Pritzker vs Penn

[spontaneous23]

Heyo I'm having some trouble deciding between these two schools and as you can see it's really entering the eleventh hour here haha. They're both incredible schools, and I don't think I can make a bad choice really either way but if anyone has some insight that would be so helpful! I'm a traditional student entering med school straight out of college, and right now I plan on maybe matching into FM or IM. I'm pretty passionate about primary care and community health. Both schools are located in fun cities with relatively similar costs of living, so no big difference in the cities themselves for me. Both also have high percentages of students that match into their top residencies and pass/fail preclinical grading.

Also (big regret here) I haven't been able to attend much of the second look events these schools had scattered throughout the last month, as it often conflicted with class or other events (or I was just too tired or sad lmao isolation has been weird) so I'm a little nervous I'm coming at this with not enough information. I've emailed some students today for more info so we'll see. I'll go ahead and list out the pros and cons now as I see them:

Pritzker (COA ~$100,000)
Pros

• Definitely the cost - they offered me a full-tuition scholarship
• Small class size - I'm a fan of how close-knit the faculty and students all seem
• Great wellness/mental health resources
• Emphasis on social justice and serving south side of Chicago (favorite school on interview day)
• Great MD/AM program if I become interested in public policy

Cons

• Lack of support network - luckily I do have one friend who will be going to grad school at UChicago, but otherwise I don't know anyone in the Chicago area
• Weather - I've lived in fairly cold/rainy areas my whole life but nowhere with quite as brutal winters as Chicago
• 2 year preclinical - some students said they felt this was a pro because they had more time in their first two years, but I'm worried it would leave less time explore research/other interests
• No MD/MPH option on the campus itself, but many people do it elsewhere

Penn (COA ~$300,000)
Pros

• Close to home - My family lives in New Jersey and would also have a large support network of friends in the New York/Philly areas
• Prestige? - this doesn't entirely matter to me especially considering how close in prestige the two schools are, but theoretically there might be some edge when applying to residencies, especially with the Step1 change
• 1.5 year preclinical
• While not as pronounced as Pritzker, there are definitely many opportunities for community outreach
• Team-based learning? - I've only ever had lecture-based classes, and they've worked pretty alright for me, so it's hard to know if this is a pro or con. However, most of my research says this method might be better for learning

Cons

• Cost of attendance - they gave me a $20,000 yearly scholarship, and this could theoretically increase in the years going forward. There are also some niche external scholarships I could apply for next year that weren't taking apps this year bc of COVID-19.
• This might be unfounded but there might be slightly more of a gunner vibe at Penn? Wonder if I would be more stressed here or more prone to imposter syndrome
• Didn't feel as connected/in love during interview day but still liked it

I'm incredibly lucky because I would not have to take out loans at either institution since I had a full tuition scholarship for undergrad and my parents are able to help out. However, the $200,000 difference is still enormous, and I'm not currently planning on pursuing a super high-paying specialty.

Also, I did go far from home for undergrad and was able to develop a new local support network pretty well, but I'm worried that the stress of medical school will make that much more difficult. It does make me happy thinking about being close to home, but I'm not sure how important that should be.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[birdred23]

Congrats on your acceptances, I don’t think you can go wrong with either choice! That being said, I would lean towards Pritzker based on a few factors. Thinking about cost, the extra 200k is simply not worth the difference in prestige. Both schools match extremely well and will have you set up nicely for residency. The one main draw I have heard from friends attending penn is the lack of attention to primary care/community health. This is not to say that you won’t be able to find opportunities to engage with the local community, it just less emphasized than other universities (especially UC). In terms of dual degree programs, I think both schools have amazing opportunities. Lastly, to address your weather concern, Chicago really isn’t too bad, and is a really fun city overall —just factor in buying a heavy winter coat!

 

[ihoop24]

I vote U Chicago. Cheaper + your interest in community health makes it the better option imo.

 

[nymedschoolfan]

U Chicago. Penn isn't worth 200k more, and Pritzker is a fantastic school

 

[deleted621740]

Did you already ask UPenn about reducing the cost difference through additional scholarship money? Also, since your family is willing to pay for you regardless of where you choose to go, I say remove money as a major factor in your decision and simply go where your heart tells you to. It sounds like you like Pritzker more though.

Disclaimer: I'm on the Pritzker waitlist lol

 

[proudofmykids]

Ask and hopefully Get Penn to match Pritzker merit aid.

 

[Klyx]

Congrats on your acceptances. I echo what other commenters have said: Penn is only worth it if you might be interested in a competitive specialty / program later on.

 

[Grapesurgery]

With your goals taken in consideration Pritzker seems like the clear winner here. The financial aid is icing on the cake.
I know it won't be a substitute for your current family/friends, but the student body at Pritzker really emphasizes their closeness. I believe you are likely to be very happy at Pritzker!

 

[spontaneous23]

Did you already ask UPenn about reducing the cost difference through additional scholarship money? Also, since your family is willing to pay for you regardless of where you choose to go, I say remove money as a major factor in your decision and simply go where your heart tells you to. It sounds like you like Pritzker more though.

Disclaimer: I'm on the Pritzker waitlist lol

Ask and hopefully Get Penn to match Pritzker merit aid.

Unfortunately I asked Penn and it seems as if they will not be matching or even upping the aid :/

 

[spontaneous23]

Thank you to everyone! You all gave really helpful insight and I appreciate that people took the time out to comment to help a random person haha. I'm heading to the windy city!