Mayo (MN) vs. Dartmouth vs. Case

[sillychemistry]

Still waiting on a few decisions, but between these schools what do you think. Have acceptences from these 3 and am on WL at duke (ignoring that for now)

Mayo:

Pro:

• more than 50% of tuition covered – est COL per year is 60k – 240k total
• Low COL area
• Strong match list into specialities of interest
• Lots of research opportunities/cool clinical experiences
• Prestigious within medicine
• Cool curriculum with flexibility in selectives/time off
• Complementary dual degree if in good academic standing after 2nd year

Con:

• Midwest heavy and northeast light matchlist (hoping to end up back in the northeast)
• Rochester MN – far from my partner who is in the northeast, and COLD!
• Small class size – may not find friends given how small the class size is. This is likely my largest con. I am worried about vibing with people given the small class size.
• H/HP/P/F system for clinical rotations
• Worried I would feel isolated in MN away from friends, family etc.

Dartmouth:

Pro:

• Strong northeast match list (honestly punches heavy above its weight)
• Got good vibes from the students on my interview day! Think I would fit into the culture of the school
• Located in a town with lots of access to the outdoors (important for me)
• Ivey league, recognized outside of the medical community, but maybe not as prestigious as mayo within the medical community.
• Closer to NYC (5 hours by train) where my partner lives

Con:

• H/HP/P/F system
• Have no received financial aid package yet
• Lower ranked then mayo is
• Have to travel to do rotations (sometimes to arizona, fl) can be a pro for some locations, and not others (like a random town in NH). I dont have my license so would def need to figure this out before going lmao

Case western
Pro:

• Great vibes from students/admin
• large class so easier to make friends maybe
• Opportunity to do rotations at clevland clinic
• Close to home
• Maybe a better place to live then rochester MN
• Good match list

Cons:

• Very expensive, no merit or need based aid for international students (400k total) +160k USD more then mayo
• Alot of mandatory small group. I honestly don't think I would love this
• Cleveland
• Less prestigious maybe then Mayo within medical community and less well known outside medical commmunity compared to dartmouth

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[Mr.Smile12]

Did you get offers from all three?

 

[sillychemistry]

Did you get offers from all three?

Yes and I am on WL at Duke (but ignoring that for now)! Still waiting on a few decisions as well The reason I am asking is because I will be out of the country and will be missing alot of second look weekends, so I am trying to prioritize where to visit in next few weeks

 

[Opuntia]

all really wonderful options—congrats! Just based on your pros/cons list, it seems like Dartmouth is a good mix of being close to your partner, having a solid NE match list, and having good outdoor opportunities! Mayo’s scholarship is also nothing to balk at—maybe you’ll like Rochester more than you think you will if you visit?

 

[Sunrizon]

Are you an international student? I have no input but congrats on all these man!

 

[sillychemistry]

Are you an international student? I have no input but congrats on all these man!

Yes I am! But I did undergrad in the US! Thank you

 

[sillychemistry]

all really wonderful options—congrats! Just based on your pros/cons list, it seems like Dartmouth is a good mix of being close to your partner, having a solid NE match list, and having good outdoor opportunities! Mayo’s scholarship is also nothing to balk at—maybe you’ll like Rochester more than you think you will if you visit?

That is kind of what I am thinking too but I am nervous bc I cant make second look weeekend I wont get a vibe for the class, which is really important to me given the small class size and relatively isolated location

 

[julianbashir]

Mayo sounds like a good deal for you-- having less debt will help you get ahead in the long term, so I'd weight that pretty significantly, and it doesn't hurt that the cheapest option for you is also the higher-ranking school with more prestige in the medical community so you're not sacrificing quality for price. Since your career will be in medicine so it makes sense to prioritize the name that will get you ahead in your field, esp. because it has research and clinical opportunities that you're interested in. If you're worried about matching back in the NE then doing your Sub-Is in the NE might help a bit.

Dartmouth doesn't have decent financial aid (most of it is loans and not scholarships) unless you're really low-income so that's a con because the cost may end up closer to Case Western with a 378k sticker price, but the main pro looks like the strong NE matches which isn't nothing. You'll be in a long-distance relationship regardless of where you go to med school if those are your three top choices-- 5 hours on a Dartmouth Coach bus to get from Lebanon to NYC costs almost $280 for the 10-hour round trip so it's not like you're going to casually hop a bus to see your partner after classes since you'll be pretty busy in med school, so even if you try to study on the bus it's not something that you could do on a weekly basis because spending your only free time commuting to another city will take away your opportunities to spend time outdoors and/or make friends. I only have one A so I'm not qualified to provide personal experience in choosing between them, but I will say that I've lived in NYC and had to drive to NH occasionally for work so I have a bit of experience with that commute and would like to emphasize that it's no joke and you're not really as close to your partner as you think you are because at the end of the day you may be too exhausted to make the trip.

Case Western being close to your home is also ideal for having a support network to fall back on if needed, which can be psychologically reassuring even if you never do end up needing to draw on it. While the good match list, the good vibes from the larger student body are also pros as you said, unless you are very confident on your plan on going into a high-paying specialty or pursuing the PSLF program or something and don't mind living like a student even in your early attending years to pay off the debt, I'd personally go with the cheapest med school. Might just be my bias but the idea of going into more debt than necessary just sets off my fight-or-flight system and I know I'd be stressing about it every day. If you feel similarly, then living under the sword of Damocles and doing that to yourself isn't the way to go. But if you're less concerned about it and the cost isn't an immediate dealbreaker (people's attitudes towards finances are very individual) then it could still be a solid choice.

You have a great dilemma here-- I wish I had those schools to choose between! Wherever you go I'm sure you'll thrive.

 

[Opuntia]

That is kind of what I am thinking too but I am nervous bc I cant make second look weeekend I wont get a vibe for the class, which is really important to me given the small class size and relatively isolated location

I’m in a similar predicament since I live abroad. It’s so nerve-racking—I feel for you!! If you can, try catching the vibe through accepted student Zoom, group chats, and such. And also, if you visit Mayo outside of second look, you could get to know the vibe of the current med students!

 

[deleted1065184]

Mayo won't stop you from matching Northeast. Idk who was the first person on SDN who started looking at match lists way back when, but I wanna fight them lol. Match lists without context are useless. They're heavily influenced by where students *want* to be. Mayo is cheaper. Doesn't seem like you like any of the locations.

Advice for future. If something is a pro or con for all schools compared, wouldn't include it. Will make it easier for folks to advise you. You don't seem to care for Rochester, New Hampshire, or Cleveland. All schools are H/HP/P/F for clinicals.

The differing factors you mentioned are reputation/prestige, cost, curriculum, and class size. Mayo is winning in 3 of those categories. I'd go Mayo.

 

[sillychemistry]

Mayo sounds like a good deal for you-- having less debt will help you get ahead in the long term, so I'd weight that pretty significantly, and it doesn't hurt that the cheapest option for you is also the higher-ranking school with more prestige in the medical community so you're not sacrificing quality for price. Since your career will be in medicine so it makes sense to prioritize the name that will get you ahead in your field, esp. because it has research and clinical opportunities that you're interested in. If you're worried about matching back in the NE then doing your Sub-Is in the NE might help a bit.

Dartmouth doesn't have decent financial aid (most of it is loans and not scholarships) unless you're really low-income so that's a con because the cost may end up closer to Case Western with a 378k sticker price, but the main pro looks like the strong NE matches which isn't nothing. You'll be in a long-distance relationship regardless of where you go to med school if those are your three top choices-- 5 hours on a Dartmouth Coach bus to get from Lebanon to NYC costs almost $280 for the 10-hour round trip so it's not like you're going to casually hop a bus to see your partner after classes since you'll be pretty busy in med school, so even if you try to study on the bus it's not something that you could do on a weekly basis because spending your only free time commuting to another city will take away your opportunities to spend time outdoors and/or make friends. I only have one A so I'm not qualified to provide personal experience in choosing between them, but I will say that I've lived in NYC and had to drive to NH occasionally for work so I have a bit of experience with that commute and would like to emphasize that it's no joke and you're not really as close to your partner as you think you are because at the end of the day you may be too exhausted to make the trip.

Case Western being close to your home is also ideal for having a support network to fall back on if needed, which can be psychologically reassuring even if you never do end up needing to draw on it. While the good match list, the good vibes from the larger student body are also pros as you said, unless you are very confident on your plan on going into a high-paying specialty or pursuing the PSLF program or something and don't mind living like a student even in your early attending years to pay off the debt, I'd personally go with the cheapest med school. Might just be my bias but the idea of going into more debt than necessary just sets off my fight-or-flight system and I know I'd be stressing about it every day. If you feel similarly, then living under the sword of Damocles and doing that to yourself isn't the way to go. But if you're less concerned about it and the cost isn't an immediate dealbreaker (people's attitudes towards finances are very individual) then it could still be a solid choice.

You have a great dilemma here-- I wish I had those schools to choose between! Wherever you go I'm sure you'll thrive.

Omg thank you for such a thoughtful response. I really appreciate it! Your def right about the dartmouth coach....in my mind its a quick 5 hours but as someone who has done Long distance before I know its always easier said then done to get on a plane/train/automobile to see your partner at the end of a long week.

Like you, I think the additional debt would stress me tf out, although it isn't a full tuition scholarship the money I would be saving is a big chunk of money, especially after tax and post interest. Thank you for you insight! I really appreciate it!!

 

[I_like_Floors]

Sillychemistry how did I not see this post earlier!! We have 2 overlapping acceptances so I am a little biased towards Mayo and Case. I say Mayo, having that 50% tuition is exceptional. I was talking to a current student and they said COA (rent food etc) is not too bad and can be under $1000 per month ($700 rent + other expenses) if you try. Mayo matches midwest not because Mayo fails to on the coasts but because it attracts more midwest students who typically want to go back home for residency. Hanover seems more boring than Rochester TBH. I had really good vibes from Mayo during my own interview/interactions. Also Mayo is getting a very nice upgrade that would be finished by 2028 and you pretty much have a guarantee of matching into a mayo residency which is very nice (40% choose to stay at Mayo). One thing that I do not like about Mayo too much is their schedule. There is a short 2.5 week summer break and small breaks for winter and etc but on the other hand every month or two they have a selective week which they can use as vacation or things that interest them. Also I think wearing a suit for all patient encounters is not too fun

 

[thefirerisen]

It really depends on what is more important to you - cost, location, prestige.

I think Dartmouth is out. It is very very rural and also very expensive. Location for both Case and Mayo beats out Hanover so I think its really between those two schools. Between Mayo and Case, you should go to the Second Looks and see what is a better fit. They are both in the midwest but Case is much more central and you can easily travel around. Mayo has alot more prestige and looks like it will be cheaper for you so it will depend on whether or not you can tolerate Minnesota weather.