Private (BU) vs. public (U of MN)

Eeyore,

Congratulations on your acceptances! It's great to be in a position to have a choice. Before you decide there are some things you should think about IMHO:

1. Do you plan to return to MN to practice medicine, or would you like to relocate? If you plan to remain in MN, then I think UMN would be the best option.

2. Are you concerned about a competitive residency (ENT, urology, neurosurgery) or a competitive residency program (Mass Gen., UCLA, etc.). There's a real difference. If you are just concerned about a competitive residency, as long as you do well in school, you can obtain those residencies in-state or out of state. If you want a prestigious program, I think the school does matter to some extent unless you're at the very top of your class. And to tell you the truth, I don't think that BU would put you at much more of an advantage than UMN.

3. COST. This is a huge issue! From my point of view, twice the tuition means twice the debt. And from what I've read on message boards, BU is VERY stingy with giving out grants and scholarships, but extremely generous with loans! I guess you have to ask yourself, is BU really worth twice the price? My guess would be no because both schools are pretty comparable in terms of ranking. It would be a different story if it was U of Michigan or Cornell or something; I think you would have more value added in choosing those types of schools over BU. Maybe you should wait to decide after you have received your financial aid package from BU.

4. Finally, have you compared the schools' curriculum (PBL, traditional), grading (P/F, A-F), overall student happiness satisfaction, support systems for students and steps taken to ensure student success, etc. I think the quality of life is very important, considering the length of time you'll be in medical school and the obvious rigor of the coursework.

Either way, you can't go wrong, whichever school you choose. This is my $.02. Hope it was helpful.

VAD


[This message has been edited by VAD (edited 03-15-2000).]

 

BU and Minnesota are two schools on the SAME level. You'll be a good doc coming out of either and you'll be looked upon the SAME for residency coming out of either. It just comes down to where you'd feel most comfortable and how much you're willing to pay. If the city of Boston is where you want to spend your 4 years and you don't care how much you have to dish out, go to BU. If tuition is a consideration, go to Minnesota. You're going to have to do really well at either to get that top notch residency at UCSF Both schools will prepare you just fine.

Good luck.

AAATCHHOOOOOOOOOOOOO
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN '04

 

Just a reply to keep this current since I knocked it off with all the med school posts.