Help! UF vs. USF (Full Tuition & Fees) vs. Wash U in St. Louis

[MDU7]

Hey!

So I've been blessed with the opportunity to have multiple acceptance at a few medical schools and I've narrowed it down to these 3. I've been thinking pretty hard on my own and spoken to a few of my mom's doctor friends at the VA by me. Many of them seem to like Wash U because of how good a reputation it has, but money is also a pretty important factor to me as well since my parents can't really contribute much to my school costs, so USF is very tempting as well. I've been to the second look for all 3 schools and really loved the atmosphere and community I felt at both Wash U and UF but USF not so much. However I don't know how important the medical school "name/prestige" is but I also don't want to be penny wise but pound foolish. Any help would be very much appreciated.
Thank you!


University of Florida (UF)
Pros:
- Florida resident so not crazy far from home (about an hour and a half drive)
- True pass/fail with no rankings at all till 3rd year
- Loved their second look and diversity weekend
- Students were very happy and seemed truly collaborative
- I already know a couple of the students ahead of me there
- Strong and active SNMA (I really want to be involved with this so I find it important)
- Shands hospital is a two minute walk from the med school building

Cons:
- COA minus scholarships would be about $41K in loans per year
-


University of South Florida (USF)
Pros:
- full tuition and fees scholarship all 4 years, just have to pay cost of living
- I'm a florida resident so not far from home at all (also about an hour and a half drive)
- New campus opening downtown though not until probably my M3 year
- Vey focused on preparing students to do very well on STEP 1
- Seem to have a different type of diverse population in tampa
- Very good hospitals in Tampa General, Moffit, and All Children
Cons:
- Tiered pass /fail so basically a traditional system (not sure how important this is)
- Didn't really love their second look and didn't feel a cohesive vibe from the day or students


Washington University in St. Louis (Wash U)
Pros:
- Hospitals all basically connected to the medical school on the same campus
- True pass/fail with no rankings at all till 3rd year
- So many opportunities for funding for research/international study/anything really
- Many opportunities for 1 year programs such as MBA, MPH,MPHS, etc. (and mostly all fully funded)
- Students seemed very happy and I really loved my weekend there for second look and diversity weekend too
- From what I'm told has a very strong weight with residency programs
- Strong and active SNMA (I really want to be involved with this so I find it important)

Cons:
- COA minus scholarships would be about $47K in loans per year
- They actually have a winter season that I'd have to get used to

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[acslater99]

I’m no expert in this but I am giving my opinion on your situation.

Go to UF. I think it’s really important to be in a place where you feel comfortable in. Not to mention you’re close to home, which having family nearby is everything when going to medical school, or heck even any schooling. Also, UF is a great medical school.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

Don't go to Florida. Ever. You may have been ok with campus on the second look, but don't do it. UF really tries so hard to be Ivy League, they are just the most extra university I've ever been to. (Eg, I'm in state and met up with a UF prof and was telling about some of my accomplishments and she literally goes "So, why didn't you go to UF?" and I was like wow that's why)
Also, the campus is really not pretty, its spread out and there's nothing in that town.
Want a better description of what I mean by a university being extra? Look at their secondary.

 

[sss1219]

I think this is the most divisive split of happiness, money, and prestige that I have ever seen. OP, I think the best option here would be to weigh those three things and then decide. Personally, I rank happiness > money > prestige, but your priorities may be different. Some things to reflect on:

Money: If you end up at UF or WashU, you can expect to pay back 1.5-2x the 200k-ish you will take out in loans. This is not an insurmountable challenge as many people pay back even more, but it will take time and may force you into a more frugal lifestyle during school/residency. Not having any debt coming out of school is thus a huge plus, but only if you can see yourself staying happy and progressing in your goals at your school of choice.

Happiness: Consider proximity of support systems, location/weather, and fit with student body. It sounds like UF is winning out in this regard, but one decision you will have to make is whether you can stay motivated in school without having family nearby if you did move to St Louis. Also, grading system wise, clinical grades are vastly more important than preclinical grades, and it sounds like all 3 schools have some sort of ranking once this period begins so it seems a bit of a moot point.

Prestige: WashU is the clear winner, and I would consider USF and UF as equals. If you have high reaching goals e.g. academics or uber competitive specialty, WashU will put you in the best spot for this. If your goal is to match into something less competitive or to match in FL when the time comes, it does not really make sense to leave the state, but I don't think WashU will hold you back in that regard either.

Good luck with the decision! This is a tough one. It may be in your best interest to see if WashU or UF can toss some money your way to make the decision easier.

 

[dark_knight]

WashU is the easy choice here. The difference between it and UF is only $6K in loans per year? No brainer. Go to the top 10 school with better opportunities.

Don't go to a school with graded pre-clinical. You don't need that stress in your life.

WashU > UF > USF

 

[treatem-and-streetem]

All schools teach the same material just in different ways. Pick the school you have the best fit at not the one that saves the most money. You want to set yourself up to succeed.

 

[DBC03]

I’m leaning toward WashU on this because the cost difference between UF and them is not significant. WashU is worth paying an extra $6k per year for if you gelled with the students there. I have personal reasons I would not attend USF including traffic(for our class - driving from USF to downtown will get tiring fast and wastes a lot of time), lack of cohesion in student body, and issues with the administration of the school and the research there. It’s a tough call. I was oddly glad USF didn’t give me a large scholarship because I didn’t want to go there. But that is tough to turn down.

The weather in St. Louis will take some getting used to, but I’ve heard it’s not that bad - kind of like New Jersey (not Minnesota).

There are also private scholarships you can apply for during the next few years, so you might be able to limit debt.

All in all, USF will cost around $18k or more per year in COL, so the difference is $120k for WashU. That’s teetering on the arbitrary $100k line, but the difference is not just prestige, but happiness and other factors. This is a very personal decision, but I’m still leaning toward WashU.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[willow84]

Don't go to Florida. Ever. You may have been ok with campus on the second look, but don't do it. UF really tries so hard to be Ivy League, they are just the most extra university I've ever been to. (Eg, I'm in state and met up with a UF prof and was telling about some of my accomplishments and she literally goes "So, why didn't you go to UF?" and I was like wow that's why)
Also, the campus is really not pretty, its spread out and there's nothing in that town.
Want a better description of what I mean by a university being extra? Look at their secondary.

This is such an odd response. The medical school is located directly adjacent to Shands. The rest of campus may be large, but that's really neither here nor there for medical school. There's tons and tons of things to do in Gainesville. Sorry you had a bad experience, but it sounds like you didn't open yourself up to the school or area at all. The secondary prompts are designed to look for compassionate students who care about a humanistic approach to medicine. I don't really understand what makes that "extra."

Anyway, to the OP, I would have a difficult time turning UF down based on how much I loved my interview day and second look experience, but if you felt the same way about WashU then it seems like a great choice for you as well. The $6k per year is really negligible and you'd adjust to a colder climate just fine.