U of Miami vs. U of Minnesota

[drgus]

Hey guys I desperately need your help,

I was recently accepted into both Miami and Minnesota Medical schools. Miami is a private school so the tuition and fees come to be around $40K more than in Minnesota. My family lives down here in Miami and coming from South America I have never lived in cold weather. I know that Minnesota is ranked higher than Miami (#35-Research, #11-Primary Care) and Miami is not even ranked. However, having gone to Miami for undergrad I feel a bit more comfortable about staying down here. I would like to know how much importance I should give to these rankings and if you guys believe the education is going to be that much different between the two schools. Even though I could save money going to Minnesota I don't think that should be the only factor that I should take into consideration, so please help me out! Is my education going to be that different? Would I make a mistake if I stay here? What do you guys think? I can always buy a coat...

Thank you for your help!

Gus.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[eyedea]

I don't think you should worry about the rankings an MD is an MD no matter where you get it. I would choose Miami because you are already familiar with the area and have family in the area....which is always nice.

 

[Cobragirl]

Stay in Florida with me DrGus!

And what do you MEAN Miami "isn't even ranked"? I guess I need to go back and do some research, because last I heard Miami is one hell of a school! To bad we won't be playing you guys until NEXT year! LOL!

Go Gators!

 

[cchoukal]

As an incoming MS1 at MN this fall, I should probably plug my school, but there's certainly something to be said for being in a familiar environment during the stressful years of med school (that's why I'm staying here instead of going to a higher ranking private school that will remain nameless). There are a number of threads in different discussion areas on this site that post similar questions. Does your salary depend on where you go? Does your residency depend on where you go? Both sides of the argument make good points, so I don't think there's any clear consensus. Keep in mind, though, that many of the people posting here (including myself...) are pre-meds, med-students, or residents. These people may not have the most accurate perspective on what happens after residency. The advice I've been given is that if you want to practice in private (especially primary care), your med school will make almost no difference. If you want a competitive residency, you should look at where the two schools send their students for residency. If you like what you see (in terms of specialties they get into and in terms of the schools they match at), by al means stick with Miami. The cost issue is significant. $40k will be a lot more (like $60k) in repayment.

 

[Fermi]

Gus,

I am also an incoming MS1 at the U of MN. I wrote a reply here last night, but I guess it didn't go through. It was essentially identical to cchoukal's reply above. The rankings do no matter much at this level. That being said, you need to consider the specifics of each school and how they fit in with your goals/preferences.

For instance, the preclinical and clinical curricula have some differences between the schools; the patient population is different in MN vs. Miami; the weather is *very* different; and so on. In addition, you have your finances and family to consider. Maybe there are scholarships available at Miami that could cover the difference, but if not, $40K is a big difference. Also, do you want to eventually practice near your family in Miami? If so, it's to your benefit to attend Miami so you can make connections there for residency.

It would be great to have you join our class in MN, but you have two great options and you need to decide which is best for yourself. Good luck!

 

[drgus]

Thank all of you for your great advise!!! I will definitely take it into consideration.

I think I may stay in Florida after all because I believe my family is more important than $40,000. Also, I received information about the residency placements from both schools and they are remarkably similar. Both schools have a similar percentage of students going into top ranked hospitals and competitive residencies, so I could stay here...However; I still have not reached a final decision so I'll keep all your advise in mind

Thank you all again,

Gus.