MCW (Milwaukee) vs UVM (Connecticut)

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Makkusu

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MCW (Milwaukee)
Pros:
  • MD/MS (I want to continue clinical research in my career as a physician) in a 4 year track
  • Amazing vibes (everyone was happy, students would go out of their way to say hi, teachers went out of their way to give private tours of rooms and facilities)
  • P/F preclinical
  • Modernized campus and buildings
  • Already made friends at the interview
  • Met students who had interviewed at other schools of greater recognition and ranking and said the vibe and energy at MCW is unparallel
  • Milwaukee seems like a great city to learn medicine in (plus Chicago is right there)
  • Not affiliated with an undergraduate (I do not like college towns), so the med students are almost entirely the focus
  • Looked to me like a lot of individualized care for students in terms of academics, research, mental health
  • Large class size to make friends
  • Cheaper
Cons:
  • Far from girlfriend (girlfriend of 4+ years)
  • Milwaukee is highly segregated, with more people leaving than moving into to the city
  • Very very cold (colder than Vermont I believe)
  • Match isn’t as good as Vermont
  • Large class size can be potentially bad as well
  • Curriculum seems good but not as revolutionary as Vermont’s

Vermont (Connecticut campus)
Pros:
  • Amazing curriculum potentially (nearly all activity-based)
  • Seems like a perfect class size
  • Close to NYC (where girlfriend of 4+ years will be)
  • Great match list
  • P/F preclinical
  • Preclinicals in 1.5 years
  • In terms of the two years I will be in Vermont, it is the only medical school in the state
  • Have more opportunities for global health and study abroad
  • Burlington is very beautiful (but I have never been to Connecticut)
  • More well-known
Cons:
  • Did not get good vibes during the interview
  • There wasn’t a tour of the school, nor were med students or faculty willing to give tours when asked
  • Med students were quiet and not as happy in appearance as at MCW
  • Much more expensive
  • Only MD and not MD/MS like at MCW
  • Med students had more to complain about the curriculum than to highlight
  • Burlington looks like it can get boring fast, and I heard not so great things about the Connecticut campus
  • Given Burlington is small as well as the Connecticut campus, patients will probably lack in diversity in regards to their illnesses
  • Burlington is also a college town, which I do not like
Overall, I’m leaning towards MCW because of the aura, the MD/MS, and the cost. I have also lived on both the East and West Coasts but not the Midwest, so that is exciting to me. However, if there is anything I am missing either in pros or cons to either schools in your opinion, please let me know. I would hate to make a decision based on me overemphasizing a quality of the school that I shouldn’t be or because I was lacking an important other factor you are considering. I should mention my girlfriend is accepting of either location.

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I'd go with your gut. If you did not get good vibes at Vermont, you might be miserable for 4 years. You seem to have more pros for MCW than Vermont and less cons as well. If your gf is cool with either, it sounds like MCW is going to be the better fit for you
 
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I agree with limey, if both you and your gf are fine with you being in Wisconsin, I would go with MCW. You seem to like the school better and it would be the cheaper option.
 
MCW (Milwaukee)
Pros:
  • MD/MS (I want to continue clinical research in my career as a physician) in a 4 year track
  • Amazing vibes (everyone was happy, students would go out of their way to say hi, teachers went out of their way to give private tours of rooms and facilities)
  • P/F preclinical
  • Modernized campus and buildings
  • Already made friends at the interview
  • Met students who had interviewed at other schools of greater recognition and ranking and said the vibe and energy at MCW is unparallel
  • Milwaukee seems like a great city to learn medicine in (plus Chicago is right there)
  • Not affiliated with an undergraduate (I do not like college towns), so the med students are almost entirely the focus
  • Looked to me like a lot of individualized care for students in terms of academics, research, mental health
  • Large class size to make friends
  • Cheaper
Cons:
  • Far from girlfriend (girlfriend of 4+ years)
  • Milwaukee is highly segregated, with more people leaving than moving into to the city
  • Very very cold (colder than Vermont I believe)
  • Match isn’t as good as Vermont
  • Large class size can be potentially bad as well
  • Curriculum seems good but not as revolutionary as Vermont’s

Vermont (Connecticut campus)
Pros:
  • Amazing curriculum potentially (nearly all activity-based)
  • Seems like a perfect class size
  • Close to NYC (where girlfriend of 4+ years will be)
  • Great match list
  • P/F preclinical
  • Preclinicals in 1.5 years
  • In terms of the two years I will be in Vermont, it is the only medical school in the state
  • Have more opportunities for global health and study abroad
  • Burlington is very beautiful (but I have never been to Connecticut)
  • More well-known
Cons:
  • Did not get good vibes during the interview
  • There wasn’t a tour of the school, nor were med students or faculty willing to give tours when asked
  • Med students were quiet and not as happy in appearance as at MCW
  • Much more expensive
  • Only MD and not MD/MS like at MCW
  • Med students had more to complain about the curriculum than to highlight
  • Burlington looks like it can get boring fast, and I heard not so great things about the Connecticut campus
  • Given Burlington is small as well as the Connecticut campus, patients will probably lack in diversity in regards to their illnesses
  • Burlington is also a college town, which I do not like
Overall, I’m leaning towards MCW because of the aura, the MD/MS, and the cost. I have also lived on both the East and West Coasts but not the Midwest, so that is exciting to me. However, if there is anything I am missing either in pros or cons to either schools in your opinion, please let me know. I would hate to make a decision based on me overemphasizing a quality of the school that I shouldn’t be or because I was lacking an important other factor you are considering. I should mention my girlfriend is accepting of either location.
I’m from Milwaukee so I might be biased, but the metro area has everything that you’d want in a city. It is also nice to have the train to Chicago going from downtown (or Kenosha if you want to be down there), but overall it‘s a very nice city and is not really all that bad as many of the conflicts present in other cities are not present here. If you have any questions about living here, feel free to contact me!
 
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For what its worth regarding the CT campus, South Norwalk is a very diverse area in close proximity to NYC (50 min train to downtown Manhattan). Not sure about diversity in regards to illnesses, but it's something to think about as both a place to live and aspect of the school!
 
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