Mayo vs. Dartmouth

[theseventhface]

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The deadline for me to choose one of these programs is quickly approaching and I'm having a hard time deciding... In the beginning I thought that my top choice was Mayo, but its place in the top started to sway after finding out that their financial aid packages were going to be significantly less generous and after getting accepted to Dartmouth so quickly. Financially speaking, both schools will be about the same so I'm not going to include tuition in the pros and cons. Another thing to consider is that I did send Letters of Intents to Mayo before getting accepted (and used words like "guarantee"). The problem now is that these were sent before I even got my interview at Dartmouth... I don't know how much this should play into my decision.

Mayo
Pros:

• It's at Mayo Clinic! And I absolutely love Mayo Clinic!
• The faculty and students are incredibly supportive of their students (I could probably say the same thing about Dartmouth but I haven't experienced that firsthand yet).
  
• Many opportunities to publish and work with the best in the field
• Rent is cheaper than in New Hampshire
• This is a good and a bad thing: Mayo doesn't have very much in terms of extracurriculars but they are very supportive of their students to spearhead anything

Cons:

• It's the colder of the two options. I mean they're both cold, but Minnesota is definitely much colder.
• Very little in terms of dating opportunities, meeting people around my age, and recreational activities. The students I met there seem to like it there but regularly tell me that it requires "sacrifices." In fact one of their graduates told me that it would be a mistake if I went – his words.
• This is more of a neutral point, but Mayo historically matches many of its students back into Mayo. For other programs there isn't a set pattern
• Weak alumni ties with people outside of medicine (obviously)

Dartmouth
Pros:

• Set in a college campus with other graduate schools and students
• Ivy-League school with connections to alumni and to Harvard-affiliated programs
• Has a stronger global agenda
• Teaching hospitals in California: San Francisco, Orange County (I hope to match back into California)
• Has a good track record of matching students into UCSF and MGH. I mean, Dartmouth's match cannot be beat.
• Is closer to large metropolitan cities (Boston, Montreal, NYC) than Mayo is (Minneapolis)
• Better outdoor activities
• Closer to friends and family who are on the East Coast

Cons:

• Dartmouth-Hitchcock is definitely a less exciting and quieter place than Mayo
• Less research opportunities
• Less amenities for day-to-day living compared to Rochester (i.e., markets)

 

[Ismet]

Moving to school-specific discussions

 

[repititionition]

I visited Rochester. It is grim.

I visited Hanover. It has "cons", certainly, but it is light-years ahead of Rochester.

With costs par and a desire to a) perhaps get laid in the next 4 years and b) match back to CA, the choice here is simple.

 

[alpinism]

I love how Mayo is everyone's top choice till they actually visit Rochester and talk to current students.

Just sayin.

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

Have you ever lived in a rural/remote area before? If not, I would think very carefully about this decision. Obviously you are a very strong candidate, so I'm sure you have other acceptances. Consider them.

 

[oshkoro]

Someone suggested this on another thread, and I thought it was very helpful: consider your specific interests and make a list of what you would like to do at each school (e.g. students groups you would like to join, free clinics, elective rotations, researchers you want to work with). It helps an abstract decision become more concrete. What are you interested in research-wise? Clinical research, basic science (and in what field)? In your (limited) free time at each school, what would do you see yourself doing? You obviously don't need to tell us the answers but these are good questions to think about.

I'm not sure what to say about the letter of intent you wrote to Mayo...I think it depends on what you said, but ethically it would be difficult to commit to a school in writing and then change your mind later.

 

[bofocion]

Full disclosure: I am waitlisted at Geisel.

Personally I think going back on a letter of intent when you have specifically stated that you would guarantee you would go there is pretty shady and as it was mentioned pretty unethical.

But it sounds like from @gyngyn previous post that some adcom members don't read into intent letters very much. I wonder if she has ever had someone commit and then back out, and I wonder what her reaction was to it. But honestly either way both schools are great so you really cant go wrong.

 

[gyngyn]

Full disclosure: I am waitlisted at Geisel.

Personally I think going back on a letter of intent when you have specifically stated that you would guarantee you would go there is pretty shady and as it was mentioned pretty unethical.

But it sounds like from @gyngyn previous post that some adcom members don't read into intent letters very much. I wonder if she has ever had someone commit and then back out, and I wonder what her reaction was to it. But honestly either way both schools are great so you really cant go wrong.

These LOI's are nonbinding and often made under duress (by people holding no acceptances). This is why nobody believes them. This is also why I don't think they should be sent!

 

[Goro]

And they especially shouldn't be sent if the school state they don't want them.

These LOI's are nonbinding and often made under duress (by people holding no acceptances). This is why nobody believes them. This is also why I don't think they should be sent!

 

[Stillworking93]

Your cons were a big concern for me too, but a few of the students I met definitely calmed me down. Even though it's cold, most students live 1 minute away from the hospital-- and everything is connected via the skyway. And there are a lot of 20 something year olds affiliated with Mayo. There are a bunch of other medical students, there are the other graduate schools, and the hospital has a lot of people working through research and other fields!

The deadline for me to choose one of these programs is quickly approaching and I'm having a hard time deciding... In the beginning I thought that my top choice was Mayo, but its place in the top started to sway after finding out that their financial aid packages were going to be significantly less generous and after getting accepted to Dartmouth so quickly. Financially speaking, both schools will be about the same so I'm not going to include tuition in the pros and cons. Another thing to consider is that I did send Letters of Intents to Mayo before getting accepted (and used words like "guarantee"). The problem now is that these were sent before I even got my interview at Dartmouth... I don't know how much this should play into my decision.

Mayo
Pros:

• It's at Mayo Clinic! And I absolutely love Mayo Clinic!
• The faculty and students are incredibly supportive of their students (I could probably say the same thing about Dartmouth but I haven't experienced that firsthand yet).
  
• Many opportunities to publish and work with the best in the field
• Rent is cheaper than in New Hampshire
• This is a good and a bad thing: Mayo doesn't have very much in terms of extracurriculars but they are very supportive of their students to spearhead anything

Cons:

• It's the colder of the two options. I mean they're both cold, but Minnesota is definitely much colder.
• Very little in terms of dating opportunities, meeting people around my age, and recreational activities. The students I met there seem to like it there but regularly tell me that it requires "sacrifices." In fact one of their graduates told me that it would be a mistake if I went – his words.
• This is more of a neutral point, but Mayo historically matches many of its students back into Mayo. For other programs there isn't a set pattern
• Weak alumni ties with people outside of medicine (obviously)

Dartmouth
Pros:

• Set in a college campus with other graduate schools and students
• Ivy-League school with connections to alumni and to Harvard-affiliated programs
• Has a stronger global agenda
• Teaching hospitals in California: San Francisco, Orange County (I hope to match back into California)
• Has a good track record of matching students into UCSF and MGH. I mean, Dartmouth's match cannot be beat.
• Is closer to large metropolitan cities (Boston, Montreal, NYC) than Mayo is (Minneapolis)
• Better outdoor activities
• Closer to friends and family who are on the East Coast

Cons:

• Dartmouth-Hitchcock is definitely a less exciting and quieter place than Mayo
• Less research opportunities
• Less amenities for day-to-day living compared to Rochester (i.e., markets)

 

[hubriz]

The deadline for me to choose one of these programs is quickly approaching and I'm having a hard time deciding... In the beginning I thought that my top choice was Mayo, but its place in the top started to sway after finding out that their financial aid packages were going to be significantly less generous and after getting accepted to Dartmouth so quickly. Financially speaking, both schools will be about the same so I'm not going to include tuition in the pros and cons. Another thing to consider is that I did send Letters of Intents to Mayo before getting accepted (and used words like "guarantee"). The problem now is that these were sent before I even got my interview at Dartmouth... I don't know how much this should play into my decision.

Mayo
Pros:

• It's at Mayo Clinic! And I absolutely love Mayo Clinic!
• The faculty and students are incredibly supportive of their students (I could probably say the same thing about Dartmouth but I haven't experienced that firsthand yet).
  
• Many opportunities to publish and work with the best in the field
• Rent is cheaper than in New Hampshire
• This is a good and a bad thing: Mayo doesn't have very much in terms of extracurriculars but they are very supportive of their students to spearhead anything

Cons:

• It's the colder of the two options. I mean they're both cold, but Minnesota is definitely much colder.
• Very little in terms of dating opportunities, meeting people around my age, and recreational activities. The students I met there seem to like it there but regularly tell me that it requires "sacrifices." In fact one of their graduates told me that it would be a mistake if I went – his words.
• This is more of a neutral point, but Mayo historically matches many of its students back into Mayo. For other programs there isn't a set pattern
• Weak alumni ties with people outside of medicine (obviously)

Dartmouth
Pros:

• Set in a college campus with other graduate schools and students
• Ivy-League school with connections to alumni and to Harvard-affiliated programs
• Has a stronger global agenda
• Teaching hospitals in California: San Francisco, Orange County (I hope to match back into California)
• Has a good track record of matching students into UCSF and MGH. I mean, Dartmouth's match cannot be beat.
• Is closer to large metropolitan cities (Boston, Montreal, NYC) than Mayo is (Minneapolis)
• Better outdoor activities
• Closer to friends and family who are on the East Coast

Cons:

• Dartmouth-Hitchcock is definitely a less exciting and quieter place than Mayo
• Less research opportunities
• Less amenities for day-to-day living compared to Rochester (i.e., markets)

I have the same options. I chose Mayo in spite of Rochester. I spent 3 nights going out in Rochester to get a feel for the town, and I was pleasantly surprised, especially with the restaurants and bars. I've lived in Boston, DC and New Orleans and while Rochester obviously has fewer options, the quality of the places I visited was good. Although I was there with my wife, I met several young professionals and students, including some cute nurses. I also met an entirely too intoxicated young lady who insisted I was the owner of a peanut butter conglomerate. Another student and I were even treated to several drinks; the people were very friendly. I liked it.

 

[DermViser]

These LOI's are nonbinding and often made under duress (by people holding no acceptances). This is why nobody believes them. This is also why I don't think they should be sent!