Miami Miller vs. Colorado

[McDreamy34]

Hi everyone! I am so honored and humbled to have these options and would love to hear any thoughts anyone has about them. Thank you!

University of Colorado
Pros

• Better reputation
• Incredible affiliated hospitals
• Anatomy lab during first block seemed nice
• Nice campus
• Great neuroscience/pediatrics research (my main interests)
• Really liked the people I met at my interview day and vibe of the school
• Great hiking/concerts in Denver
• Some matching in CA (lived in LA for undergrad and hoping to return to SoCal for residency)

Cons

• Cold winters

University of Miami (Miller)
Pros

• Jackson seems like an incredible place to train
• Lots of great study spaces on campus
• Good research
• Lots of matching into CA residencies
• Students I met at interview day seemed really motivated and hard-working
• Miami seems like a fun place to live
• Great beaches

Cons

• Humid summers

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[AAATPase]

If Colorado resident, go to Colorado
If not Colorado resident, go to Miami

 

[McDreamy34]

If Colorado resident, go to Colorado
If not Colorado resident, go to Miami

Thank you for your advice! Besides tuition, could you please explain why you think Miami would be better if not a Colorado resident?

 

[Detailfanatic]

Im not sure if i agree that colorado has a better reputatin. Miller is really well known. Its reputation exceeds its official ranking imo. Also the clinical training which is super important for matching is amazing at UM. i would probably recommend Miller instead.

 

[Aria B]

UM/Jackson is an amazing place to train. I am doing some pre-med shadowing at Jackson and University of Miami Hospital and the cases you see are unlike anywhere else. Miami has a very strong Latin community, so if you speak Spanish definitely go to UM. Miami-Dade county has so much need and unique health and socioeconomic concerns too that you probably wouldn't see in Colorado. The area directly around the med school is not the best though and is separate from UM undergrad which is in Coral Gables. I would go to UM in a heartbeat but I don't know much about Colorado. The UM curriculum is also going to P/F according to the med students.

 

[Mooseforkicks]

UM/Jackson is an amazing place to train. I am doing some pre-med shadowing at Jackson and University of Miami Hospital and the cases you see are unlike anywhere else. Miami has a very strong Latin community, so if you speak Spanish definitely go to UM. Miami-Dade county has so much need and unique health and socioeconomic concerns too that you probably wouldn't see in Colorado.

I don’t know how true this is. Aurora, CO has actually been ranked as one of the most diverse cities in the country. Aurora named one of America's most diverse cities

Aurora and Denver have a large LatinX population, as well as many other immigrants and refugees (Ex: children at Aurora public schools speak 90+ languages).

The fact that CU is also one of the only major academic hospitals in the Rocky Mountain region also means that it sees a wide range of unique cases. Collaborations with Denver Health (a major safety net hospital, also known by some locals as the “Knife and Gun Club” because of trauma often seen in its ED), Children’s Hospital Colorado (ranked in the top 10 children’s hospitals in the nation), the VA, and others means you will see a very wide variety of patients. To imply there is a lack of cultural, SES, or health needs diversity is untrue.

CU also has tracks that allow you to focus on specific needs and patient populations (Rural track, urban underserved track, Global health track, LEADS, etc.) It has strong clinical training. Taking a look at Match lists for the last few years should also show that CU will prepare you for residency: students matched to competitive specialties (ortho, ENT, optho, derm, urology) and at numerous prestigious institutions (Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Duke, Vanderbilt, etc).

 

[FamousLinen]

Personally I would have a hard time deciding between these two. How's money looking? If one is ~50k or more cheaper I'd just go there. I think really these schools are super similar. Would you rather live in Miami or Denver? I'd probably pick Miami.

 

[Detailfanatic]

Also I didn’t look at years prior but Miami had a much better match than Colorado this yesr

 

[puahate]

Miami

 

[Mooseforkicks]

Also I didn’t look at years prior but Miami had a much better match than Colorado this yesr

Both schools matched students into competitive specialties (neurosurg, ortho, ENT, derm, etc). Both matched students to prestigious institutions. There are variations between exact numbers for each, of course, and between years. But considering other factors (regional preferences of students, variations in specialty preference of students, etc), these don’t really indicate one school is definitively “better” (Ex: Miami matched more students into ortho in 2019, but CO matched more in 2018). Both will allow you to match in competitive specialties and at competitive institutions, if that is what you want.

That being said, it probably comes down to preference regarding location, curriculum, cost, etc. Both are great schools that will get you where you want to go. Choose whichever you like better.

 

[AAATPase]

Thank you for your advice! Besides tuition, could you please explain why you think Miami would be better if not a Colorado resident?

Sure,

Biggest thing is money. Colorado has long had outrageous tuition for OOS students, when I applied only UIllinois had a crazier price. Miami on the other had is the second cheapest private school other than Baylor (which I believe is subsidized by Texas to a degree). Paying more to live in Aurora Colorado than Brickell Miami is a tough pill to swallow.

Here’s a little more nuanced take. I have very good friends at both schools.

Colorado is better in:
+Pediatrics, no debate here. Childrens is an incredible place.
+Basic science research, more funding, more labs
+EM, (Denver health)
+Probably IM (UCH, and National Jewish are solid hospitals)
+Hiking/Skiing (duh)

Miami is better in:
***Clinical training. Jackson is a dinosaur of a county hospital in THE port city for the Americas. Hospital is short staffed and needs all help it can get=med student autonomy (and some scut). If underserved is your thing, medical Spanish, Miami>>Denver.***
-Optho. Hands down if you are thinking optho, Miami’s Bascom Palmer will take you places.
-Neuro. Sacco is at Miami and the neuro program is considered excellent.

-Beaches/weather (duh)

Both schools will get you to a residency where you want to go. Colorado is too expensive. Miami (the city) isn’t for everyone.

 

[McDreamy34]

Sure,

Biggest thing is money. Colorado has long had outrageous tuition for OOS students, when I applied only UIllinois had a crazier price. Miami on the other had is the second cheapest private school other than Baylor (which I believe is subsidized by Texas to a degree). Paying more to live in Aurora Colorado than Brickell Miami is a tough pill to swallow.

Here’s a little more nuanced take. I have very good friends at both schools.

Colorado is better in:
+Pediatrics, no debate here. Childrens is an incredible place.
+Basic science research, more funding, more labs
+EM, (Denver health)
+Probably IM (UCH, and National Jewish are solid hospitals)
+Hiking/Skiing (duh)

Miami is better in:
***Clinical training. Jackson is a dinosaur of a county hospital in THE port city for the Americas. Hospital is short staffed and needs all help it can get=med student autonomy (and some scut). If underserved is your thing, medical Spanish, Miami>>Denver.***
-Optho.

Thank you all for the feedback! My goals in med school are to do a decent amount of neuro research, improve my medical Spanish, get as much hands on training as possible, maybe get some global medical experience, and set myself up for a residency in peds, child neurology, or neurology in CA. It sounds like each of the schools is better in some of these aspects and worse in others. I would much rather live in Miami than Aurora, but money-wise I’d have to take ~8K more per year in loans if I go to Miami (~32-35K more total). I’m having a bit of trouble grappling with paying more to go to a slightly lower ranked school with a less-esteemed peds hospital, but maybe the money isn’t that big of a difference in the long-run and it wouldn’t make a difference for residency matching?

 

[AAATPase]

If Colorado is cheaper, I'd go to Colorado then. Especially if you end up in peds or ped-neuro (literally the lowest paying speciality I believe). Colorado will set you up well for both. Miami has a bit more of a subspecialty bent to it, not a lot of primary care (though they would set you up well too).