UAB or South Alabama with a half-tuition scholarship?

[Alabamed]

Hello everyone,

I'm facing a dilemma right now as you can tell from the thread title, and would greatly appreciate any advice from current students, residents, or doctors with enough knowledge/experience with either school.

As I've gathered from both old and recent forums (and please correct any misconceptions or errors I may have), there are some pros and cons for each school:

*UAB: More nationally recognized and ranked, larger more competitive class size, great residency matches (especially MD/PhD students), excellent facilities and exposure to sub-specialties (is it true that students don't get a very good hands-on experience though?), recent integrated organ modules + clinical group study curriculum that seemed to have a shaky start but seems better now, as well as research built into the 3rd year.

*USA: Smaller class size, more relaxed atmosphere and supportive and available faculty and staff, traditional medical school curriculum, great clinical experiences, higher average on board exams (no exact numbers to back this up, I've only heard), great residency matches into competitive specialties as well.

I will receive in-state tuition for both MD programs (half for South), do not have a very specific interest in a particular field/sub-specialty as of yet, and do not have a strong research background (can't say I'm passionate about a specific research area since I haven't had as much exposure as I'd like to).

I truly value a challenging education as I've seen how it has helped me improve academically, but I would rather be in an environment with supportive classmates as opposed to a cut-throat one that saps the joy out of any learning experience.

I know debt is an issue, but I do not want to be short-sighted by making the money a major factor in my decision. I just want to have the best opportunities for my medical career. Again, any honest and unbiased insights would be appreciated.

Thanks and I apologize for such a long post,

-Alabamed

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[MedSchoolFan]

First off, UAB does not have a competitive atmosphere. I was under this impression too until I spoke to the students and friends currently there. They all seem really happy with their classmates and have confirmed that they like to collaborate and share notes, etc. My interview day seem to confirmed this as well, and many students approached me just to see if I had any questions.

Both schools are good and have their advantages and disadvantages. But the general consensus is that if you want to go into primary care, go to USA. If you're more interested in specializing, go to UAB. The research exposure will greatly help you with the more competitive residencies. In general, USA is more focused on community medicine and UAB on academic medicine.

Current med students at UAB said they get to see the rarest and most complicated cases, which may not be as frequent at USA since UAB is the only certified level one trauma center in Alabama. So UAB's clinical experience may have an edge.

I will also say that I felt slightly disturbed when interviewing at USA. The interviewers all asked me why I would chose USA over UAB. I felt uncomfortable with that question since it is a personal choice. On the other hand, UAB never mentioned USA or any other med school when I interviewed there.

In the end, go with your gut or go with where you think you will get the most exposure to the type of medicine you want to practice. If you're going to UAB, see you there.

Good luck.

 

[BamaMed19]

The only thing I have to add is that in-state tuition is cheap for both schools, so either way you will be coming away with way less debt than most med students (so I wouldn't let that factor into your decision all that much). I have no doubt you can get a great education at both, but the person above is right, you need to think about what type/where you want to do residency and see which school helps you get there. Best of luck with your decision.

 

[WDeagle]

Hello everyone,

I'm facing a dilemma right now as you can tell from the thread title, and would greatly appreciate any advice from current students, residents, or doctors with enough knowledge/experience with either school.

As I've gathered from both old and recent forums (and please correct any misconceptions or errors I may have), there are some pros and cons for each school:

*UAB: More nationally recognized and ranked, larger more competitive class size, great residency matches (especially MD/PhD students), excellent facilities and exposure to sub-specialties (is it true that students don't get a very good hands-on experience though?), recent integrated organ modules + clinical group study curriculum that seemed to have a shaky start but seems better now, as well as research built into the 3rd year.

*USA: Smaller class size, more relaxed atmosphere and supportive and available faculty and staff, traditional medical school curriculum, great clinical experiences, higher average on board exams (no exact numbers to back this up, I've only heard), great residency matches into competitive specialties as well.

I will receive in-state tuition for both MD programs (half for South), do not have a very specific interest in a particular field/sub-specialty as of yet, and do not have a strong research background (can't say I'm passionate about a specific research area since I haven't had as much exposure as I'd like to).

I truly value a challenging education as I've seen how it has helped me improve academically, but I would rather be in an environment with supportive classmates as opposed to a cut-throat one that saps the joy out of any learning experience.

I know debt is an issue, but I do not want to be short-sighted by making the money a major factor in my decision. I just want to have the best opportunities for my medical career. Again, any honest and unbiased insights would be appreciated.

Thanks and I apologize for such a long post,

-Alabamed

You gotta go with the half tuition. Easy choice. Regardless of which 2 schools you're comparing if one is 1/2 the cost of the other you gotta choose it. It seems like tuition debt is really a big burden for physicians these days.

 

[CodeBlu]

Follow the money! You have two great schools that want you.

Makes sense to ease the financial burden, when some people are graduating with 200K in debt.

 

[spagett]

Hello everyone,

I know debt is an issue, but I do not want to be short-sighted by making the money a major factor in my decision. I just want to have the best opportunities for my medical career. Again, any honest and unbiased insights would be appreciated.

-Alabamed

Most people here seem to be advising you to follow the money, and I completely understand their point - but this is a huge decision depending on what you want to do. Did you have any plans to do research in your career? Do you want to practice outside of Alabama? Do you want to work in an academic setting? If you have the slightest inclination to do any of these, maybe your best choice would be UAB.

Yes, the general consensus on SDN appears to be that "rankings are more or less meaningless," because if you work hard and do well you can become a physician of any specialty no matter where you went to school. But I don't think I've seen many people acknowledge the caveats - UAB is a "brand" that people recognize around the country, and if you work hard and do well there, then having that UAB degree is going to help your resume more than the University of South Alabama would, unless you want to stay in Alabama, then it probably doesn't matter. But if you're interested in opening more doors, it might be worth the extra $60,000 + interest. The caveat to my argument is that I don't know how well you find either school a fit and I don't know much about the environment at either school.

But if you want to get a better look at the financial burden you'll face at either school, I would encourage you to take half an hour or so playing around on AAMC First. The medloans calculator and organizer was a big help when I wanted to know how much everything would cost, and what's amazing about the application is that you can manipulate your repayment time and also your debt after residency - I found I could save about $32,000 in interest just by paying an extra $200/month during residency!

So, best of luck in making your decision!

 

[YH5]

Go to the school you feel more comfortable at. How you perform will have a far greater impact on your future than whether you went to UAB or South.

 

[WDeagle]

Go to the school you feel more comfortable at. How you perform will have a far greater impact on your future than whether you went to UAB or South.

You'll do the same no matter what school you go to. Unless all your support system is in one town and you have no friends in the other.

 

[YH5]

You'll do the same no matter what school you go to. Unless all your support system is in one town and you have no friends in the other.

I would include such things when considering what school I was more "comfortable" at, but i'll stop offering advice since WDeagle knows all.

 

[IDoIt4Love]

What kind of tuition difference are we talking here? If, tuition-wise, both end up being under 20k/year, and you won't be living at home to attend either school, I wouldn't make cost the priority-- I would go with the school that seems to be a better fit based on your career goals, availability of support systems and community feel. I do not agree that you will perform the same no matter where you go-- your environment will have a lot to do with whether or not you can thrive, or at least how difficult it will be for you to do so, and your happiness in the next four years. Go where you feel most comfortable.

 

[PeachyPhd]

Congrats on the scholarsip and multiple acceptances! HIGH FIVE!

I agree, you can't go wrong with either decision.

If you are concerned about the money, also note:
The cost of living is also cheaper at USA compared to UAB. So you'll be requiring less loan money in general.

 

[nossan]

Alabamed - Are you currently accepted at both schools, or are we talking about next years app cycle?

 

[elmo42]

First of all, let me say that I really do not believe that one school is better than the other. It all truly does depend on the person.

That being said, it seems that your heart is into UAB and you are trying very hard to justify your decision if you choose South. It also seems that the timing of this post and the fact that you have money from South tells us that you got into South a while ago and have been holding out for UAB.

It seems like your heart is telling you to go to UAB. Just my opinion on the matter.

 

[elmo42]

If you don't mind, could you let us know what you chose? I figure you have already decided because we are only allowed to hold acceptances for two weeks after receiving an acceptance letter. Thanks!