Cinci v. Pittsburgh v. Seattle v. CHOP v. CHLA
Started by Slade
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Those are all top programs. In the end you'll have to go with your gut feeling and priorities because reputation and career-wise I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. I'm not sure anything you hear on these forums will help you at this point since you've already visited those programs yourself.
That being said, I can tell you about my priorities but I don't know yours. Of your list, I interviewed at Cinci, Pitt, and CHLA. I thought all were fantastic programs with awesome people. As a Californian living in the Midwest for med school, I'm ready to go home and that's why CHLA stands out to me. If I didn't mind sticking it out in Ohio longer, Cinci would be higher on my list compared to Pitt, because the weather and winter driving are more daunting to this lame Californian, but reputation-wise and program-wise both Cinci and Pitt seemed to be awesome.
Can't comment on Seattle or CHOP firsthand. All of my school graduates who are interns at CHOP say they are happy and amazed by the smart people they work with, but it sounds like reputation does play a factor in them being there. The interns at UW I talked to were super happy. The one downside anybody mentioned about Seattle was rain. Long story short, this is definitely one of those "go with your gut" moments. Good luck with your rank list.
That being said, I can tell you about my priorities but I don't know yours. Of your list, I interviewed at Cinci, Pitt, and CHLA. I thought all were fantastic programs with awesome people. As a Californian living in the Midwest for med school, I'm ready to go home and that's why CHLA stands out to me. If I didn't mind sticking it out in Ohio longer, Cinci would be higher on my list compared to Pitt, because the weather and winter driving are more daunting to this lame Californian, but reputation-wise and program-wise both Cinci and Pitt seemed to be awesome.
Can't comment on Seattle or CHOP firsthand. All of my school graduates who are interns at CHOP say they are happy and amazed by the smart people they work with, but it sounds like reputation does play a factor in them being there. The interns at UW I talked to were super happy. The one downside anybody mentioned about Seattle was rain. Long story short, this is definitely one of those "go with your gut" moments. Good luck with your rank list.
Thanks for the post! You've basically mirrored my own thoughts exactly. For CHOP, I was really happy when I got the interview (maybe a little star-struck), but actually pretty disappointed after I went there. The residents seemed happy enough, but not as nice as many places. They weren't mean in any way, just got a colder, way more intense vibe from them. At the other programs, the residents (which, let's not kid ourselves, are just as smart) were happy AND nice/warm. It just made the whole atmosphere much more welcoming.
I also felt like Pitt and Cinci were very similar programs, with Cinci having maybe very slightly better reputation, and Pitt having a little more manageable city, size-wise.
CHLA and Seattle were my favorite West Coast programs, and I loved everything about them (except for written progress notes at Seattle... I mean really? Everything else is electronic).
I think I'll just go with gut feeling. I just certified my list yesterday and I feel pretty good about it. Now just all this waiting. 🙂
Good luck to you too!
I also felt like Pitt and Cinci were very similar programs, with Cinci having maybe very slightly better reputation, and Pitt having a little more manageable city, size-wise.
CHLA and Seattle were my favorite West Coast programs, and I loved everything about them (except for written progress notes at Seattle... I mean really? Everything else is electronic).
I think I'll just go with gut feeling. I just certified my list yesterday and I feel pretty good about it. Now just all this waiting. 🙂
Good luck to you too!
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