BU vs. UConn (IS)

[bluenette23]

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I’d really appreciate some outside input on the decision I’m making here. The important people in my life have differing and also very strong/emotional opinions on which school I should choose, and I’m having trouble making a decision because of it.

*both schools are P/F preclinicals with a chance to retake anything you fail without it appearing on your transcript. Both are same proximity to family*

BU
Pros:
- In the same city as my boyfriend, whom I currently live with and want to continue living with. Unlikely he would/could move.
- Higher ranked (I think I would probably like academic medicine, so I think this is more important, especially now - correct me if I’m wrong)
- Small “quizzes” every Friday instead of giant tests
- Structured flipped classroom, with at-home content being designed to be covered in a sane amount of time
- BMC seems like a cool place to learn, but tbh idk how important this is?
- Lots of exposure to addiction medicine, an interest of mine
- Admin seems incredibly supportive according to current students
- Access to Boston/MGH/BWH/etc
- National/“prestigious” match list with plenty of home program matching
- Have wanted to live in a city in my 20s for forever

Cons:
-$30k more per year (I’m planning to negotiate with financial aid using my UConn package but idk how well that will go)

UConn
Pros:
- My roommate/close friend from college is an M1 and loves it
- Longitudinal community clerkship (3+ years) seems fantastic
- Newer tech
- Also seems to have a very supportive admin
- Will not need private loans to attend (will need the max federal loans)
- Every specialty consistently represented in the match

Cons:
- TBL-based curriculum - not sure if I would like that being my primary method
- Unstructured flipped classroom - prep materials are more than any student could reasonably review before class, so you have to decide what to focus on and you make be wrong
- 8hr test every 10 weeks
- Curriculum seems a bit heavy on soft stuff like ethics/professionalism/community/etc - multiple mandatory classes per week

If you were to take the relationships out of this and make an objective decision, which would you choose?

 

[chilly_md]

If we take the relationship out, the 120k difference is the most notable. Rent might make it higher too with how costs have been rising. I’m not sure Boston is worth that on a reputation basis alone. But what you’ve found out about the curriculum at UConn is concerning. I think you can work your way around which resources to use since you have a close friend who will be 1 year ahead of you the whole time. It probably would be a big help to have somebody like that to help you out instead of starting out with nobody at Boston. I don’t really like the 8 hr exams though. You’ll have to ask your friend more details about that to see how to navigate that and if it’s as stressful as it sounds.