Hello everyone,
I have been fortunate to receive acceptances to both Dartmouth and Miami and would appreciate any thoughts/insights into this decision, especially as all interviews have been virtual this cycle and its not possible to visit campus unfortunately.
Some minor background about me, I am a 23 year old male from CA, looking to pursue a competitive specialty (possibly IR), enjoy outdoors/sports but would probably rather be in urban environment (but not deal breaker). Would like to possibly match in the future in CA. Considering pursuing academic medicine in the future. I will be funding education myself through loans/financial aid, have not yet received financial aid packages, but do not anticipate getting anything significant.
Dartmouth
Pros
-Prestige/name recognition (pro for academic medicine/more competitive specialties?)
-Great match list for its perceived "mid-tier" ranking with great connections to west coast, especially as I might want to match back in CA
-1.5 year new pre-clinical curriculum, P/F grading
-Clerkships around the country- cool to experience care in various settings
-Small class size (92): more opportunities for interaction with professors/individualized research experiences
-Outdoors- easy access to hiking/skiing nearby
-Possibility of doing dual degree MD/MBA pathway at Tuck
Cons
- location (cold, rural, personally have lived in suburbs entire life)
- I've heard that a significant portion of students are non-trads/older and married; being single/23, not sure how well I would fit in socially
- lack of diversity in patient population
- higher average cost per year compared to Miami (~$90k compared to ~$75k)
Miami
Pros
- Location (warm, beach, unique culture)
- Jackson Memorial Hospital is amazing clinical site, lots of hands on experience as a medical student
- Very diverse environment and patient population, free clinics through DOCS
- NextGen MD curriculum: 1 year P/F pre-clinical curriculum, leaves large amount of time as MS3/4 for research/away rotations/other opportunities to boost residency app
- Larger class size (200), might be better social fit with most students being traditional/on younger side, students seemed to have a good work/life balance
- as a big sports fan, ability to go to UMiami/professional sporting events
Cons
- ranked lower than Dartmouth...should this matter with Step 1 going P/F and school reputation probably gaining greater weight for residency purposes?
- might have fewer research opportunities/ tougher to find with increased class size
- more expensive Cost of living than Hanover
At both virtual interview days, students seemed pretty laid back/chill, but I feel like it is tougher to gauge the overall environment/stress levels in a virtual setting.
If anyone else has navigated the decision between these schools/is choosing between them now, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you for your help!
I have been fortunate to receive acceptances to both Dartmouth and Miami and would appreciate any thoughts/insights into this decision, especially as all interviews have been virtual this cycle and its not possible to visit campus unfortunately.
Some minor background about me, I am a 23 year old male from CA, looking to pursue a competitive specialty (possibly IR), enjoy outdoors/sports but would probably rather be in urban environment (but not deal breaker). Would like to possibly match in the future in CA. Considering pursuing academic medicine in the future. I will be funding education myself through loans/financial aid, have not yet received financial aid packages, but do not anticipate getting anything significant.
Dartmouth
Pros
-Prestige/name recognition (pro for academic medicine/more competitive specialties?)
-Great match list for its perceived "mid-tier" ranking with great connections to west coast, especially as I might want to match back in CA
-1.5 year new pre-clinical curriculum, P/F grading
-Clerkships around the country- cool to experience care in various settings
-Small class size (92): more opportunities for interaction with professors/individualized research experiences
-Outdoors- easy access to hiking/skiing nearby
-Possibility of doing dual degree MD/MBA pathway at Tuck
Cons
- location (cold, rural, personally have lived in suburbs entire life)
- I've heard that a significant portion of students are non-trads/older and married; being single/23, not sure how well I would fit in socially
- lack of diversity in patient population
- higher average cost per year compared to Miami (~$90k compared to ~$75k)
Miami
Pros
- Location (warm, beach, unique culture)
- Jackson Memorial Hospital is amazing clinical site, lots of hands on experience as a medical student
- Very diverse environment and patient population, free clinics through DOCS
- NextGen MD curriculum: 1 year P/F pre-clinical curriculum, leaves large amount of time as MS3/4 for research/away rotations/other opportunities to boost residency app
- Larger class size (200), might be better social fit with most students being traditional/on younger side, students seemed to have a good work/life balance
- as a big sports fan, ability to go to UMiami/professional sporting events
Cons
- ranked lower than Dartmouth...should this matter with Step 1 going P/F and school reputation probably gaining greater weight for residency purposes?
- might have fewer research opportunities/ tougher to find with increased class size
- more expensive Cost of living than Hanover
At both virtual interview days, students seemed pretty laid back/chill, but I feel like it is tougher to gauge the overall environment/stress levels in a virtual setting.
If anyone else has navigated the decision between these schools/is choosing between them now, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you for your help!