Tufts vs. UMass

[niemim]

I'll be starting med school in the Fall at one of these two institutions, and I have to make the decision of which one to attend. are there any students out there from either of these schools who had to make this decision?

thanks to some help from family members, I think I can do Tufts and come out with a manageable amount of debt. I'd also hugely prefer Boston over Worcester. That being said, I see myself in primary care and UMass is like top 5 nationally whereas Tufts isn't even rated by some groups. I don't think I'd get a "bad" primary care training at Tufts, but would I be totally selling myself short by not going to UMass?

thanks for your input
-Matt

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[ComfortableWolf]

I'll be starting med school in the Fall at one of these two institutions, and I have to make the decision of which one to attend. are there any students out there from either of these schools who had to make this decision?

thanks to some help from family members, I think I can do Tufts and come out with a manageable amount of debt. I'd also hugely prefer Boston over Worcester. That being said, I see myself in primary care and UMass is like top 5 nationally whereas Tufts isn't even rated by some groups. I don't think I'd get a "bad" primary care training at Tufts, but would I be totally selling myself short by not going to UMass?

thanks for your input
-Matt

Although they are both schools with pretty solid reputations... I think the issue is cost vs location vs what you wnat to do. Obviously, as you said, Loaction for Tufts wins ou but UMASS kicks Tufts Arse in both price and ranking for primary care programs- even if you will not be in too much debt with Tufts- you could probably do a lot better things with the money you save going to UMASS while getting seemingly better training- if I were you I would bite the bullet and go to Worcester for the 4 years. IMHO

 

[TheRussian]

This is a tough choice. If you really want to do primary care then UMass would be a much better choice. Even if you have family that can help you pay for Tufts why do that when UMass is so much cheaper. The only reservation I have is that I feel that UMass puts you at some disadvantage if you end up deciding to go into a competitive specialty or into academic medicine. I initially wanted to go into primary care so UMass was high on my list but I decided to go to a private school because I wasn't sure I wanted to do primary care and now I'm glad I did that because now I've become a lot more interested in going into specialty and academic medicine.

So if you have any second thoughts about primary care, Tufts might be the better choice.

 

[JMD2929]

Go to UMass, for a number of reasons:
1. $...a hundred grand is a hundred grand...do you really want to spend it on tuition if there's another option?
2. You're interested in primary care, UMass is top 5 nationwide.
3. Worcester is only 45 mins from Boston. You could commute if need be, and you will have the opportunity to do many rotations in Boston (St. E's, etc.). Although if you truly feel strongly about being in Boston, then maybe Tufts is the better choice for you.
4. As far as the suggestion that UMass puts you at a disadvantage when applying for competitive residencies...take a look at the match list (which should be available from the admissions office) for both schools, and judge for yourself. Tufts will have a larger percentage of students going into non-primary care residencies, but a major reason for that is they need a larger salary to repay their debt. UMass grads are very highly regarded by residency directors, and although a smaller percentage pursue specialty/academic medicine, those who do routinely match at strong programs.

 

[Dr Who]

Go to the cheaper school. Unless you have $100,000 more to burn.

 

[TheRussian]

Go to the cheaper school. Unless you have $100,000 more to burn.

Everyone on this forum seems so concerned with money. Everyone is always telling everyone else to go to a cheaper school. Money is important yes, but in reality you should go where you'll be the happiest because that is where you will most likely succeed in whatever you decide to do. You're going to be a doctor and as a doctor you won't be struggling to make ends meet and paying of the debt won't be too much of a burden. Money is only one of the factors. By no means should anyone choose a medical school simply out of financial considerations.

As far as UMass goes with regard to competive specialties/academia. From what i heard from people that go there is that UMass makes good clinicians but do not fair as well in academia.