Tufts - Maine Track vs. Case Western

[DrPepperAnn]

Context: Of the schools I’ve been accepted to, these are my top two. I’m going to have to take out loans to cover the full COA at either school, so the financials will likely be pretty similar. I’m originally from New England and would like to come back to the northeast for residency (as of right now.) I think I want to go into pediatrics, but not sure if I want to specialize within the field. I have a pretty strong research background and would like that to be a part of my career in the future, either through an MD-PhD or an MD with a post-doc eventually, I think.


Tufts
Pros:

• Close to home/family/friends
• Smaller cohort of Maine Track – students seemed really close
• Longitudinal integrated clerkship in ME – Case offers something similar through Cleveland Clinic, but doesn’t seem to be quite as focused on following the same patients throughout their care, which is something that really interests me
• Earlier clinical exposure – in a primary care setting
• Matches well in New England

Cons:

• Not as highly ranked
• Fewer opportunities to do serious research if in the Maine Track (at least it seems?)
• Cost of living is much more expensive (although I may be able to offset it somewhat by staying on my parents’ insurance, not having to fly if I want to come home, etc)
• Am I pigeon-holing myself into a rural primary care career? – they say that Maine Track students match all over and into all specialties, but I worry that the program will be most appealing only for primary care residencies

Case Western
Pros:

• Highly ranked
• Lots of research opportunities (including the possibility of applying into the MD-PhD program)
• I like the format of their curriculum and the case based inquiry teams
• Cost of living is much cheaper
• Matches well nationwide, including a good number to the East Coast

Cons:

• Far from family/friends/any support system
• Lectures aren’t recorded, so attendance is effectively mandatory (this isn’t a deal breaker for me, as I tend to learn better in class anyway, but it is unfortunate to never have the option of missing class)
• Seems like students don’t get quite as much clinical exposure in years 1 and 2, or is just less emphasized?

I appreciate any input on any of this, especially if any of my pros/cons seem wrong based on your knowledge of the schools!

Tl;Dr: Case Western or Tufts-Maine Track for someone originally from New England who wants to do research, wants to come back east for residency, and doesn’t really know what they want to specialize in?

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[870784]

I'm going to Case next year, so maybe take my advice with a grain of salt, but I feel like Case would give you a little bit more flexibility career-wise than Tufts-Maine Track. I say this because I think it has a more flexible first 2 year curriculum, and maybe more diverse research opportunities.

With respect to matching back into the Northeast -- looking at the match lists over the last few years, it doesn't seem like Case students have to stay in the Midwest if they don't want to.

As for being far from your family and support network, I think a lot of students are in a similar situation. My thinking is that eventually in your career there is a possibility of having to leave your home area, whether it be in medical school, residency, fellowship, etc. Of these, medical school is only 4 years, which could be less than your residency. I have also heard that where you do your residency has a bigger impact on where you ultimately end up than where you go to med school.

Anyways, good luck with your decision! You probably can't go wrong with either choice, but I hope you choose Case 😉

 

[Bryant088]

Context: Of the schools I’ve been accepted to, these are my top two. I’m going to have to take out loans to cover the full COA at either school, so the financials will likely be pretty similar. I’m originally from New England and would like to come back to the northeast for residency (as of right now.) I think I want to go into pediatrics, but not sure if I want to specialize within the field. I have a pretty strong research background and would like that to be a part of my career in the future, either through an MD-PhD or an MD with a post-doc eventually, I think.


Tufts
Pros:

• Close to home/family/friends
• Smaller cohort of Maine Track – students seemed really close
• Longitudinal integrated clerkship in ME – Case offers something similar through Cleveland Clinic, but doesn’t seem to be quite as focused on following the same patients throughout their care, which is something that really interests me
• Earlier clinical exposure – in a primary care setting
• Matches well in New England

Cons:

• Not as highly ranked
• Fewer opportunities to do serious research if in the Maine Track (at least it seems?)
• Cost of living is much more expensive (although I may be able to offset it somewhat by staying on my parents’ insurance, not having to fly if I want to come home, etc)
• Am I pigeon-holing myself into a rural primary care career? – they say that Maine Track students match all over and into all specialties, but I worry that the program will be most appealing only for primary care residencies

Case Western
Pros:

• Highly ranked
• Lots of research opportunities (including the possibility of applying into the MD-PhD program)
• I like the format of their curriculum and the case based inquiry teams
• Cost of living is much cheaper
• Matches well nationwide, including a good number to the East Coast

Cons:

• Far from family/friends/any support system
• Lectures aren’t recorded, so attendance is effectively mandatory (this isn’t a deal breaker for me, as I tend to learn better in class anyway, but it is unfortunate to never have the option of missing class)
• Seems like students don’t get quite as much clinical exposure in years 1 and 2, or is just less emphasized?

I appreciate any input on any of this, especially if any of my pros/cons seem wrong based on your knowledge of the schools!

Tl;Dr: Case Western or Tufts-Maine Track for someone originally from New England who wants to do research, wants to come back east for residency, and doesn’t really know what they want to specialize in?

Case Western for sure. It is a research powerhouse.

 

[DrPepperAnn]

I'm going to Case next year, so maybe take my advice with a grain of salt, but I feel like Case would give you a little bit more flexibility career-wise than Tufts-Maine Track. I say this because I think it has a more flexible first 2 year curriculum, and maybe more diverse research opportunities.

With respect to matching back into the Northeast -- looking at the match lists over the last few years, it doesn't seem like Case students have to stay in the Midwest if they don't want to.

As for being far from your family and support network, I think a lot of students are in a similar situation. My thinking is that eventually in your career there is a possibility of having to leave your home area, whether it be in medical school, residency, fellowship, etc. Of these, medical school is only 4 years, which could be less than your residency. I have also heard that where you do your residency has a bigger impact on where you ultimately end up than where you go to med school.

Anyways, good luck with your decision! You probably can't go wrong with either choice, but I hope you choose Case 😉

Thanks! This is a lot of what I've been telling myself lately, so it's good to hear it from someone else. I really liked Case when I interviewed and I'm excited for second look. Maybe I will see you there!

 

[870784]

Thanks! This is a lot of what I've been telling myself lately, so it's good to hear it from someone else. I really liked Case when I interviewed and I'm excited for second look. Maybe I will see you there!

Glad it was helpful. It's good for me to talk through it too, even though I'm still 99.99% sure I'm choosing Case. I'm also excited for the second look! I hope we see each other!

 

[RuffEndoplasmicReticulum]

Long time SDN lurker here but I saw this thread and decided to make an account to put in my two cents! I was accepted to both schools as well (not maine track even though I am from NE) and Im pretty sure Im going with CW! Ive participated in research at my undergrad for almost three years and it is so important to me. I dont necessarily want to go to the lengths of MD/PhD, but after CW interview day and reading up on their reputation in general I feel like they have so much more to offer. Also too Im from around Boston and Im not sure if the rent in the neighborhoods outside the city are even an option for my budget 🙁

 

[DrPepperAnn]

Long time SDN lurker here but I saw this thread and decided to make an account to put in my two cents! I was accepted to both schools as well (not maine track even though I am from NE) and Im pretty sure Im going with CW! Ive participated in research at my undergrad for almost three years and it is so important to me. I dont necessarily want to go to the lengths of MD/PhD, but after CW interview day and reading up on their reputation in general I feel like they have so much more to offer. Also too Im from around Boston and Im not sure if the rent in the neighborhoods outside the city are even an option for my budget 🙁

Thanks! Yeah, I really felt like the opportunities were there at Case for research. Even if not the MD/PhD, I like that they have a protected block specifically for research in 3rd year. I know Tufts also has a lot of research opportunities, but it seemed like for Maine Track at least, it's mostly limited to the summer between first and second year.
Also yeah, Boston-area rent is a serious struggle. I definitely wouldn't want to live close to Tufts anyway (downtown is not really my cup of tea), but even some place like Jamaica Plain or Somerville, you're still paying a ton for not a lot of space.

 

[RuffEndoplasmicReticulum]

Thanks! Yeah, I really felt like the opportunities were there at Case for research. Even if not the MD/PhD, I like that they have a protected block specifically for research in 3rd year. I know Tufts also has a lot of research opportunities, but it seemed like for Maine Track at least, it's mostly limited to the summer between first and second year.
Also yeah, Boston-area rent is a serious struggle. I definitely wouldn't want to live close to Tufts anyway (downtown is not really my cup of tea), but even some place like Jamaica Plain or Somerville, you're still paying a ton for not a lot of space.

Have you received FA from tufts? If I dont get a good/better package then that will be the nail in the coffin for me lol

 

[DrPepperAnn]

Have you received FA from tufts? If I dont get a good/better package then that will be the nail in the coffin for me lol

Not yet, but so far I haven't qualified for any need-based aid at any of my other schools, and Tufts doesn't do merit aid, iirc, so I'm assuming I'm doomed to take loans for the full COA wherever I end up. I'm hoping we get it soon though, because if it is different from what I'm expecting, it'd be nice to have a little time to consider options

 

[mj2760066]

I think Case Western is where I'd go, unless you feel really pulled by the Maine Track as it is a really unique program that is a perfect for some people. How much do you like the Maine Track? If you just like it because of the small cohort, I think CW wins here. But if you can make a convincing argument for why the Maine Track better fits your goals and plans, then that is different!