Northwestern vs. Pitt (another stupid thread)

[taciturngirl]

Right now I'm juggling Pitt vs. Northwestern. I had been committed to Northwestern for a couple of months, but recently got off of the waitlist at Pitt and have to decide soon.

Northwestern:
Pros (in no particular order):
P/F first 2 yrs
Downtown Chicago
Family nearby
Big grant ($$$$$)
Would not need to have a car as all of the clinical sites (with the possible exception of Children's Memorial) are within a very short distance of the medical school

Cons:
Expensive cost of living in Streeterville
Very PBL-heavy curriculum, which may or may not work for me so well

I had a negative interview experience at Northwestern, and while I really enjoyed second look, I do have some lingering discomfort with the school. Still, I have to acknowledge that objectively this is probably the best school for me due to $, family nearby, and the Chicago location.

Pitt:
Pros:
Inexpensive cost of living
Possibly more balanced PBL vs lecture balance
Slightly higher-ranked school that seems on the up-swing
Amazing hospital system (UPMC) - possibly better than Northwestern McGaw
Lots of research money and, theoretically, more research opportunities

Cons:
H/P/F during first 2 yrs
Not very near family
Unsure of what financial aid package will be (will not know until next week)
More likely to need car to get around Pittsburgh than around Chicago

My Pitt interview experience was very positive and I came away loving the school. I was pretty upset upon being waitlisted but had pretty much forgotten about the issue until I got off the waitlist this past week. Like I said above, I think that Northwestern is objectively the option that makes the most sense for my situation, but I'm having some difficulty just letting Pitt go, and I'd like to hear any input/thoughts that you guys might have.

Thanks!

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[JokerMD]

if the price is comparable (including cost of living), id go to northwestern. mainly because you have your family near-by and because of pure P/F for the first two years.

 

[pelliper]

Right now I'm juggling Pitt vs. Northwestern. I had been committed to Northwestern for a couple of months, but recently got off of the waitlist at Pitt and have to decide soon.

Northwestern:
Pros (in no particular order):
P/F first 2 yrs
Downtown Chicago
Family nearby
Big grant ($$$$$)
Would not need to have a car as all of the clinical sites (with the possible exception of Children's Memorial) are within a very short distance of the medical school

Cons:
Expensive cost of living in Streeterville
Very PBL-heavy curriculum, which may or may not work for me so well

I had a pretty bad interview experience at Northwestern (the interviewers in my panel were fairly combative and arbitrary, the students that I met seemed entitled and somewhat immature, etc), and while I really enjoyed second look, I do have some lingering discomfort with the school. Still, I have to acknowledge that objectively this is probably the best school for me due to $, family nearby, and the Chicago location.

Pitt:
Pros:
Inexpensive cost of living
Possibly more balanced PBL vs lecture balance
Slightly higher-ranked school that seems on the up-swing
Amazing hospital system (UPMC) - possibly better than Northwestern McGaw
Lots of research money and, theoretically, more research opportunities

Cons:
Not very near family
Unsure of what financial aid package will be (will not know until next week)
More likely to need car to get around Pittsburgh than around Chicago

My Pitt interview experience was very positive and I came away loving the school. I was pretty upset upon being waitlisted but had pretty much forgotten about the issue until I got off the waitlist this past week. Like I said above, I think that Northwestern is objectively the option that makes the most sense for my situation, but I'm having some difficulty just letting Pitt go, and I'd like to hear any input/thoughts that you guys might have.

Thanks!

don't let your interview day experience decide what school you go to. sometimes interview days just happen to go badly, plus admissions offices arent that closely linked to the actual teaching of medicine. go to northwestern--you won't regret it.

 

[adizz mfresh]

us northwestern students may be immature. i certainly am. but we are not pbl heavy. it represents a really small part of our curriculum. i wouldn't use pbl to decide for or against northwestern.

 

[taciturngirl]

us northwestern students may be immature. i certainly am. but we are not pbl heavy. it represents a really small part of our curriculum. i wouldn't use pbl to decide for or against northwestern.

Lol. I can be totally immature myself, so it's all good. And it's good to know that the curriculum isn't quite as PBL-centric as I thought - thanks for the feedback.

 

[taciturngirl]

don't let your interview day experience decide what school you go to. sometimes interview days just happen to go badly, plus admissions offices arent that closely linked to the actual teaching of medicine. go to northwestern--you won't regret it.

Yeah, I definitely think you're right about the relative unimportance of the interview day, although it can be hard to let go of one's gut reaction to a school. But I do think that Northwestern is the place for me and will prob enroll there unless Pitt's financial aid package is absolutely insane. I appreciate the feedback!

 

[chibrown01]

It really depends on financial aid. If they cost about the same amount the. I would choose Pitt. For you to hang on to that waitlist spot that means you REALLY liked it.
Upmc is aaaamazing, Pittsburgh is also aaaaaamazing! I don't know about the northwestern hospitals

 

[Kip]

Close to family > Rankings

especially when you are going to be stressed out for 4 years.

IMO