Dartmouth vs U Miami

[nickname493]

Hello all,

I was accepted off the waitlist at both Dartmouth and U Miami and am having a difficult time deciding. The schools are very different, but both have pros and cons. I am not sure about specialty but am thinking most likely between Neurology or Ophthalmology.

Dartmouth (Geisel)

Pros:

• A 4-hour drive from my family, which makes visits easier
• Small class size, which may allow for closer mentorship and stronger support
• Strong match list with good residency placements
• Received a first-year scholarship, bringing the cost down to $70k for year one; it’s not guaranteed for future years, so worst case it is $100k/year for years 2–4

Cons:

• I’m not a big fan of the rural setting and cold winters
• Housing is somewhat difficult to find and fairly expensive
• The way the administration handled the cheating scandal a few years ago
• Expensive cost is mostly due to very high tuition 72k

U Miami (Miller)

Pros:

• The location is more exciting
• I’m interested in ophthalmology, so opportunities at Bascom Palmer
• 1-year pre-clinical curriculum to explore specialties earlier
• Offers a more diverse range of clinical experiences on campus

Cons:

• Requires a flight to visit family
• Very expensive at ~$105k/year due to Miami cost of living (I haven’t received my financial aid package yet, which might make the decision easier)
• Larger class size
• Ophthalmology is probably a popular specialty, so opportunities might be more competitive
• Grading is not true pass/fail; students are ranked into quartiles
• Very hot summers

Thanks in advance for any advice or thoughts!

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[R2D2_]

Honestly seems pretty even to me but I'd lean towards Dartmouth based on the cost

 

[Yhwach]

Dartmouth

 

[FantasticBug5960]

As a Miami native and current Geisel student, I will say Opthalmology opportunities at UM are super robust. It's one of the top places to do Opthalmology. But I concur that at Geisel you will get a much more personalized experience then at UMiami, we are a small class and usually not many in our class want to do Optho. The 1-year preclinical is great, it's part of the reason that UMiami matches so well. Their residency programs also do tend to favor UMiami internal applicants, which is another plus. It doesn't seem like Geisel is that much cheaper for you -- ~80k/yr averaged (if you don't keep the scholarship year 2-4) vs 105k/yr average? Honestly I'd pick the school I liked better.

This isn't to say Geisel's a bad option though, there's a lot of reasons Geisel is a great choice for people. I also wouldn't worry too much about the cheating scandal, much has changed. If you have any questions feel free to reach out.

 

[m1redsox]

If you have even an inkling of wanting ophtho, Miami is a no-brainer here. It is the best ophtho program and hospital in the entire world. Look at their ophtho matches for the last several years, and they rival Harvard-tier schools.

Meanwhile, Dartmouth has a low tier name in ophtho and might match 1-2 students per year.

 

[CheeesyBoi]

+1 that if you are interested at all in ophtho, choose UMiami

 

[BigDawg101]

UMiami without question for the reasons mentioned above. It's an amazing and IMO, an underrated institution. In terms of the location, clinical training, and your specialty interest, I would definitely take UMiami.