Hey y'all! I was feeling okay about my match list ranking until Long called to offer me a full-tuition scholarship a few days ago. I'm feeling incredibly blessed but sort of unsure about how to proceed and would really appreciate some outside opinions.
- I prematched to Long in December, interviewed with Baylor and UTSW in January without prematching
- Baylor and UTSW have about the same cost of attendance (~260K for tuition and cost of living all 4 years) while Long would be ~140K cheaper as I wouldn't need to worry about paying for tuition + COL is cheaper in San Antonio than Houston or Dallas
- I'm currently most interested in primary care; however, I know a lot of people's interests change throughout medical school so I'm not dead set on any one specialty
- I would really like to get involved in research. I know research isn't as important if I ultimately decide to go with primary care, but I think good research experience would be valuable for making me a competitive residency applicant + it would give more flexibility in terms of the specialties that are attainable for me
UTSW
Pros:
- lots of protected research time
- 1.5 years of p/f pre-clerkship
- students seemed really friendly and welcoming during interview day
- prestigious and generally very highly regarded program could be beneficial for applying to residency
Cons:
- distance from home (I'm from Houston, being a few hours away from family isn't a complete dealbreaker but it would still be nice to be near some of my support system)
- no p/f grading during clerkship years
- internal rankings? I've seen some conflicting information about this online though so I'm unsure
Baylor
Pros:
- proximity to family
- access to the TMC
- relatively low-stress curriculum would be good for my mental health (true P/F all 4 years, 2 chances on every test, super collaborative, etc)
- about the same level of prestige as UTSW
Cons:
- possibility of being sent to Temple campus is worrisome
- slightly negative interview day experience turned me off a bit but pretty much every Baylor student I've talked to seems really happy with their choice, so I think this should be taken with a grain of salt
Long
Pros:
- full tuition scholarship
- students/faculty seem so laid back, down to earth, and friendly. exactly the type of culture I'm looking for from a medical school
- super communicative throughout the cycle, it seems like they really prioritize making their students feel like they're more than just numbers to them
- cheapest cost of living even without scholarship money
Cons:
- distance from family
- no p/f grading
- fewer research/clinical opportunities and smaller medical center than UTSW and Baylor
- less diversity and fewer things to do in San Antonio
If money wasn't a factor, I think UTSW would be my first choice. I guess my main concern is whether $140K of extra student debt is worth choosing a T20-25 school over a T40-50ish school. Ultimately, I think all three programs are great and I'd be very happy attending any one of them. All thoughts and input are welcomed and appreciated! 🙂
- I prematched to Long in December, interviewed with Baylor and UTSW in January without prematching
- Baylor and UTSW have about the same cost of attendance (~260K for tuition and cost of living all 4 years) while Long would be ~140K cheaper as I wouldn't need to worry about paying for tuition + COL is cheaper in San Antonio than Houston or Dallas
- I'm currently most interested in primary care; however, I know a lot of people's interests change throughout medical school so I'm not dead set on any one specialty
- I would really like to get involved in research. I know research isn't as important if I ultimately decide to go with primary care, but I think good research experience would be valuable for making me a competitive residency applicant + it would give more flexibility in terms of the specialties that are attainable for me
UTSW
Pros:
- lots of protected research time
- 1.5 years of p/f pre-clerkship
- students seemed really friendly and welcoming during interview day
- prestigious and generally very highly regarded program could be beneficial for applying to residency
Cons:
- distance from home (I'm from Houston, being a few hours away from family isn't a complete dealbreaker but it would still be nice to be near some of my support system)
- no p/f grading during clerkship years
- internal rankings? I've seen some conflicting information about this online though so I'm unsure
Baylor
Pros:
- proximity to family
- access to the TMC
- relatively low-stress curriculum would be good for my mental health (true P/F all 4 years, 2 chances on every test, super collaborative, etc)
- about the same level of prestige as UTSW
Cons:
- possibility of being sent to Temple campus is worrisome
- slightly negative interview day experience turned me off a bit but pretty much every Baylor student I've talked to seems really happy with their choice, so I think this should be taken with a grain of salt
Long
Pros:
- full tuition scholarship
- students/faculty seem so laid back, down to earth, and friendly. exactly the type of culture I'm looking for from a medical school
- super communicative throughout the cycle, it seems like they really prioritize making their students feel like they're more than just numbers to them
- cheapest cost of living even without scholarship money
Cons:
- distance from family
- no p/f grading
- fewer research/clinical opportunities and smaller medical center than UTSW and Baylor
- less diversity and fewer things to do in San Antonio
If money wasn't a factor, I think UTSW would be my first choice. I guess my main concern is whether $140K of extra student debt is worth choosing a T20-25 school over a T40-50ish school. Ultimately, I think all three programs are great and I'd be very happy attending any one of them. All thoughts and input are welcomed and appreciated! 🙂
