Carle Illinois vs Quinnipiac (Netter)

[ukwim]

Carle Illinois
Pros

• Engineering-focused and the curriculum seems really interesting
  • I didn't have an engineering background so I'm a little scared but also, the engineering focused school is so exciting to me
• smaller class-size
• seems like a very supportive community
• Haven't talked to many current students, but it seems like there is strong mentorship and opportunities for research
• I really enjoyed doing their secondary - but I'm still a little scared about not having a strong engineering background
• I don't have the financial aid information yet, but it seems like it would be cheaper? (I'm not in-state but this school just seems cheaper than Netter overall - including the living costs in the area)

Cons

• I was not an engineering major - I just took a bunch of high-level math classes in undergrad
• Very very new school - not much match data but seems like a pretty competitive school?
• I've never been visited or been in the area before

Quinnipiac (Netter)
Pros

• I visited for second-look day, and people seemed to really like it
  • The campus was pretty nice
• A little older of a school?
• My best friend lives in the area (but might be leaving in the next year) and I currently live 3 hours so the move might be easier?
• Close to NY and BOS, where I have a lot of friends but I probably won't have too much time to go back and forth

Cons

• Doesn't have a on-site hospital - so have to travel quite far to get to rotations
  • That's probably the biggest con for me - I don't really want to drive so much all the time
• Didn't receive any financial aid so really stressed to figure out how I would pay for this school
• bigger class size - double Carle's

Summary: Both are relatively new schools, and I feel excited going to both, but there's different factors to consider. Any thoughts would be really helpful!! I don't know too much about Carle because I just got off the waitlist, so I have 1 week to decide.

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[signomiii]

Hi! I was admitted to both schools. Feel free to PM me if you wanna bounce ideas or talk more. But some notes:

Engineering:
- Carle’s engineering focus is daunting but during the showcases they said they believe engineering is NOT the only way to innovate, they very much value us non-engineers and what we can bring. You can always focus more on research, medical education, public health, etc. and it’s more about training medical students to find creative solutions to solve problems in medicine, and there’s many many ways to do so
- Additionally, on the showcase they said they understand that you’re in medical school to become a doctor, and will prioritize the clinical/becoming a physician aspects over engineering/innovation stuff. (Physician first, innovator second)
- I think Carle has so much room for growth being one of the only medical/engineering schools and with tech being a hot topic rn. I think Carle has better ways for you to really stand out in residency apps than Quinnipiac.

School establishment/match:
- Carle is new but I’m pretty sure Quinnipiac is only a few years newer with their first class starting in 2013 or something. Q has more match data, Carle has had some insane matches though (100% match inaugural class and strong list) but now not everyone reports so who knows if it is continuing that way.
- I’ve heard about some disorganization at Carle with many kinks to work out as a new school but seems to be improving dramatically year to year based on student feedback. They care what the students say. I was at showcase last year and this year and student responses seemed very diff. Q seems more organized/put together in general.
- Carle has a home program which helps with residency connections/opportunities generally, idk how strong of a program it is though. Quinnipiac doesn’t have a home program but has a strong match list esp in the northeast, proximity probably helps with connections.

Opportunities
- tbh both schools seem to struggle with research opportunities. Carle mentions some opportunities in the second look slide/research page so it seems like there has been going in a positive direction (?). I think they’re actively trying to improve in research and hire research faculty. At Quinnipiac you’ll have to look outside for opportunities, I think 10% get to do research at Yale but that’s not a lot

Location:
- Carle location is prob the big downside for me. Students have said that the area is pretty boring (flat and lots of corn.) Similarly I have a bigger support network in the northeast which is why I’m probably choosing a school in the area rather than Carle. It is 2 hours from Chicago though so weekend trips to the city are possible if that’s your thing.
- I heard there’s not much to do at North Haven either but you’re 2-3 hour drive from NYC and Boston. Nature and Hiking are accessible as well. Plus support network is huge plus factor.

Other
- I think you’ll need a car regardless of which school you go to for rotations.
- Class size is p similar imo with both <100. You’ll get to know everyone at both schools. Smaller class size is more tightknit + more individual attention, but con if you don’t get along with anyone and find your people