Case vs UIC vs OSU

[icysnake]

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Hey all- I'm hoping to get some input on some choices here. I have been lucky enough to get into a handful of schools this cycle and am slimming my choices down to Case Western, University of Illinois Chicago and Ohio State. I don't know exactly what I want to specialize in, but I have my eye on a few of the more competitive specialities, so I want a school that will have open doors to a variety of specialities and allow me to match back home to CA. I (along with both of my siblings) are former D1 athletes so most of the funds we had saved for college are going towards med school. For that reason, I'm looking at schools without analyzing financial aid for now, but will of course bring it into consideration before making a final choice.

Case Western
Pros

• Amazing resources and opportunities available (I could realistically go into any specialty I want to here and match)
• Campus is beautiful (I got the chance to visit last cycle) Although the area around it seems pretty run down
• T25 school
• True P/F, no internal ranking or AOA
• Students seem to be less stressed and have a flexible schedule (I've heard it's not as good as Case actually markets it out to be, but it's still better than many other schools)
• Only med school in Cleveland
• Low COL

Cons

• Cleveland
• Didn't get the greatest vibe on interview day or when I visited. I've talked to a few students from here since then and while some students have been great, it's still been an overall "hard to read" vibe, which probably isn't great.
• Student body doesn't seem very diverse

Neutral

• There seems to be a new curriculum going in place for c/o 2026. There isn't much info on it yet, but it does cut into M1 summer from my understanding
• Hololens & no long-term anatomy lab

UIC
Pros

• SUPER diverse class, and I can tell I would be very supported here
• Every student I've talked to has had great things to say about UIC and the students seem really happy here
• P/F preclinical (I think they still have AOA)
• I love Chicago

Cons

• Prestige (one of many med schools in Chicago area, and not as widely recognized on a national scale)
• I've heard M3/M4 years are pretty badly organized
• Some of the departments for the specialities I'm interested aren't that established. Research could be a lot more difficult to get involved with early on
• High COL

Ohio State
Pros

• Pretty big emphasis on Diversity
• Students seemed very relaxed here
• P/F preclinical
• Low COL

Cons

• Internal rank
• They seem super obsessed with their rankings
• As with UIC, some of the departments for the specialities I'm interested aren't that established. Research could be a lot more difficult to get involved with early on

Neural

• Columbus (I don't think I want to live in an a-typical midwestern town for the next 4 years. I know it's very up and coming though and is probably a nicer town than Cleveland)

Summary: Especially with my interest in competitive specialties and with step 1 going P/F, my head says go with Case, but I can't ignore that I haven't had a great feeling from them so far, especially when I compare to UIC, which is a place I feel pretty certain that I would be happy and supported.

 

[Shunsui]

I vote Case if finances are equal. I personally don't think subjective factors like a sub-par interview day or having a "hard to read" vibes should be the basis of your decision. Objectively, and for your specific situation, Case has the edge, IMO.

Matching a competitive specialty AND back to CA is going to require every advantage you can take. That would be CWRU in this case

 

[BritainKittenMittens]

I'd probably go with Case here too. UIC is also ridiculously expensive if you're OOS. I know you're not focusing on finances, but it should be a huge consideration unless you come from a very wealthy family. For the middle class, a difference of 100k+ is something that should be a factor in big life decisions.

EDIT: I looked at the schools' COA and they're a lot closer than I had thought. Looks like UIC also decreased their OOS tuition.

 

[chilly_md]

I agree that you shouldn’t let a less than enthusiastic interview day sway you much. Case is well known and I think students have enjoyed their experience there a lot. I certainly would put it ahead of UIC.

Ohio State I believe let’s you change residency and get in-state tuition for years 2-4. So that’s a factor to include.

 

[catnip12]

I would probably go with OSU personally. Likely cheaper COA, large campus, well respected in some of the more competitive specialties (esp surgical), etc.