Thoughts on Pritzker anyone?

[CascadianMD]

For other people who've interviewed at University of Chicago, Pritzker SOM I'm wondering what your impression of the school and the student body was.

I interviewed there in October, but I don't feel like I got a well-rounded impression of the place - maybe because I was feeling a lil under the weather during my trip.

I know it's a very high ranked school, yet it has a P/F grading system. So do students there tend to be more laid back & cooperative or are they uber-overachiever? Also, does anyone know if lectures are required or do they get recorded? Any other thoughts on the school would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Oh yeah, one more thing - how is the rent / cost of living in Chi town?

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[ICanDoThis]

hi!
i've been looking into Pritzker a lot lately as well...here are some of my impressions:
1. p/f system is supposed to foster a lot of cooperation--that's the sense I got during my interview day. I liked the "social rounds" they have on a weekly bases. It seems like a good way to combine medicine with some "fun".

2. i liked all the students that I met--they seemed bright yet socially competent

3. I know a lot of students live around Hyde Park (there are buses that apparently take ppl to and from campus) or you can walk. Regents Park appartments look amazing...google them and you'll see. Rent in general probably starts at around $700/mo on the economic side and can run into the 1000's.

That's basically my impression thus far...hope it was somewhat helpful!

 

[WaterBottle]

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[dazlindz]

Hi! I'm an undergrad at the U of C and I also interviewed at Pritzker, and I can sort of answer your questions...

I know it's a very high ranked school, yet it has a P/F grading system. So do students there tend to be more laid back & cooperative or are they uber-overachiever? Also, does anyone know if lectures are required or do they get recorded? Any other thoughts on the school would be appreciated!

...I think the P/F system really does foster a lot of cooperation. They didn't seem competitive at all, and a lot of them are involved in so many things on campus, too. From what I've been told, the med students aren't quite as awkward as the rest of the student population I think Pritzker is very good at marketing themselves, so I personally had a very enjoyable interview there, but perhaps if you get accepted you might want to go to their revisit?

Lectures are not uniformly recorded, and there's no note-taking service. You're not required to go to lecture, but most do.

Oh yeah, one more thing - how is the rent / cost of living in Chi town?

The rent can range from $400 (living in a dump with roommates) to over $1000 (studio/apartment in Regents). Personally, I live in Regents with three others in a three-bedroom (the couple has the master bedroom), and I pay $604/month. There are also student deals (like Regents has $700/person if you live with one or two other people). Chicago, and especially Hyde Park, is definitely not an expensive place to live, although going out to bars and stuff will be more expensive than, say, New Haven.

 

[CascadianMD]

Thank you ICanDoThis and dazlindz for your thoughts...

I had a similar impression of the Pritzker students that I met - but I did notice that they seemed more serious than those at other schools I've interviewed at.... I think that can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it

Chicago seems awesome (except for the winters) and the campus is beautiful.

I liked the opportunities for joint degrees, but I need to get more info on how they coordinate with other schools MPH programs since I am interested in an MD/MPH.

Would you guys say they have an organ based curriculum? It definitely looks integrated as far as subject matter goes... And I liked their emphasis on integrating the coursework with the clinical application.

I'm also curious about the clinical exposure we'd get there - they seemed to advertise the fact that all but one clinical clerkship is done at the University Hospital, but doesn't that mean we'd miss out on the diversity of hospitals Chicago has to offer?

Oh, and ICanDoThis, could you please describe social rounds?

Thanks again!

 

[amph119]

Chicago seems awesome (except for the winters)

This migh tbe because I'm one of those weird people who likes winter and am biased... but Chicago winters aren't thaaaaaat bad

 

[VanDiemen]

My sister goes to Pritzker, and she loves the school. She went there for the MSTP program and she thinks that the faculty and the school are excellent.
But she hates the weather. I guess since she spent most of her life in the SF bay area. Chicago gets way too cold in the winter, and it gets pretty bad during the summer too. You should definitely take into consideration whether you'll be happy in Chicago. The city is okay otherwise, but the weather just sucks.

 

[Kikaku21]

Thank you ICanDoThis and dazlindz for your thoughts...

I had a similar impression of the Pritzker students that I met - but I did notice that they seemed more serious than those at other schools I've interviewed at.... I think that can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it

Chicago seems awesome (except for the winters) and the campus is beautiful.

I liked the opportunities for joint degrees, but I need to get more info on how they coordinate with other schools MPH programs since I am interested in an MD/MPH.

Would you guys say they have an organ based curriculum? It definitely looks integrated as far as subject matter goes... And I liked their emphasis on integrating the coursework with the clinical application.

I'm also curious about the clinical exposure we'd get there - they seemed to advertise the fact that all but one clinical clerkship is done at the University Hospital, but doesn't that mean we'd miss out on the diversity of hospitals Chicago has to offer?

Oh, and ICanDoThis, could you please describe social rounds?

Thanks again!

I have a couple of things to add. I interviewed at Pritzker in September.

The students that I met were very chill. They seemed happy with the school, and so forth. Of course, they don't pick the students who are unhappy for tours, so its hard to get feedback on why a student there might be unhappy (this applies at an school). The student interviewer I had was great, he asked some very good questions and seemed genuinely curious as to my background and motives. My impression was that they were trying to get a group of students from TONs of completely different backgrounds.

As for rent. Its not Chicago, its Hyde Park. I know that a studio in Chicago is about $700-800 if you want to live somewhere decent. Hyde Park living is much cheaper. I have heard of 1 bedrooms for $400. I have not looked into student housing, but I know they undergrad student housing there is STELLAR. They live in dorms that were once hotels on Lake Michigan. Incredible views, etc. Perhaps the med students have access to a similar setup? I don't know.

The patient population should be great. Predominantly African American I would imagine, but when I asked the students, they said Hyde Park has it all in terms of ethnicity and socio-economic status. In anycase, there are a lot of patients of low socio-economic status, so unfortunately, you will see some pretty advanced disease. I know this is not nearly so much the case at some of the other schools in Chicago, such as Northwestern and Loyola where you get more suburban patients.

Winter here is freaking cold, btw. But honestly, I am convinced that you will be buried in the books all winter.

 

[ICanDoThis]

My impression is that every Friday in the student lounge, all of the medical students (all four years) are invited to meet together and basically hang out. There's a guest faculty bartender, and I guess people just mingle. Not sure how much "rounding" actually gets done though...haha.

 

[dazlindz]

Chicago seems awesome (except for the winters) and the campus is beautiful.

Campus *is* gorgeous, except in the winter when everything is gray/white. Winter really depends - I've been here for the good ones and the ones where you just don't want to step outside your apartment. The closer you are to the lake (or if you're on the midway), the windier it is. It really depends on your tolerance level, so it's hard to say whether the winters here are ok or not.

I liked the opportunities for joint degrees, but I need to get more info on how they coordinate with other schools MPH programs since I am interested in an MD/MPH.

i'm pretty sure they have joint degree, but i'm not sure exactly how it's run... i think it would be on the website though.

Would you guys say they have an organ based curriculum? It definitely looks integrated as far as subject matter goes... And I liked their emphasis on integrating the coursework with the clinical application.

I think most schools have the integrated approach nowadays... I'd say Pritzker is more traditional than other schools you'll see.

I'm also curious about the clinical exposure we'd get there - they seemed to advertise the fact that all but one clinical clerkship is done at the University Hospital, but doesn't that mean we'd miss out on the diversity of hospitals Chicago has to offer?

The Universitys sees all types of patients, although I think most will be from Hyde Park (urban, black, not as well off). But of course we also get the professors and other random people in the neighborhood, as well as the wealthy who come here for specialized surgeries, etc. It's a pretty good mix.

housing...
Undergrad housing and grad school housing are pretty different. Yes, there's a dorm for undergrads that's right on the lake (the shoreland), but it's closing down in a year because it's dilapidated. Grad school housing is pretty expensive, and I'd say generally not worth it (it's not any cheaper). But there are plenty of apartments in the area.

 

[Sam212]

"The city is okay otherwise, but the weather just sucks."

Just okay? it's the best city ever!

 

[CascadianMD]

Yeah, the city seems great - it's so tremendous ... I'm from San Francisco and I used to think of it as a big city. ha!

I remember "social rounds" now! For some reason I confused that with another school where I interviewed. Sounds like fun. I'd be a *little* nervous about having a few too many drinks in the presence of professors tho!

So it sounds like we'd get a pretty diverse clinical experience even though it's all in the university hospital, eh?

I'm still not sure if integrated curriculum = organ based

Any Pritzker students wanna put in a word for their school?? Anything pertinent about why you chose it/love it would be appreiciated...

 

[EBI831]

clarification from pritzker student
(1) organ based curriculum: kind of. they are changing the curriculum to be more so though. but we do end up doing the same things in physio and anatomy and then it's applied to our clinical skills class (where we learn about doctoring and actually interview patients and round with residents)
(2) recorded classes? not so much: only clinical skills is on podcast. but we get handouts with every single thing you need to know posted online or in paper copy for every class, so you don't really ever have to go...and i wouldn't exactly say most do....it depends on the class. i generally go to all physio classes and all anatomy and clinical skills. biochem sometimes gets burned (but a lot of my classmates still go)
(3) the people: honestly, they are chill. the 2nd years and my class are amazing. we don't see the other classes so much as they're in rotations etc.
(4) P/F: yup, completely. so no competion. my mailbox is clogged with study guides every day. and it takes some weight off to know you can focus on what you're not good at (anatomy for me) and just be sufficient in physio and biochem--things i am better at and don't have to work as hard for.
(5) housing: that 400 dollar apartment is very, very rare. most people in our class are in the 600-650 range. most live in regent's park (it's like a mini dorm) but windermere house (on the costly side) is good too and we have a fair amount in university housing
(6) the weather: it's manageable and i went to school in the south so i won't lie, it is kinda cold
(7) social: we are extremely social...even i was surprised. we just finished a hard month and just spent thurs-saturday partying and going to restaurants in the city. next week we have a full on beirut/flipcup/sports/everything tournament with teams just for our class. we have karaoke and beirut parties every weekend. and in a few weeks 20 or so of us are going on a ski trip ...which should be awesome.
(8) social rounds: awesome: there's free food, drinks are cheap and you go hang out with 1st -4th years and faculty w/ a different faculty host every friday. we have themes too for food, etc.
(9) transportation: if you live in hyde park, it's free with a Uchicago ID
(10) undergraduates: we are NOT at all like them. it's like two different worlds.
HOPE THIS HELPS...GOOD LUCK!

 

[SpeedyG50]

Another current first-year here! Hopefully I can answer some of your questions.

Regarding P/F, in a word: awesome. Seriously, I had NO idea how key P/F was until I started here. The two best things about P/F are 1) it means that you don't compete *at all* with your classmates for grades. If we all get a 100 on a test, that's fantastic and everyone is happy. I've found Pritzker to be SO collegial, it's amazing. I can hardly keep up with all the emails from my classmates with useful web links, study guides, review sessions, etc. It's great.

2) Any given class/med school in general doesn't have to take over your life. This applies in a few ways. If, for instance, you find that learning about the lymphatics of the thorax is SO not your thing, but learning about the anatomy of the heart is, you can spend more time really learning the heart. At a school with grades, you definitely wouldn't want to do that, so P/F gives you the flexibility to learn what you want to (within reason, of course). Just as importantly, you can actually have a life outside of school. Some of my classmates are on several IM sports teams, some are part of orchestras or bands, most volunteer at local clinics or shelters, several (myself included!) are married or have kids. While the transition to med school wasn't a piece of cake, it was SO much better than I thought it might be and I think P/F is a large part of making that transition easier.

I do want to say, though, that while P/F means that everyone is very collegial, it does not mean that people don't care. I think the distinguishing characteristic of Pritzker students is that they're very intelligent and hard-working, but not pretentious or obnoxious about it. And in the end, as long as you're doing what you need to do to pass your classes, it doesn't really matter what anyone else does!

Regarding lectures, they are not required, though strongly encouraged. Lectures are not videotaped (except clinical skills), and there is no note taking service. All lecture notes/slides are put onto blackboard, though.

Finally, regarding living here in Hyde Park/Chicago. I live in Regents (you'll hear tons about it if you end up here!) and I like it ok. Rent at Regents is on the higher side, but you get all utilities, plus it's a very nice and secure building. Rent for a 2 bedroom is $1450/month. I know there are many other buildings in Hyde Park that are cheaper. I can't really speak about rents in downtown Chicago, so I'll let someone else answer that if they can.

Good luck!

 

[unsung]

I lived in Hyde Park for years as a student. If you're not picky you can easily rent $300-$400/month apartments right on (or very near) campus. This is what the grad students tend to do. Another well-kept secret are some housing co-ops a few blocks north of the campus, if you have a family. But if all the med students tend to congregate around Regents, maybe it might be more worthwhile to "share in that experience"... I don't know. A lot of professors, law students, etc. also tend to rent there. It's really very nice, if you have the $$.

The campus itself is gorgeous. Really, I realized this after the fact. And the city is wonderful in the summer time... there are so many events, and it just has a great vibe. Winter can get a bit tough, but hey, if you'll be living on campus or in Regents, etc. it's quite easy to take the bus and it's not so bad really.

Another thing of note is Doc films. If you're into films, a quarter pass is really cheap and you could watch foreign/indie films every night if you wanted to. They have fabulous selections. (They also show more blockbuster type flicks on the weekends.)