Pitt vs. Case

[malicious1116]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I have an interview coming up at Case and I was curious on what people thought about it vs Pitt. I'm basically trying to see if it is worth going to.

Any thoughts and opinions on the schools?

 

[SigurRos]

hmmm I will probably be going to Pitt unless I hear something from hopkins penn or hms. it was a stupendous school and has a lot going for it. GO TO PITT

 

[malicious1116]

hmmm I will probably be going to Pitt unless I hear something from hopkins penn or hms. it was a stupendous school and has a lot going for it. GO TO PITT

Did you apply/interview at CASE? Just curious. I loved Pitt too, but I just want to make sure I'm not turning down a good opportunity

 

[mfrenkie]

If you search the forum, there were about 10 massive threads comparing the two last spring.

 

[malicious1116]

Yeah but i was curious about anyone that has been to Case recently because I heard last year they changed the curriculum and a lot of people had mixed feelings about it. I was just trying to see if it was the same way.

 

[Picklesali]

Okay, I was just at Case, I'll PM you what I thought.

 

[malicious1116]

Okay, I was just at Case, I'll PM you what I thought.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Picklesali]

No problem 🙂

 

[JDWflash44]

There are many threads about this the last few years. I ended up making a similar decision two years ago, but it was Pitt vs. CCLCM. I was telling people from October until May that I was going to Pitt and then decided on CCLCM. Pitt and Cleveland are similar cities and they are both great schools. I would say that if you have the money, go to the interview and second looks if possible because you never know if you are really going to like a place until you see it. Case's new curriculum is very innovative and the students seem to enjoy it(although I dont personally know a lot about it).

Plus, if you get in to schools that are of equal quality you can then bargain for money when it comes to financial aid packages. For example, I know someone who was considering CCLCM and Pitt. They got a $10K grant from Pitt for financial aid. This student called Pitt to ask if that was guaranteed for all four years. He said he was deciding between Pitt and CCLCM and Pitt responded by giving him a $20K grant guaranteed for all four years, so moral of the story is that its always nice to have options.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[malicious1116]

There are many threads about this the last few years. I ended up making a similar decision two years ago, but it was Pitt vs. CCLCM. I was telling people from October until May that I was going to Pitt and then decided on CCLCM. Pitt and Cleveland are similar cities and they are both great schools. I would say that if you have the money, go to the interview and second looks if possible because you never know if you are really going to like a place until you see it. Case's new curriculum is very innovative and the students seem to enjoy it(although I dont personally know a lot about it).

Plus, if you get in to schools that are of equal quality you can then bargain for money when it comes to financial aid packages. For example, I know someone who was considering CCLCM and Pitt. They got a $10K grant from Pitt for financial aid. This student called Pitt to ask if that was guaranteed for all four years. He said he was deciding between Pitt and CCLCM and Pitt responded by giving him a $20K grant guaranteed for all four years, so moral of the story is that its always nice to have options.

Good luck with your decision.

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it!

 

[axlaxl1]

Here YEEE, HERE YEEE! PITT is the WORST choice you could make per se if you weren't me. PLEASE DON'T GO THERE. Go to other places. Now, until I get my acceptance, I will be requesting that NO ONE ATTEND. NOONE!

Now, after I get in. Fine, if you wanna come to best school and place ever go for it. But until then MAKE ROOM!


AHHHH PITT CALLL ME ALREADY!!!! lol 😍👍

 

[malicious1116]

I really hope you get in because you're pumped! lol

 

[malicious1116]

Any other thoughts?

 

[nhtreehugger]

Any other thoughts?

I know nothing about Pitt, but I learned all about Case's new curriculum at my interview there. First off, I am a fan of a lecture-based curriculum. I am an independent learner, but I would prefer independent learning in addition to what is taught in lecture. Case is not like that at all. It is strongly small-group based, although there is some lecture. Overall, very little time is spent in any classroom, so there is a lot of free time. Four M1 students I talked to actually had part-time jobs teaching at Kaplan. Ultimately, to quote every single med student I talked to there: "If you need lectures, this is not the school for you."

PS: One major PRO for Case is that they are the only medical school in Cleveland, so its students have exclusive access to all the hospitals in the city.

 

[axlaxl1]

I really hope you get in because you're pumped! lol

I'm kinda pumped to go home. My mom is hillarious, I told her about my other interviews, you know the "hey mom say a prayer" for the night before type deal. She said to me in a concerned voice, "What happened to Pitt, I thought you liked that school." I replied, "Mom it is early calm down." LOL, she wants me to come home too. Although even though it will be free housing I am not living with my mom I swear it, 18 years was enough/ jj.

I dunno this process is nutz. I think it is the most nutz process ever. I have so much respect for doctors you have no idea.

 

[CCLCMer]

There are many threads about this the last few years. I ended up making a similar decision two years ago, but it was Pitt vs. CCLCM. I was telling people from October until May that I was going to Pitt and then decided on CCLCM. Pitt and Cleveland are similar cities and they are both great schools. I would say that if you have the money, go to the interview and second looks if possible because you never know if you are really going to like a place until you see it. Case's new curriculum is very innovative and the students seem to enjoy it(although I dont personally know a lot about it).

Plus, if you get in to schools that are of equal quality you can then bargain for money when it comes to financial aid packages. For example, I know someone who was considering CCLCM and Pitt. They got a $10K grant from Pitt for financial aid. This student called Pitt to ask if that was guaranteed for all four years. He said he was deciding between Pitt and CCLCM and Pitt responded by giving him a $20K grant guaranteed for all four years, so moral of the story is that its always nice to have options.

Good luck with your decision.

I don't have much to add to this post besides saying that I agree completely with JDW. It seems like Case and Pitt attract a lot of the same students, malicious. If you really loved Pitt, you should definitely come see Case. Like JDW, I was also thinking about Pitt's CSTP (which is another five year research MD) versus CCLCM. I think a lot of people who are accepted to Pitt and Case/CCLCM wind up agonizing over which one to choose. I know some Pitt and UP students who were also making this same decision. Good luck with your apps. 🙂

 

[axlaxl1]

This may be retorical but is case ranked?

 

[CCLCMer]

This may be retorical but is case ranked?

Are you asking about the students or the school? I assume you mean the students, because as far as I know, USNWR ranks all schools. I am not sure what the UP does about ranking. I know they are P/F the first two years, then they get grades for rotations, so probably they do rank based on clinical grades. Hopefully one of the current students can confirm. I can tell you for sure that CCLCM is P/F all five years, so we don't get ranked.

 

[malicious1116]

Thanks everyone for your input

 

[axlaxl1]

Are you asking about the students or the school? I assume you mean the students, because as far as I know, USNWR ranks all schools. I am not sure what the UP does about ranking. I know they are P/F the first two years, then they get grades for rotations, so probably they do rank based on clinical grades. Hopefully one of the current students can confirm. I can tell you for sure that CCLCM is P/F all five years, so we don't get ranked.

I didn't think it was that funny. But Pitt is ranked 15 of top research based schools. The coveted ranking. I was wondering where case was ranked is all.

 

[CCLCMer]

I didn't think it was that funny. But Pitt is ranked 15 of top research based schools. The coveted ranking. I was wondering where case was ranked is all.

All right, man, since you're apparently too lazy to google "USNWR medical school rankings," and I'm procrastinating on finishing my HW, I'll do it for you. Here ya go: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankings...edu/grad/rankings/med/brief/mdrrank_brief.php Pitt is 15, Case is 21. If that makes a huge difference to you, now you don't have to waste your time and money on applying to a low-ranked research school like Case. 😉

 

[axlaxl1]

All right, man, since you're apparently too lazy to google "USNWR medical school rankings," and I'm procrastinating on finishing my HW, I'll do it for you. Here ya go: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankings...edu/grad/rankings/med/brief/mdrrank_brief.php Pitt is 15, Case is 21. If that makes a huge difference to you, now you don't have to waste your time and money on applying to a low-ranked research school like Case. 😉

LOL, There you go. Thanks, I am lazy today. NEeedd TO VOLunt... Um, tomorrow. LOL! Well actually 21 is really good too and my point to the OP is that a higher ranking might be the difference maker. Alother 6 points diff might not be that big of a deal. Don't forget 4 years from now you will be doing this process all over again but the diff will be it is for he rest of your life. Perhaps!

 

[malicious1116]

LOL, There you go. Thanks, I am lazy today. NEeedd TO VOLunt... Um, tomorrow. LOL! Well actually 21 is really good too and my point to the OP is that a higher ranking might be the difference maker. Alother 6 points diff might not be that big of a deal. Don't forget 4 years from now you will be doing this process all over again but the diff will be it is for he rest of your life. Perhaps!

Yea I get what you mean about ranking. But I feel like if I really liked a school, I wouldn't care how it was ranked.

 

[axlaxl1]

Yea I get what you mean about ranking. But I feel like if I really liked a school, I wouldn't care how it was ranked.

per Se, but think about 4 years from now. See this is where you have to play chess with your life, think a few moves ahead. Honestly location and lifestyle, Miami beats any school in the U.S. But the lack of ranking make it a hard choice. Come 4 years from now you are going to have to get a residency and Pitt's ranking affords it a 95 or 98% match rate... Please correct me if I am wrong. So, when it comes time for you to say, " hey I want to be a plastic surgeon," Well, Pitt is going to give you a greater oppertunity than the latter.

****!!!! Warning, please disregard all advice I just gave and go to CASE.***!!!!

I must give a all out warning and disclosure not to attend Pitt until I am accepted. Then once my spot is secure you may choose as you wish.

as always JJ.

 

[Pittance]

Plus, if you get in to schools that are of equal quality you can then bargain for money when it comes to financial aid packages. For example, I know someone who was considering CCLCM and Pitt. They got a $10K grant from Pitt for financial aid. This student called Pitt to ask if that was guaranteed for all four years. He said he was deciding between Pitt and CCLCM and Pitt responded by giving him a $20K grant guaranteed for all four years, so moral of the story is that its always nice to have options.

Good luck with your decision.

Beware promises of financial aid. This is what happened to me a few years ago, Pitt offered $20K but changed their mind and I never saw a penny.

 

[stooges287]

Beware promises of financial aid. This is what happened to me a few years ago, Pitt offered $20K but changed their mind and I never saw a penny.

How can they do this?!

 

[lemon tree]

LOL, There you go. Thanks, I am lazy today. NEeedd TO VOLunt... Um, tomorrow. LOL! Well actually 21 is really good too and my point to the OP is that a higher ranking might be the difference maker. Alother 6 points diff might not be that big of a deal. Don't forget 4 years from now you will be doing this process all over again but the diff will be it is for he rest of your life. Perhaps!

i am as focused on rankings as the next guy, but like a 15 versus a 45, not a 15 versus 22. that just does not matter and may change from year to year based on NIH grants, which fluctuate.

schools that are ranked within 10 or so points of each other should be looked at based on the qualities you want in a med school not rankings.

for the record, i am interviewing at Case in a cupla weeks and i got rejected from Pitt!!!!! full disclosure. but i still believe what i said.

 

[starlight04]

I interviewed at both schools, and these were my thoughts:

-Cleveland and Pittsburgh are pretty comparable as cities go--bad history, cleaning up well, fantastic hospitals in the area that really boost the economy. The immediate areas surrounding both schools are nice. I know Cleveland has some pretty rough spots not too far off from campus, but I'm not so sure about Pittsburgh but I think its probably similar. Cars seem sort of necessary to navigate both cities.

-Curriculum-wise Pitt's incorporation of the "mixed" PBL + Lecture curriculum is much more established (1992 I think?) than Cases WR2 Curriculum, which just started like 2 years ago. Otherwise, they are pretty similar. Case is TRUE P/F for the first 2 years (no internal rankings) while Pitt was Honors/Pass/Fail and I am assuming things are ranked. The thing I really HATED about Pitt's curriculum is that the "Honors" title is generated on a CURVE (I think top 10% of students), which to me equals a lot of competition. Pitt has the awesome WISER simulation center, which I think Case doesn't have. Facilities seemed comparable. Both require some sort of academic (read: research) pursuit/thesis, which makes sense considering both schools rank very well in US News Research rankings (Pitt is tied for #15 with a few schools, Case #21). Pitt has the PSTP/CSTP program which lets you do a 5th research year, and Case also has the option for a tuition-free 5th year.

-Both schools are connected to fantastic hospital systems. UPMC is amazing (with like 1/2 the transplants in the country being done there) and I know they are top of the line for many specialties (especially neurosurg/neurology). Case is connected to University Hospitals, which has a top Children's Hospital (Rainbow Babies) and is fairly solid in most specialties. It's also affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic, #4 hospital in the country, #1 in cardiology for more than a decade.

-Cost-wise, I think Case is about $7000 more/yr than Pitt.

-So overall, the difference in the schools (for me) came down to the personal "fit" and "feel." I felt a lot more comfortable at one school than the other (I'm not going to say which). Both had really large interview groups, but I felt that I meshed with one school's students a lot more. The other school, though they treated us well, just felt cold and unfriendly. I dont know if it was just my interview group, but nobody even bothered to talk to each other for the entire day so we sat in complete silence the entire time, which really boggled my mind. My student interview felt forced, and though the students were friendly, I felt uncomfortable for the entire interview day and just couldn't really see myself there (even the lady who made me my sandwich was rude!!).

So my advice to you is to check out Case if you are not 100% sure on Pitt. However, if you LOVED Pitt and know you can see yourself there and you are on strict finances, I don't think you would be losing out too badly if you didn't make it to Cleveland for your interview. They appeal to a similar group of applicants, and I'm sure it's because they are so similar.

Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts. Good luck!

 

[CCLCMer]

Beware promises of financial aid. This is what happened to me a few years ago, Pitt offered $20K but changed their mind and I never saw a penny.

Moral of this story is don't withdraw anywhere else until after you sign your financial aid form. 😉

Seriously, I never heard of this happening to anyone. I know there are people in my program who got offered MORE scholarship/grant aid later, but I never heard of anyone having their grants or scholarships taken away after being promised the money! If that really did happen to you, sorry, that completely sucks.

 

[malicious1116]

Beware promises of financial aid. This is what happened to me a few years ago, Pitt offered $20K but changed their mind and I never saw a penny.

Wow I never heard of a school doing that but thanks for the heads up.

starlight thanks for the info that definitely gave me some things to think about. I keep saying I'm going to cancel the interview because I know there is someone out there that really wants to go there and they could use the interview slot. I told myself that I would make a decision after the holidays. I have been given some other interviews at schools that are closer and/or like better so I'll just go to those.