Dell vs UMich vs UMass

[Calcyalater]

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[libertyyne]

Look for UMich's COA. They might throw some money at you.
I would personally go for Umich because easier to match into something competitive if you decided to change your mind.

Umich>Dell>>>>>Umass.

 

[scienceguy95]

Go to Umich. Not only is a top 10 school, but the associated hospital is also top tier. It will open more doors for you than the other options, especially if you become interested in a competitive specialty.

 

[docr3]

UMich all the way, congrats!

 

[NeuroSoph75]

I want to offer a different opinion:

Dell is in a location you love and is close to a family member you would like to live near. The weather is great. Your spouse would not feel isolated as Austin is a city and not a college town.

On top of that, you feel you fit with the school’s mission and the facilities are probably state of the art as it is a new school.

Finally, it is your cheapest option.

You seem to be leaning towards Dell and I would not write it off just yet, especially not based solely on USNWR rankings.

Congrats on the acceptances! Update this thread when you make your final decision!

 

[libertyyne]

Hey everyone! I think the weird constellation of schools here is enough to make me not so anonymous, so I may delete this later, but I need help. I have been accepted to these 3 wonderful schools and am having a hard time making a decision, because I really loved all 3 schools when I visited. I have a 4th school in Philly in the running as well that is ranked on par with UMass, and I would absolutely go to this 4th school if and only if I got significant scholarship money, but I have not heard anything from them yet on this subject, so I have left them off the list for now since they are known for being expensive and I can't justify attending there without scholarship money.

About me: Nontrad, married (spouse is fully on board to move wherever). Specialties of interest include EM, Radiology, Anesthesia, maybe an IM subspecialty (specifically cardiology) -- all for different reasons.

Dell:
Pros
-cheap tuition ($19k/yr as OOS with merit scholarship, have not received any info on need-based aid)
-I LOVE AUSTIN
-weather beats the heck out of Mass and Michigan
-school's mission really resonates with me
-small class size
-beautiful new facilities/school/hospital
-opportunity to pursue a second degree
-sister lives in TX and it would be nice to be close to her
Cons
-new school = risk? How much of this is mitigated by the UT name? A lot of physicians I have mentioned it to up here in the northeast where I am currently have just said "oh that's a great school," not even realizing that it's still new until I tell them.
-parents do not live in TX and it would be farther from them
-TX has really big cockroaches. This is legitimately one of my biggest cons as I grew up there and have had a blissfully roach-free life in the northeast for the last few years.

Michigan:
Pros
-top 10 school and access to all of the resources/opportunities that go with that
-great global health program which is something I am interested in
-I really liked Ann Arbor when I visited
Cons
-potentially very expensive OOS tuition
-it's cold there (my willingness to deal with cold is directly proportional to how much aid I get)
-this is the only school where my spouse mentioned moving there might feel lonely

UMASS
Pros
-IS tuition although this is still pretty expensive at $33k
-Wouldn't have to move far and I actually kind of like Worcester (?)
-Closer to parents
-Everyone there was REALLY nice; I felt like I would fit in well with the community
Cons
-Not as highly ranked as Michigan
-a little too close to in-laws
-If I don't get need-based aid, that $33k/yr will be very hard to swallow as a nontrad with Dell's offer on the table
-it's cold (see above)

I want to offer a different opinion:

Dell is in a location you love and is close to a family member you would like to live near. The weather is great. Your spouse would not feel isolated as Austin is a city and not a college town.

On top of that, you feel you fit with the school’s mission and the facilities are probably state of the art as it is a new school.

Finally, it is your cheapest option.

You seem to be leaning towards Dell and I would not write it off just yet, especially not based solely on USNWR rankings.

Congrats on the acceptances! Update this thread when you make your final decision!

Reading my friend. Reading. but besides that Dell is great school and should be on the table especially considering cost.

 

[NeuroSoph75]

Reading my friend. Reading.

lol that's why I said "a family member" (OP's sister) not "your entire immediate family". Also, it seems like the in-laws OP needs space from are in Massachusetts not TX

 

[libertyyne]

lol that's why I said "a family member" (OP's sister) not "your entire immediate family". Also, it seems like the in-laws OP needs space from are in Massachusetts not TX

fair enough.

 

[Calcyalater]

Reading my friend. Reading. but besides that Dell is great school and should be on the table especially considering cost.

Thank you for this and your other advice!! I do know that Michigan is the logical choice, but I also felt like there was just something exciting about Dell. Who knows, though - maybe UMich will sweep me away at Second Look. I also wonder how much of this is due to the recency effect given that I interviewed at Michigan in late September and at Dell in December.

I’m also curious - you say Dell is a great school. It’s only been around for 3 years, though. Does it already have a reputation for being a good program? Is this enough to counteract the risks of attending a new school with no match data where the step 1 scores for the first class won’t be out until this summer? Is it just the cost that made you say Dell>UMass?

 

[libertyyne]

Thank you for this and your other advice!! I do know that Michigan is the logical choice, but I also felt like there was just something exciting about Dell. Who knows, though - maybe UMich will sweep me away at Second Look. I also wonder how much of this is due to the recency effect given that I interviewed at Michigan in late September and at Dell in December.

I’m also curious - you say Dell is a great school. It’s only been around for 3 years, though. Does it already have a reputation for being a good program? Is this enough to counteract the risks of attending a new school with no match data where the step 1 scores for the first class won’t be out until this summer? Is it just the cost that made you say Dell>UMass?

Cost. Tx schools are good quality low cost. I mostly said it because of cost.

Dell has a few things going for it.
Location.
Money-boatloads of it.
Affiliated hospital.

Here are the negatives.
Kinks in corricula
Kinks in advising for residency match
Unknow untested.

The reason I put it above UMass was because UMass is expensive and is ok in quality but nothing to write home about.

That being said Dell isnt going to make it easier for you to land a residency compared to Michigan. It is unknown in pds minds . And even after being established is it not going to become a top ten school anytime soon.