Pitt vs UCF (wl) vs UF (wl)

[wildbug]

Note: I’ve been informed that I am at the top of UCF’s wl but have no clue regarding UF.



Pitt

Pros

- Amazing research

- Excellent mentorship opportunities

- Respect within the medical community

- Fantastic matching in competitive specialties

- Exceptional clinical training via UPMC



Cons

- New, unproven curriculum with mandatory attendance

- $62,000 tuition (holy moly)



U of Central Florida

Pros

- $28,000 tuition

- Solid match list

- Students seem to love the school

- Close to where I live currently, easier transition



Cons

- Limited home programs/departments in subspecialties

- Graded preclinical



U of Florida

Pros

- $36,000 tuition

- Solid match list

- Best interview experience of my application cycle

- Surrounded by outdoor activities I enjoy

- Decent research activities in my area of interest

- Excellent mentorship



Cons

- Gainesville itself can be a bit boring


Summary:

While I am wait listed at UF/UCF, I still want to think through these options in the event I am accepted. With Step 1 going p/f I am quite ecstatic to have earned a spot at a place as well regarded as Pitt. Simultaneously, the cost of attendance is utterly terrifying when the possibility of significantly cheaper alternatives linger in front of me. I am most interested in Urology/Rads/Gas and know Pitt’s programs are well regarded in each. I would greatly appreciate any help in working through these thoughts.

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[user305614]

First off big congrats on the A at Pitt.

I’ll preface this as a student on the Pitt waitlist but have been accepted to other Florida state schools and so I understand the choices you’re facing here.


A couple things I think are important to think about. Are you interested in pursuing a career in academics? If so I would say Pitt provides a huge advantage. But if not then I think you should consider total cost of attendance not just tuition. While Urology is a competitive sub surg specialty, I’m unsure on its competitiveness compared to the others like neuro/ortho etc but I don’t believe it’s as extremely competitive. I believe UF is able to match as competitively for uro as Pitt would, but you should take a look at the match lists and compare all of your schools. But I don’t believe the prestige advantage of Pitt vs the others would matter for matching into rads or gas unless you wanted to go into academics.

Another big factor to add is while you noted the tuition you should go ahead and calculate the total cost of attendance (including living fees, books, etc.) I remember doing these for both Pitt and Uf and the difference is large. If I remember correctly Pitt is around 390k-400k while UF was a lil type under 250k.

If you got off the waitlists for both UCF and UF then I would ultimately go UF just based off their match data and ability to get you into any of the fields your interested in. Now if you decided to go academics then I would say Pitt is the answer but I would note that the total debt difference is going to be around 150k more and that’s not including interest.

Either way you’re going to be a great future doctor and I wish you all the best.

 

[wildbug]

First off big congrats on the A at Pitt.

I’ll preface this as a student on the Pitt waitlist but have been accepted to other Florida state schools and so I understand the choices you’re facing here.


A couple things I think are important to think about. Are you interested in pursuing a career in academics? If so I would say Pitt provides a huge advantage. But if not then I think you should consider total cost of attendance not just tuition. While Urology is a competitive sub surg specialty, I’m unsure on its competitiveness compared to the others like neuro/ortho etc but I don’t believe it’s as extremely competitive. I believe UF is able to match as competitively for uro as Pitt would, but you should take a look at the match lists and compare all of your schools. But I don’t believe the prestige advantage of Pitt vs the others would matter for matching into rads or gas unless you wanted to go into academics.

Another big factor to add is while you noted the tuition you should go ahead and calculate the total cost of attendance (including living fees, books, etc.) I remember doing these for both Pitt and Uf and the difference is large. If I remember correctly Pitt is around 390k-400k while UF was a lil type under 250k.

If you got off the waitlists for both UCF and UF then I would ultimately go UF just based off their match data and ability to get you into any of the fields your interested in. Now if you decided to go academics then I would say Pitt is the answer but I would note that the total debt difference is going to be around 150k more and that’s not including interest.

Either way you’re going to be a great future doctor and I wish you all the best.

Thank you for reasoning through this with me. It is an exceptionally difficult decision given that out of over 30 schools applied to, Pitt and UF were my top choices. Naturally, I keep going back and forth regarding whether the extra COA with interest (~300k for UF vs ~410k for Pitt) is worth the potentially easier time procuring a residency if my interests change to more competitive fields. Regardless, I wish you all the luck getting off Pitt's waitlist.

 

[user305614]

Thank you for reasoning through this with me. It is an exceptionally difficult decision given that out of over 30 schools applied to, Pitt and UF were my top choices. Naturally, I keep going back and forth regarding whether the extra COA with interest (~300k for UF vs ~410k for Pitt) is worth the potentially easier time procuring a residency if my interests change to more competitive fields. Regardless, I wish you all the luck getting off Pitt's waitlist.

Thank you and ofcourse. It’s natural to go back and forth on the extra total cost of attendance, especially when it’s over 100k. I think ultimately you should see the financial aid packages you get from the two and leverage as such. If the schools are within 50k of each other then I think Pitt is the choice I would make. But a 110k is a lot, that’s essentially a BMW I8

Either way, you can’t go wrong with either school and you will be able to go into any competitive speciality you want.