Ohio State vs UVA

[sweater.weather]

Hi everyone! I would love to hear some feedback about your opinions of these schools and which you think might be a better fit for my interests. I've done research in microbiology for 4 years and definitely want to continue doing lots of research in med school. As of right now, I want to go into academic medicine plus I want to do some global health electives.

Ohio State
Pros
- P/F
- Close to family and friends
- In-State Tuition (~35 k)
- Global Health Electives that are paid for by the school
- Online Classes (so very flexible schedule)
- Students were super chill

Cons
- Not a big fan of Columbus
- Seems like a lot of students match into Ohio and I'm not sure if I'll want to stay in Ohio for residency
- Larger class size (200 students)

Virginia (UVA)
Pros
- More prestigious (better match list)
- Tons of research opportunities
- P/F (No internal ranking)
- Love the idea of their "Patient Student Partnership" longitudinal program
- Have a Center for Global Health Equity

Cons
- OOS Tuition (~65 k)
- Far from family and friends (~9 hours)
- Mandatory classes from 8-12

Summary: I think Ohio State would be a great option so I can stay close to family/friends, but I'm worried that it will be more difficult to match into a top residency program for pursuing academic medicine. I appreciate any advice!

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[ValPak00per]

ohio state is probably better than uva as a school

 

[sparky21]

Ohio State is a T30 school with super robust research and a great match list. I’m sure the Midwest matches are heavily due to personal preference as many OSU students are from the Midwest and hope to stay. They have all brand new facilities, so many hospitals right on campus with a new one even set to open. There will be no shortage of opportunity here!! Plus you get the added benefit of in state tuition AND your support system close by. I think thar this makes this a no brainer (to be fair I might be biased bc I was accepted into OSU, but still my point stands)

 

[sweater.weather]

ohio state is probably better than uva as a school

What makes OSU stand out as a better school to you?

 

[sweater.weather]

Ohio State is a T30 school with super robust research and a great match list. I’m sure the Midwest matches are heavily due to personal preference as many OSU students are from the Midwest and hope to stay. They have all brand new facilities, so many hospitals right on campus with a new one even set to open. There will be no shortage of opportunity here!! Plus you get the added benefit of in state tuition AND your support system close by. I think thar this makes this a no brainer (to be fair I might be biased bc I was accepted into OSU, but still my point stands)

I think I would agree with your assessment and definitely think it's a great school! My main concern was seeing most of the students match in the Midwest, but your point about student preferences makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the input!

 

[thefirerisen]

ohio state is probably better than uva as a school

I interviewed at both and I disagree with this. In the current rankings, they are virtually tied (30 v 28). Virginia will match better on the east coast and OSU will match better in the mid-west. In my eyes, UVA is slightly better as seen in their match list. As you already mentioned, they match better into more competitive specialties.

Nevertheless, I will still recommend you go to OSU because its in-state for you and way cheaper. Unless Virginia gives you a scholarship that matches OSU's in-state tuition, the extra 120k is not worth it for a program that is ranked equivalent. OSU will not hinder you in any way in pursuing prestigious residencies in academic medicine. I am also really interested in Global Health and research so let me know if you have any more questions regarding the two programs!

 

[TheDataKing]

OSU - cheaper tuition, great match list, fantastic institution, and AVOID MANDATORY CLASSES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE (maximize your free time to study as you please)