What are people's thoughts about the MSP program at UIUC?
I am quite happy with my choice. The administration and staff are amazing. The program is big, about 20 students accepted per year. And we have students doing PhDs in non-traditional fields, like philosophy, english, history, physics, etc. Makes for a more diverse group. Urbana-Champaign is a good place to live. You can actually afford a house here and get a good return on your investment when you leave. Its not Chicago or anything, but its a decent town with stuff to do, but not enough to distract you. People are friendly and the weather isn't bad.
How competitive is it to get in?
About 120 people applied last year and I think 25 got in.
How respected is it compared to other MD/PhD programs?
I don't really know. Although it is not an MSTP program, it does not strive to be one. We are different in that we have a program that includes social sciences and humanities. Despite our size, all the students have funding and our match lists are strong. Univ of Illinois is a well-respected institution and many great scientists work here or have come from here.
Is the med-school component better/worse than the usual University of Illinois Med school?
Its the same exact med school. We take our medical school classes with regular UIC med students. Of course, we get to stay in Urbana for the clinical years, rather than go to Rockford/Peoria. I personally think this is an advantage, because there aren't many residency programs here so the students get a lot of hands on training opportunities.
