Minnesota TC vs Loyola

[Justkeeplivin]

​

Hey everyone! I was lucky to be accepted into two amazing schools that I love. I am stressing over where to go slightly as we get closer to the deadline to choose and I am looking for some advice, things I may be missing, and things that may not be important. Upfront I am currently interested in pursuing neurosurgery, obviously, that could very well change but I have enjoyed my experiences in the field so I want to go somewhere that will best support that goal. I have yet to receive my financial aid from either school, but I would expect to be in a lot less debt if I were to remain in state as I am from Minnesota. Both schools are undergoing a curriculum change so it kind of cancels out. Climate does not matter to me as obviously I have lived in the cold my whole life and willingly applied to northern schools. Kind of on the fence about whether it is a positive to leave the state, I can see negatives and positives, but I have nothing against staying in Minnesota as I do love it here. Any advice is helpful!
U or M
Pros

• Cheaper as it will be at most $68,000 a year
• I am able to stay in Minnesota, which is close to home and my support system when I need them
• I didn’t go to the U of M but one of my summer internships was there, and I developed relationships with several surgeons in the specialty I am interested in. They are really supportive in my journey
• They have a massive research budget, which has increased drastically in the last few years. Rank 21st in NIH funding
• I have done research with the neurosurgery department in the past
• Minnesota is cheaper to live in from what I can tell
• preclinical are pass/fail
• University has been really good about keeping in contact with students and providing information about the school
• Preclinicals will be 1.5 years

Cons

• Still in Minnesota, which I kind of want to experience something out of the state
• Haven’t had as many students match into neurosurgery recently
• Currently going through a revamp of their curriculum
• Slightly larger class size with 175 students

Loyola​

Pros​

• New city, living away from home could be exciting
• Had a really good interview, the vibe was a great one with students who seemed happy and the physicians I interviewed with were AMAZING (this is definitely making me biased)
• For a class of only 150 they still routinely send at least one student every year to neurosurgery programs
• STAR research program
• Really focused on service which I really enjoy as it has always been apart of my life
• Everything is really close together as the classes are all housed in a singular building, which is also connected to the hospitals which would make getting to clinicals very easy
• Also transitioning to a new curriculum where I believe the pre-clinicals will only be 1.5 years

Cons​

• The cost is much greater at 89,000
• Less research funding than the U of M
• I have barely ever spent time in Chicago and so while it might be exciting to be somewhere new, I don’t know how it would impact me academically
• Communication from the school hasn’t been great
• same thing with the U, curriculum change

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted1158770]

Hm it sounds like both are really great options that you could enjoy. I wouldn’t put a ton of weight into your one interaction with the student and faculty at Loyola, since that could be different from the reality at the school (although I am not saying that it is). If you think that you’d be happier at Loyola/want to try something new, go there (but try reaching out to current students if you want to hear more about student life). Otherwise, I think that U of M is the better option because of the research and connections that you already have there.

 

[MCATSCRUBS]

Wait where did you find out pre-clinical will be 1.5 yrs at Loyola? I am deciding between Loyola and several other schools, but they are my top choice at the moment barring financial aid set-backs.

 

[MCATSCRUBS]

Idk much about MN, but I too enjoyed my interview day at Loyola. In terms of matching Neurosurgery, Loyola matched 2 students into Neurosurgery this match, and one of them was in their program, so that could benefit you. I would say if you want to experience a new city like Chicago go for it and keep in mind that there are 8 other medical schools in Illinois, so you can potentially build connections with faculties from other schools if you chose. On the other hand, if you want family support, and if that is very important to you as you go through 4yrs of medical school, then go with UofM plus you already have connections in their neurosurgeon department, which is a huge plus in my eyes.

 

[Justkeeplivin]

Wait where did you find out pre-clinical will be 1.5 yrs at Loyola? I am deciding between Loyola and several other schools, but they are my top choice at the moment barring financial aid set-backs.

I thought I remember them saying in the interview process that they were transitioning this year to the 1.5 years for pre-clinicals. Their website says they are also switching to ensure that students get more clinical time. I could be wrong, but hopefully, we get more clarity next week on the webinars.

 

[MCATSCRUBS]

I thought I remember them saying in the interview process that they were transitioning this year to the 1.5 years for pre-clinicals. Their website says they are also switching to ensure that students get more clinical time. I could be wrong, but hopefully, we get more clarity next week on the webinars.

Wow, they did not tell my interview group that at all, but yea a 1.5 yr preclinical will be huge. Where on the website did it say that?