lukamagic77
New Member
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Hi everyone, deciding on California University of Science and Medicine vs University of Illinois SOM
For specialty that I'm interested in, I want to go into something fairly competitive (GI or ROAD) so I don't want to hamstring myself.
School: CUSM
Pros:
- Close to home (45-50 minutes from my family)
- Have lived in CA my whole life and want to be here for my long term future as well (residency and beyond)
- Beyond family, have very close friends that will be an hour drive way
- Professional Development Semester gives me a lot of flexibility (for those who don't know, you have a choice of a semester off either before or after clerkships)
- Cost will definitely be cheaper over time (not just because of tuition prices, but also all the little things family will help with)
Cons:
- New school, match list shows strong connections inside CA but lack of higher end specialties and IM programs
- I'm not sure I would be happy in the area of the school itself, I enjoy urban living much more and the school is about as suburban as it can get
School: UICOM
Pros:
- Better match lists for sure, people in competitive specialties as well as matching top CA IM programs
- Urban living in Chicago, would be far more exciting for me to be in a big city
- More established school
Cons:
- Never lived outside CA, and like I mentioned I see the rest of my life in CA
- Following up on that, the COLD
- Cost of attendance would end up being higher by paying not only OOS tuition but also no family support on the little things
- No support system, starting new there
For specialty that I'm interested in, I want to go into something fairly competitive (GI or ROAD) so I don't want to hamstring myself.
School: CUSM
Pros:
- Close to home (45-50 minutes from my family)
- Have lived in CA my whole life and want to be here for my long term future as well (residency and beyond)
- Beyond family, have very close friends that will be an hour drive way
- Professional Development Semester gives me a lot of flexibility (for those who don't know, you have a choice of a semester off either before or after clerkships)
- Cost will definitely be cheaper over time (not just because of tuition prices, but also all the little things family will help with)
Cons:
- New school, match list shows strong connections inside CA but lack of higher end specialties and IM programs
- I'm not sure I would be happy in the area of the school itself, I enjoy urban living much more and the school is about as suburban as it can get
School: UICOM
Pros:
- Better match lists for sure, people in competitive specialties as well as matching top CA IM programs
- Urban living in Chicago, would be far more exciting for me to be in a big city
- More established school
Cons:
- Never lived outside CA, and like I mentioned I see the rest of my life in CA
- Following up on that, the COLD
- Cost of attendance would end up being higher by paying not only OOS tuition but also no family support on the little things
- No support system, starting new there
