UChicago Pritzker vs. Michigan

[MacBook Pro]

I'm trying to decide between these schools. So a couple things to consider: 1) They've both offered great financial aid packages (roughly equal); 2) I'm NOT in-state at Michigan; 3) I'm also not interested in primary care; 4) I would like to do my residency on the East coast. 5) Location/weather are a lot more important to me for residency than medical school.

Any thoughts on prestige? Large (Mich=170) vs. small (Chi=~100) class? Education atmosphere in terms of competition/pressure? Quality of teaching hospitals? Quality of students?

Thanks in advance.

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[MacBook Pro]

Wow...no takers? C'mon...

 

[dyinforMD]

Dude no brainer......Chicago hands down!!

 

[154241]

i know nothing about these two schools except that chicago has to be cooler than wherever michigan is (ann arbor?). really, the only reason i put pritzker on my primary was so that i would maybe have an excuse to visit chicago.

 

[161927]

Dude no brainer......Chicago hands down!!

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[ihatescience]

I'd probably see which school offered better financial aid-- although I'd be more inclined toward Chicago!

 

[batch5000]

Yes, U of C is in Chicago, which is a great place to live, but unless you have a car, you will be stranded in Hyde Park, which is boring (and some would say dangerous) and has no connection to decent public transit. In fact, Hyde Park is almost like another world entirely. From what I have heard from U of C students, many sound unhappy, much of the class is made up of former gunners as undergrads, the party scene leaves much to be desired, and the school seems to be geared more towards breeding Nobel prize laureates rather than excellent clinicians. UMich on the other hand has incredible research opportunities like U of C, a notoriously happy student body, a non-competitive environment, and Ann Arbor is actually a cool town (not as cool as Chicago, but Hyde Park is so removed from what makes Chicago great.) In terms of prestige, I'm not so sure, but from what I have heard, UMich is highly regarded. Plus, its not like you are going to be missing out on any research opportunities a UMich. I'd vote for UMich, unless you have ties (i.e. girlfriend etc.) to Chicago.

 

[Nookular]

I'm caught in the same decision...

I'm leaning towards UMich, but heres my pros and cons:

Mich
Pros - Larger class size (more friends! yay!), Big 10 atmosphere, undergrad school (thus more opportunities for involvement outside of med school world, which will be a great stress releif, UChicagos undergrad is small), all lectures are video podcasted (I suck at going to lecture), i like their curriculum more.

Cons - Ann arbor is cool, but less cool where I am now and I love chicago.

Pritzker
Pros - Chicago is awesome and the student host I stayed with seemed to have a great social life, great reputation and research opportunities (umich has this too though...), they REALLY care about their students there, a mere 10 min bus from all the great parts of chicago that the previous posters have talked about, hyde park isn't that bad (south of hyde park is worse though...)

Cons - Very lecture based and they aren't available online.

As you can tell I dont' have much bad to say about either place. You'll be happy either place.

 

[ICanDoThis]

I am going to have to disagree with batch5000 on two accounts:
1. Chicago students seem quite happy and well-rounded!
2. Hyde Park, while not in the "heart of Chicago," isn't that far either! It's only about a 20 minute car ride into Downtown, and public transportation in Chicago is way better than in most cities. And isn't it better to have the CITY of Chicago within reach (~20minutes) rather than not having Chicago nearby at all??

While I don't know very much about Michigan, I don't think Chicago breeds an atmosphere of competitiveness at all--it's all Pass/Fail except for 3rd year! Also, I've become even more impressed with Pritzker since I have been accepted--the students have personally called & written, the admissions staff always seems friendly and ready to answer questions, and even the Dean has called and left a message on my phone!

 

[John Hops]

As someone who goes to U of M right now (Undergraduate) let me say that Ann Arbor is a nice little town.

No, it is no Chicago, but there is always PLENTY to do on the weekends, with lots of lively bars, each with their own special identity and crowd type. I'm confident you would find yourself having a great time, though it would undoubtedly be less crazy than Chicago.

But I think there are advantages to that, too. It is incredibly safe. Everything is within walking distance. It is clean. You get the lay of the land very quickly.

It is quite a nice little spot, and I wouldn't call it a drawback.

 

[MacBook Pro]

I'm caught in the same decision...

I'm leaning towards UMich, but heres my pros and cons:

Mich
Pros - Larger class size (more friends! yay!), Big 10 atmosphere, undergrad school (thus more opportunities for involvement outside of med school world, which will be a great stress releif, UChicagos undergrad is small), all lectures are video podcasted (I suck at going to lecture), i like their curriculum more.

Cons - Ann arbor is cool, but less cool where I am now and I love chicago.

Pritzker
Pros - Chicago is awesome and the student host I stayed with seemed to have a great social life, great reputation and research opportunities (umich has this too though...), they REALLY care about their students there, a mere 10 min bus from all the great parts of chicago that the previous posters have talked about, hyde park isn't that bad (south of hyde park is worse though...)

Cons - Very lecture based and they aren't available online.

As you can tell I dont' have much bad to say about either place. You'll be happy either place.

I'm leaning towards UChicago at this point.

I actually don't like the large class size (typical of public schools)--easier to get lost in the mix.

Big 10 atmosphere--> I couldn't care less about football, if that's what you're referring to. I have to admit, it was pretty annoying having every conversation end with "Go Blue".

Not really sure how "undergrad school" is a plus for only UMich. UChicago has a top 10 undergrad program--anyway, this is not really an important factor for me. I would say that it's nice to have top notch grad programs (law and business) at the school--UChicago is obviously top 10 in law and business (and very highly regarded from what I understand), while UMich is also in top 15 (but less favored due to its location). Networking is obviously key, especially for physicians who want to do business outside of medicine along with their clinical practice.

My impression is that UChicago and UMich are roughly equal in prestige within medicine, but overall UChicago is regarded much higher (in the same tier as ivy+mit+stanford). Obviously the rich tradition of Nobel prizes makes it an academic powerhouse. I think like 11 were in medicine/physiology. Then again, I'm not going into academic medicine, so I don't care that much about Nobel prizes.

The short answer-based tests are annoying, but it does force you to learn the material in a different way. Isn't it a mix of MC and short answers? Anyway, P/F helps.

 

[Eric1881]

I spent a summer at Uchicago and I have to say Hyde Park was very removed from the Chicago city scene, the med school was not all that impressive (a somewhat depressing), everyone seemed miserable (undergrads and med students), and in general, there wasn't much to do except talk to the wall. I would def go Michigan hands down...

 

[BrainBuff]

MacBookPro,

UChicago is a world class act and one of the most respected universities in the country. Prestige does play a role in academia (whether people like to admit it or not and whether some others like to say that they are "above" it or not). The nerdy reputation of U Chicago has to do with undergrad students and the Core Curriculum and the study of the Classics, not with graduate students.

Michigan has your typical large class with all its disadvantages and is in a "nice little town" while Chicago is a very wordly city: Art Institute, Theaters, Symphony Orchestra and major contemporary museums. You will also be able to do clerkships at multiple other hospitals and even experience top medical universities like Northwestern.

Chiagos' peers are Duke, Stanford and closest to the ivies. Michigan's peers are more like Florida and Madison ( all great shools but def something else )

 

[Monarch Kong]

MacBookPro,

UChicago is a world class act and one of the most respected universities in the country. Prestige does play a role in academia (whether people like to admit it or not and whether some others like to say that they are "above" it or not). The nerdy reputation of U Chicago has to do with undergrad students and the Core Curriculum and the study of the Classics, not with graduate students.

Michigan has your typical large class with all its disadvantages and is in a "nice little town" while Chicago is a very wordly city: Art Institute, Theaters, Symphony Orchestra and major contemporary museums. You will also be able to do clerkships at multiple other hospitals and even experience top medical universities like Northwestern.

Chiagos' peers are Duke, Stanford and closest to the ivies. Michigan's peers are more like Florida and Madison ( all great shools but def something else )

Chicago may have a better reputation for undergraduate programs (best known for social and behavior sciences, but good all around program with strong biological and physical sciences as well), and a good reputation for law schools, but in the world of medicine, Michigan reigns over Chicago.

Hospital-wise, residency-wise, Michigan trumps Chicago - there's no way around it. To say that Chicago is the better reputed medical school is like saying Harvard has the best engineering program because it's tied to a great undergraduate school - it's not true.

I also find it interesting that you say you can "even" do clerkships at Northwestern. You can do clerkships anywhere in the country. Northwestern is a top school and probably equally reputed as Chicago.

 

[iatrogenic7]

I would choose Pritzker over Michigan, esp. since you're an OOS applicant.

Pritzker has a slight edge in terms of prestige.

 

[searun]

This conflict should be settled on the football field like real men. Michigan vs. the University of Chicago. Michigan should play this game on the road at Chicago.

 

[batch5000]

I think its funny when people use U of C's location as a pro for the school. Just buy a car and find some buddies to car pool with so that you can let loose every once in a while. It will be a long trip to any place fun once you've exhausted the museums and other touristy things you will do during the honeymoon phase. After you get bored of those things and want to go to fun bars/meet singles/do normal 20-something things, you will learn about Bucktown/Wickerpark, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Clark St. around Wrigleyville, and you will note that these places are very far away. If you want to take public transportation (ie redline), just be sure to wear a diaper, because the walk is going to a culture shock for you. You will go very quickly from argyle cardigan wearing, reading glasses adorned, linguistics majors, to getting mugged three times in twenty minutes. So buy a car, get a designated driver every once in a while, be patient with traffic and the several mile journey to fun, and you'll enjoy U of C. Its a great school. You will get a great medical education, and enjoy awesome research opportunities, as well as some of the finest faculty. Just be cautious about using the "Chicago" location as a pro. Its like living in East Queens and saying "Oh, This is great, I live in NYC!"

 

[searun]

Hold on there. So you think normal 20 something med students would rather go to bars and concerts and baseball games, instead of museums, where did you get that idea? Would you rather read a poem by TS Elliot or buy a drink for a hot girl in a bar, hoping you had a shot??? " We have lingered in the chambers of the sea by sea girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown, until human voices wake us and we drown."

 

[batch5000]

I assume you are being sarcastic. I'm saying that people who move to Chicago get bored of the museums after they have been to all of them, which is about one to two months after living here. PS- U of C is a wonderful education. Its just funny to me when people say that its location is a pro. Once you learn the city, you realize that Hyde Park is very isolated. I just don't want someone to be on the fence about two awesome schools and choose one because of location when they have been misguided. If one where to say I like school X and Northwestern equally in most regards which do I choose? And then someone were to chime in and say, "well, NW is in Chicago which is a great city," I would agree because NW is very close to the Chicago/State redline and walking is safe at anytime of day or night. And your train ride will not be long because its central to everything. You just can't say that about Hyde Park unless you are very uninformed about Chicago. So weigh the pros and cons - find out what is important to you - but be weary of using U of Cs location as a pro. As I said earlier, its akin to saying that East Queens is great because its in NYC. Well you might be right, it is in NYC, but it's very far removed and you just won't be able to take advantage of the city as much as you would say you lived in Manhattan or Williamsburg.

 

[batch5000]

PS- I like your football idea.

 

[mahasanti]

I think its funny when people use U of C's location as a pro for the school. Just buy a car and find some buddies to car pool with so that you can let loose every once in a while. It will be a long trip to any place fun once you've exhausted the museums and other touristy things you will do during the honeymoon phase. After you get bored of those things and want to go to fun bars/meet singles/do normal 20-something things, you will learn about Bucktown/Wickerpark, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Clark St. around Wrigleyville, and you will note that these places are very far away. If you want to take public transportation (ie redline), just be sure to wear a diaper, because the walk is going to a culture shock for you. You will go very quickly from argyle cardigan wearing, reading glasses adorned, linguistics majors, to getting mugged three times in twenty minutes. So buy a car, get a designated driver every once in a while, be patient with traffic and the several mile journey to fun, and you'll enjoy U of C. Its a great school. You will get a great medical education, and enjoy awesome research opportunities, as well as some of the finest faculty. Just be cautious about using the "Chicago" location as a pro. Its like living in East Queens and saying "Oh, This is great, I live in NYC!"

Ummm... where to begin. Obviously you are familiar with the area, but I pretty much disagree with everything in this post.

1. Getting downtown from Hyde park is EASY! Who the heck would WALK to the red line. For one there is a free bus that will take you there (174). Also, it is kind of far to walk... If you are really into public transportation you could also catch the #2,4 or 6 buses or you can take the metra. So yeah, there are a lot of options to get downtown using public transit. Of course, cars are great, and it is easy to have a car in chicago (unlike, say new york). And there are parking spaces (it might take a few minutes to find one in certain areas though..)

2. Who said you have to live in Hyde park???? Many of my classmates live downtown. Many of them say that it takes them only 20 minutes from the time they walk out the door to the time they walk into class, so yeah, living downtown is very doable.

3. The whole museum thing baffles me... I don't think I will ever get bored of the Art Institute... maybe you just aren't into art or something, but that place is amazing... I have been there several times and am still very excited everytime I have time to go (I can't wait to see the Hopper Exhibit) . And there are tons more things to do besides just the museums. Even within walking distance there is some cool things, like promontory point, the oriental institute, the renaissance society, . Even if decide to live in Hyde Park, you are 15-20 minutes at the most away from all the cool stuff chicago has to offer.

So yeah, Pritzkers location is a HUGE plus. Although the school isn't located downtown, if you chose to live in Hyde Park, you are still close enough that going out is not a problem.

 

[MacBook Pro]

I was really just concerned with the quality of the school, as you can tell from the original post. I didn't want this to turn into Chicago/Hyde Park vs. Ann Arbor.

 

[unsung]

I'm trying to decide between these schools. So a couple things to consider: 1) They've both offered great financial aid packages (roughly equal); 2) I'm NOT in-state at Michigan; 3) I'm also not interested in primary care; 4) I would like to do my residency on the East coast. 5) Location/weather are a lot more important to me for residency than medical school.

Any thoughts on prestige? Large (Mich=170) vs. small (Chi=~100) class? Education atmosphere in terms of competition/pressure? Quality of teaching hospitals? Quality of students?

Thanks in advance.

What? WHAT?? Is there even a debate ? UChicago. Come on, now.

Okay, so you want a real answer.

Quality of education? UChicago has an unmatched academic atmosphere. Are you more laid-back and treat med school as a "job" to do/get through so as to become a doctor? Or are you more the serious type who really does enjoy learning things for the sake of learning and not just for the sake of getting through the next test? If your answer is the latter, UChicago is your school.

I was there for undergrad, and that "academic" atmosphere is thick and pervades everything. People there will talk enthusiastically about Foucalt in the cafeteria during lunchtime. Everyone loves a good debate and interesting conversations (about EVERYTHING) abound. Well, I don't know how much of that carries over to the law/med schools... it's probably a *tad* more laid back than the college... but still, that's the attitude, and the trademark of the school. Do you want to party and forget about school the minute class ends? Your better bet is probably Michigan. And I say this without judging Michigan at all; it's just that UChicago does offer an unparalleled "environment" for academic types of students. I'm not just talking about how strong their research is or what not... it's really who your peers are going to be, and what the experience is going to be like. What I got out of my undergrad experience, a lot of it came from that environment of my peers. UChicago really IS about the "life of the mind", the interdisciplinary approach, etc. and people love to ask Qs, have debates outside of class.

So... if that kind of environment appeals to you, pick UChicago. "Pick me, choose me, love ME." haha

 

[AmoryBlaine]

MacBookPro,

UChicago is a world class act and one of the most respected universities in the country. Prestige does play a role in academia (whether people like to admit it or not and whether some others like to say that they are "above" it or not). The nerdy reputation of U Chicago has to do with undergrad students and the Core Curriculum and the study of the Classics, not with graduate students.

Michigan has your typical large class with all its disadvantages and is in a "nice little town" while Chicago is a very wordly city: Art Institute, Theaters, Symphony Orchestra and major contemporary museums. You will also be able to do clerkships at multiple other hospitals and even experience top medical universities like Northwestern.

Chiagos' peers are Duke, Stanford and closest to the ivies. Michigan's peers are more like Florida and Madison ( all great shools but def something else )

Wow I would have to argue both points vigorously.

The University of Chicago's peer schools probably include Standford but I think it is a cut above Duke. I would throw in places like Princeton, NYU, Columbia. If we are talking about raw institutional prestige then UofC blows some of the Ivies (Brown, Cornell) out of the water.

Michigan is not a peer with Madison or Florida. Michigan is a category of elite state schools that probably only otherwise includes UCLA, UCSF, Virginia, and maybe Washington.

To the OP, if you want to end up on the East Coast I think that Chicago is your best bet.

 

[insane]

This conflict should be settled on the football field like real men. Michigan vs. the University of Chicago. Michigan should play this game on the road at Chicago.

well than that automatically makes ohio state 9556545545552451875 times better than michigan, hey OSU should play on the road at michigan.

 

[Monarch Kong]

What the heck guys. Stop using undergrad impressions to judge medical schools. In the medical world, Michigan has one of the highest reputed schools as well as one of the best hospital systems in the country.

 

[nosugrefneb]

Ummm... where to begin. Obviously you are familiar with the area, but I pretty much disagree with everything in this post.

Yeah batch, as a fellow current Pritzker student of Mahasanti's, I pretty much disagree with everything you've said in this entire thread. You should look into things a little more before you go around saying Pritzker students are unhappy, the party scene is anything less than stellar, and we overlook solid clinical training. Pretty much the exact opposite of what Pritzker is.

 

[illixir]

I would choose Michigan because it has alot more of a clinical focus, and is more reputed of a school both in research and in overall education in producing quality doctors and residents. Chicago is a great program and is smaller, more individualized, and is right up there at producing doctors of the same standard close to Michigan's. Location and the smaller class are what UChicago have going for it but keep in mind that you will have to be very outgoing and self-motivated if you intend to take part in the Chicago city life on a regular basis while you are there. The UChicago name is of course more recognizable to laypeople if that's a consideration and then it's academia feel compared to michigan's more laid-back feel.

 

[batch5000]

Yeah batch, as a fellow current Pritzker student of Mahasanti's, I pretty much disagree with everything you've said in this entire thread. You should look into things a little more before you go around saying Pritzker students are unhappy, the party scene is anything less than stellar, and we overlook solid clinical training. Pretty much the exact opposite of what Pritzker is.

Perhaps this is semantical, but I have spoken to students who have said that they where unhappy. I hope that above I didn't generalize that the student body as a whole is unhappy. My main discussion I believe however, was to dissuade people from using the Chicago location a huge pro. In no way do I mean to be disrespectful to the current student body at Pritzker. Rather, I would just like to pass on what the few Pritzker students have briefly told me as well as my knowledge of the city.

That being said, perhaps you could share your experience. I am looking at applying and I would love to here from someone who has had a different experience from what others have shared with me.

Thanks

 

[Docster]

it's a slow week at med school and i decided to check out the pre-allo thread.

The OP seems to have already taken a liking to UChicago over UMich. If he decides on Michigan, he might wonder (at least during MS-I) if he made the right choice by turning down Pritzker.


For what it's worth, here's my opinion:
UChicago has a worldclass rep within academia in things like business, economics, social sciences, humanities, etc. If you want to get a MD-PhD (outside of the basic sciences) or MD-MBA, go to Chicago, w/o looking back.

If you want to stick to academic medicine, consider Michigan. It has a longer track-record in the medical world of producing clinician-scientists.

In the end, it will come down to YOU. How well will you do at the given schools based on their curricula and method of teaching? If there is reputational difference between the two schools, it's negligible and will come down to the personal biases of the residency directors.

 

[EBI831]

i find this thread extremely humorous for one reason mainly: all these people claiming Pritzker students are unhappy. I go to pritzker, i know a bunch of people in 4th year and 2nd year and i've never once heard anyone say they were unhappy. no social life? come on...it's pass/fail so we do whatever we want with our time. i have more free time right now that i know what to do with...which is why i'm even posting on this forum. and don't even get me started on the assertion that michigan/northwestern are better schools in the medical world. and before you make a decision about pritzker, i encourage all people to try to get this through your heads: the graduate schools are very far removed from the undergrads. i see them only on the bus and i will say that they are a totally different breed from the graduate students. and they like it that way and we like it that way. as for the claims that umich is much greater at academic medicine than pritzker, i would also have to disagree. we have a strong research foundation here and as someone mentioned a crapload of nobel laureates affiliated with the institution.

 

[Looque]

I have to further emphasize that the Pritzker student body is not unhappy. Sure, I can only imagine that there must be a couple out of 400-something that are unhappy, but I truly doubt it's a product of being at UChicago. You would be incredibly hard-pressed to find a more laid-back medical school atmosphere than you will find at Pritzker, as should be expected from a school which is truly pass/fail with zero internal class rankings for the first two years (and maybe the 4th year also?). The only school that might be more laid-back than Pritzker is Yale--everyone else has reason to be jealous of our lack of pressure. Students are purely collaborative rather than competitive. As a full-time procrastinator, I bask in the glory of this the night before every exam when I look in my email inbox and see several study guides assembled by classmates that will make my all-nighter a breeze. I can't speak to the student body at Michigan, but we do have a very interdisciplinary student body here. Relative to any school I know, I'm pretty sure that a larger portion of our students pursue a second degree, ranging from your standard MD/PhDs to MD/PhDs in the social sciences (through an organized program that funds and supports these endeavors at UChicago) to MPPs to MBAs. Probably the only Masters program that you won't find on our campus that might be of interest would be an MPH, but most of our students who pursue one end up at Harvard or Columbia for it--two fantastic schools of public health. But yes, as a student here in a pass/fail system, you're free to take random classes in the college ranging from literature to economics. In fact, our biochem professor teaches Ulysses and The Brothers Karamazov. Pritzker allows you and encourages you to have other interests.

Basically, I was very skeptical about this place before I actually came here. I never imagined liking medical school so much. Oh, and while Hyde Park is kind of disjoined from the rest of the city, it's certainly not difficult to go out and enjoy everything that makes Chicago great, even without having a car (like me). I go out in all the "cool" neighborhoods all the time, be it midweek or a weekend.