official ranking of illinois medical schools

[cubbies1908]

hi, i am going to be applying this cycle and would like to know what people thought of the illinois schools. i am an illinois resident, want to stay in illinois, competitive for all of these schools, and northwestern alum btw. where would you rank these schools in relations to others. here is what i have seen, so correct me if i am wrong.

nu - best location, best education, best hospital, very hard to get into
univ chicago - bad location, good financial aid, stress academics, good hospital, extremely hard to get into
rush - avg location, a hidden gem school in the country, great hospital, extremely hard to get into
loyola - bad location, community environment, avg hospital, extremely hard to get into
uic - avg location, on the decline school, avg hospital, avg difficulty to get into
rfums - bad location (not in chicago), poorly ranked, good match list for low ranked school, easier to get into

i may be biased, but i would rank them like this:
nu>univ chicago>>rush>>loyola>>uic>rfums

am i overlooking anything?

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[Catalystik]

"Official Ranking" is often perceived to mean the USNews rankings, which are heavily biased by research involvement. This would put Pritzker at #10, NU #19, IUC #57, Rush #69, and Loyola #72.

If you rank them by selectivity based on average matriculant stats, their order would be UChicago, NU, Loyola, Rush, UIC, RFU.

You forgot SIU and CCOM, both of which are less-selective than the above.

 

[cubbies1908]

"Official Ranking" is often perceived to mean the USNews rankings, which are heavily biased by research involvement. This would put Pritzker at #10, NU #19, IUC #57, Rush #69, and Loyola #72.

If you rank them by selectivity based on average matriculant stats, their order would be UChicago, NU, Loyola, Rush, UIC, RFU.

You forgot CCOM.

thanks, forgot about ccom. since they are a do school, i would assume most people would put them at the end.

to be fair, the most recent us news has univ chicago tied for 10th, nu tied for 18th, rush and uic tied for 62nd, and the other two not ranked. i don't think research rank is as big a deal as it is made to seem, but it clearly puts nu and univ chicago ahead.

but based on all factors, where do you think they stand (not research only)

 

[mmmcdowe]

hi, i am going to be applying this cycle and would like to know what people thought of the illinois schools. i am an illinois resident, want to stay in illinois, competitive for all of these schools, and northwestern alum btw. where would you rank these schools in relations to others. here is what i have seen, so correct me if i am wrong.

nu - best location, best education, best hospital, very hard to get into
univ chicago - bad location, good financial aid, stress academics, good hospital, extremely hard to get into
rush - avg location, a hidden gem school in the country, great hospital, extremely hard to get into
loyola - bad location, community environment, avg hospital, extremely hard to get into
uic - avg location, on the decline school, avg hospital, avg difficulty to get into
rfums - bad location (not in chicago), poorly ranked, good match list for low ranked school, easier to get into

i may be biased, but i would rank them like this:
nu>univ chicago>>rush>>loyola>>uic>rfums

am i overlooking anything?

I wouldn't say that NU > than UC. I'd say they are essentially equivalent in their quality.

 

[markyb03]

I'm also an IL resident and applying to all of these schools. I've been "ranking" the schools in my mind for a while now so here are some of my thoughts.

U of C: I know a physician on the adcom there, and she makes it sound amazing there. Check out Nick Naylor's to find out more about why this school is so great. Yes not a great area, but if you stay in the "bubble" of Hyde Park you will be fine. Heck, Obama's kids went to Lab School in Hyde Park, so if you're smart you will survive

Northwestern: I love their program and probably my top choice. The location is in the heart of Chicago where I've spent a lot of time for work and volunteering, but sometimes Streeterville/ Mag Mile area can be too much to handle (tourists, traffic, etc.).

UIC: In-State Tuition! 'nuff said... even though not a top rated program, I would still consider it because the consensus on SDN is that Step 1 and 2 matter way more for residency rather than school. That being said, I'm kind of biased because I had family graduate from this med school. I actually like this location best out of all the Chicago med schools. Not as congested as NW, not going to get shot like at U of C, but still in the city (sorry Loyola and RFU)

Rush: Same thing with location as UIC. Don't know much about this school, but I agree with what you said. Great hospital. Avg facilities. Personally, I want to go to a bigger university that has all the amenities of a full sized institution and the rich history/ school pride/ t-shirts with a school name people might recognize

Loyola: def bad location, but not as expensive to live and not as bad as RFU's location I'd say. A friend of mine is in their program, and she personally loves the curriculum but not sure about the other factors.

RFU: Probably worst location. I know several people who lived up at the school, hated it, and ended up moving to the city and commuting everyday. Good curriculum though and great anatomy lab. Same as Rush, not a ton of school pride around and it's a pretty small school. Also, rotations scattered around Chicagoland can mean 1-2 hour commutes each way depending on traffic.

SIU: Forgot about this one didn't we? Great tuition, you have a great odds of getting in, and they love IL residents (100% actually). But it's not in the Chicago, not highly ranked, and focused on primary care (which can be good or bad). Having to move from Carbondale to Springfield between M1 and M2 would not be fun either.

Academics: U of C = NW >> Rush > Loyola > UIC >> RFU > SIU
Location: UIC = Rush > NW > U of C >>> Loyola > RFU > SIU
Affordability: SIU>>UIC>> all the rest

That being said, you need to spend some time looking at each school because rankings are always biased.. except mine. But seriously, each school has a dif. focus, so what's right for me might not be right for you.

In the end though, wherever takes me is probably where I'll go

 

[NickNaylor]

hi, i am going to be applying this cycle and would like to know what people thought of the illinois schools. i am an illinois resident, want to stay in illinois, competitive for all of these schools, and northwestern alum btw. where would you rank these schools in relations to others. here is what i have seen, so correct me if i am wrong.

nu - best location, best education, best hospital, very hard to get into
univ chicago - bad location, good financial aid, stress academics, good hospital, extremely hard to get into
rush - avg location, a hidden gem school in the country, great hospital, extremely hard to get into
loyola - bad location, community environment, avg hospital, extremely hard to get into
uic - avg location, on the decline school, avg hospital, avg difficulty to get into
rfums - bad location (not in chicago), poorly ranked, good match list for low ranked school, easier to get into

i may be biased, but i would rank them like this:
nu>univ chicago>>rush>>loyola>>uic>rfums

am i overlooking anything?

I take issue with U of C being in a "bad location." It's only "bad" if, quite frankly, being around more African Americans than you might perhaps be used to is scary to you. Hyde Park is a nice neighborhood. You might prefer an urban, downtown location (which I'm guessing is true given that you put Northwestern in a "good" location), but that doesn't mean Hyde Park is terrible. In fact I would say living downtown absolutely sucks due to the noise, traffic, and cost of everything around you.

 

[Rumalum]

..

 

[cubbies1908]

I wouldn't say that NU > than UC. I'd say they are essentially equivalent in their quality.

what does univ chicago offer that nu can't match or exceed?

I'm also an IL resident and applying to all of these schools. I've been "ranking" the schools in my mind for a while now so here are some of my thoughts.

U of C: I know a physician on the adcom there, and she makes it sound amazing there. Check out Nick Naylor's to find out more about why this school is so great. Yes not a great area, but if you stay in the "bubble" of Hyde Park you will be fine. Heck, Obama's kids went to Lab School in Hyde Park, so if you're smart you will survive

Northwestern: I love their program and probably my top choice. The location is in the heart of Chicago where I've spent a lot of time for work and volunteering, but sometimes Streeterville/ Mag Mile area can be too much to handle (tourists, traffic, etc.).

UIC: In-State Tuition! 'nuff said... even though not a top rated program, I would still consider it because the consensus on SDN is that Step 1 and 2 matter way more for residency rather than school. That being said, I'm kind of biased because I had family graduate from this med school. I actually like this location best out of all the Chicago med schools. Not as congested as NW, not going to get shot like at U of C, but still in the city (sorry Loyola and RFU)

Rush: Same thing with location as UIC. Don't know much about this school, but I agree with what you said. Great hospital. Avg facilities. Personally, I want to go to a bigger university that has all the amenities of a full sized institution and the rich history/ school pride/ t-shirts with a school name people might recognize

Loyola: def bad location, but not as expensive to live and not as bad as RFU's location I'd say. A friend of mine is in their program, and she personally loves the curriculum but not sure about the other factors.

RFU: Probably worst location. I know several people who lived up at the school, hated it, and ended up moving to the city and commuting everyday. Good curriculum though and great anatomy lab. Same as Rush, not a ton of school pride around and it's a pretty small school. Also, rotations scattered around Chicagoland can mean 1-2 hour commutes each way depending on traffic.

SIU: Forgot about this one didn't we? Great tuition, you have a great odds of getting in, and they love IL residents (100% actually). But it's not in the Chicago, not highly ranked, and focused on primary care (which can be good or bad). Having to move from Carbondale to Springfield between M1 and M2 would not be fun either.

Academics: U of C = NW >> Rush > Loyola > UIC >> RFU > SIU
Location: UIC = Rush > NW > U of C >>> Loyola > RFU > SIU
Affordability: SIU>>UIC>> all the rest

That being said, you need to spend some time looking at each school because rankings are always biased.. except mine. But seriously, each school has a dif. focus, so what's right for me might not be right for you.

In the end though, wherever takes me is probably where I'll go

that was very informative, and i am glad to see your thought process. where would you rank the schools if you got a chance for all of them? i'm just hesitant about the schools after nu, univ chicago, and rush.

I take issue with U of C being in a "bad location." It's only "bad" if, quite frankly, being around more African Americans than you might perhaps be used to is scary to you. Hyde Park is a nice neighborhood. You might prefer an urban, downtown location (which I'm guessing is true given that you put Northwestern in a "good" location), but that doesn't mean Hyde Park is terrible. In fact I would say living downtown absolutely sucks due to the noise, traffic, and cost of everything around you.

i didn't say hyde park is terrible, but it does not take too long until you reach some of the worst parts of the city right by that school. and if nu and univ chicago are tied, this would certainly be up for consideration to break the tie.

NU - heard the people that go there are generally holier-than-thou d-bags

U of chicago - If I wanted to live in such a ****ty hell hole, I'd move to Indiana

Rush - awesome

loyola - don't know much about it, but I wouldn't say it's "extremely" hard to get in to

UIC - unorganized administration. My opinion isn't helped by the fact that I'm still receiving UIC mass mail spam months after withdrawing and unsubscribing from the school

RFUMS - a good program, but they nickle and dime you at every step and you have to travel for rotations

SIU - don't know anything about it

ccom - who cares


If you want to go to Chicago, gun for northwestern or rush. but I guess you can't go wrong at the other schools

any examples to explain a typical feinberg student at nu? while univ chicago may be at a worse location, you can't deny they are a top school? you feel strongly about rush, but what makes you like them so much? loyola has many applicants, hence difficult to get into, though not in the same sense as nu and univ chicago. not too high on uic, but it is a state school. the others i honestly do not know much about.

 

[NickNaylor]

i didn't say hyde park is terrible, but it does not take too long until you reach some of the worst parts of the city right by that school. and if nu and univ chicago are tied, this would certainly be up for consideration to break the tie.

Fair enough, but if it's really that big of a deal to you (and it seems to be) then just live elsewhere. Many of my classmates live in South Loop, a few in Streeterville, and one even all the way in Rogers Park. Just because the school is there doesn't mean that you have to be there. And being next to bad areas really doesn't mean much: just don't go into the bad areas? I live south of the midway and have never had any problems, nor my girlfriend.

I'm not trying to be all on your case, but making a decision based on something as superficial as location (especially when it's still in Chicago) seems like a silly thing to do. It's not like we're comparing Des Moines to NYC here. It's Chicago to Chicago. Plus U of C has a terrible rep for location that, in my experience here, is entirely unfounded. No, it's not downtown, but that doesn't mean it's a "hell hole" as someone else said.

 

[Rumalum]

.

 

[cubbies1908]

Fair enough, but if it's really that big of a deal to you (and it seems to be) then just live elsewhere. Many of my classmates live in South Loop, a few in Streeterville, and one even all the way in Rogers Park. Just because the school is there doesn't mean that you have to be there. And being next to bad areas really doesn't mean much: just don't go into the bad areas? I live south of the midway and have never had any problems, nor my girlfriend.

I'm not trying to be all on your case, but making a decision based on something as superficial as location (especially when it's still in Chicago) seems like a silly thing to do. It's not like we're comparing Des Moines to NYC here. It's Chicago to Chicago. Plus U of C has a terrible rep for location that, in my experience here, is entirely unfounded. No, it's not downtown, but that doesn't mean it's a "hell hole" as someone else said.

thanks nick and i agree with you. what would be your assessment on comparing nu and univ chicago? anything stand out that feinberg cant offer? since you are a med student in chicago, what do you think of the other chicago schools.

 

[NickNaylor]

you can easily get into a similarly reputable program where half the class doesn't commit suicide

Yeah, you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[MedPR]

NU - heard the people that go there are generally holier-than-thou d-bags

U of chicago - If I wanted to live in such a ****ty hell hole, I'd move to Indiana

Rush - awesome

loyola - don't know much about it, but I wouldn't say it's "extremely" hard to get in to

UIC - unorganized administration. My opinion isn't helped by the fact that I'm still receiving UIC mass mail spam months after withdrawing and unsubscribing from the school

RFUMS - a good program, but they nickle and dime you at every step and you have to travel for rotations

SIU - don't know anything about it

ccom - who cares


If you want to go to Chicago, gun for northwestern or rush. but I guess you can't go wrong at the other schools

 

[I like meowmix]

I wouldn't rate Northwestern above Uchicago

 

[cubbies1908]

As for feinberg, just anacdotal evidence from grad students and volunteers. obviously my post is qualified by the fact that i know as much about those schools as any other med student (read: nothing unless i actually go there). Rush is an amazing hospital, the students are very happy there, and it has a great reputation within chicago.

And yes, U of Chicago is a great program no doubt, but if you can get into that school, you can easily get into a similarly reputable program where half the class doesn't commit suicide

i didn't know that univ chicago placed that much pressure on students. if that is the case (maybe nick could comment), i guess nu is the clear number 1. i have heard the same things about rush, only drawback is that it doesnt hold the same prestige as the other two nationally (i dont know how big of a deal that is)

 

[NickNaylor]

thanks nick and i agree with you. what would be your assessment on comparing nu and univ chicago? anything stand out that feinberg cant offer? since you are a med student in chicago, what do you think of the other chicago schools.

I know nothing about Feinberg, so you'd be better served to talk to people there. I know a couple of people from SDN that go to UIC and one that goes to Rush, and they all have good things to say about their schools, though I'll admit we haven't talked much about specifics.

 

[wolfie77]

I take issue with U of C being in a "bad location." It's only "bad" if, quite frankly, being around more African Americans than you might perhaps be used to is scary to you. Hyde Park is a nice neighborhood. You might prefer an urban, downtown location (which I'm guessing is true given that you put Northwestern in a "good" location), but that doesn't mean Hyde Park is terrible. In fact I would say living downtown absolutely sucks due to the noise, traffic, and cost of everything around you.

I've been down there and could not agree more. It's only scare if you find the people down there scary. There are tons of parks and it's right by the lake and by MSI.

 

[GraMaire]

Rush has a great reputation to whomever said they want "name brand"...

 

[cubbies1908]

I wouldn't rate Northwestern above Uchicago

you chose feinberg so is there anything you picked up on that univ chicago can't offer? the location and hospital are really pushing me to nu, but univ chicago has that "mystique" about them for lack of a better word that appeals to me

Rush has a great reputation to whomever said they want "name brand"...

they are good, but i wouldn't say they are "name brand". most people outside chicago don't know this school that well. if their research rank keeps increasing and that hospital keeps buzzing then perhaps it will get more attention

 

[cubbies1908]

this has turned into a northwestern v. univ chicago comparison, which is fine but more input on schools like uic, loyola, etc would be great

 

[markyb03]

they are good, but i wouldn't say they are "name brand". most people outside chicago don't know this school that well. if their research rank keeps increasing and that hospital keeps buzzing then perhaps it will get more attention

+1 Great program at Rush for sure, but I'm looking to go to a bigger university.

Obviously, if I get in to NW or U of C I would go there without a doubt. Comparing Rush, UIC, and Loyola is tough though especially because of what I'm looking for. I definitely wouldn't count UIC out because I love that location (close enough to downtown but you don't have skyscrapers leaning over you). IS tuition is good, but I'm still a little confused on the Illinois campus placement stuff. Haven't heard good things about the other campuses so Chicago or bust. Rush has the same location and the better hospital, but more $ and not a big institution. I would choose Loyola after Rush and UIC, but between Rush and UIC is really tough.

Anyone have any good comparisons between the two schools? Not just academics but facilities, student life, residency placement, cost (scholarships at Rush?)

and +1 to U of C being by MSI. I would just go to the body worlds exhibit to study for anatomy

 

[startswithb]

Apply to SIU if you are from anywhere south of Chicago OR if you have high stats. The PBL curriculum gives you plenty of time to study and if you want to do peds for example, it might be worth it to you to save $100,000 in tuition.

As I student I can also say that I am at a top 10 medical school doing research this summer and have had the physicians and residents here speak very highly of SIU and its various departments. I was actually surprised because I was still in the premed mentality of selectiveness = prestige. Not the case. PM me for more specifics. I can also give information about our match list.

 

[circulus vitios]

Why do you classify Rush and Loyola as "extremely hard" to get into while NU is just "very hard" to get into? NU's median accepted GPA/sGPA/MCAT are 3.85/3.83/36. Rush and Loyola are much lower.

 

[cubbies1908]

Why do you classify Rush and Loyola as "extremely hard" to get into while NU is just "very hard" to get into? NU's median accepted GPA/sGPA/MCAT are 3.85/3.83/36. Rush and Loyola are much lower.

that was my mistake, it is comparable to univ chicago but slightly easier. rush and loyola are difficult due to sheer numbers of applicants. look up schools with lowest acceptance rate (this doesn't mean difficulty) and they are among the tops. scary to know how hard it is to get into med school.

 

[PeterPesto]

uchicago > nw >>> rush = uic = loyola > rfu

Academically, there's little separating rush, uic, and loyola.

 

[cubbies1908]

uchicago > nw >>> rush = uic = loyola > rfu

Academically, there's little separating rush, uic, and loyola.

nice to hear something about uic and loyola. outside academics, is there anything that stands out about the others?

 

[MaenadsDance]

I was born in Chicago, where my parents were grad students (my mother at U of I in Champagne-Urbana, and my father for U of C).

Hyde Park is a fabulous neighborhood, affluent, beautiful architecture, a lot of character. It's integrated, too, has a really interesting history. Some of the best blues clubs in the city (nation (world)) are in the area. There definitely are some sketchy neighborhoods in and around Hyde Park though.

While living in Hyde Park for approx. 6 years my mother had her purse snatched once, and my father had his bicycles stolen approx. once a year. While living south of Hyde Park, my parents had some unpleasant encounters with neighbors.

But I second NickNaylor -- you don't have to LIVE in Hyde Park or the surrounding neighborhoods; you can just commute in and live somewhere else -- and Hyde Park itself is about as safe as any affluent neighborhood in a busy city will be.

 

[markyb03]

While living in Hyde Park for approx. 6 years my mother had her purse snatched once, and my father had his bicycles stolen approx. once a year.

That's pretty typical for most of Chicago and actually a little better than Lincoln park IMO because all the yuppies buy really expensive bikes and just leave them out. Were you trying to show that Hyde park is or isn't bad? I think that's about the same as the north side.

 

[Davidasaurus]

I'd say in regards to the top school in Illinois, that still belongs to U of C. They consistently rank higher than NU in both undergraduate and graduate rankings, and if I had my choice between the two, I'd take U of C.

That being said, NU is a very close second. Think of it like comparing two hot girls, you can't really go wrong with either unless one of them offers to pay for everything, like in Nick's case

 

[MaenadsDance]

That it's not some terrifying crime-ridden hellhole -- frankly my parents dealt with a lot more crime when they were in Cambridge, Mass while my father was a postdoc than they ever did in Chicago.

People get very very weird about crime, particularly white kids from the suburbs.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

Not sure how you're deciding which school offers the "best" education -- how are you quantifying that? Medical education, for the most part, is dependent on what you put into it. Regardless of where you go to school.

I'm currently a UIC student, so I can offer some insight into the program. I wouldn't say that the administration is disorganized -- the school is currently undergoing a curricular change and the administration is putting a lot of effort into it. I haven't encountered any difficulty dealing with admins here so far. They've been helpful in answering all the questions I have and are quick in responding back to you. They've also been very receptive to class feedback and are making changes based on that feedback. It's unfair to say the school's on the decline -- I would actually state the opposite! We're actively trying to refine and improve medical education and the administration is invested in improving the quality of preclinical training -- for example, as incoming M2s, we're all getting a copy of First Aid 2012 and a 6-month subscription to UWorld (arguably, the best qbank for Step 1) provided to us for free. While our avg. Step 1 score is just at the national average, there's an active movement toward improving that as well.

Basic science education -- it's pretty similar to every other school. Some lecturers are awesome, some not-so-awesome. M2 year has a good reputation due to some of the lecturers we have (ex. Dr. Zar, who's supposed to be an amazing teacher for pathophys). There's a reputation that you don't really get your hand held during M1 year (relative to other schools who ease you into the difficulty of med school) and get immersed into med school pretty quickly -- this has some truth to it, IMHO, but I don't think it had a negative effect on most people. I'd say the vast majority of us got used to the pace of med school fairly quickly and figured out what works for us, studying-wise.

Location -- I love the location! This was my first time living in a big city and I think the location's perfect. We're not too close to downtown, but close enough to get there quickly. Lots of great restaurants around us. And it certainly helps that the Pink line and Blue line are within a 5-minute walking distance of where I live -- they provide us with a relatively quick way of getting to where ever we want in the city.

Clinical training -- UIC has a strong reputation for providing excellent clinical training, with lots of autonomy and hands-on stuff. Even during M1 year, I noticed this to be true. My preceptor last year, for example, was absolutely awesome in teaching me pathology, improving my H&P skills, teaching me physical exams we hadn't learned yet, etc. With every new patient we saw in clinic, I would have 30 min. to do a full H&P. Then, I'd come back out and present to the attending. We'd then discuss the case, look up relevant labs, etc, and go in to see the patient together. I even got to enter in my HPI, etc, notes into the EMR for the attending to just sign off on. My attending would also give brief, 10-minute long PowerPoint presentations on common pathologies we saw in the clinic so that I got a better understanding of the disease process and clinical presentation. It was absolutely amazing how much I learned, even as an M1, and how much experience I got refining clinical skills -- it really does boost your confidence significantly! I didn't realize how much training we got on this aspect (especially this early in training), compared to other schools, until I started volunteering at free clinics -- students from other IL schools (don't want to name any names) spent nowhere near the amount of time as UIC students did learning H&P skills, and it was pretty evident (at least, during the days I was volunteering). Several students from another area school, in particular, even made comments about how this was the first time they were seeing a real patient in clinic -- and this was toward the end of the school year! Are our hospitals the best and prettiest looking? No, not really. But they do have the reputation for having residents and attendings who want to teach and be involved in medical education, which is of considerable importance to me. I see a lot of med students from other schools complain about clinical rotations on SDN, how they don't get to do too much, how boring it gets, etc -- this doesn't seem to be the case here at UIC. Thus far, I haven't heard any UIC M3 or M4 complain about rotations -- they've all been gushing about how awesome rotations are, how much autonomy they get, how much they learn, how many opportunities they get to practice procedures, etc.

Tuition -- even though it's an IS school, tuition is pretty high. I would definitely take this into consideration when deciding on what school to attend. I don't think it's so much the school's fault for the high tuition as it is the state of Illinois.

Research -- I wouldn't say we have world-class research like UChicago or NW might. If you're heavily interested in an academic research careeer, those might be better schools to consider. We do have a considerable number of opportunities in practically any specialty you're interested in -- both in terms of basic science and clinical research.

Now, since I'm a student here, I'm obviously biased. However, I wanted to provide some information regarding UIC since there's isn't much info about this school on SDN and some of the comments being made in this thread are painting it in an unfairly negative light (by people with no first-hand experience attending the school). Hope this helps, OP.

 

[mmmcdowe]

what does univ chicago offer that nu can't match or exceed?

What can NU offer that UC can't match or exceed? As I said, I think they are equivalent schools with excellent reps, excellent hospitals, excellent research, etc, etc. The primary differences between them are personal preference and which one you get into.

I withdrew from both NU and Chicago prior to decisions, but if I had to choose I would have probably gone to Chicago. I liked a lot of NU's message during the interview day, but I found it to be mostly hype that other schools had equivalents to and just may not emphasize them as much (peer teaching comes to mind). Looking back, I find the 3 person interview kind of cooky too.

 

[mimelim]

I was at Northwestern the summer between MS1 and MS2 as well as for 2 months of aways during MS4. NWM is a very nice hospital. The quality of faculty is exceptional. The only thing that I don't like about it is that I found that students were way too protected. Too much time off from clinical duty for education. Too much of a shift work mentality, "Its 6pm and I have to go home even though the service is exploding." This may be okay if you stay at NWM for residency because it was expected so interns are also somewhat babied. I think that it does a significant disservice to those that go elsewhere though. The world is far less accommodating.

That having been said, I would not hesitate to go to NW for med school. My only other data points are Wash U and SLU, but my experience there was quite solid.

 

[notbobtrustme]

NW = UofC > UIC > Rush = Loyola > RFU

UIC's in-state tuition is really no break at all since you would still graduate with about 220k in debt.

 

[NightGod]

Plus U of C has a terrible rep for location that, in my experience here, is entirely unfounded. No, it's not downtown, but that doesn't mean it's a "hell hole" as someone else said.

It's not entirely unfounded, it's just very out of date. In the 60s it was awful (my dad was a cop down there and oh, the stories!). In the 70s it was still bad, but improving. In the 80s it was still sketchy (I wouldn't have suggested going out alone at night if you could help it) and by the 90s it was getting much better. These days it's no worse than most any other place in Chicago and much better than many of them.

 

[Blaughable]

I <3 Illinois
We have some pretty awesome schools

 

[thlaxer]

I found the learning environment between NU and Chicago to be fairly different. Chicago's curriculum had more lecture time while NU's had more small group stuff. I initially thought the small group stuff would be pretty cool but I wasn't that excited to be honest about PBL after seeing a demonstration (the dean gives one during the interview day). This comes down to personal preference. The students I met on NU's interview day also seemed more stressed out compared to the students at Pritzker. Maybe they had an exam the next day or something. I spoke to a mentor about this, and he said that both schools have excellent reputations, so you can't really go wrong with either one.

Looking back, I find the 3 person interview kind of cooky too.

In 10 years that's all I'm going to remember about the interview day at Feinberg . Very uncomfortable haha.

 

[unrealplayer]

+1 Great program at Rush for sure, but I'm looking to go to a bigger university.

Obviously, if I get in to NW or U of C I would go there without a doubt. RFU and SIU are def. my bottom choices and more like "safety" schools. Comparing Rush, UIC, and Loyola is tough though especially because of what I'm looking for. I definitely wouldn't count UIC out because I love that location (close enough to downtown but you don't have skyscrapers leaning over you). IS tuition is good, but I'm still a little confused on the Illinois campus placement stuff. Haven't heard good things about the other campuses so Chicago or bust. Rush has the same location and the better hospital, but more $ and not a big institution. I would choose Loyola after Rush and UIC, but between Rush and UIC is really tough.

Anyone have any good comparisons between the two schools? Not just academics but facilities, student life, residency placement, cost (scholarships at Rush?)

and +1 to U of C being by MSI. I would just go to the body worlds exhibit to study for anatomy

No US MD schools are "safety" schools.

 

[serendipity007]

No US MD schools are "safety" schools.

 

[eeyoreish]

Picking between schools happens after you get accepted at 2 schools... good luck. You seem like a tool. Safety schools, really?

 

[UnclePhil]

hi, i am going to be applying this cycle and would like to know what people thought of the illinois schools. i am an illinois resident, want to stay in illinois, competitive for all of these schools, and northwestern alum btw. where would you rank these schools in relations to others. here is what i have seen, so correct me if i am wrong.

nu - best location, best education, best hospital, very hard to get into
univ chicago - bad location, good financial aid, stress academics, good hospital, extremely hard to get into
rush - avg location, a hidden gem school in the country, great hospital, extremely hard to get into
loyola - bad location, community environment, avg hospital, extremely hard to get into
uic - avg location, on the decline school, avg hospital, avg difficulty to get into
rfums - bad location (not in chicago), poorly ranked, good match list for low ranked school, easier to get into

i may be biased, but i would rank them like this:
nu>univ chicago>>rush>>loyola>>uic>rfums

am i overlooking anything?

Official rankings? Come on dude. Where do you get some of this stuff. "Best education"? How so? How have you figured that NU provides the "best education"? Why does "best hospital" have to do with you as a medical student? What do you know about 3rd year at any of these schools? What can you tell me about clinical training during rotations? How much autonomy are you given? How much do the residents or attendings let you do? You are ranking by things that don't really matter in the long run.

 

[NickNaylor]

It's not entirely unfounded, it's just very out of date. In the 60s it was awful (my dad was a cop down there and oh, the stories!). In the 70s it was still bad, but improving. In the 80s it was still sketchy (I wouldn't have suggested going out alone at night if you could help it) and by the 90s it was getting much better. These days it's no worse than most any other place in Chicago and much better than many of them.

Yes, exactly. This area WAS pretty bad. In fact I've heard that even 10 years ago the place where I'm living was a bad part of town. Now, however, the university has moved south and started to spur development in the area.

The rep is unfounded in the sense that it's no longer accurate, though I agree that there is definitely a history of sketchiness. However I truly believe that people come here to interview, see a bunch of black people, and automatically assume that it's a bad area. Obviously no one says this but that's the only thing that makes sense to me. The area surrounding the university is pretty affluent, and some areas are VERY nice. No part of Hyde Park is "hood" in my opinion.

(sent from my phone)

 

[markyb03]

No US MD schools are "safety" schools.

Agreed. Just trying to say that those schools aren't exactly reach schools for me either. And in the end, I'll go to wherever takes me

 

[markyb03]

Picking between schools happens after you get accepted at 2 schools... good luck. You seem like a tool. Safety schools, really?

Apparently the term "safety" is the equivalent of a curse word or blasphemy against the religion of SDN? I put the quotes trying to say "my scores are a good fit" and not "I'll def get in here".

Is there a politically correct term for "safety" or do we always need to say "my LizzyM score and ECs seem to be at or above the average of the school, but i know that all US medical schools are difficult to get in regardless of statistics so I'm not taking anything for granted." Or is the disclaimer always necessary to avoid call-outs?

 

[thlaxer]

Apparently the term "safety" is the equivalent of a curse word or blasphemy against the religion of SDN? I put the quotes trying to say "my scores are a good fit" and not "I'll def get in here".

Is there a politically correct term for "safety" or do we always need to say "my LizzyM score and ECs seem to be at or above the average of the school, but i know that all US medical schools are difficult to get in regardless of statistics so I'm not taking anything for granted." Or is the disclaimer always necessary to avoid call-outs?

Non-dream school..?

 

[cubbies1908]

i figure i was wrong to compare the nu education with univ chicago. i would like to know if there are major differences in the student bodies at these schools and what is the order of match lists

 

[drizzt3117]

Personally I think UC and NU are very comparable. Both have specialties they're better than the other at. I think UC has better fin aid and the HPMEs were my biggest turnoff from NU (although they're becoming a smaller part of the class). Rep wise I'd say uic = loyola > rush > rfu.

 

[NightGod]

Yes, exactly. This area WAS pretty bad. In fact I've heard that even 10 years ago the place where I'm living was a bad part of town. Now, however, the university has moved south and started to spur development in the area.

The rep is unfounded in the sense that it's no longer accurate, though I agree that there is definitely a history of sketchiness. However I truly believe that people come here to interview, see a bunch of black people, and automatically assume that it's a bad area. Obviously no one says this but that's the only thing that makes sense to me. The area surrounding the university is pretty affluent, and some areas are VERY nice. No part of Hyde Park is "hood" in my opinion.

(sent from my phone)

I agree. I was traveling to the Armory down there for some Army classes back in 96 and there were definitely some areas very near by I wouldn't have driven through on the way home, but much of it was 'cleaned up' even then. These days I'd happily take a group of kids through the area without anything beyond the same precautions I'd take in any large urban area.