Mayo vs. Iowa

[anon1234567]

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Mayo
Pros

• Closer to family
• Small class size
• Great reputation
• Entirely P/F preclinical; no internal ranking
• Heavy emphasis on research
• Great facilities and resources

Cons

• Will cost about 20k/year in tuition + 12-15k/year living; Total COA around 32-35k/year

University of Iowa
Pros

• Full tuition scholarship; COA about 12k/year
• Well regarded in-house residency programs
• Iowa City would be a new experience for me

Cons

• Not as well ranked
• Large class size (though I could see this going either way)
• Not as research-intensive

Summary: I really want to go to Mayo and I think the program suits me perfectly, but want to make sure the extra 20k/year are worth it.

 

[mangowolf]

try to negotiate financial aid with mayo; they probably will be receptive

 

[parfait00]

I would double check that Mayo is entirely P/F. I've heard reports that they tell that to students but actually have an internal ranking that shows up on their MPSE letter unless they've recently changed that.

 

[JohnJacobJingleheimer]

Do you have any idea what specialties you’re interested in? I think this helps to rationalize the extra cost, as the school with the better reputation (Mayo) could help when it comes to matching into competitive specialities. It’s a bit harder to justify paying 100k extra if you’re interested in primary care, since both programs should be perfectly capable of getting you where you want to go in that field. The 100k itself shouldn’t rule out Mayo, but I think your future interests play a role here and we don’t have any info on that front. Congrats on 2 very solid choices; either could be justified given the info u provided.

 

[anon1234567]

Thank you all for the responses! I'm not quite set on any particular specialty yet, but do know that I probably don't want to do primary care. I want to try negotiating finaid with Mayo but am not sure how to go about it.

 

[srirachamayonnaise]

Mayo. Better name and sets you up for a good position to pursue whatever you want.

 

[FluffyCat1212]

I would double check that Mayo is entirely P/F. I've heard reports that they tell that to students but actually have an internal ranking that shows up on their MPSE letter unless they've recently changed that.

It is! I actually recently discussed this with one of our deans, and it is true P/F with no internal rankings for the preclerkship phase!

 

[chilly_md]

I would recommend Mayo, especially if its closer to family then.