Cincinnati vs. Toledo

[NotTheApplicant]

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My husband just got accepted at the University of Cincinnati. He's already been accepted to Toledo.

We'd love to hear anybody's thoughts comparing the two schools. Pre-interview we thought Cinci would be the obvious choice (since it's much closer to a family support network) and Toledo is a bit more expensive. But after interviewing at both schools, he was a bit disappointed with Cinci. He said his tour guide seemed really burned out and not enjoying her education while he said Toledo seemed to be really relaxed and a better student environment. But it's entirely possible that the one tour guide was not representative of the average experience at Cinci.

Basically, we'd love to hear anything and everything about both schools ASAP since he can't hold acceptances at both schools and needs to choose one.

 

[KinesiologyNerd]

I wouldn't let a bummed out tour guide sour you on a school. Especially since obviously there are reason you like it over Toledo. Money is important and so is a family support network. IIRC you guys have kids right? That could be huge down the line.

 

[NotTheApplicant]

I wouldn't let a bummed out tour guide sour you on a school. Especially since obviously there are reason you like it over Toledo. Money is important and so is a family support network. IIRC you guys have kids right? That could be huge down the line.

We do, two of 'em (4 years old and four weeks old). Which is one reason I'm worried about Toledo. The public schools look...questionable. I haven't had a chance to look into the Cinci school system. Private isn't an option for financial reasons.

 

[5lippy]

Stay away from Toledo. The area is awful.

 

[Littlet]

What do you mean stay away from Toledo? Toledo is a great program with great match rates and the city is not "dangerous," idk why people keep perpetuating that thought on here.

 

[KinesiologyNerd]

What do you mean stay away from Toledo? Toledo is a great program with great match rates and the city is not "dangerous," idk why people keep perpetuating that thought on here.

I don't think he's talking about it from a danger perspective. It's just not a great city for college aged/young professionals. It's a total commuter campus, and there's really just not that much to do in Toledo.

 

[frost08]

OP I had to make this same decision a few months ago as I was accepted at both UT and Cincy. Toledo is a great school but I chose Cincy and here's why:

-better reputation
-seems like you are out-of-state, if you move to Northern Kentucky, your husband will get in-state tuition for the first year! Contact financial aid if you want more info or see the MedOneStop page. (not a decision factor for me but may be for you)
-not sure if your husband is interested in research, but I found research opportunities at Cincy to be much better than Toledo (I'm not even there yet and I've already contacted/found a faculty member to do research for)
-I strongly preferred the curriculum at UC to UT. UC recently changed to a "systems based" curriculum which is more compatible with my learning style. UT uses the traditional med school curriculum.
-from the most recent edition of U.S. News and World Report med school rankings, UC students scored an average of 233 on Step 1! Take this with a grain of salt but this average is comparable to top 25 schools.
-Not sure if your husband is interested in surgery or surgical sub specialty but UC has a good (top 25) reputation in surgery. The anatomy lab is beautiful and I've heard teaching faculty are excellent - one reason why many graduates go on to gen surg or other surgical sub specialties.
-Likewise, Cincinnati Children's hospital is #3 in the country. Great opportunity if he is interested in peds or any sub-specialty in peds.

I guess I'll sum it up with this - both Toledo and Cincinnati are great schools. I am very confident that if you work hard at either school you can match into great residencies/competitive specialties. I also know that I've never heard of anyone choosing Toledo over Cincy (excluding applicants offered financial aid) - I think that says something about the caliber of UC compared to Toledo. It was hard for me to withdraw from UT because I have friends attending the med school there and really enjoyed faculty/med students at my interview day. At the same time I'm pretty confident I made the right decision. PM if you want more advice or have questions. I hope this helps.

 

[eggs13]

Absolutely Cincinnati

 

[NotTheApplicant]

Thanks everybody. He's decided to listen to the majority's advice and choose Cincinnati. He's still hoping Calgary will take him off their wait list though.