*Please Help*How much is happiness worth?-Pritzker vs Feinberg

[thedukeoferl]

I am currently trying to choose between going to Feinberg and Pritzker. While Feinberg is my first choice (i liked the student body, its curriculum, and its location a lot more). Unfortunately, Uchicago gave me 60k more in scholarships plus more subsidized loans than Northwestern. I am trying to determine whether I should spend the extra money and go to the place I really want to or save money and go to a good school, that I will most likely still enjoy, but not as much.

How much do you think its worth to go to your first choice?

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[thedukeoferl]

Also, if I do choose Pritzker, I am considering deferring for a year and continuing my research.

 

[somewhere2010]

seeing as you like feinberg "a lot more," i think you should go there. 60K is a lot, but you will pay it back! i think "a lot more" happiness is worth that! 😍

 

[argonana]

Don't get pimped for the money. Do yourself a favor and go to your first choice.

 

[Vox Animo]

I've been broke my whole life...So i would probably go with the scholarship. How unhappy could UC possibly make you?

Just stuff the 60K in your pillow and sleep on it to assure u that you've made the right decision.

 

[rcmustang65]

I'm Kind of in the same situation....I'm leaning toward being happy. Do you live near Feinberg? If so, then I would consider this option even more!

 

[QuantumMechanic]

how much less happy would you be at Pritzker? could you be paid 60K (+ the greater cost of Feinberg initially) to attend Pritzker? both are great schools, and money talks!

 

[Dr. Giggles]

I'd like to think that this thread wasn't made for the purpose of flaunting, but you sound like you have the information you need. How are SDN posters supposed to know the real importance of 60K to you? You're essentially asking everyone to evaluate your situation based on the importance of 60K to THEM.

I can understand if these threads are started to solicit more factual information to facilitate the decision, but if you have that already, you need to just make up your mind; opinions from people with dissimilar preferences are pretty meaningless. The contents of the post suggest that you really know what you want to do, but that you enjoy being torn between two great medical schools and want the rest of the world to know it. Well, congratulations. Now figure out where you'll be studying the next four years.

 

[Vox Animo]

Zing!!!

 

[whacktastic]

if you really think that you wouldnt be happy at pritzker, then dont go there....however, why do you feel so sure you wouldnt be happy there? an overwhelming majority of doctors, when you ask them, will say that the only advice they have about which med school to go to...is go to teh cheapest one. People who say 60k isnt a lot and you will make it back are ridiculous. 60k is alot, and by the time you are able to pay it back it will be a significant amount of work you have to do in order to do so. If you really feel you wont be happy at pritzker then dont go, but you havent really given a good reason why in your message.

 

[jackieMD2007]

Pritzker is a great school!! The students there are all really, really nice and very down to earth. Maybe you should visit the campuses on a normal day and do your own "second look?"

Congratulations on getting into two awesome medical schools! Either way, you can't go wrong. 👍

 

[whacktastic]

Pritzker is a great school!! The students there are all really, really nice and very down to earth. Maybe you should visit the campuses on a normal day and do your own "second look?"

Congratulations on getting into two awesome medical schools! Either way, you can't go wrong. 👍

OP did you go to the second look at UofC? (if they had one).

 

[thedukeoferl]

yes you are right. that is why i have been trying to figure out this decision. impressing people i dont know, no nothing about me and will never meet. that is my goal in life. thanks for your help.

 

[thedukeoferl]

I didnt say that I wouldnt like it. I actually said that I would still most likely enjoy pritzker, but prob not as much, due to the more time consuming and burdensome curriculum and worse location. i also think that i connected a lot better with the students at NWU

if you really think that you wouldnt be happy at pritzker, then dont go there....however, why do you feel so sure you wouldnt be happy there? an overwhelming majority of doctors, when you ask them, will say that the only advice they have about which med school to go to...is go to teh cheapest one. People who say 60k isnt a lot and you will make it back are ridiculous. 60k is alot, and by the time you are able to pay it back it will be a significant amount of work you have to do in order to do so. If you really feel you wont be happy at pritzker then dont go, but you havent really given a good reason why in your message.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

it really does come down to what 60k means to you now, and will mean to you when it comes time to pay stuff off. are wealthy family helping you out, or are you anticipating a nice family inheritance or high paying specialty?

my situation involves none of that, and i don't think the difference in happiness at both schools can be so substantial that it's worth turning down 60k. so i would take the money and indeed put it under my pillow for reassurance.

the only outside "fact" i can add that wasn't specifically mentioned is that you're not the only one who likes nwu's location. that's why rents in the area are the highest in the city, approaching manhattan's. so over four years you should add at least 10k to the amount you would save living near u of c rather than nwu.

 

[eastsidaz]

No one's forcing you to live in Hyde Park. Why not go to Pritzker but live downtown? Heck, you can even hang out with NU students if you want. The only difference is you'll take a little train ride to class everyday...a train ride you'll be paid 60K for.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

I've never met anyone who didn't like Prtizker (n=7) but I have met people who don't like NWern (n=3).

Both of them are great schools and you have what my pops would call "a good problem to have." Coming out of either one you would have a leg up for the residency of your choice. Incidentally, alot of med students in Chicago lump the two schools together (please don't flame me for this, it's not a ranking, more of a statement of similarities --> NW=UofC, Loyola=Rush, UIC=RosFrank).

60K is alot of money, by the time you pay it off you're talking about more like 100K at least. Assuming you decide to go into anything besides surgery specialties, IM subspecialties, anethesia, etc that is a substantially higher debt load to take on.

Good luck with stuff.

 

[MDMAMA]

Do what makes you happiest. You are going to be in debt and if you are happy at one school over the other, you will be likely to study harder, feel more at ease, and have a happier time. This is four years of your life.

 

[pnasty]

my situation involves none of that, and i don't think the difference in happiness at both schools can be so substantial that it's worth turning down 60k. so i would take the money and indeed put it under my pillow for reassurance.

i would have to agree with this

 

[medworm]

Is that $60K over four years? The hypothetical limit I had in mind for myself is $10K per year, which is the maximum amount I could save by living more frugally. Alternatively, think of what $60K could buy you. That's 25% of a $240K house. People have a hard time scraping up even 10%. $60K is also the equivalent of 4-5 years of aggressive 401K savings for a regular person.

Just remember: in the real world, debt is very, very hard to pay off.

You can't go wrong with either school

 

[etf]

wow, money can buy happiness afterall...

 

[Vox Animo]

wow, money can buy happiness afterall...

Happiness, love the perfect life...anything

they all have $ signs

 

[ping1050]

Uc

 

[ping1050]

Uc

 

[autoimmunity]

And another thing.... if you have this inexcapable desire to party it up in Chicago, there will be plenty of heavy drinkers at either medical school. If not, ill drive to chicago and we can chase the medical knowledge away with some shots of stoli. Plus, you will have a constant supply of liz for bang.bang.bang.

Wow, you and the duke are tight!

 

[Its_MurDAH]

Wow, you and the duke are tight!

tight in the butt

 

[remedios]

I'm an M4 at Northwestern, and I do my research at U of C, so I'm pretty familiar with both places. As much as I like U of C, I think I would not have been nearly as happy there for probably the same reasons you like Feinberg: more relaxed, more academic freedom, better lifestyle in general. On the other hand, if you already know research is a big part of your career, U of C has better mentorship and research opportunities (which is not to say Northwestern has none).

PM me if you have other specific questions.