Northwestern vs. Vanderbilt vs UTSW

[swgadoo]

Hi SDN! I'm so thankful for a successful application cycle. I've been WL'd to my favorite school, Duke, but if I don't get off of that waitlist, then I'll be making this decision, most likely. I want to go into academic medicine, but am open to any speciality right now. COA at NW and Vandy would be same, UTSW would be much less. I'm thinking of doing a dual degree (MBA or Master of Clinical Research).

Northwestern
Pros

• Loved the facilities
• Loved the city
• Awesome MBA program
• Like the integrated curriculum

Cons

• Located in a rich area of Chicago - would this affect diversity of patient population I see?
• Curriculum does seem a little too structured for me

Vanderbilt
Pros

• Liked the vibe of the school/focus on wellness
• The "best" school (by rankings, marginally)
• I have a support network in Nashville
• Liked the one year preclinical curriculum

Cons

• I've been in Nashville for the last 4 years, and would like to go to a new city, ideally.

UT Southwestern
Pros

• They gave me in-state tuition (I'm OOS) and a 10k/year scholarship - this makes it cheaper than all of my in-state schools.
• Liked Parkland Hospital and the diversity of patients that go there
• Sweet research facilities/focus is on the graduate students

Cons

• Not the strongest MBA program (still good though)
• The lowest ranked school (marginally, this probably doesn't even matter)
• Large class size

If I get into Duke, I'll go there, but if I don't, then I'm making this decision. I've also been accepted at UVA and Ohio State. I'm waiting to hear a final decision from Mt. Sinai and Cornell.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[libertyyne]

How much of a cost difference is there between utsw and the others ? I'm not particularly hooked into the business world but it doesn't seem like any of the schools you are currently accepted to have top business schools. All of these however are steller med schools. I am unsure if I would base my decision on the quality of mba program unless it is t10

 

[floverwatch]

How much of a cost difference is there between utsw and the others ? I'm not particularly hooked into the business world but it doesn't seem like any of the schools you are currently accepted to have top business schools. All of these however are steller med schools. I am unsure if I would base my decision on the quality of mba program unless it is t10

Northwestern actually has one of the best business schools in the country. But I think all three of these are great options, I think you should attend second looks and see which school you enjoy being at the most. Otherwise, UTSW seems like the way to go because of the money!

 

[libertyyne]

Northwestern actually has one of the best business schools in the country. But I think all three of these are great options, I think you should attend second looks and see which school you enjoy being at the most. Otherwise, UTSW seems like the way to go because of the money!

I stand corrected. OP go to northwestern then if you are itching for an MBA.

 

[DokterMom]

They're all very strong schools and of the caliber where distinctions between "ranked #8 and #18" are really pretty meaningless. Accordingly, the "value" they provide to you is really pretty equal.

I'd ask yourself which school you would personally enjoy most -- straight 'gut check' -- and put a dollar value on that, because it IS worth something. Then compare the cost differential to your 'happiness price' and see what it tells you.

You may also be that rare unicorn who actually can play off one school against another in a scholarship 'bidding war' so to speak. All will know how inexpensive UTSW is, and some may bid to match it if you ask nicely.

Good luck to you, and Congratulations on an outstanding application!

 

[sunshine859]

Would recommend Northwestern because of their MBA program

 

[SpoiledMilk]

Go North!

 

[scienceguy95]

If you are interested in an MBA, go to Northwestern no question. In fact, you should go there even if you get into Duke. They have a top 5 business school and are otherwise a top medical school. Ranking differences within the top 20-25 are pretty meaningless honestly unless you've gotten into Harvard maybe.

 

[Master_of_Savage]

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 volunteerat. So you will probably have to be a bit more proactive about it, there are opportunities.

 

[MediChef]

How did you manage to swing in-state tuition as an OOS student?

 

[MyOdyssey]

How did you manage to swing in-state tuition as an OOS student?

I'd also be interested in the answer to this question.

 

[swgadoo]

It was "in-state" tuition because they gave me a scholarship that was equivalent to the difference between OS and IS tuition. Supposedly this is something they do for everyone OOS! The 10k was a separate scholarship.

 

[TempuraOreos]

When I interviewed at UTSW, an OOS student told me that every OOS student he knows there is paying IS tuition. He said something about Texas rules specifically states that if the school is offering any sort of scholarship, the student is eligible for IS tuition. Maybe someone else is able to confirm?

Interviewed at other tx schools as OOS. They said the same thing. Ended up getting it for one of the schools because I got a 1k scholarship.

 

[thegrind33]

Utsw, your wallet will thank you later

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I say UTSW. You might be one of the rare candidates who can leverage yourself into a scholarship at North or Vandy because they will likely know how much of a draw the cheapness of UTSW will be.

 

[rball]

Id say based on your pros/cons list and potential interest in business-go to feinberg. Phenomenal school with great reputation and elite residency programs in several specialties that can help come match day.

UTSW is a fantastic school, especially if you want to stay in texas long term or if the $$ is a huge factor. But on a national scale, vandy and feinberg have a superior reputation (not in terms of usnwr which is meaningless, but in terms of w/residency directors, which matters a lot).

UTSW wont hold you back and will get you where you want to go. But based on your interests and pros/cons, combined with feinbergs strong national reputation, id go there.

I would agree with the above post that the difference btwn duke and northwestern in terms of reputation in medicine is fairly slim, although if your heart is set on duke then def pursue it.

 

[Slavic Scot]

Id say based on your pros/cons list and potential interest in business-go to feinberg. Phenomenal school with great reputation and elite residency programs in several specialties that can help come match day.

UTSW is a fantastic school, especially if you want to stay in texas long term or if the $$ is a huge factor. But on a national scale, vandy and feinberg have a superior reputation (not in terms of usnwr which is meaningless, but in terms of w/residency directors, which matters a lot).

UTSW wont hold you back and will get you where you want to go. But based on your interests and pros/cons, combined with feinbergs strong national reputation, id go there.

I would agree with the above post that the difference btwn duke and northwestern in terms of reputation in medicine is fairly slim, although if your heart is set on duke then def pursue it.

Post is from last application cycle. Sounds like they chose UTSW.

 

[swgadoo]

Hi! Not sure if anyone is going to be reading this. I ended up choosing NW. One factor changed: I was able to swing a partial scholarship with NW by leveraging UTSW's cheaper COA. If anyone has questions on how to do this lmk! I also did the "gut-check" and realized I was feeling NW more than the others.

Regrets: I do think Feinberg is more structured, and that doesn't really match my personality. I think Vandy's curriculum and their emphasis on wellness would have fit with me better. At the end of the day though, I weighed moving to a new place, cheaper aid, and exposure to business/etc more heavily.

Unseen benefits: NW and Chicago have offered an incredible wealth of opportunities in the business of medicine that I don't think I would've gotten elsewhere.

Hopefully this sort of "long-term follow-up" helps someone else.

 

[DokterMom]

Thanks for the update -- Glad things worked out well for you!

And there are many applicants out there that WILL want to know how to leverage/negotiate scholarships, so please do tell.