takeiiteasy
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2018
- Messages
- 8
- Reaction score
- 53
Hi everyone!
Happy social distancing. I hope you're all well.
I'm super bummed about second look cancellations as I was really hoping those would help me in the decision making process. Below is the current headspace I'm in. Please help out if you can!
Michigan
Pros
- Full tuition + grant (100% debt free and the cheapest option) + will have the option of doing dual degree as well as some monthly meetings with deans and upperclassmen
- Weekend flextime quizzing
- I really connected with my interviewers (even the MMI actors lol)
- Lots of opportunities for interdisciplinary research (really important to me)
- My family / home will be 25 minutes away
- As someone unsure of what speciality I'd want to go into, Michigan's 3 year clinical aspect would help a lot with speciality exposure
- High residency ranking + "prestige"
- Great hospital system connected to the medical school
Cons
- Really nervous about cutthroat / gunner environment (I really only clicked with 5 other interviewees on interview day)
- Students seemed super stressed with the one year preclinical curriculum (Each one of them probably said, "Med school is hard" at least 2 times...there was not "but ____ makes it worth it.")
- Turned off by the way some professors solely used stats to elevate Michigan ("We're 1 in this, 3 in that, 2 in this...what more can I say?"
)
- Bigger class + interview day lacked student diversity (could just be that day)
- Was warned by other school interviewers about the quality of clinical experience...yes the research is amazing and makes it a top program, but Ann Arbor's patient population isn't that diverse + most orgs committed to "underserved populations" go out to Detroit (a bit of a drive + Wayne has that covered)
- I'm not a big party/football person, so not too sure about the social aspect either
OUWB
Pros
- Was blown away by how well they embodied their mission and emphasized student well-being on interview day
- Down-to-earth, relatable, and friendly students + interviewees + professors...everyone just seemed really content, genuine, and relaxed, so I felt comfortable
- Amazing hospital system, with lots of diversity and opportunities to work with a variety of patients, so potentially a better clinical experience?
- Excellent match list
- Beautiful facilities
- Emphasis on humanistic components of medicine (the student tour guides consistently referred to cadavers as donors...something that I really appreciated + confirmed how well the school instills their mission)
- Small thing but the dean called to distribute acceptances and scholarships, which really personalized the whole experience
- Free Macs + Littmans (lol is bribery working?)
Cons
- Despite full-tuition being covered, I'd be taking out 26K of loans to cover everything else
- "Far" from home (about an hour and a half away)
- Rochester seemed a lot more dreary than Ann Arbor
- A "newer" school, so less established and "prestigious" than Umich
- Mandatory lecture attendance to qualify for honors
- Some students seemed frustrated at the fast-paced changes in curriculum etc. year to year ("administration is a bit too receptive to student feedback")
- No chances for away rotations
Basically, I'm just nervous about being in a place where I don't feel supported, where the students are not collaborative/able to just chill out a bit, and the environment is pompous. I don't want med school to be any more stressful than it has to be, and genuinely want to enjoy this process. I'd really appreciate any insight/advice. What would you do in this incredibly fortunate situation?
Thank you!!!
Happy social distancing. I hope you're all well.
I'm super bummed about second look cancellations as I was really hoping those would help me in the decision making process. Below is the current headspace I'm in. Please help out if you can!
Michigan
Pros
- Full tuition + grant (100% debt free and the cheapest option) + will have the option of doing dual degree as well as some monthly meetings with deans and upperclassmen
- Weekend flextime quizzing
- I really connected with my interviewers (even the MMI actors lol)
- Lots of opportunities for interdisciplinary research (really important to me)
- My family / home will be 25 minutes away
- As someone unsure of what speciality I'd want to go into, Michigan's 3 year clinical aspect would help a lot with speciality exposure
- High residency ranking + "prestige"
- Great hospital system connected to the medical school
Cons
- Really nervous about cutthroat / gunner environment (I really only clicked with 5 other interviewees on interview day)
- Students seemed super stressed with the one year preclinical curriculum (Each one of them probably said, "Med school is hard" at least 2 times...there was not "but ____ makes it worth it.")
- Turned off by the way some professors solely used stats to elevate Michigan ("We're 1 in this, 3 in that, 2 in this...what more can I say?"
- Bigger class + interview day lacked student diversity (could just be that day)
- Was warned by other school interviewers about the quality of clinical experience...yes the research is amazing and makes it a top program, but Ann Arbor's patient population isn't that diverse + most orgs committed to "underserved populations" go out to Detroit (a bit of a drive + Wayne has that covered)
- I'm not a big party/football person, so not too sure about the social aspect either
OUWB
Pros
- Was blown away by how well they embodied their mission and emphasized student well-being on interview day
- Down-to-earth, relatable, and friendly students + interviewees + professors...everyone just seemed really content, genuine, and relaxed, so I felt comfortable
- Amazing hospital system, with lots of diversity and opportunities to work with a variety of patients, so potentially a better clinical experience?
- Excellent match list
- Beautiful facilities
- Emphasis on humanistic components of medicine (the student tour guides consistently referred to cadavers as donors...something that I really appreciated + confirmed how well the school instills their mission)
- Small thing but the dean called to distribute acceptances and scholarships, which really personalized the whole experience
- Free Macs + Littmans (lol is bribery working?)
Cons
- Despite full-tuition being covered, I'd be taking out 26K of loans to cover everything else
- "Far" from home (about an hour and a half away)
- Rochester seemed a lot more dreary than Ann Arbor
- A "newer" school, so less established and "prestigious" than Umich
- Mandatory lecture attendance to qualify for honors
- Some students seemed frustrated at the fast-paced changes in curriculum etc. year to year ("administration is a bit too receptive to student feedback")
- No chances for away rotations
Basically, I'm just nervous about being in a place where I don't feel supported, where the students are not collaborative/able to just chill out a bit, and the environment is pompous. I don't want med school to be any more stressful than it has to be, and genuinely want to enjoy this process. I'd really appreciate any insight/advice. What would you do in this incredibly fortunate situation?
Thank you!!!