Pritzker vs. University of Minnesota (full tuition)

[Bythelightofthemoon14]

Hi everyone, thank you in advance for your input! 🙂

Pritzker
Pros

• Small class size (88) - lots of research opportunities, mentors, tight knit class
• Always have wanted to live/study in Chicago
  • diverse patient population on South Side - as a Spanish major with interest in health care disparities, this is a draw for me
  • whole school (students and faculty) seems very devoted to giving back to the community
• Great interview day vibes - left the day very excited about the school and the people I had met
• true pass/fail first two years
• More "prestige" - not as important to me other than the potential for more opportunities beyond med school?

Cons

• Grateful for a good scholarship, but still $70,000-100,000 more overall than MN
• Farther from home, family, support system
• Not a Big 10 school, more of an academic environment - not what I'm used to coming from undergrad haha

University of Minnesota
Pros

• full tuition scholarship
• close to family (in-state at MN)
• only med school in Twin Cities - lots of opportunities at diverse hospitals
• some pre-existing connections in the area
• more primary care focused, not as academic (not sure how I feel about this, because unsure of future career goals)
• Most likely want to live/practice in the area in the future

Cons

• bigger class size (170)
• not true pass/fail
• in same building as undergrads/facilities not as nice
• didn't get the same super friendly, individualized, exciting vibe on interview day

Summary: Basically, is $75,000-$100,000 more in debt worth the opportunity to attend Pritzker? I am unsure of my future career desires - I am thinking IM --> cardiology with more of a focus on patient care than academics. However, I also don't have a ton of research experience so this may be something I find I am more interested in if I got more involved. THANK YOU 🙂

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[wagonwheel23]

It sounds like you really enjoyed your visit to Pritzker. Irregardless of your career goals, the fact that Pritzker felt like a better fit could be worth the extra debt. The strong support system in MN is compelling. Thankfully Pritzker seems like a place that will be able to give you the support and guidance you need to be successful.

If Pritzker is where you want to go, I think the extra debt is OK.

 

[Lamar1307]

It sounds like you would be happier generally at Pritzker. Full disclosure, I interviewed at Pritzker and currently on the continued list but from the feeling that I got during that interview day has by far been the most impressive/friendly. However, 70-100 K is nothing to sneeze at in terms of extra debt. If you knew you didn't want to go into academics and didn't care about the prestige factor and/or research then I would go Minnesota. But if it were me I would go to Pritzker cause I care about the research and thinking about a career in academics 🙂 Congrats and good luck!

 

[MDspartan]

Pritzker has an incredible reputation. It sounds like you are a better fit for their program and offers some unique advantages that you're looking for relative to Minnesota. If the difference was like $200K it would be a different story, but $75-$100K is easier to justify, in my opinion.

 

[asw98]

Hey, congrats on your acceptances! I'm a current Pritzker student. I absolutely love it here. If money is the deciding factor, I would email the admissions staff and ask if they could review your file. I know some of my classmates reached out and got better offers. Wouldn't hurt to try if it would make a difference to your decision.

 

[shine with me]

Hey, congrats on two great choices! Based on your pros/cons list, I'd recommend Pritzker. Minnesota is a great school and while that full tuition scholarship is mighty tempting (I was in a very similar position a week ago, deciding between UCSD and Minnesota with full-tuition scholarship), if you had a much better fit at Pritzker, it's probably worth the additional cost. Considering that you currently want to return to Minnesota for practice, Pritzker will certainly not prevent you from doing so and it may be quite valuable to have those 4+ years in a different place. And, since you mentioned you'd always wanted to live in Chicago, this may be the perfect opportunity. That being said, it's important to know if you feel that you could succeed while away from your support system in Minnesota; there should be plenty of resources and support in Pritzker but this could be key. Best of luck with your decision! 🙂

Disclosure: not invited to interview at Pritzker; accepted at Minnesota with full-tuition scholarship.

 

[787593]

It sounds like you really enjoyed your visit to Pritzker. Irregardless of your career goals, the fact that Pritzker felt like a better fit could be worth the extra debt. The strong support system in MN is compelling. Thankfully Pritzker seems like a place that will be able to give you the support and guidance you need to be successful.

If Pritzker is where you want to go, I think the extra debt is OK.

😱