Ohio State vs. Cincinnati

[embrown]

My interview day experiences at both places were radically different. I had an excellent time at OSU. I loved everything about it. I can't help judging UC for how poorly organized its interview day was, but I know that's not really a fair assessment of the school. On paper, they seem to offer pretty much the same thing. Am I totally wrong to think that? Tell me what you think. Here is my experience:

OSU made it feel like a recruitment. Everything was polished, smooth, well-oiled, lots of interactions with other students and faculty.

Cincinnati gave the strong impression that the 200 of us left to interview for the season were interviewing for 10-15 spots (and the wait list). Then, the admissions director said that if UC admitted you, they'd let the other schools do the grunt work to see if you were going to come to their school - and he wished everyone the best luck wherever they ended up. It came across as, "IF we admit you, we won't bother trying to keep you because we admit lots and we know you'll get in elsewhere. Good luck." Then, my interview day was a disaster - we were left in rooms while speakers didn't show up, I met two students total, speakers were disorganized and couldn't answer questions - disaster. But the MMI was fun.

I thought I would ask SDN about the differences between these schools. Any opinions?

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[MiniMoo]

I can't really help you compare schools because I only interviewed at UC. My day was pretty well structured though and I didn't run into any of the problems you described. I felt welcome and got positive impressions of the campus, students, and administration. I would try not to let your impressions of the interview day itself affect which school you choose. It seems it may have been a really "off" day for them. Are you able to attend UC's second look that's coming up on March 26th? If so, that might help you make a much more informed decision. Good luck though with whatever you decide. I think both schools are solid and you'll get a great education at either one.

 

[gtcf]

I interviewed at both places and was deferred at OSU/accepted at Cincy. Both schools left a great impression on me. Facilities at both were top notch and the interview day was well structured at both. I agree that OSU seemed to recruit more, but I didn't get the impression that Cincy didn't care about its acceptees. The students (more than 2) I met at both schools were amazingly laid back, honest, and perhaps most important-happy. The faculty at both schools seemed to really care about the students (although my OSU interviewers were pretty sketchy and seemed to have already formed a poor impression of me based on my paper app before meeting me).

Now, that being said, I'd suggest you go to both revisit days and see which place you feel you 'fit' better. Personally, I'd go to OSU because it's intermingled with the undergrad campus and is convenient to all the undergrad amenities like the gym. Cincy though is also almost adjacent to the undergrad campus, but seems to be in a more shady neighborhood.

Also, Cincy probably offers a more diverse patient population due to its location.

 

[BBender716]

Dean Capers is amazing, and I believe he is the primary reason OSU has a realistic chance at being Top 20 within 4 years. Now I know this isn't the focus of rankings, but it's the question for any school looking to take its school to the next "tier" of medical school:

How do you recruit students to a school in the middle of Ohio that would have normally gone to UMich, Yale, WashU?

You create a "well oiled" interview day, call each applicant personally for invites and acceptances, send christmas cards, meet every single interviewee, come to every interview day... etc.

Dean Capers cares more about his program than I've seen anywhere else I've interviewed at. Never would have considered OSU because I'd always saw myself staying close to home, but he is really making me stick with OSU.

 

[GoBeers]

Dean Capers is amazing, and I believe he is the primary reason OSU has a realistic chance at being Top 20 within 4 years. Now I know this isn't the focus of rankings, but it's the question for any school looking to take its school to the next "tier" of medical school:

How do you recruit students to a school in the middle of Ohio that would have normally gone to UMich, Yale, WashU?

You create a "well oiled" interview day, call each applicant personally for invites and acceptances, send christmas cards, meet every single interviewee, come to every interview day... etc.

Dean Capers cares more about his program than I've seen anywhere else I've interviewed at. Never would have considered OSU because I'd always saw myself staying close to home, but he is really making me stick with OSU.

it also helps that they are pumping $1 billion into their new research/hospital.

i loved ohio state because it's seen as the premier public institute in the entire mid-west. when people find out that you go there, they're really impressed. the education, accessibility of teachers, the set up of the curriculum are legit at osu. best of all, the students definitely represent the "wholesome" attitude of the greater midwest area to the fullest.

i dont kno anything about UofC

 

[Pedie Packs]

I'm on the WL at OSU and recently interviewed (most likely for a WL position) at UC. I would LOVE to go to either school.

OSU - A school that's headed like a freight train in the right direction... just built a massive new Biological Reseach building, 170% growth in NIH money over the past 2 years, starting Project One (a billion dollar hospital expansion), a state of the art cardiac hospital in it's infancy which is one of very few medical centers that's closely linked to a cardiovascular research center... It goes on and on. The opportunities available at OSU for your medical education are simply awesome. Best in the midwest probably.

UC - Patient population probably more diverse than Columbus. Their average board scores are through the roof! The students seemed very happy on the only day I've been there. Great pediatric hospitals.

I'm not as informed on UC. But overall, I think students are happy at both schools and both offer a high quality medical education.

 

[embrown]

Thanks for your input! I will try my best to get to UC's revisit day to see if it does anything to change my mind. I went to Columbus expecting to hate it, but it's pretty much at the top of my list now. Dean Capers' pitch is pretty compelling.

Another thing UC has against it my mind is comments from several docs I know in Cincy about how OSU pretty much came in and bought up UC's best cardiac researchers a few years back.

I've also heard that UC hospital has to work harder to compete for upper-income patients than OSU's complex does. I got the impression that OSU is the only place to go for care in Columbus - indigent or high end - whereas Christ and Jewish hospitals in Cincinnati command more of the upper-income patient base. I think OSU appeals more to me in terms of clinical training because it appears to offer urban and rural, wealthy and poor - everyone.