Tufts vs. UCF

[CBJM63]

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Tufts
+ true P/F grading
+ did the SMP here, so I have taken all M1 courses (more or less)
+ urban city with good nightlife and lots of things to do
+ medical city with a lot of hospitals and research going on
+ strong support network--some of my closest friends are in Boston
- quality of life is questionable. sure, the city is rich in things to do but is also inconvenient for day-to-day things such as grocery shopping or even just getting around the city--both driving and the T suck (especially the green line)
- expensive tuition and higher cost of living
- 3rd best med school in Boston (not sure if this matters, but might impact outside research opportunities)

UCF
+ strong support from the community and school administration
+ cheap(er) tuition and lower cost of living
- letter grades (without curve)
- new school, which means uncertainty regarding residency placement
- no support network--don't know many people in Orlando

Thank you in advance for the help.

 

[kexy]

Do you know yet how much cheaper UCF will be?

 

[CBJM63]

Do you know yet how much cheaper UCF will be?

about $15Gs per year

 

[HandBanana1]

Tufts
+ true P/F grading
+ did the SMP here, so I have taken all M1 courses (more or less)
+ urban city with good nightlife and lots of things to do
+ medical city with a lot of hospitals and research going on
+ strong support network--some of my closest friends are in Boston
- quality of life is questionable. sure, the city is rich in things to do but is also inconvenient for day-to-day things such as grocery shopping or even just getting around the city--both driving and the T suck (especially the green line)
- expensive tuition and higher cost of living
- 3rd best med school in Boston (not sure if this matters, but might impact outside research opportunities)

UCF
+ strong support from the community and school administration
+ cheap(er) tuition and lower cost of living
- letter grades (without curve)
- new school, which means uncertainty regarding residency placement
- no support network--don't know many people in Orlando

Thank you in advance for the help.

I don't think anyone would deny Boston >>>>> Orlando, however, at 15k per year and not a major difference in quality, I'd choose UCF, unless you had an "OMG, I love Tufts" moment during your interview. Good luck

 

[KinasePro]

I'd pay an extra $60k for an established national reputation and visible track-record for residency placement. While I agree that Boston is over-rated, Tufts >>>>> any new medical school.

Only if you're set on primary care should you consider following the money.

 

[REL]

I'd pay an extra $60k for an established national reputation and visible track-record for residency placement. While I agree that Boston is over-rated, Tufts >>>>> any new medical school.

Only if you're set on primary care should you consider following the money.

"Only if you're set on primary care should you consider following the money." ??? I dont understand, please explain.

 

[KinasePro]

"Only if you're set on primary care should you consider following the money." ??? I dont understand, please explain.

Meaning that a) your medical school's reputation would matter more if pursuing, say, neurosurgery than primary care and b) student loan debt might be a greater burden for PCPs than for sub-specialists (so the cheaper school makes sense in that case) .

 

[REL]

Meaning that a) your medical school's reputation would matter more if pursuing, say, neurosurgery than primary care and b) student loan debt might be a greater burden for PCPs than for sub-specialists (so the cheaper school makes sense in that case) .

I might have agreed in the past, but those ways arent true any longer. They kinda went out the window when FSU graduated their first class. Now days you shows ur skills, ya gets da scores, ya gets da job..........of course the good-ole boy network still factors in like always. "Rep" is grossly over-rated unless you are from one of the upper crust programs. None of which are being discussed here.

 

[StitchinUp]

Only if you're set on primary care should you consider following the money.

Don't know if you've noticed, but our current economic climate and changing face of healthcare make minimizing debt a smart thing, whether you're going into primary care or not.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

Meaning that a) your medical school's reputation would matter more if pursuing, say, neurosurgery than primary care and b) student loan debt might be a greater burden for PCPs than for sub-specialists (so the cheaper school makes sense in that case) .

A) Meh. The difference in entering students is negligible. Most FL schools have ~3.8/32 entering, which is similar to Tufts. For something like neurosurg. you're going to need >240 Step one, significant research and probably AOA, and I don't think getting this at either school would be much different. The difference in matching would likely be due to selection bias. Unless you're talking about going to Columbia vs. UCF, I don't think it's a big enough difference in stature with regard to matching.

B) I agree, but I also think 60k is a significant enough difference even if the person is pursuing a competitive (i.e. higher paid) specialty (which they can't really know now anyway). I'd also throw my hat in with going to UCF at any rate.

Also, Boston is not that much better than Orlando, it's just quite different. I prefer Boston as well (I like cold weather and cities where you can walk around), but I think many people would like Orlando just as much, but for different reasons. Most people don't have a real picture of Orlando because they visited when they were 8 and went exclusively to Disney. The attractions are great of course, but many people would prefer the weather, the cheaper cost of living, the beach 45 minutes away, the diversity and youth of the people there, etc.

 

[KinasePro]

A) Meh...

There are plenty of ways to convince yourself that med school rep doesn't matter, but if you talk to 4th years going into competitive specialties or lurk the residency forums, you'll see that it does.

Moreover, I just can't in good faith tell someone that getting a spot in neurosurg or plastics will be no more challenging from a brand new medical school in FL vs an established school in Boston. Plenty of strong applicants WITH the advantage of a national medical school reputation have difficulty matching each year as it is, and most of these specialties are only getting more competitive.

I've got nothing against UCF, I'm sure they're building a great program. And I'm sure they'll send students into competitive specialties, but if given the choice, I wouldn't take a gamble on a new school at this time. Just my $0.02.

 

[tongtongbravo]

If you just want to be an MD, then go to Tufts. If you are proactive, have a vision as far as what kind of doctor you will be, then UCF will be the right place (their FIRE project will give you a leg up for your residency). If I were you, I wouldnt worry too much about school name and how it's gonna affect your residency. As someone already mentioned, unless it's JohnsHopkins or Harvard, I dont think it would really matter. Also, 60K does sound a lot to me. BTW, I am turning OHSU and Albany down for UCF. So long as you do well on your program, get good board score, I dont see how school name is going to change so much again unless it's Harvard or JohnsHopkins. Also, I dont know much about Tufts, when you say true p/f, do they have honor pass/marginal pass or those stuff, then it's pretty much same as getting A, B, C and D. I think you should really compare the programs and environment not residency right now. Every school started from scratch at one point. Just my 2 cents.