Maryland vs. UVA

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These are both good choices, and the choice is hard partly because I don't think I know what I ultimately want from the school (what can one offer that the other has less of etc) and what I want for myself (residency/specialty). I want to do research and be able to teach some day. I've experience doing basic research in undergrad/gap years but I'm looking to explore more public health and/or clinical research in med school. I think both of these schools have ample research opportunities. for people who have had to make a choice between Maryland and UVA, why did you choose one over the other or what other factors would folks consider in making this decision?

Maryland

I'm a Maryland resident so this is in-state for me.
- Merit Scholarship 120k for all four years
- seems like a very supportive environment (they provide study material for Step and felt like the students were motivated/happy to be there)
- close to family, went to College Park so I'm familiar w/ the area
- the tiered grading system is a little bit of a turn-off but it's better than the numerical grading scale

UVA
- still waiting on the Financial Aid package for this one, but it's out-of-state for me
- 1.5yr curriculum would give more time to explore rotations, would be helpful for someone like me who's unsure about residency etc
- interview day went really well, the students were all genuinely happy to be there and said the school has a good reputation among residency directors

Both schools have a decent match list, but it's hard to make anything of that when I'm not sure what sort of residency I want for myself, although I do plan on staying on the East Coast/Mis-Atlantic.

Cornell - Waitlisted
- a great school for many reasons and still on the table, but focus is on schools I've an A from

Any help/advice would be appreciated! Thank You!

 

[MD34289403]

The accelerated curriculum at UVA might be a bonus, but I would not say it should be the greatest factor in your decision. Both schools are well ranked, so you might wait to see what cost looks like at both before making a decision!

 

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A cost comparison is good, I agree and am waiting on the finaid package from UVA. Any idea whether one school has more opportunities/programs for certain areas than the other?

 

[deleted621740]

These are both good choices, and the choice is hard partly because I don't think I know what I ultimately want from the school (what can one offer that the other has less of etc) and what I want for myself (residency/specialty). I want to do research and be able to teach some day. I've experience doing basic research in undergrad/gap years but I'm looking to explore more public health and/or clinical research in med school. I think both of these schools have ample research opportunities. for people who have had to make a choice between Maryland and UVA, why did you choose one over the other or what other factors would folks consider in making this decision?

Maryland

I'm a Maryland resident so this is in-state for me.
- Merit Scholarship 120k for all four years
- seems like a very supportive environment (they provide study material for Step and felt like the students were motivated/happy to be there)
- close to family, went to College Park so I'm familiar w/ the area
- the tiered grading system is a little bit of a turn-off but it's better than the numerical grading scale

UVA
- still waiting on the Financial Aid package for this one, but it's out-of-state for me
- 1.5yr curriculum would give more time to explore rotations, would be helpful for someone like me who's unsure about residency etc
- interview day went really well, the students were all genuinely happy to be there and said the school has a good reputation among residency directors

Both schools have a decent match list, but it's hard to make anything of that when I'm not sure what sort of residency I want for myself, although I do plan on staying on the East Coast/Mis-Atlantic.

Cornell - Waitlisted
- a great school for many reasons and still on the table, but focus is on schools I've an A from

Any help/advice would be appreciated! Thank You!

Hi there! Congratulations on all of your success!!

Off topic question, but I received that same merit scholarship from Maryland and I wanted to know how you read it: Is the scholarship for 1 allotment of 120K for all 4 years, or was it for 120K/year for four years? Initially I had been pretty sure that it was the former, but after reading some other posts on here I started to get curious. Let me know your thoughts!

 

[upwardsandonwards]

In my letter I think it said 30k/yr for a total of 120k for four years. i would be surprised if it's 120k/year. the cost of attendance for out-of-state residents is 105k. I can't imagine them giving an in-state student like me 120k/yr when my cost-of-attendance is less than half of that amount.

Edit: curious which posts mention that it's 120k/yr?