Pitt Med vs. Case Western

[lightshade]

Hi All! We had a similar thread recently but I wanted to get into the nitty gritty of the two schools I'm debating between right now. Any and all insight is welcome 🙂 For reference, both of these schools are OOS for me (from California) and I am interested in Dermatology.

Case Western
Pros

• Clearly made intentional efforts to support student well-being (friendly "Dream Team", specialized acceptance notification, decorated portal)
• My student interviewer was extremely nice and said Case's highlight was how much they care for students/how happy students were
• Great match list (7+) for dermatology
• Low cost of living in Cleveland
• Ranked #25ish right now
• Rotations Cleveland Clinic
• P/F curriculum
• You can do whatever you want on Flex days

Cons

• Not sure how safe I would feel living in Cleveland
• Not used to cold, snow weather (same for UPitt, though)
• Not a fan of the mandatory 8am-12pm Case Based Learning
• Would need a car
• Tuition ~70k
• I don't have any friends/family that live in Ohio

Pitt Med
Pros

• Emphasis here as well on student wellness, but not nearly as much of a priority/showcasing as Case.
• Student interviewer also nice and said she enjoys living in Pittsburgh
• Safe city for the most part - no car needed per my interviewers
• Very highly ranked (~#13) and actively breaking into T10's
• Rotations at UPMC
• P/F curriculum
• #5 in nation for NIH funding! So great research that would be beneficial for Derm

Cons

• Flex days still have to be productive and fit within predesignated guidelines
• Lectures are still required from 8am-12pm, but they are given by faculty instead of student group learning for the most part (which I prefer)
• Not used to cold, snow weather (same as Case)
• I don't have any friends/family that live in Pennsylvania
• Tuition ~70k

Summary: Both expensive, both far from home, similar weather - Case is "lesser" ranked with more emphasis on student wellbeing vs. Pitt is higher ranked with lesser emphasis on student wellbeing. They're so similar I'm having a really tough time deciding!!

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[nbwaterman]

congrats, both great schools and both have tremendous success in matching to top institutions. at this point I feel like it’s choosing between living in Cleveland vs Pittsburgh. I recommend going to Pitts 2nd look day on april 12th and whenever Case has theirs to really get the vibes in person. Pitt probably has a lot more going for it as a city and I’ll probably end up going there so we can besties forever ❤️

 

[kcblazers19]

Pitt fs

 

[Drewbacca]

@lightshade may I ask which school you ended up deciding and why? I'm currently in the exact same position as you. Thank you!

 

[Buffalo Hunter]

I didn’t see you talk about the cost of living in Pittsburgh as a con.
I think both are great schools and I will base my decision on financial aid package considering the moment we live in.

 

[secret-try]

Pittsburgh cost of living is also notoriously affordable!

 

[Buffalo Hunter]

Pittsburgh cost of living is also notoriously affordable!

Compared to Cleveland?

 

[secret-try]

Compared to Cleveland?

Cleveland is definitely cheaper, but both are relatively low cost and this difference shouldn't be the decision maker between these schools

 

[Bowel-Plumber]

If your cons are the same then they’re basically useless for the purposes of choosing between these two schools. Essentially all of your cons between the two schools are the same so you’re really choosing based off the pros.

It seems to me like Pitt is a better fit for you since it is apparently safer (I have no clue if this is true, I’m just going off your post) and you wouldn’t need a car and Pitt is better for research which is important if you want to do derm

 

[chilly_md]

The OP has not be active in nearly a year. Please make your own thread if you have specific pros and cons you’d like to discuss.

Closing.