Help me out -- Ohio State or Cincinnati

[UCMonkey]

OK, this is driving me nuts! I like both Ohio State and Cincinnati about the same, but for different reasons! Anyone have any thoughts? Really all I've seen of either place was on interview day.

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[Gainer]

I, surprisingly, preffered Cincinnati. I interviewed at UC just 2 days before OSU, so I ahd a pretty good comparison. OSU tended to emphasis how great a cancer resaerch program they had, while UC concentrated on how good their clinical training was. If you are interested in research, I think OSU is the clear choice, but if you are interested in ahnd-on doctoring, as I am, I would say UCincinnati (which is what I had decided before Case/Duke/WashU contacted me).

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about what I liked... hehe just give me some sort of prompt, otherwise I'll droan on for 4 pages.

 

[California]

I was accepted to Ohio State and offered an interview to University of Cincinnati (UC), which I subsequently turned down. I didn't think it was even worth interviewing at UC because Ohio State is considered by some as the better overall UNIVERSITY and MEDICAL SCHOOL in Ohio. I also think there are a lot more opportunites at Ohio State. In fact, my Ohio State interviewer called me on the telephone the other day and we talked about the school. Giving me the caveat that he is a littled biased towards Ohio State, my interviewer told me that the new dean of the College of Medicine is really determined to make Ohio State an even better medical school.

So, the bottom line for me is this. Ohio State has more opportunities and it is on the rise as a medical school. I mean since being accepted I've received half a dozen e-mails about the many research and clinical activities available. Other than that as well as location, I would have to say Ohio State is pretty similar to UC. Perhaps, that is why so many accepted applicants have trouble deciding between the two schools each year. In fact, my fellow interviewees who were already accepted at UC were facing the same issue as you on the day of the interview.

Anyways, good luck to you whatever you decide. Also, please feel free to PM me.

 

[Resident Alien]

Monkeyrunner,
Im glad you brought this question up, as I want this question answered just in case cincinnati pulls me from hold.
As for OSU, it was (and still is) my firs choice, and i dont really have a bad impression of it, until i found out they stretched the truth about CCF in one of their e-mails (its the Happy Holidays! email in case you're wondering). Their program with CCF has infact been phased out, which is a bummer (pm me if u want a copy of the email).

Anyway, im anxious to know other opinions!

 

[UCMonkey]

Well, so far we've got replies from both sides of the fence, and it appears I'm not the only one with this problem.

Anyone else care to jump in on this one?

(in other words, bump!)

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

I interviewed at both of these hospitals for Radiology residencies and may have some input. If you have some ideas on what you want to do after graduation, here are some impressions I got.

If you wanna do peds or a pediatric subspecialty, Cincinnati is definitely the winner. Their Children's Hospital is one of the top 5 in the country. If you're thinking about ER, Cincinnati is also the winner. One of the best ER residencies in the country, meaning good contacts and education. I think two specialties are the ones I can definitely comment on. As I have looked through other med schools match lists, I have noticed a general trend of more people going into specialties that their school has good departments, and it make sense.

If you're thinking about doing academic medicine in a field other than the ones above, I think OSU has the advantage since they seem to have more research money and you will be able to get involved with these.

 

[Gainer]

I guess my interest in Peds may have tinted my view of the schools then. (But I really was more impressed with Cincinnati.)

 

[Mango]

It came down to OSU and UC for me too. And I am a Columbus native, so OSU had always been my first choice. I still chose UC, and am thrilled with my choice.

A short list of reasons why:
-STUDENT HAPPINESS - this is a huge dif. At UC the enviro is laid back as hell, friendly, and ridiculously non-competitive. I felt the exact opposite at OSU.
-First and second year curric. uses test blocks, and integrated courses. This is my favorite thing about UC.
-Facilities, ours are our own, and most of it is brand new (personal laptops, gross labs, clinical skills lab, Pt exam rooms, etc)
-Third and Fourth year are amazing here. Fourth year includes an 8 week AI in IM(this is a very good thing), and the flexibility to chose among over 100 specialty rotations. We are known by residency directors for our clinical training. OSU has a very inflexible clinical years, which really turned me off.
- As far as research goes, we have a ton as well. NIH throws everything at Children's, and EM dept, and the summer research fellowships are a great opportunity, if you're into that sort of thing.

Of course, these are the opinions of a very biased person. And to be fair, I still am a huge Buckeye fan (at least in sports). So they got that going for them. If you still feel undecided, you may be able to schedule second visits to the schools, for a better look (less stressful without an interview, etc).

Good Luck, and PM me with any questions.
Mango MS2

 

[INeedAdvice]

•••quote:•••Anyone else care to jump in on this one?••••OK, it sounds like you are desperate for more opinions. <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

I think it's probably 6 & 1, and half a dozen & the other.

See my question about if <a href="http://www.studentdoctor.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=010403" target="_blank">Pitt is BETTER than SLU.</a>

You're in the same boat. Ohio State has the better name, but in the long run, it probably won't matter much because they are BOTH good, sound, schools. Neither one is a bad school and neither one is of a "Harvard-like status" (that wasn't a dig, because I'm not choosing between Harvard and Hopkins either!! <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> ).

 

[TSpoon]

I didn't interview at OHSU, but I did interview at UC and I can say that it had fantastic facilities, people, etc. and a big factor for me was the cirriculum.

One bit of advice that I can give you is that I stayed with 5 students in a house at UC when I interviewed. Three had OHSU and UC accepts, and all three chose UC over OHSU, noting the facilities and people at UC where better. Not that I know, but just a note.

Personally I will be attending UC in the fall over several other accepts at other schools.

Good luck!

 

[Resident Alien]

Ok, since i dont see convincing answers, why dont I and you has it out Monkeyrunner?

UC:
-Acting Internship program
-Clinical Assesment lab

OSU:
-Flexibility in Curriculum

Add pros and cons to this!

 

[UCMonkey]

OK, sounds good here's some more...

UC:
-Acting Internship program
-Clinical Assesment lab / skills lab
-Excellent Peds and EM depts
-High-tech facilities
-Better parking (from what I saw, anyway)

OSU:
-Flexibility in Curriculum
-Gross Anatomy DONE in 12 weeks
-More research

Add pros and cons to this!

And out of curiosity, Mango, maybe you can speak to this... What does everyone think of the CITY of Columbus vs. Cincinnati?

 

[Gainer]

Cleveland is better than Columbus and Cincy combined!

 

[Gainer]

Honestly though, I think Cincinnati would have more patients.... I may be wrong about this, please correct me if I am.

 

[UCMonkey]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Gainer:
•Cleveland is better than Columbus and Cincy combined! •••••I don't doubt that. I would have LOVED to even been interviewed at Case. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

 

[Gainer]

Oh, that wasn't a refference to Case, although it does seem to be between Case or WashU (if I am accepted) for me.

I am a Cleveland native, so I am a bit biased. :-D

 

[Mango]

First, I must say that I think OSU is a great school, and you will get an excellent education there. However, having gotten the disclaimer out of the way, I want to give a couple more of my opinions on OSU.

You mentioned the flexibility of OSU's curric. as a strength. I personally saw it as one of their biggest weaknesses. Yes, it's cool to do PBL IF you are interested in it, and IF you are selected for it. And as far as independent study goes, that is a possibility at any school - it's called not going to class (I'm a pro at it). But I think the biggest fault in the three pathway deal, is the fact that it causes huge divisions and rifts among the students. The groups seemed pitted against one another (to me), and highly critical of each other. I witnessed this first hand from a friend in the LD path who spent an hour bitching about the PBL "slackers," and the ISP "freaks." My class at UC is a much more cohesive group.

Also, the Anatomy in 12 weeks thing is another weakness (in my opinion). I also initially regarded that as a strength, but am SO glad we had year-long anatomy. First off, if you've ever taken a condensed course, you know it makes long-term retention an issue. And anatomy is so full of memorization, that I think it would be 12 weeks of hell. And I loved gross, it was my favorite course. It was nice to have gross lab 2-3 times a week. The labs break up the monotony of an all lecture day. Plus, as I said before, our curric is integrated, so you are actually learning the physiology and the micro anatomy at the same time as the gross anatomy. This just makes more sense to me. Plus, we have 4 person teams, not six!!!

BUT, in the end, everybody should go to the school where they will be most happy. It's 4 years of your life, and believe it or not, you can have fun during those four years. Both cities are full of things to do (even though I love my home town of Columbus more). And to the Cleveland lover out there, don't even get me started on "The Mistake By the Lake!"

 

[Gainer]

heheh
shall I call you child of the corn?
(in reference to teh cornfields that surround Columbus)

 

[westsidespartan]

Well I'm on hold at both schools, so whichever one you pick Monkeyrunner, I hope I can fill the spot you leave! As far as the differences between the two CITIES, I have some experience with both, so I'll offer my opinion.

Columbus - A 'newer' city, probably much faster growing too. Most of the high-rises downtown were built in the past 20 years. Residential areas seem newer, more spread out. Seems like low crime for a city of its size. The area around Ohio State has the 'college town' atmosphere.

Cincinnati - Older, more established city. Had a more strategic location during the industrial boom. Probably more crime. Housing looks much older. Yet, it seems like the 'classier' city. Very upscale shopping and restaurants downtown, characteristic of a city much larger. Professional baseball and football is available. I didn't notice too much of a 'college town' atmosphere anywhere. But the rolling hills and river make for a much more interesting terrain than flat Columbus.

I think both have their merits, and I pray one of the two schools gives me some good news soon!

 

[UCMonkey]

Mango, I think you are very rapidly selling me on UC. Thank you very much for all of your insight. By the way, what's the housing situation like there? Do the med students generally tend to live in a specific area?

westsidespartan, best of luck to you! Definitely don't give up hope. I actually sat on hold at Ohio State for 2 months, then was accepted, much to my surprise!

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

I liked both cities and I think the above descriptions are quite accurate. One exception is the crime thing. I though Cinncinati had a higher crime rate, especially since the area around the hospital is not very nice. However, if you go to the Best Cities website, crime in Cincinnati is actually significantly lower than Columbus and the country in general. I think it was in the 70s with 100 being US average. Columbus was a little above 100.

 

[quaileggs]

Well I've been lazy long enough. This thread holds great interest for me as I am also accepted to OSU and UC (and UVM). I am still at the point of depending on which day you are asking me, I will tell you a different school holds the upper hand. It should be a no-brainer for me to choose OSU because -I already live in Columbus (since '88), have owned a home here since '92. I have 3 kids and they are ensconced in school here. OSU is "officially" more highly rated than UC and quite a bit more selective, OSU seems to have a much better match list than UC (I would very much like other people's opinions on this!), the ISP pathway could work out very well for me given my family obligations, the school has treated me very nicely, I could probably go on and on.
BUT......truth is UC tugs on my heart. I went to interview there several weeks after my OSU interview not expecting much but I confess I fell in love with the school. The people there were super nice, I LOVE the curriculum, I liked the new technology they have. It struck ALL the right notes with me. My intuition has never let me down before. Another girl who interviewed with me at UC and OSU (and who also had interviewed at Pitt) was having the same reaction as me. Very impressive. I have the feeling at UC of a very up and coming school. I am so surprised that this school is not ranked higher than it is.
I find Mango's comments to be in accord with my general impressions. Mango indeed seems representative of that UC kind of person who I would like as a classmate. She (?) enthusiastically sells her school. I don't notice any OSU med students about trying to recruit do you? ....I LIKED OSU..but I didn't have that warm and fuzzy feeling about it like I did at UC. Make of this what you will.
My husband is really going to be OK with whichever school I pick. He has lived in Columbus all his life and would really be OK with moving. Unlike Mango, neither of us like Columbus and I have always planned on doing my residency in a more major non-Midwestern city. I know next to nothing about Cincinnati. Of course, most people in Columbus tell me Cincinnati sucks and why would I go anywhere else besides OSU? Very biased opinions. I don't know, would it be worth it to uproot ourselves for 4 years to another city in OH just to move again for residency?
**Again, my biggest concern about UC is that its match list seems very concentrated in OH and the Midwest, whereas OSU's is more diverse (i.e. more CA matches and East Coast). Of course the unanswered question is: are UC people more likely(than OSU students) to be from OH and want to stay in OH so of course they pick OH residencies...rather than being rejected from non-Midwestern/OH residencies? If anyone has any insight or comments I would love to hear them?
Going nuts in OH...(but happy to have this "problem") yours sincerely-- quaileggs

 

[Amy]

I just wanna second everything that Mango said. I'm very happy at UC, and I've heard the same "rumors" about the OSU students... very divided and competitive. Here, PBL is being integrated into our curriculum, and the independent study thing is always an option (aka not going to class... as Mango already said). So instead of having to CHOOSE which path we want to take, we're exposed to all 3. Other than that, I don't have much to add... I think Mango and the others did an excellent job listing the strengths of UC. Just wanted to say good luck to all of you trying to decide. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

Its kinda funny that I had the exact same impressions of the radiology residency programs at OSU and UC as you guys had of the medical schools and students. Maybe the atmosphere prevades the campuses.

 

[WSUreds]

I just want to throw in my opinion about UC and the city, but I am somewhat biased since I have lived here my entire life except for the past 4 years. Cincinnati is what you would call a big small town almost, it has most everything a big city has, but with that small town atmosphere. People who are born and raised in Cincinnati and go away for college or what not, seem to always come back to the city since they love it. I know I do. It really does not have very much crime, it was voted most liveable city in the US about 3 years ago, but the crime seems to be amplified since the race riots last April. And race relations in the city are somewhat strained at the moment. But overall, Cincinnati is suitable for everyone.

I went on two interviews, UC and Case. I loved both schools, but like everyone else I fell in love with the atmosphere, the attitude, and the facilities at UC. And fortunally I was accepted to UC, so I turned down all my other interviews because of the school and the location. I just wanted to thank Mango and Amy for being great representatives of the students at UC. They seem to care about the school and not just themselves. I look forward to being classmates with both of you and thank you for all the help this year.

 

[TSpoon]

I also would like to voice my appreciation for all the postings about this subject. I have several accepts as well as two more interviews that I am canning to head out to Cinci. I've been very apprehensive about leaving Utah to go to a city that I've literally been in for 8 hours. After reading all the posts I can't help but alread feel better about the stresses of moving 2000 miles.

Loved the school, loved the people, and am psyched to meet all of you this summer (summer pre-matriculation anyone?) or fall.

 

[quaileggs]

For those of us out there who are chasing need-based financial aid:
A CON for UC is that we have to do NEED ACCESS. It is a big old pain in the butt. Plus all those other financial aid forms.
so this would be a PLUS for OSU since all they require is FAFSA! Simpler..much simpler.

 

[quaileggs]

Not that it means much but OSU and UC are TIED at #44 on Top Research Schools in US News this year. UC moved up. The rankings sure are nutty aren't they. I'll bet they are enjoying that down in Cincinnati. Now OSU can't say that they are 2 places better than UC. Strangely, both UC and OSU fell off the Primary Care School Top 50. WTF?
This shouldn't influence anyone's decision really, but it is somewhat interesting and gave me quite a bit of amusement last night.
For the record, it is nearly official that I am choosing UC over OSU, folks.