Minnesota- TC vs MCW

[SandMan8841]

Stuck between these two great schools. My specialties of interest are Anesthesiology and Dermatology. Really want a school that offers ample research opportunities to its students. Well aware that my specialty choices might change 1000x from now until match but it is important for me to be at a program that will open doors for whatever I choose to pursue. Both are pretty much the same, tuition-wise, so that won’t be a huge deciding factor. Priority is matching back to the east coast for family, I am OOS for both schools.


UMN -Twin Cities
Pros
-Higher ranked than MCW
-Pass/Fail pre-clinical AND Pass/Fail core clerkships
-Large research institution
-Students were friendly when meeting them. A lot of them elaborated on how UMN works with them to limit stress as best they can
-Hospitals are close to medical school

Cons
-I see a lot of Minnesota matches. Not sure if PDs will have some kind of regional bias and view applicants from a midwest state school differently? (Speaking from ignorance as I do not know)
-After my first year, the curriculum will be changed from traditional to system-based. Scared I might have to reinvent the wheel of how I studied the first year
-High COL


MCW - Milwaukee
Pro
-Solid curriculum with ample research opportunities ( pathways program requires the student to do research and presentation)
-P/F preclinical (although tiered p/f for core clerkships)
-Students and staff were very welcoming and students genuinely seemed happy to be there
-Hospitals are attached to medical school buildings so no travel is required
-Have a mentor who graduated there and speaks super highly of it
-Lower COL


Cons
-Unranked (not sure how much that matters or not)
-Read that the state of Wisconsin is highly segregated and this was also mentioned many times by students and staff (I’m a minority so it matters to me to be in a place where I won’t feel like an outsider for superficial reasons)


I feel as though I could be happy with either but now that step 1 is p/f I am not sure how much school rank will factor into matching into competitive specialties. Additionally, I don’t know if the difference in rank between the two is significant enough to even factor rank into the decision. I think UMN is #31 and MCW is #46 according to reddit's rank list for primary care, research & PD score.

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[voxveritatisetlucis]

UMN unless financial picture is significantly better at MCW

 

[SandMan8841]

UMN unless financial picture is significantly better at MCW

Thank you for your input, would you care to elaborate as to why? Trying to see the bigger picture

 

[chilly_md]

Go to the cheaper school and the one you feel most comfortable at. Minnesota has had its own problems for minority people that have been publicized nationally so it might be similar to what you described for Wisconsin.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Thank you for your input, would you care to elaborate as to why? Trying to see the bigger picture

I think it may be my regional bias (East coast) but to me Twin Cities screams research powerhouse, state flagship whereas MCW just doesn’t seem to be in that same tier. Granted, I know that MCW isn’t a state school. The former seems more research driven while the other seems more primary care motivated.

 

[catnip12]

Interviewed at both some 4 years back. Went with neither but if I had to pick between them i’d go with UMN

 

[SandMan8841]

Interviewed at both some 4 years back. Went with neither but if I had to pick between them i’d go with UMN

Would you mind sharing what would have influenced your decision to choose UMN ?

 

[Mikiras]

You mentioned UMN having a traditional curriculum year 1 then a systems based year 2 as being a con. I do believe MCW is similar. Their year 1 preclinical curriculum is traditional sciences and year 2 is systems based. A lot of students I spoke to (I'm also accepted to MCW and weighing pros/cons) said they did not like that aspect of the curriculum.

 

[catnip12]

UMN is a larger institution and is highly regarded in many specialties so you will have access to more facilities and mentors / recognizable names!! This is nontrivial especially as step moved to P/F and who you know becomes all the more important.

I don't believe the curriculum differences matter because both schools are 2-year preclinical and most students learn preclin education using Uworld, Pathoma, First Aid, Sketchy, Anki, Youtube etc. for many using these as replacement for their own school materials

With Step 1 going P/F 2 years is just a little too excessive so if you get an option with 1.5 preclin take that one.