Pitt Vs OSU

[onecountry]

Appreciate if you could give me some pros and cons of Pitt vs OSU. This is what I think in terms of positives (or negatives of the other).

Pitt:
Higher rank.
bf would chose Pitt (or CMU) for his PhD, but not OSU.
Liked it when I interviewed there. (Did not attend 2nd look)


OSU
Like the setting compared to urban setting at Pitt.
Cheaper rent.
Attended 2nd look and felt at home. Liked the atmosphere, other fellow students etc.
1 hr closer to home than Pitt
Will be in-state after 1st yr. Tution is perhaps 60k cheaper. (assuming no scholarship from Pitt).
Get to interact with patients earlier.

Perhaps above reasons sound lame. But, appreciate if you could give me some other reasons for both schools. Thanks!

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[jHustle]

You should restate your title as...

"Choose Boyfriend or OSU?"

lol because that's basically what it looks like. If you think your relationship is ready for the next level (for sure and not just hopefully), then go to Pitt, but if you know that OSU is where you want to be and the bf isn't marriage-worthy, then go to OSU for sure!

 

[Alejandro]

Hm. Congrats with getting into both schools! I can tell you from my own personal experience that I was on the fence with PittMed. I went to their second look and I was blown away by how friendly this year's class is going to be, and the faculty were very warm and approachable during second look. I might hafta say that you missed out! haha. Nonetheless, OSU is a good school, and I'm not here to bash them on anything. I'll just say that the environment at PittMed is very positive, and I'm ecstatic to be attending there this year.

That being said, cost is important to factor in. Hm. Have you received your fin aid letter? I think that'll speak more towards how much you'll be off between the two schools.

I will say that from my experience working at the hospital, attendings, residents and M4s did look at PittMed much more positively than the other schools I was considering, which may make a difference when applying to residencies. Yes, I know we've been through with the "schools doesn't matter, boards do," type of philosophy, but there's also value to be placed on prominent residency directors and the people who will support your cause through school. You may find that Pitt could have more strengths with that.

I'm not sure if you plan on driving back home (sorry I don't knwo where home is...) but if its like CA or something, then the extra hour might not mean that much.

Anyway, best of luck with your decision. I don't honestly think you'll be disappointed either way, but if it were me, I'd choose Pitt. (Which I am. )

 

[darkhope]

One of my friends went to second look for pitt and had a different experience. Said a welcoming student was reading a notecard during the opening ceremony and that many people were corny. eg: one student was raving about her experience in global health, but was in that country for only a week. And that when you guys were invited to go to a cath., no one signed up and everyone peaced out. But i'm sure there were good parts too. Good luck!

 

[Ismet]

One of my friends went to second look for pitt and had a different experience. Said a welcoming student was reading a notecard during the opening ceremony and that many people were corny. eg: one student was raving about her experience in global health, but was in that country for only a week. And that when you guys were invited to go to a cath., no one signed up and everyone peaced out. But i'm sure there were good parts too. Good luck!

Second Look was absolutely amazing, maybe your friend was paying attention to the wrong things. Not really sure how a person reading off a notecard when talking to a group of 80+ people is a bad thing...and the attending who spoke at the opening thing was hilarious! The invitation to the Cathedral was a tour of the nationality rooms in the Cathedral of Learning (essentially Pitt's landmark building). This was an optional event on Saturday morning when people had already been there for Thursday and Friday, and most people left Friday night or Saturday morning.

OP: I echo everything Alejandro said above. I had already decided on Pitt before Second Look (and I went there for undergrad so I am very familiar with the med school), but I went anyway and was so glad I did. Everyone I talked to - prospectives and current med students - were extremely nice and welcoming. The entire class seems like one big family. A bunch of faculty came to the reception at the end to eat and talk with us, and you could tell they really care about their students.

 

[DoctwoB]

Current 3rd year at pitt and I still think its awesome. The clinical years here are unparalleled (23 hospitals to 1 med school at UPMC). Pre-clinicals are great preparation for boards, and research opportunities and match are great.

Its not without flaws. The heme-onc and cell bio/histology courses weren't great, school needs to get us schedules for courses earlier, and do we really need 12 weeks of required outpatient rotations in FM and CAMPC?. However the school tends to be very responsive to feedback like the switch from H/P/F to P/F next year, (you're welcome btw) and the addition of a clinical MSK/derm unit this year. And the big things that matter: Pre-clinicals, board prep, clinical experience, research, rec letters, matching, etc. are all top notch.

I can't really speak as to OSU, but have only heard good things, so you really can't go wrong. Of the two I'd pick pitt, but whether that difference is worth 60k is another question. If I wanted a high powered research academic Neurosurgery career, I'd probably pick pitt. If I wanted to be a private practice family doc, I'd pocket the 60k and go to OSU. If you're somewhere in the middle of those then you need to make a judgement call.

Best of luck w/ your decision.

 

[Didntdoit]

Appreciate if you could give me some pros and cons of Pitt vs OSU. This is what I think in terms of positives (or negatives of the other).

Pitt:
Higher rank.
bf would chose Pitt (or CMU) for his PhD, but not OSU.
Liked it when I interviewed there. (Did not attend 2nd look)


OSU
Like the setting compared to urban setting at Pitt.
Cheaper rent.
Attended 2nd look and felt at home. Liked the atmosphere, other fellow students etc.
1 hr closer to home than Pitt
Will be in-state after 1st yr. Tution is perhaps 60k cheaper. (assuming no scholarship from Pitt).
Get to interact with patients earlier.

Perhaps above reasons sound lame. But, appreciate if you could give me some other reasons for both schools. Thanks!

60k is nothing in the long run.

Pitt is the better school for you academically and personally.

 

[DoctwoB]

60k is nothing in the long run.

Pitt is the better school for you academically and personally.

Lets not be too crazy now. 60k is a lot of cash. Pitt is a great school but cost should always be part of the equation.

 

[onecountry]

Thank you for all the replies.

 

[Didntdoit]

Thank you for all the replies.

Which one are you going with?

 

[airik513]

Correct me if i'm wrong but might there also be a lower cost of living at OSU?

To the person who said 60K is nothing, must be nice...Also I have been consistently told that with debt/loans you should multiply by 1.5 to account for interest, etc in order to get your total. So yeah, 90K is a pretty decent chunk of change.

 

[onecountry]

Which one are you going with?

Not sure yet. Planning to visit Pitt this weekend to have my own 2nd look. I am also waiting for their fin aid package. Wish Pitt had given me admission earlier. Decision would have been so much easier.

 

[Lexicon0]

I was accepted to both schools and thought they were both pretty awesome! You really can't go wrong with either school. With that being said here were my impressions of each school (based on my observations from interview day):

OSU:

Pros:
-Faculty and students were extremely friendly. After talking to a few students (and interacting with faculty members) it was evident that students had a strong support system. I saw the same thing at Pitt but not to this extent.
-Cost of living in Columbus is pretty cheap relative to Pitt
-Cost of attendance (barring significant financial aid from Pitt, which was the case for me) was also less than at Pitt
Cons:
-Grading is not Pass fail
-Incoming class will be the first to experience the new curriculum
-Slightly large class size (not sure if this would actually be a factor with respect to resources available to students)

Pitt:

Pros:
-Great research opportunities (in terms of mentorship, funding, etc)
-Purely Pass/Fail for first two years
-top residency programs in many fields
-Strong global health program
-Solid clinical opportunities (as someone mentioned earlier 23 hospitals for one med school)
Cons:
-I personally wasn't a big fan of the city of Pittsburgh
-Steep price (without too much opportunity for merit based fin aid)
-I thought I would fit in better with the student body at OSU than at Pitt (purely personal preference though)

Although I personally didn't end up picking either schools, I probably would have gone with OSU just because of the steep price tag. That being said, if you truly feel that you will be happier and more likely to succeed at Pitt (wrt curriculum, student body, research/clinical opportunities,etc) , I don't think the extra 60k should deter you.
Good luck making your decision!

Also I noticed that your bf would be in Pittsburgh. The drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh isn't too bad (~4 hours).