U Pitt vs. U Chicago Pritzker

[Doctor~Detroit]

University of Pittsburgh versus University of Chicago - Pritzker

what do you folks think about this one? i searched, and the only comparison thread i found was from two years ago and didn't pack a lot of information. so let's do a comparison here for myself and other sdn-ers in this position.

i'll start. i'm fairly familiar with chicago, but only visited pittsburgh for a couple days during my interview. here's what i think:

*academics*: i don't see how one is much better than the other in this category. both med schools seem to be about the same caliber with a big academic med/research emphasis. i think pritzker would have a more ethnically diverse pt population (more african-americans and latin americans) than pitt, but i'm not sure how much this really matters for med school clinical training. it seems nice that pitt is the big med center for the region, whereas pritzker competes with nwu for complex cases--again, not sure how much that matters as a med student. pritzker is p/f for first two years with aoa being determined only based on more traditional third-year evaluations, while i *think* pitt is h/p/f all four years. pritzker seems to have a lot of class time in the preclinical years, with essay-style exams. so i'm not sure if one is more stressful or competitive than the other. i think pritzker does have at least one rotation in a suburban hospital, so that's a bit of a turn-off since i won't have a car. anyone know if one has better clinical training than the other? pritzker's 2007 match list did seem pretty phenomenal to me. is it head-and-shoulders better than pitt's? and while both are on the campus of their main schools, u of chicago overall has better graduate programs than u of pitt--but i don't think that matters to me, personally (not going for a dual degree).

*student life*: i personally got a better vibe at pitt, but my vibes are based off of brief visits. the students seemed a bit happier to me at pitt. they also have a student lounge (i don't think pritzker does) and they're about to finish building a med school dorm (pritzker doesnt' have this), so it *seems* that pitt might have a more cohesive student body but this is only an inference. any comments on this?

*city*: i think chicago is the better city overall, but u pitt seemed to be in a much nicer part of pittsburgh compared to u of chicago's location in chicago. to get to the fun stuff in chicago, one would have to travel 30 minutes by car or over an hour by bus/train, while the more limited fun stuff in pittsburgh is down the street or a short (and free!) bus ride away. there also seemed to be a better variety of restaurants and other hang-out spots in the vicinity of u of pitt compared to u of chicago. other universities and students in the immediate area, too. since i won't have a car, this seems nice. pittsburgh is cheaper than chicago, which is also nice. pittsburgh is also more scenic (i think. large bodies of water don't do much for me), with better outdoor opportunities in the region. i'm not sure which city is more bearable in terms of weather. statistically, pittsburgh has more cloudy days, but the temperature is a little warmer throughout the year and they have less windchill. and please correct this if i'm wrong, but i was suprised to find more of an "east coast" vibe in pittsburgh than i expected--pretty much a vague feeling that people were more on-the-go. so i'm leaning toward pitt in this category, but it's again based off a brief visit at a nice time of the year.

other viewpoints, please!

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[Towelie]

I'm constantly debating this too, and will likely end up at one of these two schools.

I would probably take Pritzker because of the p/f and the fact that Chicago is way better than Pittsburgh. But I think these two are about as close as any two schools I can think of.

 

[ArgaWarga]

Don't forget that the University of Chicago hospital is the only one in the nation with a bar inside of it. "Wet rounds" for 3rd and 4th years.

In all seriousness, if you think you're going to want to live close to campus, you might want to really think about the fact that, at the end of the day, Pritzker just isn't in a good area. It's not horrible, but it's not the same kind of college-y type place you might be hoping for. I think that Pritzker students can live in dorms there, for what it's worth. Don't forget the fact that Chicago will most likely have a noticeably greater cost of living than Pittsburgh.

Take my advice with a grain of salt, I'm hoping to get into Pritzker and I've never been to Pennsylvania.

 

[QuakerPreMed]

I can't speak for/against Pitt specifically, but here's my thinking on Pritzker when comparing it to my other schools...

Friendliness of admins: I've found the Pritzker people to be really forthcoming, helpful, and reponsive to my questions. Not so much at some other schools. This is a plus for me coming from a small school where communication is easy.


Sweet university: UChicago is an awesome place and I look forward to taking a class or two within the university but outside of SoM. I don't know if Pitt does the same or not? Even if they do, I don't know about their quality compared to UChicago, for example, in econ or public policy.


Sweet students: I'm not sure what vibe you did or didn't get when visiting, but all the students I talked to while I was there and all the ones I've spoken to via email since have been really laid back and extremely friendly.

Insane children's hospital: again, I can't speak specifically for Pitt, but if you're interested at all in peds, Comer is pretty awesome and BRAND NEW from what I saw of it.

I think like others have said, you can't really go wrong with either choice. I'll be heading to Pritzker unless I get into Penn...

 

[Quix]

I was in Chicago last May (not for medical school reasons, but to judge a debate tournament), and loved it, and as a native Pittsburgher, I think you will find more national-level cultural opportunities there. That being said, the cost of living is a lot lower in Pittsburgh, and there is a lot to do here.

But since I'm waitlisted at Pitt, throw me a bone and take Pritzker.

 

[Towelie]

I can't speak for/against Pitt specifically, but here's my thinking on Pritzker when comparing it to my other schools...

Friendliness of admins: I've found the Pritzker people to be really forthcoming, helpful, and reponsive to my questions. Not so much at some other schools. This is a plus for me coming from a small school where communication is easy.


Sweet university: UChicago is an awesome place and I look forward to taking a class or two within the university but outside of SoM. I don't know if Pitt does the same or not? Even if they do, I don't know about their quality compared to UChicago, for example, in econ or public policy.


Sweet students: I'm not sure what vibe you did or didn't get when visiting, but all the students I talked to while I was there and all the ones I've spoken to via email since have been really laid back and extremely friendly.

Insane children's hospital: again, I can't speak specifically for Pitt, but if you're interested at all in peds, Comer is pretty awesome and BRAND NEW from what I saw of it.

I think like others have said, you can't really go wrong with either choice. I'll be heading to Pritzker unless I get into Penn...

Pitt had really nice students there, and they also have a fantastic children's hospital. I think Pitt's hospital system as a whole has a big edge on Chicago's.

 

[Stolenspatulas]

I like these two schools a lot, but as of right now I think I'm heading to Vandy over these two.... unless i have some fun waitlist action.

Some tid-bits:

Pitt - average age is pretty old. I remember a first year telling me it was 27. I'm not sure if this is definitely true, but I do know that Pitt loves nontrads. If you are looking for a slightly more mature crowd, this may be the place to be. The Wiser Center is awesome; and from what I remember, the admin seems to be one of the more approachable/nicer ones. I work with a few graduates of Pitt and they've told me they wouldn't turn down their school for any.

Pritzker - Nicest Admins I've met. I'm not sure if I really like the frontload structure of the first year. I remember some students telling me that many of their tests are essay-based and cover ultimately everything (though everything is not, of course, equally important in terms of learning medicine). This leaves students less prepared for the boards (since they tend to not concentrate on the USMLE ''hotspots'' nor give multiple choice exams).

Both schools have very reputable clinical training and are strongholds in Academia, as ya know. Can't go wrong!

 

[searun]

Which school has the best surfing and snowboarding opportunites?

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

Which school has the best surfing and snowboarding opportunites?

chicago: surfing (wind + lake michigan)
pittsburgh: snowboarding (mountains)

now do you see why this decision is so tough?

 

[mahasanti]

University of Pittsburgh versus University of Chicago - Pritzker



*academics*: pritzker is p/f for first two years with aoa being determined only based on more traditional third-year evaluations, while i *think* pitt is h/p/f all four years. pritzker seems to have a lot of class time in the preclinical years, with essay-style exams. so i'm not sure if one is more stressful or competitive than the other.

This is a huge factor for me. Pitt uses a curve to generate honors grades which seems to equal competition to me. If you want honors you have to be in the top 15% of the class. Pritzker's p/f just gets rid of that drive for honors! I remember my student interviewer at Pitt commenting on how she didn't like how competitive the school was. Of course maybe that was just her.

i think pritzker does have at least one rotation in a suburban hospital, so that's a bit of a turn-off since i won't have a car. anyone know if one has better clinical training than the other?

I just talked to a third year on the phone about rotations and he said that you were required to do IM at the U Chicago hospital, but could do any other rotation pretty much where ever you want. I take this to mean that you can do all of your rotations at the University of Chicago hospital.

As far as clinical training goes, I am sure that they are both fantastic. On the AMSA student surveys, however, the 26 Pitt students that responded gave Pitt a 3.6/5.0 for the quality of 3rd/4th year teaching. The 8 Pritzker students that responded gave Pritzker a 5.0/5.0. Of course we're talking about extremely small samples, but still interesting. From what I have heard from current Pritzker students, and read here on SDN, the clinical training at Pritzker is phenomenal. Their reputation in this area could be part of the reason why Pritzker students match so well.

Pitt has that cool Wiser center. NICE!

As you can tell, I'm pretty much infatuated with Pritzker, but Pitt isn't bad either. I had to make this decision, too, and for me, Pritzker was really exactly what I was looking for. I just didn't feel it with Pitt.

Good luck in your decision. You can't really go wrong with either.

 

[searun]

chicago: surfing (wind + lake michigan)
pittsburgh: snowboarding (mountains)

now do you see why this decision is so tough?

Riding the wave and riding the powder - both are equally good. So there is no wrong decision. Nor is there a right decision. The zen master agrees that the matter of choice is just an illusion. Eliminate desire and you will find yourself at one of these schools or perhaps neither.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

bumping for more input.

i'm suprised to hear that pitt's h/p/f system might produce an appreciably more competitive atmosphere. a pitt student in the older thread i mentioned didn't think it was too competitive.

i'm also suprised about pitt's clinical experience results on the amsa survey. do they not let students get their hands dirty with patients?

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

bump.

any more opinions about one school, the other, or how they compare?

 

[WitchDoctor]

i would personally chose pitt over pritzker.

i've written some posts on why i wasn't in love with priztker (even though i desperately wanted to be) after my interview day. i went into my visit loving everything i read about uchicago online, chicago is an amazing city, etc. i had a wonderful and positive interview there but the vibe that i got wasn't what i was looking for:
-the students didn't really seem to be involved in anything outside the classroom
-they seemed more stressed there than every single other school, since they were in class literally ALL DAY and my hosts were up studying until 1am (no upcoming final)
-i sat in on a class, talked to a bunch of students, and while they were all very nice, they weren't my cup of tea---we seemed to just have very different interests (i know this is vague, PM me if you want to know more, i don't want to start a war or offend)
-none of the students i met really tried to encourage me to come there or told me that it was "the greatest med school ever" while nearly all other schools i visited, students were basically flagging us down just to tell us how amazing their school was
there were positives, beautiful city and campus, great hospital, but nothing that would make me want to stay there for four years.

Pitt on the other hand was completely different. i expected going in to HATE Pitt since I heard all these negative things about the city but ended up loving it. All the students i met were so genuine and friendly-totally my type. they all raved about how much they loved pitt and why we should come there. the facilities were all amazing, pittsburgh was suprisingly beautiful and affordable, there are so many research opportunities. the list goes on...


so, for me, i would definitely choose Pitt.
good luck to you

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

bump.

in case anyone else has something to add.

 

[photo_girl07]

Ok, so I'll qualify my statement...I have no opinion about U Chic (since I declined to interview, partly because I had been accepted to Pitt).

I can talk about Pitt....I fell in love with Pitt. The entire UPMC system is a great place to do your rotations. And there is only one med school in Pittsburgh, so you really have endless opportunities. Plus, Pitt is affiliated with Carnegie Mellon, so you have numerous research opportunities.

The H/P/F system---not too hot. But, the students did not seem too competitive. The students i met seemed happy and interesting. Also, Pittsbyurgh (surprisingly) is a beautiful city filled with really great places to eat/hang out/etc. And there is U Pitt (undergrad) campus.

Plus, there is a new gym right next to campus and new housing....and its cheap compared to CA.

The only thing is the weather---it snows and its cold....and I was born and bred in CA (and I need sunshine). But I am seriously still considering Pitt. It's expensive compared to UC medical schools (but I'll see how the financial aid powers above decide).

Good Luck...either way....you can't really make a wrong decision. Both schools seem great.

Glck

 

[worker_bee]

Hey I'm a current first year at Pitt. Figure I might as well add a couple of things.

As far as the H/P/F, you're probably not going to honor unless you set out gunning for it. So if you're a non-gunner, this is essentially a P/F school, and it shouldn't bother you. And if you are a gunner, you should be happy that you get recognition for the hard work you'd be putting in anyway. From talking to fourth years, preclinical grades don't matter much and you can match very well without ever honoring a class.

Most students come here, decide its not worth their time and mental sanity to gun for honors, and just relax from there. This school isn't very competitive - people are always emailing out study aids to the whole class. I think most people, if they're complaining about how hard this school is, they're not complaining about how hard it is to honor, they're complaining about how hard it is to pass (and it can be pretty hard).

One important thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned is that we have a block schedule here at pitt, so you only take one class at a time, and can devote your full attention to it. For example, right now we're doing neuroscience, and that's all we'll be doing for 7 weeks. This is very different from how other schools do it, and in my opinion, lowers stress considerably. Especially since you don't have a block at the end of the semester with 4 different tests in 4 hard science classes.

Average age - I'd be shocked if it was really 27. A solid majority of first years are 22 or 23 when they start, as at any other medical school. We do have some people in their late 20's/early 30's though.

Location - I've only been to Chicago once, so I can't really compare cities. Some people are city-snobs, and won't ever like a place like Pittsburgh. But having lived in New York before, I don't find myself missing anything here in Pittsburgh. I'm not really a hipster or a metrosexual or anything though.

 

[searun]

Hey I'm a current first year at Pitt. Figure I might as well add a couple of things.

As far as the H/P/F, you're probably not going to honor unless you set out gunning for it. So if you're a non-gunner, this is essentially a P/F school, and it shouldn't bother you. And if you are a gunner, you should be happy that you get recognition for the hard work you'd be putting in anyway. From talking to fourth years, preclinical grades don't matter much and you can match very well without ever honoring a class.

Most students come here, decide its not worth their time and mental sanity to gun for honors, and just relax from there. This school isn't very competitive - people are always emailing out study aids to the whole class. I think most people, if they're complaining about how hard this school is, they're not complaining about how hard it is to honor, they're complaining about how hard it is to pass (and it can be pretty hard).

One important thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned is that we have a block schedule here at pitt, so you only take one class at a time, and can devote your full attention to it. For example, right now we're doing neuroscience, and that's all we'll be doing for 7 weeks. This is very different from how other schools do it, and in my opinion, lowers stress considerably. Especially since you don't have a block at the end of the semester with 4 different tests in 4 hard science classes.

Average age - I'd be shocked if it was really 27. A solid majority of first years are 22 or 23 when they start, as at any other medical school. We do have some people in their late 20's/early 30's though.

Location - I've only been to Chicago once, so I can't really compare cities. Some people are city-snobs, and won't ever like a place like Pittsburgh. But having lived in New York before, I don't find myself missing anything here in Pittsburgh. I'm not really a hipster or a metrosexual or anything though.

Wait a minute. Who would want to be in a med school class without alot of metrosexuals?

 

[ghip]

Depends on if you like fatties. Pritzker is full of fatties. If you like fatties, you should go there.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

thanks for all the additional info. any insight on student life at pitt or pritzker?

 

[Quix]

I run into medical students all the time at the Waterfront (Barnes and Noble & Panera).

 

[EBI831]

Depends on if you like fatties. Pritzker is full of fatties. If you like fatties, you should go there.

maybe i should go. i'd have more of a chance to snag a husband. score one more for me. keep em coming hahahah

 

[Rorasaurus]

Well, I put in a big fat vote for Pritzker. Maybe it's because I'm from the midwest, but it's a fantastic school with a great rep, as you know, but I think it's underrated. Research is a major factor...

 

[vscarlet27]

just quickly because i have to run - but as a current pitt 4th yr and uchicago undergrad alum, i have a few thoughts -

- clinical/matching - don't underestimate the value of upmc being the only dominant academic hospital around - you will generally see high volume and high acuity - there are great teachers in every field and world-renowned researchers and clinicians everywhere - you can totally 'get your hands dirty' as much as you want - a lot of your clinical experience is based on your intiative. i will say that you are right in saying there is less ethnic diversity seen at pittsburgh, especially in the latino community. that was something important to me that i found lacking, although the community is increasing in size and the salud program has great leadership and is also growing.
as far as reputation, when i interviewed for peds i heard so many remarks as to how great pitt's program is - and i know others in other fields heard the same. (and a quick plug for peds - the new children's hospital is going to be amaaaaazing). i'll take slight offense to the remark that pritzker's match list is so awesome compared to pitt's - (i have only seen a general overview for pritzkers, like how many to what field and how many to a hospital? not like what field is going to what place) - but as for us, i know almost nobody who (a) didn't get interviews at top programs and (b) didn't match at one of their top choices.

-competitiveness - i agree with the pitt ms1 who posted earlier. i never felt that we were in a cutthroat environment. yeah, it's hard to honor an entire block, so what? plenty of people were not AOA and got awesome residencies. it's your clinical core grades that matter most, and esp in the field you want.

-student life - from what i remember, pritzker students are pretty happy too, but mostly in the spring - when they didnt' have their schedules totally full like they were in the fall/winter. the block schedule really helps in terms of only having to worry about one class at a time - also, most lectures can be totally optional for some (they give you all the notes in a syllabus) and you always get a couple afternoons totally off. so you get stressed maybe right before a test - but the rest of the time you can do whatever you want to with your time.
our average ages might be older, but the classes feel anything but old and stuffy. often times you'll realize that the older ones are probably less mature! people go out all the time. i personally think we are a lot of fun, ha.

-city - okok, i was totally a hater when i got to the 'burgh but now have grown to love it in some ways. it's got its charm, and that's coming from a native san diegan --> chicago --> headed to miami kinda girl. it's underrated - it can be very beautiful in the nonwinter months, it has a wonderful symphony and cultural show offerings, a strong indie music scene, sports sports sports, and you can always find a dollar beer on any given night. however. if you like the clubs and dancing and loungey and bottle service kinds of places, you will be very sad. just in comparison to chicago - the everyday/everynight feel of hyde park to oakland/shadyside is probably very similar. but i think chicago is far superior in terms of its kind of "nicer" options of downtown/lincoln park. and way better restaurants.
as far as weather, they are both freakin cold - it probably ultimately doesn't matter whose windchill gets lower vs cloudy days.
as far as cost of living, pittsburgh is ridiculous. if i knew then what i know now i would buy buy buy in pittsburgh - the market is so cheap compared to where i'm going and i have friends who have had their home appreciate like 40% in the 4 years here.

alright i know i said i was going to make this short and now this is long and i can't even remember if i answered all the questions you wanted. basically - they are obviously two great places. you'll get great training and be among great people at either - so maybe your decision will come down to location or learning style or whatever. go with the gut! pm if you have specific qs.

 

[nosugrefneb]

Just to briefly clarify some things:

i think pritzker would have a more ethnically diverse pt population (more african-americans and latin americans) than pitt, but i'm not sure how much this really matters for med school clinical training. it seems nice that pitt is the big med center for the region, whereas pritzker competes with nwu for complex cases--again, not sure how much that matters as a med student.

Actually, this works a lot in our (Pritzker's) favor when considering not just the racial makeup of the population, but also the various income levels and range of pathologies that accompany it. Pritzker's patient population is far different from that of Northwestern, especially in acute care situations.

i think pritzker does have at least one rotation in a suburban hospital, so that's a bit of a turn-off since i won't have a car.

You can opt to do all of your rotations at UofC. The suburban hospital rotations are options for those who want to explore different environments and patient populations, and also for those who are able to travel. If you have no way of getting around, they place you accordingly.

they also have a student lounge (i don't think pritzker does) and they're about to finish building a med school dorm (pritzker doesnt' have this), so it *seems* that pitt might have a more cohesive student body but this is only an inference. any comments on this?

We have two lounges, one in the hospital and one in the med school building. I believe there's another one going in on the top floor of the surgery building that's going up soon. Personally, I wouldn't want to spend every waking (and sleeping) moment with my classmates, and that's especially true if it's in a dorm. I was all too happy to be done with dorms in college.

to get to the fun stuff in chicago, one would have to travel 30 minutes by car or over an hour by bus/train

Not sure where you heard this, but when I had a car, I drove down every day...15 minute commute at most, including finding a parking spot and walking to class. Sure, the el takes longer to get to the north side, but it's certainly never stopped anyone at Pritzker from going out.

Hope that answers some questions!

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

thanks for the great input, current students.

i shouldn't have sounded so disparaging about pitt's match list. i don't know how to read them, anyway. i was recently corrected on the em forums with the information that the three matches from pitt at christiana for em is most likely a great sign (i didn't know anything about the program). so what do i know? it's obvious that academics won't keep anyone from pitt or pritzker from matching where they want.

anyone else have something to add?

 

[weathertalk]

In terms of matching, they'll probably give you the same opportunities-- so other factors come into play.

I didn't bother reading all the previous posts. However, I would personally pick U of C because:

1) Chicago >>>>>>> Pittsburgh
2) Pritzker is true P/NP
3) University of Chicago has more name recognition among lay people than Pitt (very superficial reason, I know. that's why I'm listing it last)

But in all seriousness, the first two reasons are significant, I think.



Good luck.

 

[Looque]

This is a debate I'm having, as well. I'm just hoping that, after walking away from both of the revisits, I will simply know. After a cursory look at the housing market in Pittsburgh, though, it seems there are a lot of really cool and really cheap places to live, which has a definite appeal.

What are the off-campus housing conditions typically experienced by Pritzker students, in terms of cost, quality, commute, and type?

Aside from that, my primary concern is regarding Pritzker's curriculum and the seemingly inexhaustible amount of lecture. Do students attend all of the lectures? Is it easy to skip if one wishes without sacrificing the ability to pass the classes? (By this, I mean how available are notes, lecture audio/video, etc, and do many elect to forego the lectures?) Are students left with any time for extracurriculars or hobbies or relaxation?

 

[nosugrefneb]

Aside from that, my primary concern is regarding Pritzker's curriculum and the seemingly inexhaustible amount of lecture.

Sorry, can I just ask a question here: How much lecture do you think we have?

Do students attend all of the lectures? Is it easy to skip if one wishes without sacrificing the ability to pass the classes? (By this, I mean how available are notes, lecture audio/video, etc, and do many elect to forego the lectures?) Are students left with any time for extracurriculars or hobbies or relaxation?

Most people skip at least some lectures; some skip all of them. We are given the powerpoint presentations and past exams (most of the time), so it's pretty easy to have all the resources of class without actually having gone to class. That said, our lectures are given by experts in their respective fields, and the vast majority are either MDs or MD/PhDs who have invaluable anecdotal experience that helps with learning this stuff.

Plenty of time for having a life. Trust me.

 

[Towelie]

Looque, you will notice that if you look at Pitt's schedule, they spend all day in class just like Pritzker students do.

 

[QofQuimica]

bump.

any more opinions about one school, the other, or how they compare?

They're both excellent schools; you can't make a bad choice here. What's your financial aid like from each school? Which one is closer to your family? Can you go to both second looks? If they both give you the same amount of aid, your family is in the midwest, and you don't have any strong vibes right now, then go to the second looks and pick by your gut feeling. Or, stay home and just flip a coin. Seriously, dude, don't agonize too much over this decision. You're in a very enviable position, and it's win-win for you no matter what you do. to you.

 

[thinknofu3]

As a student at Pritzker, I can tell you that the true P/F is the *best* thing in the *entire* world. Believe me, I got good grades plenty in undergrad, but if I were shooting for honors now, I would probably want to kill myself. I seriously wouldn't trade the P/F system even if I could go to med school for free. That's what a huge difference in makes in your quality of life.

That being said, the main basis for the P/F first two years is that it creates a spirit of cooperation at Pritzker that's really amazing. There is absolutely no competition whatsoever, and everybody is always ready and willing to help everybody else. We're all in this together, and it's way better to start working with people and collaborating as soon as possible, because medicine is ultimately all about teamwork in the end.

I can tell you also that there is *plenty* of time for a social life. Just an example - our first Neuroanatomy exam is next Monday, and at least 20 of us are going to a Cubs game on Saturday. And yes, there is a "bar" (if you will) in the hospital. And it's not just for the third and fourth years either...

I can't comment about UPitt at all, but I can say that I am very happy with Pritzker and would make the same choice over again in a second.

Good luck deciding!

 

[StealthNerd]

bump!

 

[madeinVEGAS]

bump!

what the hell is a BUMP?

 

[StealthNerd]

bump!

To bring this thread back up. It's me saying: "hey anyone else out there have comments on this?"

I.E. I want to get more intel on Pitt vs Pritzker. I'm drawn to both due to their reputations, and liked Pitt when I visited (haven't yet interviewed/visited Pritzker yet). But my spouse and I are both aprehensive about the "Windy City"... then again I'm sure Pitt sucks in the winter too. We're from Virginia so just going to UVA seems like the best choice from a purely quality of life/location/weather standpoint.

Any comments regarding quality of life, location, pros/cons of curriculum, styles of learning (apparently Pritzker is all day lecutures and essay tests...) comparing/contrasting Pitt/Pritzker would be appreciated...

Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

 

[capn jazz]

Okay, I work in Pritzker's hospital and I have never heard of or seen this illustrious bar! Where's it at?

 

[lemon tree]

I can't speak for/against Pitt specifically, but here's my thinking on Pritzker when comparing it to my other schools...

Friendliness of admins: I've found the Pritzker people to be really forthcoming, helpful, and reponsive to my questions. Not so much at some other schools. This is a plus for me coming from a small school where communication is easy.


Sweet university: UChicago is an awesome place and I look forward to taking a class or two within the university but outside of SoM. I don't know if Pitt does the same or not? Even if they do, I don't know about their quality compared to UChicago, for example, in econ or public policy.


Sweet students: I'm not sure what vibe you did or didn't get when visiting, but all the students I talked to while I was there and all the ones I've spoken to via email since have been really laid back and extremely friendly.

Insane children's hospital: again, I can't speak specifically for Pitt, but if you're interested at all in peds, Comer is pretty awesome and BRAND NEW from what I saw of it.

I think like others have said, you can't really go wrong with either choice. I'll be heading to Pritzker unless I get into Penn...

they have a hospital for "insane children??" is it politically correct to call them that?

 

[shantster]

bump!

To bring this thread back up. It's me saying: "hey anyone else out there have comments on this?"

I.E. I want to get more intel on Pitt vs Pritzker. I'm drawn to both due to their reputations, and liked Pitt when I visited (haven't yet interviewed/visited Pritzker yet). But my spouse and I are both aprehensive about the "Windy City"... then again I'm sure Pitt sucks in the winter too. We're from Virginia so just going to UVA seems like the best choice from a purely quality of life/location/weather standpoint.

Any comments regarding quality of life, location, pros/cons of curriculum, styles of learning (apparently Pritzker is all day lecutures and essay tests...) comparing/contrasting Pitt/Pritzker would be appreciated...

Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

Depends on your definition of sucking for winter. So far we have been mostly in the 30s and 40s with rain a few days a week. Not much snow at all. Coming from Wisconsin, I'm disappointed because I love to see snow in the winter (which is what you'd see in Chicago), especially now with the gorgeous snow there is there.

 

[nosugrefneb]

(apparently Pritzker is all day lecutures and essay tests...)

Yes, and they beat us and whip us too, well into the wee hours of the morn.

Honestly, go to Pritzker's site and look this stuff up for yourself. Quit listening to other people who have no idea what they're talking about.

 

[StealthNerd]

Yes, and they beat us and whip us too, well into the wee hours of the morn.

Honestly, go to Pritzker's site and look this stuff up for yourself. Quit listening to other people who have no idea what they're talking about.

OMG they whip you!!

I'm so in.

Wait, what?

 

[GalaxySystem]

Pitt wins. Clinical exposure, research opptys, quality of hospital system, student led groups, Area of Concentrations, living conditions, and caliber of physician-mentors make it the winner IMHO.

 

[qkqh]

Pitt wins. Clinical exposure, research opptys, quality of hospital system, student led groups, Area of Concentrations, living conditions, and caliber of physician-mentors make it the winner IMHO.

I disagree. U Chicago is a slight notch above Pitt. Pitt is a great program and does offer tremendous research opportunities, but so does U Chicago. During my interview day at Pitt, a professor in history of medicine even told us that Pitt will never catch up with U Chicago, Columbia, and other big name schools. I think alot of posters above are biased because of their affiliations with the school.

 

[Kikaku21]

I disagree. U Chicago is a slight notch above Pitt. Pitt is a great program and does offer tremendous research opportunities, but so does U Chicago. During my interview day at Pitt, a professor in history of medicine even told us that Pitt will never catch up with U Chicago, Columbia, and other big name schools. I think alot of posters above are biased because of their affiliations with the school.

The professor of medicine guy is nuts. He hangs out in that dark back room of the hallway with that tall, lanky kid. He did, however, have some good "add this to your reading list" advice.

I interviewed at both of these schools, and was very impressed by both. It really depends on what you are looking for. If you want to do an MD/MBA, or an MD/JD, then Pritzker wins outright, as they have stellar law and business programs. Also, if you want to do a MD/Ph.D, Pritzker takes the cake for most combinations. Outside of that, they both have stellar faculty and research opportunities. To suggest that one is "better" than the other in either of these areas would be silly unless you knew exactly what kind of mentor you wanted to work with, or what kind of research you wanted to do. (i.e. I want to work in Orthopedic clinical trials, with Dr. X, at school Y) If you are big into group learning/PBL, then go Pitt. If you want more traditional, then go Pritzker. Pritzker has P/F, which is pretty awesome. Pitt, from what I've heard from a friend, has some competition for good scores. Its kind of a personal choice--what kind of environment do you thrive in?

The facilities at Pritzker are a little nicer IMO. The building is newer and nicer. The anatomy lab at Pritzker is on the 4th floor, with sun lit windows and a nice view. The Pitt anatomy lab is in the cellar. On the flip side, Pitt's simulation lab is just awesome. Both hospital systems are incredible. UofC is building a bunch of new surgical and in partient stuff, which will be finished when we are all M3s. (Assuming you are going to start in August.) It is supposed to be super state of the art.

NWU and UofC will get the most interesting cases in Chicagoland, which has a population of 9.5 million. Pitt gets the whole of Western Penn. Penn has 12.4 million people, so Pitt probably gets 6.2 mill. Long story short, they both draw from large populations for tertiary care, even with UofC competing with NWU, as there are a ton of people in Chicago.

Chicago is a much larger, more diverse city than Pitt, but Pitt has a better climate and more "outdoors" stuff to do. Again, personal choice.

Anyway, that kind of rambled on. Just my $.02

 

[WaterBottle]

Nobody lives in Western Pennsylvania. That's why it's called Pennsyltucky.

 

[XerxesMD]

I've heard of people traveling from Ohio and WV too in order to get care at UPMC.

 

[mahasanti]

Don't underestimate the power of a true P/F grading system! I actually was in the position deciding between Pitt and Pritzker last year. Pitt seems like a really cool place, and I wish Pritzker had the simulation lab of Pitt, but P/F (and no ranking...) has to be the best thing ever... ever!

So, of course, I am biased since I chose Pritzker. Of course, both schools are excellent and you would get a great education at either. Pritzker does probably have the one up with research (just about everyone does NIH supported summer research), city (Chicago rocks!), and maybe slightly on residency placement. Also the administrators at Pritzker have to be some of the nicest people I have ever met. Pittsburgh is cheaper to live in, has a cool simulation lab (how often do they actually use this??), uses PBL more, and has more competition for grades.

Pittsburgh also has a scary history of medicine guy! COOL!

Good luck in your decisions!

 

[lex]

From academic standpoint, you can pick either. They're both pretty much the same. But if I were you, I would pick Pritzker because it is in the city of Chicago. I have been to Chicago before and I must say that it almost has the same amenities as NYC and San Francisco but at a cheaper price tag. It is true that Pritzker's neighborhood is not so great but you can always live elsewhere. You do have a lot of options since Chicago has had a lot of real estate development. So, you can find affordable rentals there.

Or if you care about the financial aid package they offer, you can start from there. Both tuition in both schools doesn't differ much. But again, I would pick Pritzker anyday. If you drive (a car or motorcycle), it does not really matter if you are passing a bad neighborhood or not. Worst case scenario, you can just run down those suckers trying to attack you.