U Minnesota v. Emory

[pellegrino]

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Hello! I am weighing two acceptances and wanted any SDN input available 🙂 I am originally from the West Coast and do not have family in either the Midwest or the South so this is not a huge concern for me. My undergraduate interests were focused on public health, sexual health, and infectious disease, so I am slightly torn here...I am hoping to pursue either Family Medicine or Internal Medicine (possibly specializing in ID).

I know that I will receive a fantastic education at both institutions and would have opportunities to pursue interesting research at both. Quality of life is a large concern for me as well as exposure to diverse patient populations.

Minnesota

Pros:
-Loved the school, first interview and first acceptance in October so I have become quite attached 🙂
-In state tuition waiver + small scholarship (total ~$40K/year)
-Quality of life in Minneapolis would be high (cheap living, good music/bar scene)
-Program in Human Sexuality/Center for Sexual Health uniquely in line with my interests, this was one of the top reasons I applied to this school
-Human Sexuality part of required summer curriculum which I appreciate!
-Diverse match list

Cons:
-Weather slightly daunting
-I am interested in working with urban undeserved populations and I am not sure Minneapolis will have as many opportunities to pursue this as Atlanta
-Reputation less strong than Emory's
-Not sure I would want to do my residency in the Midwest (although I am not sure I would want to stay in the South either)

Emory

Pros:
-Also loved the school, felt very connected to my faculty interviewer in terms of what I hope to accomplish
-Proximity to the CDC speaks to my interest in infectious disease
-Population demographics of Atlanta seem more interesting
-I was strongly drawn to Grady, Emory's public hospital, and their missions
-Stronger reputation than Minnesota

Cons:
-Significantly more expensive for me (no specialized aid)
-Reputation or 'unhappy' and/or stressed out students (I did not see this a lot in person, but I have heard this rumor floating around from several peers in medical school)
-Unclear how my quality of life would be in Atlanta compared to Minneapolis
-I am not a big fan of taking Step 1 earlier, the condensed curriculum here makes me a tad squeamish

 

[GoPelicans]

Sounds like you are kind of torn? I am in a similar decision (cheaper OOS state school vs well regarded private school), and everybody tells me just go with the cheaper school if you are not sure. In your case, it sounds like Minnesota will be > 100K cheaper? I would lean towards them if that's the case

 

[Pandaeac]

My gut instinct after reading your pros and cons is to go with Minnesota. You seem very excited about it. And with the money savings, especially. Good luck with your decision! Also, totally just cause I'm curious... how did you get in-state tuition there?

 

[pellegrino]

My gut instinct after reading your pros and cons is to go with Minnesota. You seem very excited about it. And with the money savings, especially. Good luck with your decision! Also, totally just cause I'm curious... how did you get in-state tuition there?

Thanks for the kind words 🙂 UMN granted me an in-state tuition waiver (sort of a scholarship) after I was accepted. This is the way I am certainly leaning, go Gophers!

 

[Captain Sisko]

Thanks for the kind words 🙂 UMN granted me an in-state tuition waiver (sort of a scholarship) after I was accepted. This is the way I am certainly leaning, go Gophers!

Awesome, I'll buy you a beer, one oos/no ties to another. That pretty much sums it up: beer > Coca-Cola

 

[Pandaeac]

Thanks for the kind words 🙂 UMN granted me an in-state tuition waiver (sort of a scholarship) after I was accepted. This is the way I am certainly leaning, go Gophers!

Oh that's cool! I had no idea that was a thing hah

 

[touchpause13]

Hey OP I grew up in the cities feel free to PM me any questions about it

 

[Scribblers]

I have lived in the twin cities for my entire life and can speak a little about your concerns about the patient population. It is probably not directly comparable to Atlanta in terms of volume, but there are some unique patient populations in the cities. The area is currently a popular destination immigrants from East Africa and particularly Somalia and UMN is actually in the middle of some of the main neighborhoods these folks live in. Right next to the West Bank and the hospital campus are the Riverside apartments, which are some of the most successful subsidized housing projects in the country in terms of upward mobility of occupants. To the east of campus in St. Paul is Frogtown, which has historically been a Hmong neighborhood, and is still primarily low income housing. Both of these areas have medically underserved populations and are very accessible from the medical school. Speaking from my own experience volunteering, these groups also shoulder a disproportionate burden of HIV/AIDS in the area. This might align with your other interests. Hope this helps.