Toledo vs Howard

[SOtheProdigy]

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Toledo
Pros

• New Umu Igbo Unite (UIU) chapter in Detroit
  • Basically, I am part of the Tristate Chapter in NY/NJ/CT and I want to be able to maintain being part of this as a support group in medical school!
• Campus is renovated and modern
• 50 min from Detroit
• Car friendly
• Language courses
• Sports medicine course
• Affordable cost of living
• P/F in preclinical and clinical years
• Lifestyle medicine elective course
• Excellent match list
• Academic Test Center
• Excellent research opportunities
  1. Promedica
• Anatomy is spaced out by system instead of an entire course
• Community health summer project
• Student Research Program
• Tight knit med school ambassadors program
• Good matriculation program for minority students
  1. BELONGING EXCELLENCE (BLX) PROGRAM
• Mentoring program
• Some scholarship options
• NBME center
  1. In house and NBME exams
• Teaching hospital with good residency and fellowships programs for sports medicine, PM&R, cardiology, sleep medicine, and orthopedic surgery
• Off campus housing resources

Cons

• Low Tier
• Lack of nightlife, will have to travel to Detroit, Canada, or Cincinnati
• No PM&R club
• Not as established as Howard
• Lack of family/friend support
• Only know two people from Toledo area and Detriot Area
• Lack of east coast matches
• Cost of attendance is a lot with OOS tuttion
  • Match in state residency after first year
• Internal ranking
• Weather hot/cold
  • Extreme cold in winter
• Midwest
• No immediate medical schools nearby
• Rotations are a bit spaced out
• Lack of diversity

Howard
Pros

• Can continue with UIU in the DMV: already know a few people in the organization
• Diversity
  1. Seeing like minded people with a similar background, especially as a URM
  2. HBCU experience
• Tuition is not as expensive as Toledo
• Very established (1868)
• Family and friend support
• Nearby medical schools and hospitals
  1. More clinical opportunities
• Family Environment: emphasized during the interview, second look, and first Fridays
• DC
• Nightlife
• Student Activity Oriented: seem to be really dedicated to making a community with students
• Teaching hospital with good residencies and fellowship programs like internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, addiction medicine, infectious diseases, and pulmonary disease.
• Student Organizations
  1. Cardiovascular Interest Group, Medical Students of Africa, Physical Medicine and Rehabiliation Interest Group, Psychiatry Student Interest Group, Sports Medicine Interest Group, Student National Medical Association
• Excellent metro system (DC-MD-VA)
• Housing options in MD and VA
• Connects to nearby campus housing
• Mission: Diversity, working in underserved communities and people of color
• Research Opportunities
  1. NIH
  2. Summer Research Programs
• Exam Prep Program
• Pipeline programs
  1. MedStar
• In house and NBME exams

Cons

• Low Tier
• Administration problems
• Much harder to own a car
• Tiered P/F (preclinical) with HP (clinical)
• Expensive CoL
  • Might need to be outside of DC to get own apartment or get roommates if I want to be closer in DC>
• Lack of scholarships
• Campus is a bit outdated

Summary: Right now, I recently got accepted to Toledo off the waitlist (which I am very excited about) while I got waitlisted by Howard. I did write a letter of intent for Howard after my interview with them and a letter of interest for Toledo. If I get accepted off the waitlist from Howard, I am slightly leaning towards Howard due to the family/friend support and it's location. But, I feel like Toledo is a better school to get me prepared for residency. Only downside is that I want to match back to the east coast and Toledo does not have that much matches in the east coast. Also, it will be my first time living in the Midwest, so it will be an adjustment period. What do you guys think?

 

[LunaOri]

Sounds like Howard is a slightly better fit for you, but there is no wrong choice here.