Mayo vs UTSW (full ride)

[tametheimpala]

Hello everyone, I am having a very difficult time choosing between two great programs and I am hoping you kind folks can give me some extra insight or advice. Thank you!

UTSW

Pros:

• Free (Scholarship covers full cost of attendance)
• Great reputation, research powerhouse
• Pretty close to home (about a 4 hr drive)

Cons:

• Larger class size (around 230 students)

Mayo

Pros:

• Higher rank / prestige (Does this matter more now since Step 1 is Pass/Fail?)
• small class size (around 50 students)
• also has loads of research opportunities
• Individualized curriculum, with "selectives" so I can tailor my studies to fit my interests a bit more

Cons:

• More expensive (I did receive a scholarship, but I will still have to pay about $40k / year, or about $160k over the 4 years)
• Farther from my home/family/friends

I am not set on a specialty, though I think I want to go into academic medicine in the future.

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[Detailsmatter]

Mayo has mandatory attendance and that's a big no for me lmao

 

[tametheimpala]

Mayo has mandatory attendance and that's a big no for me lmao

haha that was a concern for me too, but they recently changed their attendance policy to make lecture attendance optional, but group activities are still mandatory attendance

 

[Detailsmatter]

haha that was a concern for me too, but they recently changed their attendance policy to make lecture attendance optional, but group activities are still mandatory attendance

Oh yeah now I remember seeing that somewhere. That’s def way better but UTSW is still so much cheaper and much better weather!

 

[Banco]

UTSW is highly regarded, with top programs in medicine, surgery, plastics and others. You have family nearby. And most importantly, it's 160k cheaper. Also even though TX froze this year, it has much better weather. Go there and don't look back.

 

[Sea Otter]

haha that was a concern for me too, but they recently changed their attendance policy to make lecture attendance optional, but group activities are still mandatory attendance

Still have to wear suits though. It’s a no from me, dawg.

 

[anotherhotpremed]

UTSW

what school is this lol

 

[Banco]

what school is this lol

Princeton Med.

 

[Arsartium]

Congrats OP! what a great position to be in!

Seems like your biggest considerations should be class size, proximity to family, and cost. I wouldn't worry too much about prestige.

I can't comment on family. That's up to you. I will say that with almost 6 mos of selective time at Mayo, you'll see them plenty if you want to.

While both institutions do boast myriad opportunities, class size can affect access. More opportunities at Mayo per student than we know what to do with. However, you could have a similar experience at UTSW.

Cost is a difference-maker. While a debt of $160K is far less than the average medical student, it's nothing to sneeze at. I'd err on the side of UTSW over this alone.

Thought I'd clear up a few things on the Mayo front too:

1) No internal rankings actually. People do love a good scandal don't they? Competition has not been my experience here at all.
2) Unofficially, lecture attendance hasn't really been mandatory for a few years now. Last year it was just made official. Attendance is mandatory for clinical activities (like every other medical school in the country). If patients will be there, so should you. Rarely, attendance will count for part of your grade in small group. Some people would rather lose the points. Preclinical is P/F after all. Pre-recorded lectures with optional office hours been the name of the game for some of our more forward-thinking faculty. Loving it.
3) You quickly realize that you can wear whatever you want to class. You might wear a suit in outpatient clinic and when patients visit class, but inpatient is scrubs all day every day.

 

[crimson-cat]

I'd see if Mayo would increase their finanical aid. I remember when I was in your shoes they sent out an email saying something like ("Please let us know if you are hesitating commiting to our school only based on cost".) Both are great schools and will have great opportunities, but if you could get Mayo down to like $20k/year then I'd lean that direction

 

[9blade]

I know Mayo has a big reputation, but I don't think it's good enough to pass up the better weather in Dallas and the free education

 

[BritainKittenMittens]

This is a tough one, but if you value location strongly, I'd go with UTSW. Rochester, MN is not the most exciting place, and being close to family + free education is tough to pass on.

 

[Vhopeful]

Hi, I'm in the same position right now and would love to hear about OP experience.

 

[DZ2106]

I'd pick UTSW.

Mayo has the whole "90+ percent of our students match into their top 3 choices" thing, which is nice. You're gonna have to work harder at UTSW but a bit of extra work in med school does not justify the loss of ~1 whole year of attending salary (factoring interest)

Plus better weather, cooler state, family nearby. Sounds like a great deal tbh