RUSH or Cincy?

[uclabruins47]

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Ok so I currently have two acceptances, one at Rush and one at UCinn but Im having a hard time deciding which I should pick. Cincy has the higher rank and better prestige and better tech, but the area seems old, out-dated, and very ghettoish. Raised from a big city in cali, I don't think I can stand four years in that place. On the other hand, Rush is in the urban chicago area and the atmosphere and environment suits me very well, but of course it's below the top 50 and (probably) does not have a lot of prestige (correct me if i'm wrong). But at the end, I just want a school that can get me to any residency I wanna go to as long as I get the grades. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[WSUreds]

Cincinnati is a great school and a great city. The area around the school is not the best and is slowly changing to make it more liveable, but there are many great areas not far from the medical school. I would say about half or a little bit more live away from the campus and its not a problem. I do and I love it. It gets me away from school and the whole area, a change of scenery. If you have any specific questions about the area or the school, feel free to PM me.

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

Don't go by U.S. news rankings as the end all be all. I got into MCW which is top 50 primary care, but I can't see myself living in Wisconsin for the next 4 years. And if you go by the gourman rankings I got into SLU which is in gourman's top 50, but I can't see myself living in Missouri either. I'm going to choose rush for now unless I get into a Calif. school. I looked at the amsa website www.amsa.org/resource/cardev/medresults.cfm and the rush students seem very happy there. So if you do decide to go to Rush I'll see you there. Go bruins.

 

[TysonCook]

Congrats on your accepts!!! Being from Utah I didn't exactly see myself living in Cinci for four years, but I can tell you that it is a great town w/ a lot of things to do. I live directly across from the medical school, and a lot of students live nearby. Some areas are ghetto, but many are brand new and nice, just depends on where you look. I love where I live, it is brand new, and I can walk to school in 2 minutes.

As for the school being old, it is being renovated w/ the university putting in something like $200 million over the next few years to build a entirely new school and supporting buildings. Our class is fun and cohesive, and that makes a difference. Overall the majority of the teaching facilites are new, so I'm not sure what parts you saw, and the Healt Sciences Library is supposedly one of the top 10 in the nation.

Go where you will be happy, and possibly consider costs also, as the $ was a big factor for me.

The same as WSUreds, feel free to PM me any Q's that you might have.

 

[LoneCoyote]

There is a first-year resident at the hospital I volunteer at who grew up in L.A., went to Arizona for undergrad, and didn't get into a UC so went to Rush. He loved it and keeps encouraging me to apply there. He really liked being in school in Chicago, and liked the opportunities at Rush a lot. And he did well there and matched into Anesthesiology. So it sounds like it can definitely open some residency doors too. Good luck with the decision.

 

[md-student]

I grew up in Chicago (lived there for 18 years)...but I have to say that I love Cincinnati. It is a great city. It is an old city...so there are going to be run down areas. But overall it is nice. It is the only city of its size to have its own Ballet and Opera company. It has the largest subscription to the Broadway series than any other city. Has an excellent symphany, and the performing arts school is second only to Julliard. So the arts are quite emphasized there. If your a sports fan, there is plenty of that too (Bengals, Reds, U of Cinn, Xavier). It's definately a city of neighborhoods, and each has it's own personality. The school is not in the best part of town...but you don't have to drive far to be in better neighborhoods. The restaurant scene is excellent too (though not as good as Chicago's). Between the two cities...I would prefer to live in Cincinnati.

U of Cinn is overall the better school with better residencies compared to Rush (not for all specialties though). Remember, in Chicago...Rush is in the shadow of Northwestern, U of Chicago, and Univ of Illinois-Chicago.