Ohio State vs. U of Cincinnati

[Eleithyia]

Just got an acceptance from OSU this morning and now I'm trying to decide between two very similar schools! The prestige difference between OSU & UC is probably negligible, both have great research opportunities, and tuition is very similar at both schools. UC has repeatedly used their pediatrics opportunities as a major selling point, but I have zero interest in peds.

Ohio State
Pros

• A couple of really cool elective programs I'm interested in
• Fantastic facilities
• Friends/support system in Columbus
• Further from my hometown

Cons

• Slightly larger class size (~200 students)
• More competitive?

University of Cincinnati
Pros

• Slightly better average Step 1 score (~5 points)
• Talks a very big game about student wellness (don't know about execution yet)
• Smaller class size (~170 students)

Cons

• Everyone is interested in peds? I low-key can't stand kids
• Did not click with anyone at second look (was very concerning)
• Closer to hometown (would prefer to be as far away as possible)

Summary: TBH, right now I'm leaning toward OSU, but I feel like I'm missing something about Cincy because people who love it really love it and I'd like to understand that before I make my decision.

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[KdotLB]

I interviewed and was accepted at both these places as well. Both places seemed to have great research, an affordable and entertaining midwestern city, and a plethora of home programs (you’re not going to limit your choice of specialty at either school).

To me, true P/F was a big deal for OSU, whereas Cincy was quartile ranking. I also preferred Wexner to UCMC. As you are, I’m not huge on peds.



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[KdotLB]

Also, regarding second look vibes, I feel like this is a marker of school fit subject to a ton of randomness, probably not the most objective measurement, though I realize you have limited amounts of data to go off of. So much of second look experiences depend on the random circles you find yourself in, for whatever reason. I know as a school I prefer OSU, but I personally had a blast at cincy’s second look and felt I vibed with the students. Ultimately it’s a super small sample size tho and hard to draw conclusions from


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[meddymed]

I think the class size difference is negligible. And I keep seeing on SDN that OSU is competitive but I didn’t get that vibe on interview day nor second look, so I’m not sure where that idea comes from. Cinci’s step 1 average is a nice selling point because it is abnormally high for the tier school they are. I imagine it’s because their tests are from the NBME, and no one at cinci could seem to think of any other reason why they would be so high. So other than additional NBME exposure, I don’t think your personal step score would differ between if you went to osu or cinci. I think if you didn’t feel like you clicked with anyone at cinci’s second look and you aren’t feeling the love that all the students at cinci feel, then you should choose osu. I would bet the cinci love is a product of self selection. If you fall in love with uc, then of course you would choose there.

Disclaimer: I was deciding between both of these schools as well and ultimately chose osu. I really liked all the people I met at Cincinnati’s second look but I felt like I just clicked better with the people at osu’s. I also feel that osu does almost everything a step above cinci, with 2 exceptions: Step 1 scores and their focus on student wellness. I already explained my thought process for step 1 above. As for student wellness, I think osu certainly cares about wellness but cinci just has more tangible ways of showing they do - the nap room, meditation room, plus therapy dogs, massages, and acupuncture before exams. Sure those are all nice but I don’t know how much that truly contributes to student wellness. Lastly, and this is just speculation on my part, I would think osu would have more prestige recognition outside of the Midwest than Cincinnati, for the simple fact that people have heard of the football team.


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[marieskiier]

I'd weigh your family support system heavily in this. Don't underestimate how important your loved ones can be during med school. I think the other differences you're trying to tweeze out, as others said, are negligible. Is your family near Ohio State or Cincinnati? That'd make or break my decision.

 

[GonnaB3MDm8]

Can't speak for Cinci but I really liked OSU. Strong school all round. Strong Research, LSI is an awesome curriculum that seemed to have a good balance of mandatory vs nonmandatory stuff. I know quite a few people who went to OSU and they loved it.