Cincinnati vs. Case Western

[StressBlows26]

Hi everyone. I have been very fortunate to receive a couple acceptances so far this cycle. I am currently in the process of deciding between Cincinnati and Case Western. I am very interested in pursuing dermatology; however, I realize this may change in med school upon exposure to other specialties. Ultimately, I hope to attend the school that provides me the most opportunities for success. Any input would be appreciated!


Cincinnati
Pros
- In-state tuition (roughly half the price of Case)
- Familiar location - friends and family live in the city
- Excellent pediatric hospital (#3 nationally I believe)
- Big fan of the medical campus
- Students I have talked to seem happy and welcoming
- T50
- Bengals football

Cons
- Ranked P/F curriculum (this might have changed to true P/F with COVID but I am unsure)
- Huge push on Pediatrics (I have no interest in pursuing pediatrics at all)
- Weekly quizzes and bi-weekly tests year 1


Case
Pros
- True P/F curriculum
- Emphasis on PBL (IQ groups)
- Attendance is not mandatory; students are finished with the day by 12, allowing flexibility in the afternoon/evening
- Few tests
- I love the campus and HoloLens technology
- T25
- Cleveland Clinic connections (this is a major factor for me)

Cons
- Super expensive (double the cost of Cincinnati *not considering scholarships*, likely around 400k total)
- I am unfamiliar with Cleveland
- Cold lol


Overall, I am leaning toward Case Western. The biggest drawback for me currently is the cost. I do not know if the extra debt would be worth attending Case over Cincinnati. 200k is a ton of money (estimate cost difference). Any advice would be helpful! Thank you all very much.

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[chilly_md]

You’ve got time to wait on scholarships to see if that makes a dent in Case’s cost. Though it’s hard to make 400k that much better.

I think just because they’re so famous for pediatrics is why they encourage it, but Cincinnati probably has enough resources for other specialities. Pediatrics made up about 14% of their match list and usually it’s been lower than that. So, most people can go a different route. I don’t think Case is worth the extra 200k, that’s gonna look terrible when interest is throw on top.

Also, it’s important for you to see if the Bengals finally build the o-line Burrow deserves. Gotta give yourself a chance to see those games and you can treat yourself to some good seats with the money saved.

 

[StressBlows26]

You’ve got time to wait on scholarships to see if that makes a dent in Case’s cost. Though it’s hard to make 400k that much better.

I think just because they’re so famous for pediatrics is why they encourage it, but Cincinnati probably has enough resources for other specialities. Pediatrics made up about 14% of their match list and usually it’s been lower than that. So, most people can go a different route. I don’t think Case is worth the extra 200k, that’s gonna look terrible when interest is throw on top.

Also, it’s important for you to see if the Bengals finally build the o-line Burrow deserves. Gotta give yourself a chance to see those games and you can treat yourself to some good seats with the money saved.

Okay that makes sense! I realize I have a lot of time before making a final decision and scholarships may influence that. And like you said, it is going to be difficult to lower the cost of Case regardless of scholarships.

Awesome insight on Cinci. Maybe the Bengals signing some solid o-lineman in the offseason will be the deciding factor for me lol. Thanks!

 

[seeinghowitgoes]

Any idea where you want to be for residency (location wise I mean)?

This is a tough one because fact is for competitive specialties, Case does give you a significant leg up and opens up most of the country compared with Cinci which is a bit more of a regional school. Outside of peds and EM, Case is the school that would set you up for success the best, and if you’re really trying to pursue Derm I wouldn’t worry as much about the cost because fact is you will make it up.

That said, Cinci is still a good school (much easier when people compare an obviously not great school with an expensive one, that isn’t the case here) and likely you could match into whatever specialty you want, but I do think it would be a more uphill battle to get into the Uber competitive ones (and I think you’d have an even tougher time if you wanted to match outside the Midwest).

Ultimately, given your stated specialty goals, unless you want to be in Cinci long term, I’d probably pick Case because the gap in what they offer is just but enough to be worth the cost in my book.

 

[StressBlows26]

Any idea where you want to be for residency (location wise I mean)?

This is a tough one because fact is for competitive specialties, Case does give you a significant leg up and opens up most of the country compared with Cinci which is a bit more of a regional school. Outside of peds and EM, Case is the school that would set you up for success the best, and if you’re really trying to pursue Derm I wouldn’t worry as much about the cost because fact is you will make it up.

That said, Cinci is still a good school (much easier when people compare an obviously not great school with an expensive one, that isn’t the case here) and likely you could match into whatever specialty you want, but I do think it would be a more uphill battle to get into the Uber competitive ones (and I think you’d have an even tougher time if you wanted to match outside the Midwest).

Ultimately, given your stated specialty goals, unless you want to be in Cinci long term, I’d probably pick Case because the gap in what they offer is just but enough to be worth the cost in my book.

I would like to live out west somewhere (ideally near the Rocky mountains). But whether or not I want to attend residency there, I am still unsure. I just know I would like options with residency.

Great stuff. This answers exactly what I was wondering! It seems like Case is well-worth the extra money then. I need whatever advantage I can get to match Derm, so I am glad that Case would provide an edge up should I chose it + larger debt. Thanks for the help.

 

[chilly_md]

I would say that between a T50 and T25 school, it’s hard to say if you get that much of a boost. And the reason people at Cincinnati don’t branch out too far is probably because most of the IS students just want to stay closer to home in residency. Case is the opposite and has mostly OOS students from all over the US who matriculate there. If you end up choosing something other than derm after getting more exposure to it, you especially have sunk a lot of money.

Someone a few years back asked about Case vs Temple (which is a good deal behind UC) and ended up at Case:

Case Western vs Temple

Hey all, I just got off the waitlist at both Case Western and Temple and am having a some trouble deciding between them. Anyone care to share your thoughts? Thanks!

forums.studentdoctor.net

He did not end up matching into a competitive residency ortho or optho.

 

[StressBlows26]

I would say that between a T50 and T25 school, it’s hard to say if you get that much of a boost. And the reason people at Cincinnati don’t branch out too far is probably because most of the IS students just want to stay closer to home in residency. Case is the opposite and has mostly OOS students from all over the US who matriculate there. If you end up choosing something other than derm after getting more exposure to it, you especially have sunk a lot of money.

Someone a few years back asked about Case vs Temple (which is a good deal behind UC) and ended up at Case:

Case Western vs Temple

Hey all, I just got off the waitlist at both Case Western and Temple and am having a some trouble deciding between them. Anyone care to share your thoughts? Thanks!

forums.studentdoctor.net

He did not end up matching into a competitive residency ortho or optho.

Fair point. Although I am shooting for Derm, I absolutely realize its level of competitiveness. My other interests also happen to be quite competitive.

That's a good example, but I wonder how many students who also chose Case over a lower-ranked school matched to their desired speciality (b/c of more opportunities and connections), which might not have worked had they chosen the lower tier school. Sheesh this is difficult, thankfully I have time.

 

[chilly_md]

It is frustrating because I was hoping to use match lists to compare schools and I learned that it is usually a futile exercise:

How to evaluate/compare match lists among different schools?

Based on what I learned here on SDN and on advices I have received from faculties, adcoms and friends in the fields: I clearly know the importance of evaluating and comparing the match lists of schools. However I have no idea how to do this properly. I mean, there are so many factors that...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Granted, if nobody has gone into a certain speciality for 4-5 straight years, then you can assume that school doesn’t have the resources for that. I would guess seeing the % of students who had to SOAP would help, but that’s not a problem here. USF has an issue with that but a lot of their students aim pretty high, so that’s understandable.

 

[yuhh]

dude CW is a T25, true P/F, and non-mandatory lectures????? only thing that would’ve completed it is a better location like NYC haha. its location might be a big turn off but fuggit bro, im choosing CW>Cincy every time. Who tf cares about COL. Once ur a rich dermatologist, u can pay that off in no time lol

 

[JohnJacobJingleheimer]

Also, it’s important for you to see if the Bengals finally build the o-line Burrow deserves. Gotta give yourself a chance to see those games and you can treat yourself to some good seats with the money saved.

Awesome insight on Cinci. Maybe the Bengals signing some solid o-lineman in the offseason will be the deciding factor for me lol. Thanks!

Lol, so where'd you end up???

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Cincinnati due to cost. I think that anything over a 50k difference makes cwru tough to choose since both are solid schools.

CWRU is bona fide T20 whereas Cincinnati may be just outside the 30 or so schools that make up T20.