Pitt vs. Tulane

[nottedbundy]

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Hello all, I'm seeking some advice from more knowledgable others. I've been lucky enough receive a few acceptances and have narrowed my decision down to Pitt and Tulane. My career interest is in academic medicine and hem/onc.

Tulane
+ Currently live in NOLA and love everything about it here.
+SO lives with me and likes NOLA as well
+Have research currently going through Tulane SOM, mentor would gladly keep me aboard throughout MD program
+Diverse and wonderful pt population
+Seems to match well in the South and regardless of which school I attend, would like to head South for IM residency
+P/F

-COA (though similar to Pitt, has high average indebtedness)
-Facilities are dated, who knows how they spend their money
-Crime, while a minor issue to me, I am very familiar with the exact area the hospital and school are located in and it is a hotbed for violent crime and robbery

Pitt
+ T20, prestige, etc
+ Huge NIH money and big names in immunotherapy
+ enjoy the 1/3 curriculum set up, also P/F
+ UPMC is a premier healthcare system, so first class clinical training
+ high caliber student body, all seem invested in some form of research
+ Match list features many top IM programs
+ closer to family

- Seasons, the cold kind
- It is not NOLA
- Pt population seems less diverse
- Tuition is approx the same, comes out a little cheaper than Tulane though
- This is my main concern, when selecting for residency, how big of a role does regional bias play? Pitt seems to send their students to top programs in NE and MW

Thank you, help is always appreciated

 

[deleted915325]

Pitt just invested another $200 million in immunotherapy endeavors. Pitt definitely has better reputation but it sounds like you have a pretty good set up at Tulane to be honest. This might be one of those situations where you choose the lower ranked school

 

[libertyyne]

Pitt, you want to be in the ivory tower, have to go to the largest tower you can get into. You wont have any trouble matching whereever you want from pitt.

 

[nottedbundy]

Pitt just invested another $200 million in immunotherapy endeavors. Pitt definitely has better reputation but it sounds like you have a pretty good set up at Tulane to be honest. This might be one of those situations where you choose the lower ranked school

Yeah, if it was simply a matter of what the school has to offer, I'm leaning towards Pitt. There are plenty of complicating factors though. You seem familiar with UPMC, are you a current student? If so, how is it so far?

 

[Quantal Reasoning]

Hard decision you have there. I would still go to Tulane, since your SO is there, you've got the research, it's in New Orleans, and like you said it matches well in the south so you won't be closing any doors there, especially with the relationship with your PI.

I'd go Tulane.

 

[CarpeDiem1993]

When I first saw the poll I automatically chose Pitt (given its stronger academic name generally). But once I read your specific preferences/career goals (particularly your interest in settling in the South), I totally see why you could choose Tulane. In the South, it's a solid name in medicine, you already have all the connections there, you prefer the city/weather, and you want to settle down South! So, I think Tulane is probably the best choice for ya!

 

[deleted915325]

Yeah, if it was simply a matter of what the school has to offer, I'm leaning towards Pitt. There are plenty of complicating factors though. You seem familiar with UPMC, are you a current student? If so, how is it so far?

So I went to Pitt for undergrad and worked in the UPMC health system for 2.5 years after graduation. I was accepted to pitt but choose another school for family reasons. Over the 6-7 years there, I had a lot of opportunities to work with SOM faculty and students. I have all good things to say about both UPMC and Pittsburgh. The research opportunities are endless. Because UPMC sees basically every patient is western PA, you get the full range a cases, from low SES healthcare access issues at Mercy to high profile, cutting edge procedures and Presby and children’s. Presby debatably has the best transplant center in the world. On a more general level, UPMC basically dominates the city and you will get much respect from of all the other people in Pittsburgh. The tallest building in downtown is even owned (maybe leased by UPMC); it’s the old US steel building.

As for the students, they have a work hard play hard mentality. They all tend to be friendly and really nice although the stress levels are higher than the school I’m at now. The preclinical years are a true pass fail though, in the sense that they don’t even have internal rankings. They are one of the few schools like that.

All that considered, you have to remember that there are other things to life than prestige and you seem to have a pretty good set up in NOLA/Tulane

 

[nottedbundy]

When I first saw the poll I automatically chose Pitt (given its stronger academic name generally). But once I read your specific preferences/career goals (particularly your interest in settling in the South), I totally see why you could choose Tulane. In the South, it's a solid name in medicine, you already have all the connections there, you prefer the city/weather, and you want to settle down South! So, I think Tulane is probably the best choice for ya!

Thanks for the response. Tulane checks off all the "life" boxes haha, I just want to be certain I wouldn't be limiting myself by passing up an opportunity like Pitt

 

[nottedbundy]

So I went to Pitt for undergrad and worked in the UPMC health system for 2.5 years after graduation. I was accepted to pitt but choose another school for family reasons. Over the 6-7 years there, I had a lot of opportunities to work with SOM faculty and students. I have all good things to say about both UPMC and Pittsburgh. The research opportunities are endless. Because UPMC sees basically every patient is western PA, you get the full range a cases, from low SES healthcare access issues at Mercy to high profile, cutting edge procedures and Presby and children’s. Presby debatably has the best transplant center in the world. On a more general level, UPMC basically dominates the city and you will get much respect from of all the other people in Pittsburgh. The tallest building in downtown is even owned (maybe leased by UPMC); it’s the old US steel building.

As for the students, they have a work hard play hard mentality. They all tend to be friendly and really nice although the stress levels are higher than the school I’m at now. The preclinical years are a true pass fail though, in the sense that they don’t even have internal rankings. They are one of the few schools like that.

All that considered, you have to remember that there are other things to life than prestige and you seem to have a pretty good set up in NOLA/Tulane

Thank you for the thoughtful response...when I look at Pitt's program I am actually excited by all the opportunities they give their students, a feeling I can't say I had about most schools I visited. It is good to know about the lack of internal rankings, I know Tulane is P/F but I can't recall if they have rankings or not (a small matter really). When I consider the career exposure at Pitt I think it outweighs the alternative, but as you said, there is more to life.

 

[meronebib]

I would pick Pitt, especially if your interests are in academic medicine. Leaving your research at Tulane and finding a new project at Pitt will not be difficult at all. You’ll have to leave NOLA, but then again, you’ll also have the opportunity to explore a new area. Those opportunities become more scarce as you get older and settle down.

 

[deleted915325]

Thank you for the thoughtful response...when I look at Pitt's program I am actually excited by all the opportunities they give their students, a feeling I can't say I had about most schools I visited. It is good to know about the lack of internal rankings, I know Tulane is P/F but I can't recall if they have rankings or not (a small matter really). When I consider the career exposure at Pitt I think it outweighs the alternative, but as you said, there is more to life.

To be honest, I don’t really think you can go wrong either way, as long as your SO is going to move along with you and won’t have resentment or regret about it. Make sure you discuss with them and get their true feelings because you may love the city you choose, but If they hate it, that can have really bad consequences for both your mental health.

On another note, Pitt doesn’t give merit aid but they give really good need based aid if you qualify (they have me over half COA).

Anyway, congrats on both your acceptances to great schools!! It’s definitely an exciting time