Schrodinger's Chat
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- Jun 25, 2019
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Update: decided to go with UA Phoenix!
Hi all, thanks in advance for your help! I feel very lucky to have a choice in what school I'll be going to -- but I'm struggling to make that choice! I'm pretty evenly tied between my options and I feel like I would be happy and fulfilled at any of the three, so I'm having a hard time figuring out what the deciding factor should be. I'm really not leaning one way or the other and have received mixed reviews from my friends and family, so I'm hoping the wisdom of SDN can help me out!
About me: I'm a NV resident, excited to be coming back west. I think both Phoenix and Denver fit the vibe that I'm looking for in a city. Undecided about what specialty I want to pursue but I want to remain in this region of the U.S. after med school.
University of Arizona - Phoenix ($80k COA/year)
Pro:
-Really nice main building since it's new
-Awesome simulation center and anatomy lab, also nice and new
-Located in Downtown Phoenix so lots to do
-Faculty/staff seem really involved in student life and provide a lot of support
-Was really impressed by their attentiveness and organization at the interview
-Really excellent about communicating and I feel like they care and want me there
-Clerkship rotations at Mayo Clinic
-18 mo curriculum
Con:
-Campus is really only 1 main building since it's so new
-Because it's a newer school, doesn't have as strong of a reputation
-Unranked
University of Colorado - Denver ($95k COA/year)
Pro:
-Better established (older) school --> better reputation and more expansive/developed campus
-Similarly, more/stronger resources
-Lots of great hospitals and medical centers right on or around campus -- easy access for clerkship
-Higher ranking
-Aurora/Denver are diverse and growing, cool city, lots to do outdoors
-Focus on social determinants of health which I like
Con:
-Communication has been kind of lacking and frustrating from admissions
-Really bad traffic in Aurora/Denver
-Restructuring the curriculum right now which might mean there's more hiccups since we're the first class
University of Nevada - Las Vegas ($59k COA/year) - withdrew
Pro:
-I'd be close to my parents and am already familiar with the city
-Cheaper living near home and having help
-New school so really responsive to feedback and change
-Opportunity to give back to my community which I am passionate about
-Small possibility of receiving a tuition scholarship of $25k annually if somebody else drops but don't currently have it and it's kind of unlikely
Con:
-UNLV is a very new school so they do not have a well-established reputation
-No class graduating yet so don't have a sense of their match success
-Because it's new I got the sense they had fewer resources than the other two
-No gross anatomy, only virtual
-Small class of only 60 students
-The main campus building is shared with the dental school
-Not a lot of residency opportunities in Vegas so likely would go somewhere else for residency anyways
-More limited clerkship opportunities -- only one main site with occasional surgeries at another
Hi all, thanks in advance for your help! I feel very lucky to have a choice in what school I'll be going to -- but I'm struggling to make that choice! I'm pretty evenly tied between my options and I feel like I would be happy and fulfilled at any of the three, so I'm having a hard time figuring out what the deciding factor should be. I'm really not leaning one way or the other and have received mixed reviews from my friends and family, so I'm hoping the wisdom of SDN can help me out!
About me: I'm a NV resident, excited to be coming back west. I think both Phoenix and Denver fit the vibe that I'm looking for in a city. Undecided about what specialty I want to pursue but I want to remain in this region of the U.S. after med school.
University of Arizona - Phoenix ($80k COA/year)
Pro:
-Really nice main building since it's new
-Awesome simulation center and anatomy lab, also nice and new
-Located in Downtown Phoenix so lots to do
-Faculty/staff seem really involved in student life and provide a lot of support
-Was really impressed by their attentiveness and organization at the interview
-Really excellent about communicating and I feel like they care and want me there
-Clerkship rotations at Mayo Clinic
-18 mo curriculum
Con:
-Campus is really only 1 main building since it's so new
-Because it's a newer school, doesn't have as strong of a reputation
-Unranked
University of Colorado - Denver ($95k COA/year)
Pro:
-Better established (older) school --> better reputation and more expansive/developed campus
-Similarly, more/stronger resources
-Lots of great hospitals and medical centers right on or around campus -- easy access for clerkship
-Higher ranking
-Aurora/Denver are diverse and growing, cool city, lots to do outdoors
-Focus on social determinants of health which I like
Con:
-Communication has been kind of lacking and frustrating from admissions
-Really bad traffic in Aurora/Denver
-Restructuring the curriculum right now which might mean there's more hiccups since we're the first class
University of Nevada - Las Vegas ($59k COA/year) - withdrew
Pro:
-I'd be close to my parents and am already familiar with the city
-Cheaper living near home and having help
-New school so really responsive to feedback and change
-Opportunity to give back to my community which I am passionate about
-Small possibility of receiving a tuition scholarship of $25k annually if somebody else drops but don't currently have it and it's kind of unlikely
Con:
-UNLV is a very new school so they do not have a well-established reputation
-No class graduating yet so don't have a sense of their match success
-Because it's new I got the sense they had fewer resources than the other two
-No gross anatomy, only virtual
-Small class of only 60 students
-The main campus building is shared with the dental school
-Not a lot of residency opportunities in Vegas so likely would go somewhere else for residency anyways
-More limited clerkship opportunities -- only one main site with occasional surgeries at another
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