Mayo (MN) vs UChicago vs Northwestern

[sadstudent325]

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Decided!! Thank you all who helped - if anyone in the future is making a similar decision feel free to DM!

 

[JKars]

Based on what you have - probably Feinberg, especially if you can get them to match scholarship.

However, I wouldn't discount Pritzker at all. You clearly vibed with their mission and students, which I think are pretty incomparable among similarly regarded schools, and it has nearly all the strengths of your other options while being the cheapest. While there are some rough neighborhoods around it, Hyde Park is still one of the nicer parts of the city, and being on the undergrad campus makes the medical area is as safe as anywhere. Prestige is also comparable - aside from maybe more than usual family med matches due to personal student choices, they send students to every competitive specialty basically everywhere in the country. The place is a powerhouse and you aren't losing out on any opportunities in choosing to go there.

 

[crimson-cat]

I'd go Pritzker. Cheaper, well-respected, and if you actually care about health disparities is in an area where it will be easy to get involved (convenience is key as a med student)

 

[sophop]

Congratulations on some great choices!!! Was in the same boat as you are re: Mayo. I really really wanted to love it and it was really tough to turn down because of its great program and rep and the FA, but just never vibed with the current students during both interviews and 2nd look (back when they were all in person) and QOL was really important to me. I'm sure they're great people and obviously they're all having a great experience there, but I'm not the only person here who came away with the same feeling. Can't speak to Pritzker - didn't even apply but did some recreational activities with a couple of students there who seemed normal and never complained about it and it does have a great rep! With respect to NW, your positives all ring true - and it actually was by far the fav of all the schools I visited. The big class concerned me a bit (especially compared to Mayo), but they immediately assign you to 20-student "colleges" and after white-coat I really never noticed the class size again until match day. The FA thing was a bit frustrating. They did increase their initial offer, which was nice - but a couple of time over the years they added some big additional scholarships. That was REALLY nice, but if they had done it up front it would have made my initial choice a lot easier.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

they are all in the same league in terms of reputation. You will not miss anything by not going to Mayo. Pick a place where you will be happy and if the price difference isn't that significant, go to Feinberg since you really like it. Feinberg and Mayo are practically the same in terms of medical prestige.

 

[sadstudent325]

Based on what you have - probably Feinberg, especially if you can get them to match scholarship.

However, I wouldn't discount Pritzker at all. You clearly vibed with their mission and students, which I think are pretty incomparable among similarly regarded schools, and it has nearly all the strengths of your other options while being the cheapest. While there are some rough neighborhoods around it, Hyde Park is still one of the nicer parts of the city, and being on the undergrad campus makes the medical area is as safe as anywhere. Prestige is also comparable - aside from maybe more than usual family med matches due to personal student choices, they send students to every competitive specialty basically everywhere in the country. The place is a powerhouse and you aren't losing out on any opportunities in choosing to go there.

Thanks so much for your reply! It might be looking like Feinberg won't be able to match, and your comment has made me a lot more confident choosing Pritzker over Mayo

 

[sadstudent325]

Congratulations on some great choices!!! Was in the same boat as you are re: Mayo. I really really wanted to love it and it was really tough to turn down because of its great program and rep and the FA, but just never vibed with the current students during both interviews and 2nd look (back when they were all in person) and QOL was really important to me. I'm sure they're great people and obviously they're all having a great experience there, but I'm not the only person here who came away with the same feeling. Can't speak to Pritzker - didn't even apply but did some recreational activities with a couple of students there who seemed normal and never complained about it and it does have a great rep! With respect to NW, your positives all ring true - and it actually was by far the fav of all the schools I visited. The big class concerned me a bit (especially compared to Mayo), but they immediately assign you to 20-student "colleges" and after white-coat I really never noticed the class size again until match day. The FA thing was a bit frustrating. They did increase their initial offer, which was nice - but a couple of time over the years they added some big additional scholarships. That was REALLY nice, but if they had done it up front it would have made my initial choice a lot easier.

Thank you! It's so great to hear you were in a similar boat with Mayo. While it seems like an amazing program, I just didn't think it was for me and I thought I would be crazy to turn it down. But I'm glad you're having a good experience at Feinberg! FA has been pretty frustrating so far, and not sure if they'll get back to me with any good news before I have to decide, but fingers crossed!🤞🏼

Feinberg and Mayo are practically the same in terms of medical prestige.

Thanks for the reply! Would you say the same for Feinberg vs. UChicago? I know they tend to all be regarded on the same tier, but not sure if there's a huge difference if I'm more interested in surgical subspecialties.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

Thank you! It's so great to hear you were in a similar boat with Mayo. While it seems like an amazing program, I just didn't think it was for me and I thought I would be crazy to turn it down. But I'm glad you're having a good experience at Feinberg! FA has been pretty frustrating so far, and not sure if they'll get back to me with any good news before I have to decide, but fingers crossed!🤞🏼


Thanks for the reply! Would you say the same for Feinberg vs. UChicago? I know they tend to all be regarded on the same tier, but not sure if there's a huge difference if I'm more interested in surgical subspecialties.

Pritzker and Feinberg are on the same level but I think NW is a tad bit stronger in clinical training.