Case Western vs UC Irvine

[premed_c]

I am really, really grateful that I have been accepted to a great school, but I am not 100% sure that it's the right fit for me. Any advice would be appreciated!

Case Western
Pros

• True P/F for pre-clinical with no class ranking
• Everyone I met at the school seemed incredibly kind and supportive
  • Current students seem genuinely happy
• A lot of research opportunities that I enjoy/is important for residences
• 4 highly ranked hospitals for clinical rotations
• School ranked T25
• Stellar Match list
  • I would like to match back to California
• Has a really, really solid curriculum structure with ample self-study time

Cons

• Very very expensive (COA ~$110,000/year) + no financial aid
• Far away from my support network (I'm from California)
• Cleveland seems a little bit boring, TBH
• I’m a little apprehensive about the winter climate

UC Irvine - Currently on the WL
Pros

• Great program ranked T50
• In-state tuition is significantly cheaper than Case Western
• I love the location
• Closer to family and friends
• I would get to stay in California / a higher match to California probability
• I am really passionate about working with Latino Communities and improving the health of underserved populations, and I feel like UCI has more outreach opportunities for these specific communities.

Cons

• P/F for year 1, H/P/F for years 2-4 + internal ranking
• Higher cost-of-living
• Really hard to find their Match stats/list
• Clinical sites are farther from the med school than at Case

Summary: Trying to decide if I should stick with Case Western or send a Letter of Intent to UC Irvine.

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[Mr.Smile12]

Have you already sent correspondence to UCI? When?

 

[Jtrisler]

over 400k in loans and shoveling your driveway in the winter is no joke.

 

[jvquarterback]

UCI. That's a year and a half’s salary after taxes so you can live in Cleveland for four years for med school then another 3-7 years in another Midwest city when you find out case doesn’t match to competitive residencies in California. By then you’re thinking another couple years somewhere less desirable doesn’t matter because you need to make $to pay for your home in Irvine when you finally get back to CA twelve years later.

 

[JungleTrouble]

UCI. That's a year and a half’s salary after taxes so you can live in Cleveland for four years for med school then another 3-7 years in another Midwest city when you find out case doesn’t match to competitive residencies in California. By then you’re thinking another couple years somewhere less desirable doesn’t matter because you need to make $to pay for your home in Irvine when you finally get back to CA twelve years later.

Wait wdym, they do got some competitive ones back in CA

OFFICIAL - 2024 Match Lists

MCW: Match List and Residency locations for all 3 campuses here Thank you for going to the trouble, @JungleTrouble I updated the MCW hyperlink in post #1 to go to your link

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[jvquarterback]

What % of CW students are from CA? I'll tell you most of them want to go back to CA. Most of them don't get there for a competitive residency or fellowship.

Do the same thing for UCI. It isn't close. Go to CW and you're most likely stuck in the midwest for 7-12 years if you want a competitive residency. I was and so were a bunch of my classmates. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it should be stated as the fact it is.

Edit: 5-6 competitive surgical subspecialty residency spots is pretty good. You still need the number in the denominator to know how good though.