Northwestern vs. Michigan vs. Case Western

[HelpMeDecide1221]

I am having trouble deciding between Northwestern, Michigan, and Case Western - please help me decide! Below are my list of pros/cons, and for the sake of this thread let's assume the financial packages are similar for all schools. Thanks y'all!

Case Western:

Pros:

-Very relaxed curriculum - large spacing between exams, minimal required in-person sessions, anatomy is known to be more relaxed compared to other schools, exams are written instead of MC (partial credit)

-The main campus building is beautiful

-the students seem very social

-Strong hospital affiliates - Cleveland Clinic, UH system, etc.

Cons:

-Cleveland

-Somewhat less prestigious than the other two options

-Don’t currently know anyone in Cleveland

-Would Probably need a car


Michigan:

Pros:

-Prestige/Highly ranked among residency directors

-Seems like a strong community/school spirit is strong

-1 year pre-clinical (I think this is a good thing?)

-They seem to have a very intentional/well thought out curriculum and receptive administration

Cons:

-Ann Arbor seems nice, but not sure if it would compare to being in downtown Chicago

-Don’t currently know anyone in Ann Arbor

-Would need a car


Northwestern:

Pros:

-Prestige/Highly ranked (maybe not as much as Michigan, but close enough?)

-Prime location in Downtown Chicago

-I went to Northwestern for Undergrad, so familiarity with the area and friends in Chicago

-Would not need a car

-new/impressive facilities


Cons:

-2 year pre-clinical curriculum

-Did not feel the sense of community on interview day like I did at other schools, but not sure how much this means considering it just depends on who you end up talking to by chance.

-potentially an expensive living situation being in Chicago

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[meronebib]

Case Western has written exam questions? Eww, that’s definitely a negative for me lol. Partial credit isn’t a big deal when everything is pass/fail. I would choose between Michigan and Northwestern; these schools are both a notch ahead of Case Western. The question is if you want to live in Chicago (beautiful city, not too expensive), or Ann Arbor (do not know too much about this, but have heard good things, it’s definitely not a city though). I personally think a 1 year preclinical curriculum is better than the traditional 2 year, so if I had to choose, I’d lean towards Michigan.

 

[sophop]

It's a bit of a quibble, but phase 1 at NW is actually 20 months. Sorry you didn't feel the community vibe. Actually thought it was too good to be true at the interview, but 2nd look confirmed and it's why NW won out over 8 others (inc 2 T10s). Really sorry the real 2nd look thing is not happening. If you're concerned about not having patient contact until the 3rd year, ECMH is basically a 4-yr PC rotation, and it starts like the 2nd week. And congrats on some great choices!

 

[dogbert2234]

Won't give advice as I'm decidedly biased (attending UM) but happy to answer any specific questions you may have about UMMS!

 

[Engrailed]

Unless you know for certain that you need to live in a city (Chicago), Michigan is definitely worth the cold weather/Ann Arbor.

Students there seem genuinely enthusiastic about their school, curriculum and student body. I can't see why the 1 year curriculum would be a bad thing. If anything, it gives you more time for research and rotations to position yourself for a competitive specialty (if you choose to do so)-esp. in light of the Step 1 scoring change. For career opportunities in and outside of academia, Michigan has great name recognition--and their extensive alumni network is nothing to sneeze at!

 

[MD34289403]

The accelerated curriculum at Michigan is huge. I would definitely take that into consideration!