I'm going to be graduating from the U of A in May and will be going to U of Rochester in the fall for med school. To be fair, I didn't have the choice between the U of A and Case, (I was picking between the U of R and Case) but if I did have the choice I still think I would have chosen to go out of state to a private school. After talking with the staff, students, and faculty at the U of A in various departments I've realized more and more that the U of A is a med school in transition. There's a growing cultural divide between the rise of primary care focus (which the state needs) and the need to focus on clinical specialties (and the research that goes with that specialization). Moreover, after having talked to a lot of med students, there's an odd atmosphere there where I can't tell how stoked people are to be there. I, and more than a few other interviewees, sort of noted that while we were talking to people in the hallways waiting for the interview day no one was particularly friendly or outgoing, especially compared to other schools we had been to. I dunno. I just didn't seem to fit in at the U (as much as I would have wanted to) whereas I really clicked at the other places I got accepted to.
As far as the money, it's something that initially disappointed me (huge tuition v. state tuition) and something that worried me. But after talking to people who are managing that kind of debt, its an annoyance, but it's certainly not making their life miserable. I think through prudent financial planning and advising, managing a debt of $135,000 (the average debt for a graduating U of R student according to their financial aid office. Case would be a little higher I think) isn't a deal breaker. When I consider the fact that both of the schools I was considering (U of R and Case) are both considered stronger clinical research institutions, I'm totally happy with my choice.
Granted, you'll have to talk to me in a year or so to see how I actually feel about the reality of the situation.
