Help me choose Case Western vs UNC

[sinreina]

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Case western

Pros

• Cheaper ($61k/year with scholarship)
• Big fan of the curriculum. The written assessments and inquiry groups really resonate with my learning style
• Minimal time in class during pre clinical years. Feel like that provides a lot of time to do ECs / research
• Cleveland clinic
• Currently interested in ortho & they match super strongly. Match to competitive specialties in general is really strong

Cons

• Cleveland lol. I like being in a city that has a lot of major sports but it’s cold asf and kinda gloomy from what I hear
• Far from home

UNC

Pros

• Would live in chapel hill, but get to be close to home (~1 hour away). Would be nice to have that getaway and also my parents would def bless me up with food during rough stretches
• They also match fairly well in competitive specialties. Definitely a stronger focus on primary / family med, but people do match to competitive specialties, albeit not as “strongly” (but I’m fully of the opinion that you can work to achieve whatever you really set your eyes on)
• Worked in ortho research at Duke during my gap years. So I can continue that work, building relationships there, and get to follow through with some longer studies. Also, my PI has connections at UNC that would get me involved in research there right off the bat (feel like this is huge).
• They have the CAMPOS program which I’m a big fan of (was a medical interpreter and previously did research in Latinx pops)
• Throwaway point but I grew up a huge Tar Heel fan lol so it’s kind of a dream to get to attend carolina for part of my education

Cons

• Not a fan of the curriculum. Really strict attendance policy and you’re at the med building from 8/9am-4/5pm almost every day
• More expensive?? About $70k/year for in state residents
• Rotations send you away to one of six different cities. Which I guess could be interesting & from current students it seems everyone gets their top choice, but I still feel hesitant / cautious about it
• Though living close to home is huge, I do think it’s exciting to get to live in a new city. Went OOS for undergrad but moved home the past two years

TLDR: interested in ortho / surgery related specialty. Both programs match well, but case’s match is much “stronger”. Case is slightly cheaper (60k/year vs 70k/year) but UNC is close to home. I strongly prefer the curriculum at Case to UNC. Though at UNC I would be able to continue ortho research at Duke (gap year position) & my PI has connections at UNC to get me started with research there right away.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Let me help clarify some comparisons here.

CWRU

• Cleveland lol. I like being in a city that has a lot of major sports but it’s cold asf and kinda gloomy from what I hear
  
  • Climate change has made Cleveland much warmer in winter. We may get a ton of snow, but it doesn't stay on the ground for the entire winter (which contributes to the gloominess).

UNC

• They have the CAMPOS program which I’m a big fan of (was a medical interpreter and previously did research in Latinx pops)
  • We have Latinos in Northeast Ohio, I assure you. 🙂

I don't know why your COA for UNC is more than CWRU (oh I see your scholarship), but I don't think your negatives for Cleveland are that negative. As for population growth trends, NC is growing while OH is decreasing. And CWRU sports (Div 3) does not define the college experience compared to UNC.

Granted, you'd have to understand Cleveland Browns fans.

 

[maybefuturedoctor7]

Congrats on your cycle! Curriculum (and especially the amount of time you're able to study) is a really big deal. UNC's curriculum sounds like students might not have enough time to study? Plus, Case does have a crazy strong match list which reflects great school support and resources. You'll definitely need that to apply to a competitive specialty like ortho. I'd choose Case! 🙂 The seasonal depression may hit, but I think it's safe to say that you could easily match back to Duke ortho from Case if you seek out mentors early on.