Mayo (AZ) vs Vanderbilt (Please help!)

[city_green]

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Hello! If you don't mind voting and/or commenting I would appreciate it so much; I am really struggling with this decision. I am hoping for a career in academic medicine with a significant basic or translational lab component (I know applying MD/PhD would have been better suited for these goals but I had not fully realized these goals until about the past year; I plan to at least do an MD/MS or research year in both these options). I am not yet sure if I want to end up in the West Coast or the Northeast.
My pros/cons don't include much clinical opportunity/curriculum notes, since clinically both seem like great schools and I didn't notice any glaring differences in curriculum (please correct me if I'm wrong!). I am interested currently in IM or neurology (though not certain!)

Mayo AZ (47k/yr merit)
Pros

• Students were incredibly nice
• CoA
• Close to west coast

Cons

• Less basic/translational science research (more clinically focused)
  • There is some research in my field of interest, but based in Rochester (would likely need to do asynch work)
• Newer/less structured organizations, though there are opportunities to build new structures or clubs based on your interests
• No undergrad campus/all classes hosted in the same building
• Weather might be tough on me (even during second look I was struggling with the heat)
• Scottsdale is a bit more spread out/desert/suburban than I am used to (downtown Phoenix is a 30 minute drive from campus; nearest HMart is about 30 minutes away as well)
• Nervous about finding a place to fit in with a 50 person class (though it is nice that it seems pretty close-knit)

Vanderbilt (no scholarship/full CoA)
Pros

• Undergrad campus -> more varied research opportunities, including in the field I am interested in
  • Also I really enjoyed joining a ton of "just for fun" clubs in undergrad and if I somehow have the time I would love to do this
• This is small, but I'm very into music and think I would enjoy the vibes in Nashville

Cons

• Unfortunately did not get the chance to visit in-person so not completely sure what the vibe is (though the students I did meet virtually were super approachable)
• Not interested in staying in the South long-term
• CoA

Summary: Very large CoA difference, but I am a bit worried about the research availabilities given my hope to pursue academic medicine (and the class size).

 

[hydroflaskhomie]

What type of basic science/lab work (what specialty?)

Would you be taking full loans or do you have family support?

 

[city_green]

What type of basic science/lab work (what specialty?)

Would you be taking full loans or do you have family support?

Sorry, I should have mentioned: I would not need loans due to family support, thankfully. My interest is in aging/senescence, so slightly niche 🙁. Thanks for your reply!

 

[Pizzapasta]

Disclosure: Also accepted to Mayo AZ

The program at Mayo seemed really nice but I do think the research in AZ is really lacking big time. I believe you can still meet with their MD/PhD committee about possibly doing that. I believe if you do sub matriculate into that program they allow you to also re-select your campus. While that's an option, I do think vandy gives you an unreal package of research without "questions" about the program itself. While it might cost more, I think the benefits for the long-term career would be incredibly valuable.

 

[hydroflaskhomie]

I think Mayo has some really unique offerings and Mayo AZ has some awesome resources, but I think if you want to have basic science be a big part of your career especially with something likely cell-based like aging/senescence, you should go to a traditional school with labs etc - my vote is Vanderbilt.

Congratulations on great options!