Help Me Decide! Pritzker vs VP&S

[doctorgirl238]

Hello everyone! I am very fortunate to be in this dilemma and would appreciate some insight in making the best choice:

UChicago Pritzker:

Pros

-I LOVE Chicago and would love to live here post-medical school and residency

-The community is so special and tight-knit

-Class size is small (90) so faculty know students well

-Slowly become my dream school over the application cyle

Cons

-I would have to take out loans of 34k each year as opposed to Columbia (only 5k each year)

Columbia VP&S:

Pros

-World-class institution and opportunities

-Amazing access to high-class faculty

-Much cheaper for me!!

Cons

-Bigger class size

-Community doesn't seem to be as tight-knit

-I haven't fallen in love with Columbia like I have with UChicago and I worry I may regret not choosing UChicago

-Worries with Columbia given everything happening with them and the new administration

I know especially in this economy, choosing a more expensive option doesn't seem the wisest but I feel like I would be happier at UChicago (of course, this is subjective and may not actually be the case). As a result, I was hoping people with more experience/insights could advise me!

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[newkungfukenny]

can UChi cut the cost down any further?

 

[doctorgirl238]

can UChi cut the cost down any further?

unfortunately not! I asked and they said no. I may try to ask again to see if I can get a little more aid

 

[shy_hulud]

unfortunately not! I asked and they said no. I may try to ask again to see if I can get a little more aid

You should 100%. I didn't end up at Pritzker, but I do know someone who was able to negotiate a partial stipend from them for living expenses (on top of tuition aid) via an offer from Kaiser

 

[doctorgirl238]

You should 100%. I didn't end up at Pritzker, but I do know someone who was able to negotiate a partial stipend from them for living expenses (on top of tuition aid) via an offer from Kaiser

Okay, sounds good! Thank you so much 🙂 do you know how they were able to do that? After they said they can't provide any additional scholarships I pretty much said "thank you, sounds good!" but I would love to definitely explore it again if it might be possible. I appreciate your help!

 

[DoneDone3451]

Pritzker IMO

 

[hydroflaskhomie]

I would take Columbia here unless you really can't see yourself living in NYC. It's a fantastic school with lots of resources. You can easily match to Chicago from Columbia.

$120k is a bit over my personal limit where I think it stops being easy to justify choosing a more expensive equal-prestige place for vibes alone (my answer would change if you had family here or there was some reason you COULDN'T deal with NYC). UChicago can be really tough too, unless they've changed their curriculum it is an absolutely brutal M1 year from what my (older, now resident) friends told me. Hyde Park is also not the most glamorous part of Chicago (but COL is cheap which is good) - not that that matters all that much but if your dream of living in Chicago is downtown, you're going to be decently far from that. Iirc UChicago also doesn't have the best hospital system (the other schools in Chicago have the vast amount of market share and diversity of reach) and I don't think they have access to a VA which I think is pretty important training. Just a couple things to think about that I think Columbia pulls ahead of UChicago for.

Loan futures in this country are insane right now, I think graduating with $20k in loans is far safer in 2025 craziness.

Have you been able to visit both?

 

[doctorgirl238]

I would take Columbia here unless you really can't see yourself living in NYC. It's a fantastic school with lots of resources. You can easily match to Chicago from Columbia.

$120k is a bit over my personal limit where I think it stops being easy to justify choosing a more expensive equal-prestige place for vibes alone (my answer would change if you had family here or there was some reason you COULDN'T deal with NYC). UChicago can be really tough too, unless they've changed their curriculum it is an absolutely brutal M1 year from what my (older, now resident) friends told me. Hyde Park is also not the most glamorous part of Chicago (but COL is cheap which is good) - not that that matters all that much but if your dream of living in Chicago is downtown, you're going to be decently far from that. Iirc UChicago also doesn't have the best hospital system (the other schools in Chicago have the vast amount of market share and diversity of reach) and I don't think they have access to a VA which I think is pretty important training. Just a couple things to think about that I think Columbia pulls ahead of UChicago for.

Loan futures in this country are insane right now, I think graduating with $20k in loans is far safer in 2025 craziness.

Have you been able to visit both?

Yes, I visited both! Both schools are lovely but the vibes from UChicago alone made me feel like I fit in much better there.