Iowa vs Rochester

[Bigfishpatty]

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Hey everyone, I'm needing some help deciding between these two schools. I'm from the west coast, so both schools are quite far from home. At the moment I'm not sure what specialty I'm interested in but would like to keep all doors open. I do not have a geographic preference for residency placement as well.

Iowa (~40k tuition a year)

Pros
- Good schools with many renown competitive specialties
- Tight-knit atmosphere among faculty and students
- Cheaper cost of living
- 1.5 year pre-clinical

Cons
- Not really familiar with Iowa City
- Tiered grading (H/PC/P/F)

Rochester (Have not received FA package yet)

Pros
- Dean and students were very friendly on interview day
- Small class size -> more tightknit?
- Stronger rep??? (Not sure on this could be a wash between the two)
- P/F pre-clinicals

Cons
- Bad weather pretty much year round (heard the winters are really bad) and Rochester does not seem exciting either
- Mandatory lectures (lectures will be recorded but available only for a limited time)
- Car is required after first semester

Appreciate any advice or feedback! Thanks 🙂

 

[Grogu]

I lived in Rochester for a few years and can attest to the bad winters there. Lots of snow for a few months, but does lend nicely to skiing/snowboarding in the area. The spring/summer/fall months are beautiful, and there is a ton to do between music/art festivals, food, craft beer and wineries. You're close enough to a few major cites for travel and events. Feel free to DM me if you have specific questions on the area. Best of luck

 

[ChicagoBear]

Just graduated from Iowa - I loved my time there. So far, you are missing the most important piece of information - the cost of Rochester. The two schools both have good reputations and virtually the same rankings, so that is a push. If one school winds up being significantly cheaper than the other, that should weigh heavily on your decision.

As far as Iowa City, it is a nice place to spend your med school years. Yes, its not NY or Chicago, but it does have all of the advantages of a BIG10 campus: numerous sporting events, big name concerts, the performing arts etc. With COVID on the wane (hopefully), the parade of writers giving in-person book readings and discussions, that are also broadcast on radio (including Pulitzer prize winners) should eventually restart at Prairie Lights. Prairie Lights is a great bookstore in downtown IC that is also famous as a frequent stop on the presidential caucus candidate circuit. And don't forget the corn! As the song says, "rain makes corn, corn makes whisky..." There are several distilleries and wineries within a short distance of IC that are very popular with med students on weekends, especially after those Friday exams. Several of the whiskies give Kentucky a run for their money. If you must have an urban weekend, Chicago is only 3-3.5 hours away straight down the interstate.

 

[Bigfishpatty]

Update: Received my aid package and it looks like Iowa will be the cheaper choice by about 20K a year.

It sounds like both Iowa and Rochester are similar recreationally, and I got very similar vibes among students and faculty at both schools. My question is would Rochester offer any advantages down the road in certain aspects that Iowa can't, and would that be worth the additional costs?

Any additional insight is welcomed and appreciated! 🙂

 

[RickyRic]

Update: Received my aid package and it looks like Iowa will be the cheaper choice by about 20K a year.

It sounds like both Iowa and Rochester are similar recreationally, and I got very similar vibes among students and faculty at both schools. My question is would Rochester offer any advantages down the road in certain aspects that Iowa can't, and would that be worth the additional costs?

Any additional insight is welcomed and appreciated! 🙂

All factors considered, the only advantage I can see Rochester giving you is if you want to do residency on the East Coast. But you said in your OP that you don't have a geographic preference.

Honestly mandatory lectures (and limited access to their recordings) sound like an unnecessary hassle. Go to Iowa.

 

[Bigfishpatty]

@Banco do you have any additional thoughts?

 

[Banco]

I can't speak much to the locations - but overall both are very strong schools. Reputation wise they are great with no discernible difference. Both have lots of research resources/funding (both very close in NIH funding: Top 50 NIH-Funded Institutions of 2020). The medical centers are also large and the main academic centers for a huge area, with strong home residencies. Both match consistently into a variety of specialties throughout the country:

Match Week

medicine.uiowa.edu

Your Future - Our People - MD Admissions - Medical Education - Education - University of Rochester Medical Center

www.urmc.rochester.edu

I'd take the financial picture into account when making my decision (80k savings is a lot for Iowa) - then location. The specifics of each school with regards to curriculum you know better than I do - personally I think 1.5 year pre-clinical is a better situation because it gives you more time after clinical are done to pursue research/electives prior to residency application. Mandatory pre-clinical lectures are also a negative imo.

In an overall sense you can't really go wrong, so don't worry too much, and congrats.