Cornell vs U.Chicago vs Michigan

[naijaboi]

I have been accepted to all three. I really enjoyed the schools when I visited. All things considered - academics, reputation, match lists, quality of life and location - which one would you pick? I am also interested in competitive residencies (ortho, neuro) and ideally I would like to end up in the east coast, but this could change. They are all similarly ranked; Michigan @ 11, U.Chicago @ 13 and Cornell @ 18th. I am interested in knowing your choice and your reasons for choosing.

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[DoctwoB]

Go with the monies (whichever gives you more aid), as they're all great schools. i preferred cornell to Uchicago when I interviewed (didn't interview at Umich), and think that it would be better for landing an east coast residency, especially in the greater NYC area.

 

[chickensandwich]

the biggest difference to me between those 3 schools (all of which are excellent, good reputation, etc) is location. ann arbor, chicago and nyc strike me as very different, so if it were me, it'd come down to location first, with financial aid taken into consideration, though my understanding is that all 3 are somewhat liberal with their aid (u chicago the most so?)

 

[mybubbles14]

Chicago for the great city (slightly biased) and more importantly their amazing financial aid 👍

 

[JJMrK]

Are you a Michigan resident?

 

[naijaboi]

Are you a Michigan resident?

no, I am hoping for some merit/need based aid. I guess financial aid will also be a major factor in my decision.

 

[gimbal]

bump?

 

[chickensandwich]

for me, it'd be cornell, based entirely on location. that said, if the locations are comparable for you in terms of how much you'd enjoy living there, i'd go by what's cheapest, since you're picking between three schools that i understand to be fairly generous with aid (but not necessarily to the same people in terms of merit and recruitment vs need).

 

[chickensandwich]

lol i just replied with almost the same thing as what i said before without realizing it. at least i'm consistent?

 

[jerew]

In the same boat. I am only going to UChicago revisit, so I suppose that's my vote! Maybe I'll see you there. I like the academic environment of Chicago a bit more than MI (no slouch though). As for Cornell, not a fan of PBL. NYC would be great though, as well as NYP. I wouldn't mind some midwestern nice though at Chicago...

 

[bfg9000]

Like you and Jerew, I'm also facing a similar decision. And I'm also only attending UChicago's revisit (maybe I'll see you there!). UChicago's been a top choice for me from the beginning. I like its emphasis on research, grad student community (I love the idea that it's contiguous with the rest of campus), location (I like urban), small class size, intellectual atmosphere, and overall friendliness and vibe I got from the faculty/administration and students.

Cornell's facilities are impressive, but I'm not completely sold on PBL. I also didn't have much interaction with the administration/faculty during my interview day, so I was left a bit cold. The location in NYC is great (a little far from the subway), but I'd prefer being near the rest of a university's campus. Cornell felt just like a building (albeit a great one) in a city, and I prefer a university feel.

Michigan had the university feel, but it all felt overly "rah-rah" to me. The large class size was a turn-off, and I felt I clicked better with students at other schools. Also not a fan of being in a college town for another four years.

Obviously, your priorities could be completely different from mine... but there's my $.02... Hope this helps...

 

[naijaboi]

I think Michigan is out. I live in a small town after having lived in a city for eight years, and I am not liking it. But I did enjoy the school and students when I visited. It has always been a dream of mine to live in NYC. Cornell is a decent school, excellent facilities and NYP. I like PBL, but like bfg9000 said, I did not have much interaction with the administration/faculty. I also heard that they care more about the hospital than the students. U.Chicago was one of my best interviews, and it is also in a major city. I especially love small class size and collegiate environment. Pending decisions from HYS, I think that I will be attending U.Chicago. I will visit Cornell one more time before making a decision.

 

[naijaboi]

In the same boat. I am only going to UChicago revisit, so I suppose that's my vote! Maybe I'll see you there. I like the academic environment of Chicago a bit more than MI (no slouch though). As for Cornell, not a fan of PBL. NYC would be great though, as well as NYP. I wouldn't mind some midwestern nice though at Chicago...

If you are going, then I am definitely going. It would be great to meet the infamous jerew. You acceptances are off the hook.

 

[jerew]

If you are going, then I am definitely going. It would be great to meet the infamous jerew. You acceptances are off the hook.

Sweet, I'll be looking forward to it! I'm easy to spot, and am the admin of the U Chicago Facebook group (the guy from Cornell). Did you join the group btw?

 

[naijaboi]

Sweet, I'll be looking forward to it! I'm easy to spot, and am the admin of the U Chicago Facebook group (the guy from Cornell). Did you join the group btw?

Yeah, I did. I asked the question about who was definitely attending, and I think you replied.

 

[d1ony5u5]

Those are all amazing schools... I'd go with what others have said: 1st financial aid, and then location. I don't think you could go wrong with either of the 3 so it just comes down to subjective preference.

I voted Cornell just based on NYC location, although really, for me it's a tie between Cornell and Pritzker.

Happy choosing!

 

[alibai3ah]

Those are all amazing schools... I'd go with what others have said: 1st financial aid, and then location. I don't think you could go wrong with either of the 3 so it just comes down to subjective preference.

I voted Cornell just based on NYC location, although really, for me it's a tie between Cornell and Pritzker.

Happy choosing!

To add to this point, I would also look at how much financial aid they give. If they give you a small amount, then in the grand scheme of things, I believe location should be the main factor.

If you want to stay in the Northeast, I would go with Cornell. But I voted for UChicago b/c it seemed like a cooler place to go.

 

[VOP]

I'd put the names in a hat, shake 'em a little bit then pick a school. If you don't like that choice, toss it out then pick again, if you still don't like it, then you only got one and only one option left.

 

[doc1354]

I faced this same decision last year (without Michigan) and ended up at Pritzker. Revisit is the best way to learn about a school, so come if you can. Message me if you want my email address/phone number to discuss how I made my decision. Best of luck to all of you!

 

[BubbaChuck3]

I faced this same decision last year (without Michigan) and ended up at Pritzker. Revisit is the best way to learn about a school, so come if you can. Message me if you want my email address/phone number to discuss how I made my decision. Best of luck to all of you!

The OP is now going to Harvard. His post was a little premature.