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Dwenzel

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First, I'll say this is a great problem to have.
I'm from a small town in Northern Michigan, and am honored to be accepted into the three schools I have interviewed at.
This thread is only to compare my first and second choice schools.

University of Massachusetts Worcester

Pros
  • Tertiary care center attached to medical school campus
  • Tons of funding for research
  • Beautiful area to live (Worcester/Boston)
  • Seemingly more options for specialties for rotations during 3rd/4th year than MSU
  • The adventure of moving OOS (to an area I really enjoyed visiting - I spent a week around Worcester before/after my interview)
  • Ties with incredible health systems such as Mass. Gen
  • Character experience / self reliance associated with moving OOS.

Cons
  • Cost--- literally double the yearly tuition cost of staying in state at MSU
  • Moving OOS (pretty far away) -- from family, friends, familiarity.
  • Slightly bigger class size at UMass (125 vs. the 90 students at MSU CHM Grand Rapids and at E. Lansing)
  • Not as focused on primary care; I intend to specialize in Dermatology
  • UMass ranked much higher than MSU CHM (does this even matter ?)
  • ??? can't think of any more off the top of my head.. open to different perspectives!


MSU CHM (Grand Rapids campus hopefully, possibly East Lansing)
Pros
  • Closer to home
  • 1/2 of the yearly cost of OOS tuition at UMass
  • Spectrum health in Grand Rapids is phenomenal (rated top 15 health system as of April 24, 2017)
  • Brand new curriculum; board scores show improvement after 2 years of use
  • Steadily rising in rank every year
  • I love Grand Rapids (I went to undergrad there)
  • Van Andel research institution in GR, very impressive

Cons
  • Ranked lower than UMass
  • More focused on primary care (not what I intend to do)
  • Seemingly less opportunities for variation in specialties during 3rd/4th year clinical rotations
  • Was blown away by Grand Rapids campus, not by the E. Lansing campus
  • Sparrow hospital in E. Lansing

Summary: If cost wasn't an issue, I would go to UMass with pretty much no hesitation. Since the cost is doubled at UMass, I am quite reluctant to attend however.
Looking for any advice / input / perspectives that can help me think about this differently!

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I don't think UMass is worth the extra money. Individual performance and preferences are the main two factors that affect residency matches. People match into all the most competitive specialties from lower ranked schools, even if not always the Harvard/UCSF residencies these specialties. MSU will not close any doors or pigeonhole you into primary care. If you want something competitive, that will be on you (no matter the school) to get the step scores/grades and find some research and ECs.

Differences in ranking for schools in this tier (mid-low/midtier) mean very little. UMass does pretty well for itself in terms of matches in New England and MA, but it doesn't exactly have a prestige factor. The students who match well out of UMass work very hard and their individual performance (step scores, grades, AOA, etc) is what drives their success. UMass is also the only state school in MA, so you have a certain group of really smart and competitive MA students choosing UMass over private schools for the IS tuition.

If you're interested in staying in MI/midwest for residency, I think MSU has a definite edge. UMass has one of the highest percentages of IS students of any state school in the country (90%-higher than some TX schools), and this shows in their matches which are skewed towards NE residencies. You can obviously match to any part of the country from either of these schools, but PDs are always a little more familiar with schools in their region that match to their programs frequently.

Happiness! Medical school is hard and having a support system is clutch. You have a cheaper option that is close to family/friends. Sounds like a good setup!
 
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deev, thanks for the response!

I most definitely value the aspect of having family nearby. I appreciate your perspective and input. I will take all of this into consideration as I make my decision!
 
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