studentdoctornetwork3000
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Help me decide between school X and Y (and α and β too)
Summary:Both are "graduate only" schools, both are in the Midwest. Neither is nationally known, at least not outside premeds and maybe not even then, but I'd say each is solidly in the middle one-third tier of med schools. All regionally pretty well regarded as solid picks with caring, supportive, good programs and great people.
I'm from out of state. Amazingly, I don't mind cold weather too much.
I'm queer. Absolutely love to death my straight friends. But there's a dearth of gay people where I live for friends, connection, etc. Trust me, this factor is huge when you currently don't have barely any of that opportunity.
I'm a big city person. I thrive on the energy, noise, and bustle of a city.
(Credit: Some credit goes to other posters who helped bring up some points I've compiled.)
__________
#1. Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(very close to downtown Milwaukee though technically in the smaller city of Wauwatosa)
PROS:
- people seem genuinely friendly. Maybe a little more shy than Rush? heh. But these are broad generalizations anyway.
- strong match list (Mayo, Hopkins, UCSF, HMS hospitals). Presumably “moderately” (is this true?) well regarded in the Midwest
- pass/fail preclinical, no internal rank
- exams: end of blocks every 6 weeks or so with “spiral weeks” which are rest days or days with non-intense elective classes. Full exam week with no classes/labs
- mandatory preclinical activities vary per week (2-4 per week) on campus. Some flexibility with remote learning
- research hub. ~$100M in NIH grants, students are required to do a scholarly project and have pathways tracks made to enable research as a student.
- big medical complex with Milwaukee regional medical center. I saw it in person. It’s a huge complex spanning blocks. Has level 1 trauma with tertiary at Froedtert, Children's of Wisconsin, cancer center, etc. VA just down the street which Second Look Day staff speakers were represented from during the panel.
- curriculum: Lecture-based curriculum with team-based learning or problem-based group learning (TBL or PBL or something)
- has longer summer break after M1.
- in-house specialties to work with regardless of specialty
- I visited Milwaukee and it's charming!!! Has everything I need. - the PEOPLE. So friendly. Is that really the case? I couldn't believe it. Lol. - cheaper cost of living
- MUCH larger class size with 220 people. It’s the 3rd or 4th largest private medical school in the nation. Not intimate like Rush, I’d guess. On the other hand, more opportunities to meet people just with sheer numbers alone. - used to be affiliated with Marquette University decades ago - name recognition. I thought they were similar in rank but someone said MCW is more highly regarded with more name recognition. Is that true? With step 1 being P/F perhaps this will matter more. - similar financial aid packages as the other schools
CONS:
- Milwaukee is smaller...“only” 560,000 people vs. Chicago’s 2.6 million people and I crave huge cities. - the following is HUGE factor for me, maybe some people will make fun of me for it for it being my top two (or so) cons, but as mentioned up in the “pro” section, I’m gay and, sure, Milwaukee is LGBT-friendly and has a number of gay bars. I don’t know if it has the access to gay people, an LGBT social life, and resources that Chicago would hopefully have. Your thoughts?
- would probably need to bring my car. Milwaukee doesn’t have a subway.
NEUTRAL:
- unranked but I heard it’s a similar status to Rush, i.e., “moderately” (is this true?) well regarded in the Midwest
- PD ranking around 45. Has not participated in USWNR for some years.
__________
#2. Rush Medical College in Chicago, Illinois
(very close to downtown/central Loop of Chicago)
PROS:
- Presumably also “moderately” (is this true?) well regarded in the Midwest
- really huge community feel, friendly and outgoing students. Very community service oriented feel serving the underserved populations. Lots of service work to keep you grounded in the beauty of our field.
- caring staff and faculty you can get to know well
- great match list. Lots of Chicago area matches in I believe Cook county, which is big. Similarly ranked as MCW I think?
- location: downtown Chicago!...I’m a big city guy and I need a massive city. Think a metropolis like New York City or London. Think millions of people. The energy. The chaos. The sounds, the sights. Chicago is also very walkable or you can take the subway (the L).
- majority of students do research
- campus/hospitals. Beautiful hospital and rotate in Cook county
- pass/fail preclinical
- in-house specialties to work with via EXPLORE
- may be repeating myself but the LGBT population factor is HUGE and, I’m afraid to say it, may be one of my top two or three most critical deciding factors besides location since everything else is so similar. The gay population just numbers wise is larger than Milwaukee’s based on numbers alone.
CONS:
- downtown costs, a studio is now $1,500-$2,000. What?! Rents went up 20% in a year in Chicago a couple years ago. Crazy.
- Chicago is more dangerous, I think, but maybe because it's just bigger.
- more mandatory sessions on campus, 3-4 x week, which is a factor if I live farther away
- more exams: weekly or 2x week quizzes depending on sessions
- maybe some vague pressure to join volunteer activities since it’s so service oriented, might be pressed for time as med student
- internal ranking includes preclinical years
NEUTRAL:
- ranked middle one-third of med schools
- flipped classroom style but this could be ok - research: has lots of research in all fields, not a super high amount of funding. If you want to research, seems like you have so many avenues. But it’s not mandatory and is flexible - similar financial aid packages as the other schools
- unfortunately I didn’t get into any New York City schools or any other huge city, so this is the biggest city among my options
__________
#3. University α
PROS:
- Great school. Friendly, genuine people. But will not seriously consider this
- A lot of school pride as it has an undergraduate school, sports team, and more.
CONS:
- Smaller city than either of the above
__________
#4. University β
PROS:
- Great school. Friendly, genuine people. But will not seriously consider this
CONS:
- Smallest population
__________
I'm grateful for all your thoughts. Thank you and good luck on each of your own journeys. I'm rooting for you.
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