Howard vs Louisville (scholarship) *time sensitive*

[eartwj]

just got off the waitlist at Louisville and only have a few days to decide.

Howard
Pros

• Great reputation for educating black doctors, and great match list
• Nation's capitol, very attractive location
• Sister will be going to undergrad there and premed (not so much a pro for me i guess, but can definitely help her out)
• HBCU (been going to primarily black schools for past 8 years and enjoy tight knit, nurturing atmosphere)
• more diverse
• If you honor in school, your name is Considered for scholarships
• Good clinical experience

Cons

• Expensive. Haven't received my financial aid package yet but I don't think I will receive anything but loans... $300,000 over 4 years
• being an HBCU, administration might not be on top of things
• older facilities
• Live less comfortably for larger price

• 90% step 1 pass rate

Louisville
Pros

• Received a 65% OOS tuition scholarship and cost of living is cheaper.... altogether I should spend around $180,000 over 4 years
• Did a 6 week summer program and enjoyed it, hoping that the next 4 years would be just as enjoyable
• Very Supportive environment from what I hear
• Good reputation from what I hear
• 97% step 1 pass rate
• Nice facilities
• Attached to a large undergrad
• Live more comfortably for lower

Cons

• City not as attractive, but still wouldn't mind living there
• Might be harder to specialize since most people I see in match list are in primary care
• Hangs in cultural environment (which could be a pro too)
• I got picked off the bottom third waitlist, so many people are declining for some reason or another

Summary:

Bottom line is I liked Louisville during interview day and during the 6 week summer program (not sure if it will translate into the next 4 years). Maybe I'm thinking it is time to transition from a black school to a primarily white school after 8 years. The financial package for Louisville is also great and can snip off a lot of debt. The only thing I'm concerned about is specializing. Even though I don't know exactly what I want to do my residency in, Howard has good percentages for specialties that i currently have an interest in (gen surg, ortho, int med, radiology, anesthesia). Louisville has more of a primary care focus (which may interest me in the future, but idk).

*I had just even secured my housing and dropped $1800 on the deposit which could be lost by going to Louisville*

What would you all choose and why?

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[timbosan]

Cons for Louisville

• City not as attractive, but still wouldn't mind living there
  • The city is booming. Not sure how much you got to experience the city outside of the main campus but there is so much to do in Louisville from checking out great restaurants in the many cool pockets of town, concerts, or biking/hiking through the many park systems the city has. If you're into sports there is great college football/basketball to follow and a great USL pro soccer team making strides to become an MLS team.
• Might be harder to specialize since most people I see in match list are in primary care
• Hangs in cultural environment (which could be a pro too)
  • I'm not quite sure what you mean by this, could you please expand?
• I got picked off the bottom third waitlist, so many people are declining for some reason or another
  • The only thing I can think of is issues the University has been having with Governor Bevin and how it has affected the Accreditation. When I interviewed I was told multiple times that the undergrad accr. is separate from the Medical School, and any previous issues the med school has had has since been resolved.

Hope this helps and just so you know I've lived in Louisville most of my life and consider myself a huge UofL fan.

 

[eartwj]

Cons for Louisville

• City not as attractive, but still wouldn't mind living there
  • The city is booming. Not sure how much you got to experience the city outside of the main campus but there is so much to do in Louisville from checking out great restaurants in the many cool pockets of town, concerts, or biking/hiking through the many park systems the city has. If you're into sports there is great college football/basketball to follow and a great USL pro soccer team making strides to become an MLS team.
• Might be harder to specialize since most people I see in match list are in primary care
• Hangs in cultural environment (which could be a pro too)
  • I'm not quite sure what you mean by this, could you please expand?
• I got picked off the bottom third waitlist, so many people are declining for some reason or another
  • The only thing I can think of is issues the University has been having with Governor Bevin and how it has affected the Accreditation. When I interviewed I was told multiple times that the undergrad accr. is separate from the Medical School, and any previous issues the med school has had has since been resolved.

Hope this helps and just so you know I've lived in Louisville most of my life and consider myself a huge UofL fan.

Instead of "hangs in cultural environment" I meant to say "is a different cultural environment (than what I'm used to)"

 

[PotatoPerson]

You could always ask Howard if they can give you any scholarships or aid that would bring their cost of attendance down to what it would be for Louisville. Some people have gotten scholarships this way, others haven't. Something to try if you want to go to Howard but are worried about cost.

 

[hopflyacptd123]

.

 

[eartwj]

i was accepted to Louisville this cycle too and received an OOS scholarship. I absolutely loved Louisville and was very excited to attend. I withdrew though because I got accepted to a school that was better for me all around. It sounds like Howard may leave you in a slightly better environment and you may be a little happier. Between these schools, I think you just really need to focus on where you'll be happiest, cause I feel like everything else "school-wise" is pretty similar. However, 300K vs. 180K is a HUGE difference and cannot be taken lightly. Goodluck, you're going to be fine with whichever school you pick so no need to worry!

Are you IS or OOS at the school youre attending? And do you have any experience with that school?

 

[hopflyacptd123]

.

 

[DocSomeDay22]

Congrats on that scholarship and for getting in to some fantastic schools! $120,000 is a lot of money. For this reason, I would choose Louisville.

 

[sunset57]

Louisville.

Howard's medical center has been plagued by significant financial problems for years.

The situation is not improving:

Howard University Hospital shows symptoms of a severe crisis

 

[Sidthekiddd]

What did you end up deciding?

 

[eartwj]

@Sidthekiddd howard

 

[Sidthekiddd]

@Sidthekiddd howard

Do you mind sharing why?

 

[AspiringActorMD]

Do you mind sharing why?

+1 I'd like to know too