PLEASE Help Me Decide! Rush vs. SLU

[veryconfused2020]

Hello all! I know this is cutting it very close to the April 30 deadline, but I am really stuck on this and could use some different perspectives if any of y'all have the time! Please help me choose between these schools if you can! The COA for both is pretty close to each other so at this point, I am not really factoring it in. I'm just really looking to figure out which one would be a better choice and a better fit.

RUSH

Pros

• I am from the Chicago area so I have some friends and my family here that are nearby
• Not that I am hell-bent on being in the city, but I do definitely like the location of Chicago better than St. Louis
• I would really love to do clinical rotations here (through Rush and Stroger) and feel like it would be a really exciting experience for me (I also love their EXPLORE program that pairs you with a doctor in any specialty of your choosing to shadow- there are mandatory 20 shadowing hours you must fill each semester starting M1)
  • you are also taught by Clinician Educators so students have a constant source of potential physicians to shadow by just asking after class
• I appreciate their focus on serving the local community and volunteering is something I enjoy doing (haven't ever really been keen on research but I believe their research is also very good and would be open to doing some)
• I feel like the city would allow for possibly better connections and a greater variety of experiences, I would also ultimately enjoy completing a residency in Chicago if possible

Cons

• Although classes are P/F as M1 and M2, the class is ranked by quartile (25% pre-clinical and 75% clinical)
• The curriculum is entirely a flipped classroom and purely case-based learning which is something I am still not sure how I feel about- all preclinical classes are mandatory and include small group sessions, case sessions are 4 hours long about twice a week- I think it could potentially end up being a waste of time for me on some days but again I am not sure as this is not a learning style I have had many experiences with (anywhere from 8-16 hours a week of mandatory class time I believe)
• Weather: although I grew up around here, the cold Chicago winters are no joke

SLU

Pros

• I went to Saint Louis University for my undergrad (the med school is literally right down the street) so I am very familiar with the area, places to study, service orgs, people, etc. and even know a good number of med students at the school, side note I do not know anyone personally at Rush
• my SO is matriculating here in the fall and my brother is in STL as well
• Their curriculum makes me a little less nervous than Rush's does, it is a traditional lecture style and they are all recorded, they are starting to incorporate more TBL and so there may be a little bit more mandatory stuff but not as much compared to Rush by any means
• True P/F M1 and M2, class is ranked only by the clinical years
• They have a pretty solid match-list every year (I think and been told so anyway), only a handful do not match and most are pretty happy with their placement
• While SLU itself doesn't do too much research, there are research opportunities via WashU which is very close by
• Weather is really not bad at all, usually around 10 degrees warmer than Chicago surprisingly
• They recently built a much-needed brand new hospital that seems pretty cool

Cons

• While St. Louis is a neat place, I've exhausted a lot in my time at undergrad and it would be nice to have a little change in scenery (I would even be studying in the exact same library)
• Other facilities (aside from the new hospital) are more outdated
• Students don't seem as passionate or excited about being SLU med students, everything is pretty neutral and gives off a "gets the job done" vibe as opposed to some the excitement I hear from Rush students
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  Ultimately, I think I would be happy at either school and both have a nearby support system for me. I am not too sure how both are considered based on name/reputation but I believe they rank similar enough? I am also not super confident in what specialty I am looking to do, and it might be worthy to note the step 1 change would affect my class. Thank you again so much in advance and I really appreciate any opinions/advice that come to mind!

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[FutureSurgical]

This is the wrong forum; instead, go here.

Edit: FWIW, I think you should go with SLU. Better support network with the SO and brother. Also, it seems the cons are a little more neutral (to me, at least.) At the end of the day, you have your SO which helps a TON. I may be biased because my wife is heading to a different medical school than I am so that's important to me

 

[veryconfused2020]

Got it! I posted in the other forum, and very true. Relationship aside, my SO is a big support system in general for me and it'd definitely be helpful to go through the same curriculum together. Thank you so much!

 

[IMGASMD]

Got it! I posted in the other forum, and very true. Relationship aside, my SO is a big support system in general for me and it'd definitely be helpful to go through the same curriculum together. Thank you so much!

No ring, no move.