Rosalind Franklin Chicago Medical School vs Uni Illinois Peoria Campus

[cptnjack]

Hi everyone, posting for a friend picking between rosalind franklin university chicago medical school vs university of illinois peoria campus.


Rosalind Franklin CMS

Pros:

- close to family/friends
- close to city
- 3rd yr rotations in city
- SO already goes here
- right next to rich area of illinois

Cons:

- No attached hospital
- Tuition 15k/yr more expensive
- Unranked on US News Rankings


UICOMP

Pros:

- Good affiliated hospitals
- Jump Simulation Lab
- Neuro Research Lab v close
- Cheaper tuition
- U of I large networking base

Cons:

- Middle of nowhere
- 3 hour drive from family/friends
- not safe area

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[darkpauladin]

The crux of the question -- is 60k over 4 years worth the happiness/comfort of staying with your SO & family? This is gonna be a question based highly on what you value in life. For me, I would spend the extra 60k and not look back.

 

[tiramisucheese]

I am very wary of satellite campus medical schools based on a number of people expressing deep regret about going to them

My opinion: RF 100%

SO there? RF 100000%

Is this based on any knowledge at all about the Illinois system?

OP, unfortunately if you want a decent medical education, you really need to go with Peoria. Rosalind Franklin's not having its own hospital, general disorganization, and student unhappiness are major red flags in my book. Your SO going there I guess may skew things a bit, but I've heard story after story of how unhappy people are at Rosy F. Also, it's definitely not right next to a rich area? Quite the opposite...it's embedded in a poorer neighborhood. I would say it's unsafe, but North Chicago is definitely not Lake Forest.

I realize that Peoria is not ideal, but you are still graduating with the University of Illinois label, which will carry weight with residencies. I can't speak to the safety of the area, but I'm sure there are safe and unsafe places to be - just as with Rosalind Franklin.

The choice between the two schools is clear IMO, but you need to be honest and ask yourself if living with/next to your SO is a more pressing motivator than the quality of the school. Don't get me wrong...it's totally fine if it is, but that's not something that people on the internet can answer for you.

Good luck with your decision! Either way, you'll be a doctor 🙂

 

[btuck]

What are some things students are unhappy about? I'm curious because I've heard the student satisfaction level at cms is relatively high.

^Also curious as to where you heard this. Both times I went (interview and admitted students day), the students seemed perfectly happy. Actually, happier than I had anticipated.

Normally, I would chose state school over private because of tuition but the University of Illinois system is like the one fricking exception, tuition is absolutely ridiculous. 15K/year is peanuts in the long run. Once a doctor you will end up being disappointed and regret choosing a school to save 60K. I know it seems like a lot now but just wait, its not like we're talking about a 300K difference.

I would definitely go with Rosalind Franklin. They have had great match lists in the past and far more connections in Chicago. You are correct, Rosalind Franklin is just north of Lake Bluff which is an extremely nice (and rich) area. And they do have an attached VA (Lovell) - it is not owned by RFU but literally right next door and affiliated. Lastly, don't mind USNWR.

To summarize, your concerns about UIP seem much more legitimate and unavoidable than your concerns about Chicago med.

 

[tiramisucheese]

What are some things students are unhappy about? I'm curious because I've heard the student satisfaction level at cms is relatively high.

^Also curious as to where you heard this. Both times I went (interview and admitted students day), the students seemed perfectly happy. Actually, happier than I had anticipated.

Normally, I would chose state school over private because of tuition but the University of Illinois system is like the one fricking exception, tuition is absolutely ridiculous. 15K/year is peanuts in the long run. Once a doctor you will end up being disappointed and regret choosing a school to save 60K. I know it seems like a lot now but just wait, its not like we're talking about a 300K difference.

I would definitely go with Rosalind Franklin. They have had great match lists in the past and far more connections in Chicago. You are correct, Rosalind Franklin is just north of Lake Bluff which is an extremely nice (and rich) area. And they do have an attached VA (Lovell) - it is not owned by RFU but literally right next door and affiliated. Lastly, don't mind USNWR.

To summarize, your concerns about UIP seem much more legitimate and unavoidable than your concerns about Chicago med.

It's anecdotal, as I'm sure the positive things you've heard are. Mostly, it revolves around how extremely disorganized the administration is. It seems like students really have to fend for themselves for almost everything. Research is entirely independent. I also got a sense of a weird lack of transparency on interview day. They never discussed the curriculum, not even once. They mentioned that it was in progress, but didn't even give an outline of what it would look like. Just about every student I met on interview day was what SDN would call a "typical gunner". Not the kind of people I would want to be around, but hey...that's why there are so many different schools out there! So Rosalind Franklin left a really bad taste in my mouth from multiple angles (not just interview day).

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

I would not pay $15K more per year to be a guinea pig in a new curriculum at RF. I don't know anything about UICOMP but it sounds like a better education based on what you say about it having the affiliate hospital.

 

[btuck]

I would not pay $15K more per year to be a guinea pig in a new curriculum at RF. I don't know anything about UICOMP but it sounds like a better education based on what you say about it having the affiliate hospital.

RFU’s primary affiliate hospital is Advocate

 

[WIMNFamilyMed]

RFU’s primary affiliate hospital is Advocate

Thanks for clarifying that detail, I had misunderstood the con of “no attached hospital” by OP

 

[tekkenman11]

Thanks for clarifying that detail, I had misunderstood the con of “no attached hospital” by OP

There’s no school hospital on site. RFUMs students have to travel whereas Peoria has two major hospitals within walking and bus distance...

U of I > RFUMs. I’ve never met an attending, resident, or student who has thought otherwise at the two Chicago hospitals I have worked at in the past year.

However, OP your significant other is a major factor here. It’s up to you to decide what’s most important in the long run. Best of luck.

 

[btuck]

What did you decide?

 

[cptnjack]

Thanks for everyone's input, my friend chose UICOMP.

 

[YeaJeets2]

Thanks for everyone's input, my friend chose UICOMP.

Good choice. I had the same decision this year and it was a no brainer for me.