Mizzou vs Tennessee

[GJDM]

Hey everyone! I'm lucky enough to have this kind of decision to make.. so here it goes:
I'm a TN resident. No idea really on what kind of specialty (I guess there are some that spark my interest more: EM, ortho, gen surg), but I am keeping my doors completely open. Also not big into research, only plan on doing it if I decide on a more competitive specialty.

Big thing: I'm a sort of non-trad. Mid 20's but I'm married and have 2 young children (one of which will start elementary school while I'm in med school). Wife will be stay at home, but is possibly looking for part time job or getting involved with research (she eventually wants to go back to school to get her Ph.D. somewhere down the road)

Mizzou:

Pros:
+ Smaller community (about 100k or so), which gives a nice small-town college type atmosphere
+ Commuting is non-issue
+ PBL (I used to not be interested in it, but the way Mizzou does it really sold me. They are primarily a PBL curriculum, so it seems like they do a good job, as opposed to other lecture based curriculum that have PBL once a week and half-ass it)
+ P/F curriculum
+ Smaller class size (about 100)
+ Relating to the smaller class size, it seems the administration is more hands on with students. I definitely got a more personal vibe here
+ Main campus/administration is all in the same location, also right next to the undergrad campus
+ Seems to better prepare students for boards from the way the curriculum and exams are setup. Also I think it has a higher step 1 average than UT

Cons:
- Isolated from friends
- Not much else in the Columbia area other than the University

Tennessee:

Pros:
+ Closer to many friends (this is actually a larger factor than it seems. Having our close friends nearby will be helpful for babysitting, socializing, etc. I'll probably be too busy studying, but my wife will greatly benefit from the company of our friends)
+ Clinical opportunities galore. More hospitals, more trauma, more hands-on. It seems they definitely prepare the med students well for internship, especially in the surgically related fields.
+ Slightly altered timeline, which allows for 3rd year rotations earlier. This allows time for a couple extra optional-clerkships in 3rd year that usually aren't available until 4th year. Could be a great factor for doing a rotation in non-core specialty before applying for residency.
+ Memphis has a lot to offer as a city. Of course Memphis is known for it's gang related crime, but it seems to be focused in pockets of the inner city, which my family will be far away from.


Cons:
- A/B/C/D grading system, with required lectures (lecture based curriculum)
- Large class size (160+), I kind of got the vibe of cattle being herded around haha
- Campus is spread around downtown Memphis in different buildings. Not a huge factor, but having the ME office near lecture halls would be nice.
- Would have to live in suburban areas outside of Memphis, which means I'll have a decent commute to and from campus everyday

Non-factors for both:
- Cost. I can gain in-state tuition at mizzou after the first year. I'm not going to get any significant scholarships from either (Mizzou offered me a small one, but it's just a drop in the bucket even just for 1st year haha). UT seems to have given out most of it's scholarship already. In the end, it won't be much a difference since Mizzou's in-state is slightly lower than UT.
- Weather. they're about the same. Memphis slightly hotter/humid, nothing I'm not used to already.
- Distance from family

Overall, I got a better "vibe" from Mizzou's med school/students/program. However, that doesn't undermine UT, and Memphis seems to be a better area for my family (haha, I guess not Memphis, but the areas outside). MD is an MD right?

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[takeshikovacs]

I would advise going to Tennessee in this case. Since your wife will be mostly looking after your children while you're at school, it will probably be helpful if she doesn't have to figure out her social life as well while you're in school. I also noticed that you didn't include her impressions in your pros/cons, what does she want to do?

 

[GJDM]

I would advise going to Tennessee in this case. Since your wife will be mostly looking after your children while you're at school, it will probably be helpful if she doesn't have to figure out her social life as well while you're in school. I also noticed that you didn't include her impressions in your pros/cons, what does she want to do?

Thanks for the response! She's leaning towards UT for the social aspects, but it's still kind of up in the air when weighing in the other factors, such as my commuting and my "happiness" at school. She wants me to go somewhere I would enjoy more, but I also want to go somewhere where she would enjoy more (funny how this stuff works out). We're just trying to gather as many opinions as possible before making a decision. Yours definitely helps!

 

[trino]

Just another opinion, and it seems you have already figured this out, but I was blown away at Tennessee's clinical training. I interviewed at some pretty good places, but the clinical experience at Tennessee seemed to be as good as any of them. I've been told that this matters a lot more than preclinical.

 

[GJDM]

Just another opinion, and it seems you have already figured this out, but I was blown away at Tennessee's clinical training. I interviewed at some pretty good places, but the clinical experience at Tennessee seemed to be as good as any of them. I've been told that this matters a lot more than preclinical.

Yes! Definite plus for UT, especially since I'm interested (as of now) in specialties that benefit from the clinical training

 

[MedWonk]

Definitely UT. Happy wife = happy life.

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

Mizzou:

Pros:
+ Smaller community (about 100k or so), which gives a nice small-town college type atmosphere
+ Commuting is non-issue
+ PBL (I used to not be interested in it, but the way Mizzou does it really sold me. They are primarily a PBL curriculum, so it seems like they do a good job, as opposed to other lecture based curriculum that have PBL once a week and half-ass it)
+ P/F curriculum
+ Smaller class size (about 100)
+ Relating to the smaller class size, it seems the administration is more hands on with students. I definitely got a more personal vibe here
+ Main campus/administration is all in the same location, also right next to the undergrad campus
+ Seems to better prepare students for boards from the way the curriculum and exams are setup. Also I think it has a higher step 1 average than UT

Cons:
- Isolated from friends
- Not much else in the Columbia area other than the University

Tennessee:

Pros:
+ Closer to many friends (this is actually a larger factor than it seems. Having our close friends nearby will be helpful for babysitting, socializing, etc. I'll probably be too busy studying, but my wife will greatly benefit from the company of our friends)
+ Clinical opportunities galore. More hospitals, more trauma, more hands-on. It seems they definitely prepare the med students well for internship, especially in the surgically related fields.
+ Slightly altered timeline, which allows for 3rd year rotations earlier. This allows time for a couple extra optional-clerkships in 3rd year that usually aren't available until 4th year. Could be a great factor for doing a rotation in non-core specialty before applying for residency.
+ Memphis has a lot to offer as a city. Of course Memphis is known for it's gang related crime, but it seems to be focused in pockets of the inner city, which my family will be far away from.


Cons:
- A/B/C/D grading system, with required lectures (lecture based curriculum)
- Large class size (160+), I kind of got the vibe of cattle being herded around haha
- Campus is spread around downtown Memphis in different buildings. Not a huge factor, but having the ME office near lecture halls would be nice.
- Would have to live in suburban areas outside of Memphis, which means I'll have a decent commute to and from campus everyday

The earlier 3rd year at Tennessee sounds really awesome and especially valuable for you since you are considering a lot of different specialties. That's something I wish was done at my school, and something I wish I'd looked for as a pre-med. I'd try to follow the clinical training-- ultimately the preclinical years will be less important than the clinical years so if you have to sacrifice something in your school, I'd pick the less than ideal classroom years. That said, the grading and required lectures at Tennessee sounds harsh, but I think it would ultimately be worth it.

If your wife also prefers Tennessee then I think that makes it an easy choice. Your family will be a huge support system for you, so you should try to set them up to be happy as well. Does one area have better schools for your kids?

 

[GJDM]

The earlier 3rd year at Tennessee sounds really awesome and especially valuable for you since you are considering a lot of different specialties. That's something I wish was done at my school, and something I wish I'd looked for as a pre-med. I'd try to follow the clinical training-- ultimately the preclinical years will be less important than the clinical years so if you have to sacrifice something in your school, I'd pick the less than ideal classroom years. That said, the grading and required lectures at Tennessee sounds harsh, but I think it would ultimately be worth it.

If your wife also prefers Tennessee then I think that makes it an easy choice. Your family will be a huge support system for you, so you should try to set them up to be happy as well. Does one area have better schools for your kids?

Very well put. I think Columbia has overall better schooling, but Memphis still has great schools. They just also have terrible schools next door. But your opinion and others really puts it in perspective on the selfishness of my options... I didn't weigh in my wife's happiness as much as I should have. I think the decision is getting a lot easier....

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

I wouldn't call it selfishness, since ultimately this is a big choice. However, since it seems like you don't 100% prefer one school over the other, then it makes sense to take their situation and opinion into account as well. Like I said, you will likely be leaning on them pretty heavily for support, mental health breaks and general well-being, so it will be easier if they're also happy

It would be a different matter if there was something hugely negative about the school in the location your family preferred (ie, losing accrediation, brand new school, etc) but both your options are well-established and well-respected schools.

 

[Oso]

Honestly, I would say that the only advantage mizzou has over UT is that it is pass/fail. And the curriculum, if you really prefer pbl over lecture-based. I wouldn't let the step 1 score be a deciding factor.

Based on the social aspects, location, and clinical opportunities, it seems to me like UT is the better choice. Ultimately, you need to go where you think you will be happiest, since there is no big difference in cost or prestige.

 

[GJDM]

I wouldn't call it selfishness, since ultimately this is a big choice. However, since it seems like you don't 100% prefer one school over the other, then it makes sense to take their situation and opinion into account as well. Like I said, you will likely be leaning on them pretty heavily for support, mental health breaks and general well-being, so it will be easier if they're also happy

It would be a different matter if there was something hugely negative about the school in the location your family preferred (ie, losing accrediation, brand new school, etc) but both your options are well-established and well-respected schools.

Honestly, I would say that the only advantage mizzou has over UT is that it is pass/fail. And the curriculum, if you really prefer pbl over lecture-based. I wouldn't let the step 1 score be a deciding factor.

Based on the social aspects, location, and clinical opportunities, it seems to me like UT is the better choice. Ultimately, you need to go where you think you will be happiest, since there is no big difference in cost or prestige.

Thanks for the input guys! These 3rd party, non-biased opinions are really helpful for our decision making.