Northwestern vs. Case Western vs. Ohio State

[floverwatch]

Hello SDN! I am very fortunate to have acceptances at these three schools, and I'm having a hard time choosing between them! I haven't received any financial aid info yet, so I don't have a final idea of how much each one will cost. I don't really know what I want to specialize in yet either, but I might be interested in competitive specialties down the road. Please help me out!

Northwestern
Pros

• Top 20
• Chicago is an awesome city, school location is amazing
• New research building opening soon
• Close to a lot of my friends (went here for undergrad)

Cons

• Cost of living is expensive, doubt I will get much financial aid
• Seems like the patient population might not be very diverse
• Few opportunities to work with underserved communities? Not sure about this

Case Western
Pros

• Top 25
• New medical school building opening soon
• Association with Cleveland Clinic and opportunity to do rotations here
• Cost of living very cheap
• Applying for merit scholarship, might get some money

Cons

• Cleveland? I have no opinion but everyone seems to think Cleveland is terrible haha
• Expensive tuition
• I don't know anyone here

Ohio State
Pros

• In-state tuition (much less expensive), chance for merit scholarship
• Seems match to top residency programs (similar to other two schools)
• Lots of school spirit

Cons

• Not as highly ranked
• Don't know many people in Columbus

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[libertyyne]

How much of a cost difference are we looking at between the schools as it stands?

These are three very good options, and frankly you cant go wrong with either one.

 

[SCN1a]

i'd choose between case western and northwestern both amazing schools with incredible match lists but it depends on what you ultimately want to do as a physician as well look into it and then make a decision. though case may be closer to home for you so you could also take that into consideration

 

[NeuroSoph75]

If I were an Ohio resident, I would pick tOSU over Case. Ohio is a solid school with good clinical sites and research funding (and half the price); I don't think it will keep you out of competitive specialties by any means. Also, I've heard Columbus is a pretty cool place (mix of a college town and a decent sized city).

Do you want a change of scenery or do you want to stay in the Chicago area?

Also, I wouldn't consider not knowing people in Columbus a legitimate con since you will meet a lot of new people in med school (Ohio also has a vet school, pharm school, nursing school, PA school, PT school, and a few others so there will be tons of grad students in the area)

 

[UnassumingToad]

Hey there! I wanted throw my two cents in as someone who's spent some time in Columbus and Cleveland. First off, as an Ohio resident, I would take instate tuition at OSU over Case Western any day of the week. The difference just isn't that big, and you'll have no shortage of opportunity at Ohio State. The university as a whole is big, but so is the hospital system. OSU is also connected to Nationwide Children's Hospital, which is an absolutely amazing place to train if you're into pediatrics.

Also, Columbus is an absolutely wonderful place to be a 20-something. Cost of living is super reasonable, but there are also multiple trendy neighborhoods and no shortage of night life. I went to OSU and decided to stay in Columbus after graduating (mind you, I am from southern Arizona), because I knew it would be a wonderful place to be a recent grad. Now, after working here for a couple years, I can confirm it's a great place to be a 20-something.

As such, this decision, for me, would be a toss up between Northwestern and OSU. That said, this is totally up to you and you should make the decision that sits right in your stomach.

 

[floverwatch]

Thanks for all the advice so far everyone! I really liked my interview day at Ohio State, and it seemed like there were a ton of opportunities there (comparable to Case). but of course the Cleveland Clinic association is a huge draw. With no grants or scholarships, COA for Northwestern and Case are about exactly the same, and Ohio State is about $100K less because of the in-state tuition.

 

[freedoctor17]

Thanks for all the advice so far everyone! I really liked my interview day at Ohio State, and it seemed like there were a ton of opportunities there (comparable to Case). but of course the Cleveland Clinic association is a huge draw. With no grants or scholarships, COA for Northwestern and Case are about exactly the same, and Ohio State is about $100K less because of the in-state tuition.

Do you mind not having pass fail classes? Because I'm pretty sure OSU isn't pass fail. But the fact that it's cheaper would make it my first pick, unless you get the case merit aid.

 

[Bryant088]

Do you mind not having pass fail classes? Because I'm pretty sure OSU isn't pass fail. But the fact that it's cheaper would make it my first pick, unless you get the case merit aid.

OSU is P/F

 

[freedoctor17]

OSU is P/F

Msar says it's honors, letter of commendation, pass, fail. Which is not what I mean by pass/fail.

 

[scienceguy95]

I think this is a decision between Case and Northwestern. I disagree with the other posters who recommend picking OSU over Case. Case doesn't have the household name recognition of some other top medical schools, but the fact remains it is very well respected within medicine. The students do very well on the boards, program directors rate the graduates highly (someone with USNWR compass can confirm), and of course students have opportunities to rotate at the Cleveland Clinic, the #2 hospital in the country.

On the other hand, Northwestern is in a much better location (heart of Chicago) and is also associated with a phenomenal hospital (Northwestern Memorial is in the honor roll). In the end, I think finances should dictate your decision between these two schools if you otherwise have difficulty choosing. Opportunities will be the same at both schools, but I don't know if the same can be said about OSU.

 

[Bryant088]

Msar says it's honors, letter of commendation, pass, fail. Which is not what I mean by pass/fail.

I interviewed at OSU recently. It is truly Pass/Fail for preclinical years now.

 

[floverwatch]

Thank you for all the advice everyone, I really appreciate it! I think I am leaning toward Northwestern at this point, and I'm just hoping they give me some money. I will update again once financial aid packages are out.

 

[Master_of_Savage]

Thank you for all the advice everyone, I really appreciate it! I think I am leaning toward Northwestern at this point, and I'm just hoping they give me some money. I will update again once financial aid packages are out.

Hey! I am an m1 at NW and just wanted to address a couple of points about the patient population you have a chance to work with. While NMH is a bit more upscale, I was surprised at how many Medicaid patients there are there (granted I was expecting 0 so it was a low bar). Having said that, your best chance to work with vulnerable populations will be through your weekly clinical experiences (ie ECMH) which is usually at a federally qualified health center. In addition to that opportunity, there are weekly free student run clinics around the city that you can volunteer at. So you will probably have to be a bit more proactive about it, there are opportunities.

As per the cost, the area around the school is pricey. However to get around that, some students choose to live a little further north which really brings the price down. But then t becomes a convenience of being 2 minutes from campus vs. lower rent prices and a 15-20 min bus ride.

 

[floverwatch]

Hey! I am an m1 at NW and just wanted to address a couple of points about the patient population you have a chance to work with. While NMH is a bit more upscale, I was surprised at how many Medicaid patients there are there (granted I was expecting 0 so it was a low bar). Having said that, your best chance to work with vulnerable populations will be through your weekly clinical experiences (ie ECMH) which is usually at a federally qualified health center. In addition to that opportunity, there are weekly free student run clinics around the city that you can volunteer at. So you will probably have to be a bit more proactive about it, there are opportunities.

As per the cost, the area around the school is pricey. However to get around that, some students choose to live a little further north which really brings the price down. But then t becomes a convenience of being 2 minutes from campus vs. lower rent prices and a 15-20 min bus ride.

Thanks for the info!! Can I also ask you how competitive your class seems? Are your classmates pretty relaxed and friendly or is everyone trying to one-up each other all the time?

 

[Master_of_Savage]

Thanks for the info!! Can I also ask you how competitive your class seems? Are your classmates pretty relaxed and friendly or is everyone trying to one-up each other all the time?

We definitely have some know it alls in our class but I don’t think that’s unique to a feinberg by any means. Overall we are pretty relaxed and an unranked true P/F helps with that a lot. So it’s crazy common for us to share study tips and materials. I haven’t encountered or heard of anyone who is a malicious know it all though, so even they are friendly.

Edit: After being st a couple of conferences and talking with other M1s, I’ve really noticed that know it alls are everywhere and 100% unavoidable.

 

[echacha]

I would choose Northwestern over the other two in a heartbeat!

 

[floverwatch]

I would choose Northwestern over the other two in a heartbeat!

Thanks! Any particular reasons?

 

[echacha]

It's by far the most prestigious, and (IMO) its in the best location. The other schools are also very good, but I don't think they compare to NW. As for cost, OSU will be cheaper, but I think NW is worth it to be in a better hospital, around more accomplished students/faculty which will allow you better research opportunities and career choices down the line.

 

[Willy38]

It seems like it should be between OSU and Northwestern to me. All great options but feinberg has some clear advantages over the other two for matching. Only you can decide if the cost differential is worth it. You can still get where you wanna be from OSU as well and it seems like you would be happy there.

 

[ICUBlue]

If I were an Ohio resident, I would pick tOSU over Case. Ohio is a solid school with good clinical sites and research funding (and half the price); I don't think it will keep you out of competitive specialties by any means. Also, I've heard Columbus is a pretty cool place (mix of a college town and a decent sized city).

Do you want a change of scenery or do you want to stay in the Chicago area?

Also, I wouldn't consider not knowing people in Columbus a legitimate con since you will meet a lot of new people in med school (Ohio also has a vet school, pharm school, nursing school, PA school, PT school, and a few others so there will be tons of grad students in the area)

Surely you mean “Ohio State” since Ohio is actually a different school

 

[carrots28]

Wouldn't be too sure of that anymore. Take a look at Case' match list and compare to NW.

Case match list is goals

 

[tbonez71]

Case's overall matchlist includes CCLCM matches, and lets be honest the strength of those programs are pretty different. CCLCM kids have an extra year to do research and have incredible recs/connections, so of course they will match incredibly well. So to say CWRU's matchlist is better than NW is simply untrue. Though in reality, you will be doing yourself no disservice at either school - the only limit for matching will be your own strength as a student.

I think if OHSU is that significantly cheaper than Case and NW, then choose that one. However if you get aid that makes the other two better or equivalent, I would pick NW. Chicago > Cleveland, NW facilities are already updated so you wouldn't have to do a year in outdated facilities like at Case, and plus you get access to some incredible resources through its university system. I don't think NW is very in your face about having diverse SES patient population, but there are definitely opportunities to work with many different types of people if you look for it (free clinics and such). At least, this is what my friend who currently attends the school tells me.

 

[trobinsonmd]

These are amazing options... I think it comes down to how important research is to you and if you want to go the academic medicine route. If so, I would say Case just because of all of the amazing research opportunities you are afforded there. If you don't have a huge passion for research, go the Feinberg route

 

[floverwatch]

Update:

I have now been offered a full-tuition scholarship at Ohio State. Obviously I am incredibly grateful, but it makes my decision much harder. With my financial aid at Northwestern I would still be taking out about $250,000 in loans to go there, and I haven't heard anything from Case yet. I am really drawn to Northwestern and had sort of made up my mind to go there before this, but the prospect of graduating with barely any debt is so appealing. Any advice on how heavily to weigh the financial aspect of the decision?

 

[freedoctor17]

Update:

I have now been offered a full-tuition scholarship at Ohio State. Obviously I am incredibly grateful, but it makes my decision much harder. With my financial aid at Northwestern I would still be taking out about $250,000 in loans to go there, and I haven't heard anything from Case yet. I am really drawn to Northwestern and had sort of made up my mind to go there before this, but the prospect of graduating with barely any debt is so appealing. Any advice on how heavily to weigh the financial aspect of the decision?

Your OSU cons are not really cons. You'll meet new people and it's still a very well respected school. I'd say it's an easy choice to go to OSU with that full tuition and save your money.

 

[KdotLB]

Update:

I have now been offered a full-tuition scholarship at Ohio State. Obviously I am incredibly grateful, but it makes my decision much harder. With my financial aid at Northwestern I would still be taking out about $250,000 in loans to go there, and I haven't heard anything from Case yet. I am really drawn to Northwestern and had sort of made up my mind to go there before this, but the prospect of graduating with barely any debt is so appealing. Any advice on how heavily to weigh the financial aspect of the decision?

OSU with only COL loans is an amazing choice. Maybe try asking the other two schools if they have any other aid available to help your decision?


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[tbonez71]

Those connections/recs are literally from Case Western...

The difference is that CCLCM kids are more involved with Cleveland Clinic itself and get more attention from CC faculty than Case Western peeps (even though they do have the opportunity to rotate through there). So it is a bit different, but I agree likely irrelevant to OP since he has great options.

 

[wannabemd1234]

Case's overall matchlist includes CCLCM matches, and lets be honest the strength of those programs are pretty different. CCLCM kids have an extra year to do research and have incredible recs/connections, so of course they will match incredibly well. So to say CWRU's matchlist is better than NW is simply untrue. Though in reality, you will be doing yourself no disservice at either school - the only limit for matching will be your own strength as a student.

I think if OHSU is that significantly cheaper than Case and NW, then choose that one. However if you get aid that makes the other two better or equivalent, I would pick NW. Chicago > Cleveland, NW facilities are already updated so you wouldn't have to do a year in outdated facilities like at Case, and plus you get access to some incredible resources through its university system. I don't think NW is very in your face about having diverse SES patient population, but there are definitely opportunities to work with many different types of people if you look for it (free clinics and such). At least, this is what my friend who currently attends the school tells me.

If you google CCLCM match list, you'll see that only a couple 2017 students matched to competitive specialties, so Case's competitive specialty matches are in fact coming from University Track students, not CCLCM students. Regardless, you should go where you will be happiest and, from the discussion I see here, that seems to be Northwestern. Good luck and congrats on having such great options!

 

[floverwatch]

Hello,

I am now deciding between Northwestern and Ohio state. Ohio state has offered me a full tuition scholarship, so I would only need to take out loans for cost of living (around $100K I imagine). Northwestern has offered me $36K a year, so I will need to take out around $200K for tuition and cost of living. I really like northwestern and have a lot of friends in Chicago. It’s also the better program, but do you think the extra $100K is justified? This is a really difficult decision.

 

[tbonez71]

Hello,

I am now deciding between Northwestern and Ohio state. Ohio state has offered me a full tuition scholarship, so I would only need to take out loans for cost of living (around $100K I imagine). Northwestern has offered me $36K a year, so I will need to take out around $200K for tuition and cost of living. I really like northwestern and have a lot of friends in Chicago. It’s also the better program, but do you think the extra $100K is justified? This is a really difficult decision.

Few people get a full tuition scholarship, congratulations. Unless there is something specific you think that NW could offer you that OHSU cannot (unlikely I feel), just take the money.

 

[meddymed]

Hello,

I am now deciding between Northwestern and Ohio state. Ohio state has offered me a full tuition scholarship, so I would only need to take out loans for cost of living (around $100K I imagine). Northwestern has offered me $36K a year, so I will need to take out around $200K for tuition and cost of living. I really like northwestern and have a lot of friends in Chicago. It’s also the better program, but do you think the extra $100K is justified? This is a really difficult decision.

If you feel like you’d be happier at Northwestern, I think you should choose there. 200k vs 100k isn’t so much that it will affect your choice in specialty, imo and you’ll always be more successful where you’re most happy. If you think you’d be just as happy at OSU though then choose OSU and save yourself 100k. I agree that Northwestern is the better program but I don’t think it outranks OSU enough to the point that you should choose prestige over happiness. Basically, go where you’ll be the happiest and I think that is how you will have the least regrets in the long run.


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[floverwatch]

Hey everyone, I ended up committing to Northwestern! Thanks for all the advice! In the end, I just realized that I was really excited about going there in a way that I wasn't about either of my other options. I have a support system there and I felt like the school was the best fit for me. They also ended up increasing my scholarship a small amount, which definitely helped. Thanks for everything and good luck to everyone else with all your future goals!