Rosalind (full scholarship) vs Loyola

[MedicineMen]

Hey everyone,

I'm in the fortunate position to hold an acceptance at both of these institutions. I currently have a half-tuition scholarship from Rosalind and was also informed to be a finalist for a full-tuition scholarship. Loyola will not meet to extend merit scholarships until well into April. While Rosalind had very friendly students, I was simply blown away by the atmosphere at Loyola. Out of my 4 Chicago MD interviews it was by far my favorite. However, medical school is a very expensive endeavor and I feel it is necessary to be financially prudent. If it was another Illinois MD it would be easier to side with the finances but Rosalind seems to have garnered a questionable reputation, especially on SDN. Given their solid match list this year, I have trouble seeing where this originates aside from the obvious lack of a dedicated teaching hospital. The primary draw I have to Rosalind is the obviously cheaper education and P/F curriculum while Loyola wins out every other category.

The reason I am asking prematurely is because Rosalind requires a prerequisite that I absolutely abhor while Loyola does not. Dropping it would leave me with a stress free last semester but the deadline is prior to scholarship notification. I've already decided between half-tuition at Rosalind and Loyola, I would choose Loyola. However, the choice between full-tuition and Loyola is far more difficult. I plan on pursuing a competitive specialty, would attending Rosalind close any doors? Thanks for all the advice!

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[first_time_poster]

I was very impressed with CMS's match list too. There's a trend away from Family Medicine at our school and more towards competitive specialties. Our school is definitely putting more resources into research, so there are always plenty of labs to work in. That could have something to do with it. So I don't see why you couldn't get a competitive residency here.

And with at least a 1/2 scholarship, that would be hard to turn down.

I don't really know much about Loyola or its match list. But don't think of it in terms of which school is better. Think about where you will best succeed. If you think that Loyola is that school, then i think you've already made your decision.

 

[MedicineMen]

Hi all,

As an update, I did the receive the full tuition scholarship from Rosalind and Loyola has yet to give out all merit based scholarships. Any advice on full tuition at Rosalind vs ambiguous COA at Loyola? I do feel that Loyola is the best fit but Rosalind is a free education.

 

[MilkIsGood]

lack of residency programs at RF is a huge turnoff, especially since you said you are aiming at competitive specialties. you pretty much need to take a year off to even have a good shot at matching somewhere

 

[MedicineMen]

I agree that taking a year off seems to be a probable move for competitive fields at Rosalind. One of my primary concerns for Rosalind is the lack of a home institution and the networking and potential great recommendations that may result. Does COA still make up for those setbacks?