one you believe is best and then doing your best to make the most of your decision.

 

[Hydrochlorination]

MS4 about to match, revisiting this thread. TLDR; I'm still happy I chose Baylor, but this was because my family is in Houston, otherwise I'd recommend UTSW given the cost differences. If cost is the same, it's primarily Dallas vs. Houston.

I've been very happy with my experience at Baylor, and am decently surprised by how strong of an applicant I've become / schools I have interviewed with for residency. For prospective applicants I'll break down my thoughts as someone that has gone through the system

Baylor
Cost: 20K/yr ~ 80K over 4 years. -- I am feeling these costs. I have no undergrad debt (full-ride), and should be able to dig myself out of debt before residency ends. If I chose UTSW, I wouldn't have debt.

Pros
+ "True" T20 -- Man I was dumb. There's no difference in rankings.
+ High step 1 with fantastic curriculum -- To an extent self-driven, BCM does seem to have better protected dedicated study time than UTSW
+ Family is in the same city -- This was the ultimate reason I chose BCM, and the reason I would choose it again. If I didn't have family in Houston, I would recommend anyone in the same position choose UTSW.
+ Slightly stronger match list (in specialty of interest) -- There are a few specialties that are stronger at UTSW vs. BCM (for ex. peds at baylor / plastics at UTSW), but for the most part both schools have strong programs. In my case, both schools are fantastic.
+ Texas Medical Center is cool -- As I alluded to in my original posts, I ended up working a lot with MD Anderson. UTSW has more expansive research than BCM, but the TMC gives tons of opportunities.
+ Slightly stronger national reputation (?) -- They're about the same.


UT Southwestern

Cost of attendance: $0 -- Would provide me financial freedom, that I will now achieve 3 years post-graduation.

Pros
+ Stronger home department for my specialty of interest as compared to Baylor -- Not really true as I reflect, both schools are very strong in the specialty I applied
+ Stronger research programs in specialty of interest -- Might be true, but with the help of MD Anderson, I got tons of research.
+ Parkland is legit -- Parkland is a nicer building than Ben Taub. Generally speaking, Ben Taub and Parkland both give great exposure and training.

Cons
- AOA includes preclinical grades -- From what I've seen, students at neither school are happy with AOA. Baylor pre-clinics were "true" P/F, though they denote the top 10% on the residency cover letter. UTSW students knowing that preclinical grades factored into AOA made it feel more stressful. I'm sure UTSW students could chime in that they don't really care - but my friends at UTSW felt pressure to score in the 90s to keep their chances of AOA higher. At Baylor, we were happy enough scoring low 80s. Baylor's AOA was determined largely by subjective clinical evaluations which often did not truly reflect your performance. Both schools have flaws, but I at least liked that BCM didn't make us join the rat race until we entered clinics.
- Curriculum is not focused on step (subsequently, lower step scores) -- BCM has better flexibility for step dedicated, but actual scores still are determined by personal effort not curriculum.


I'm happy to be on this side of medical school. Both UTSW and BCM likely could have supported me to this point in my training, but with the covid lockdowns and clinic schedule, I was thankful to be close by to family and have the chance to frequently see them.