UCLA/Drew vs Creighton (full tuition)

[Mikiras]

Editing after fin aid offers. I have come down to choosing between 3 schools. All of them are OOS and I am sure I want to move OOS. My fiance will be coming with so I have support.

I am wondering which school I should go for. I don't want to pick one school just because of the money or the other based on prestige. I know at the end of the day my fiance and I would both be happiest at UCLA/Drew (my dream school, his musician's dream city). But I was given very little aid. On the other hand, Creighton is rolling out the red carpet and I'm grateful, but I'm not sold on the environment and the 5 year progeam. Bumping the thread for further perspectives

UCLA/Drew ($15k merit scholarship; COA ~$290k)
Pros:

• Can’t lie, I’m in love with this program
• Clear commitment to serving the underserved and community service
• Newer curriculum with 1 year preclinical and clerkships starting M2
• 3rd year Discovery Year sounds really amazing with the opportunity to do more research, global health opportunities, or obtain another degree (MPH, MBA, etc.)
• Most prestigious acceptance if that matters (I know Drew students are UCLA students but don’t know if there will be any stigmas associated with it?)
• P/F preclinical, non-mandatory lectures, no AOA or internal rankings
• Benefits of having support from Drew and UCLA admin and faculty
• Drew students I have spoken to seem extremely happy here (have a friend who absolutely adores it)
• Diverse rotation sites across UCLA and Drew
• Weather
• Fiance is a musician and he is dying to get to LA for the music scene
• Match lists from the Drew program are skewed toward primary but they are shifting toward helping to support students who want to specialize (will still also have all of the UCLA resources for crafting a good app)

Cons:

• Los Angeles is terrifyingly expensive
• Need based aid can fluctuate based on parental income
• Some rotation sites for Drew are in dangerous areas of LA
• Will be crazy expensive to move. Don’t know how it will be possible unless I sell an organ
• Heavy on quizzes and 1-year preclinical sounds extremely daunting (no M1 summer break)

Creighton (Full tuition scholarship), $160k debt after 5 years)
Was accepted to their 5 year MD/MPH. Full tuition scholarship is dependent on me doing the 5 years. Otherwise scholarship drops to $50k per year for 4 years

Pros:

• Initially loved the vibe and atmosphere presented by the school - students are happy, collaborative, and well-supported by admin
• Clear dedication to community service and volunteering
• 4 global health trips funded through the MPH program
• Computer program/outside resources included in COA
• Lectures not mandatory though H/P/F preclinical - no internal rankings but top 10% get Honors
• On an undergrad campus so access to undergrad facilities and resources
• Omaha is cheap and a surprisingly nice city - fiance says he could see himself being happy there
• Robust global health program - opportunity to travel but to also work with visiting students/docs

Cons:

• Very little research opportunities - was told there is research available just few types of projects
• Match list skewed toward primary care and I’m not sure if that’s what I want
• Dean said atheists would probably feel uncomfortable at the school as they are pretty religious - The priest (?) sometimes comes to sermon/preach before meetings or something like that
• Very few home residency programs
• Not a very diverse student or patient population on Omaha campus (diversity is important to me as an African-American/Latina)

SLU ($46k/yr scholarship. $160 debt after 4 years)
Pros:

• Brand spanking new hospital
• Transitioning to a 1.5 year preclinical curriculum
• Nice balance between research and service
• Pretty decent match list - doc I work with says students have no trouble getting into good residencies at SLU
• Early clinical exposure
• Have family that live just 20 minutes away from the campus, they say we (SO and I) can live there for free if we wanted to - will also be nice to have a very close support system
• Good food in the area, coming from Chicago (where food is awesome) that is a plus

Cons:

• Saint Louis is not the safest neighborhood

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[chilly_md]

Congrats on your acceptances and very successful cycle!!

I feel UCLA/Drew would help your goals the most and give you the best experience as a student. Tell them about your offer from Creighton and see if they’ll match. Maybe they’ll at least meet you halfway, which would still be a big help.

 

[JohnJacobJingleheimer]

If UCLA gives you money, this discussion is over. Let’s say they don’t, however. In that case, I’m probably going UICOM. Their mission fits yours, Chicago >>>>> Nebraska, their match list is solid, plenty of research opps, your SO will be in a big city for his own career, in state means close to family, in state tuition.

This is going to come down to numbers. If UCLA cost 100k more than everywhere else (total for 4 years) I’d bite the bullet and go to UCLA. If it’s 150k more expensive than say UICOM or Rush, I’m probably going to one of the Chicago schools. If it’s 150k more than Wayne State, I’m going to UCLA.

Personally, I set my numbers before fin aid packages came out. That way, I could try and figure out how much more I valued each of my schools over the other, without my own immediate desires clouding my judgement. I’ve found that I’m willing to pay 100k a lot of the time, but only time I’m going 150 or over is when I’m comparing a top notch school, like UCLA, to a bottom notch school by my own metrics, such as Wayne State (ik it’s a solid program, but bears little name recognition, bad location for me, etc). Congrats on the success and best of luck with those aid packages!! I’ve heard UCLA is very generous with aid, so you should get what u want.

 

[Mikiras]

This is going to come down to numbers. If UCLA cost 100k more than everywhere else (total for 4 years) I’d bite the bullet and go to UCLA.

The nice thing about UCLA is that I would be able to become a Cali resident and qualify for in-state tuition after year 1. And I don't think the COA for UCLA would ever get as high as over $100k for 4 years. UICOM's COA is roughly $80k per year and UCLA would be around the same after M1.
But that's a very good way to look at things in terms of setting a monetary limit on how much one school should be considered over another.
Thank you!

 

[Mikiras]

Congrats on your acceptances and very successful cycle!!

I feel UCLA/Drew would help your goals the most and give you the best experience as a student. Tell them about your offer from Creighton and see if they’ll match. Maybe they’ll at least meet you halfway, which would still be a big help.

I do believe UCLA/Drew would come with the most opportunities. And I hope I get some aid from there. I'm not sure how leveraging aid from a lower ranked school would work but I guess it can't hurt to try if I don't like what my preliminary award letter says

 

[chilly_md]

I do believe UCLA/Drew would come with the most opportunities. And I hope I get some aid from there. I'm not sure how leveraging aid from a lower ranked school would work but I guess it can't hurt to try if I don't like what my preliminary award letter says

They could say no, but as you said, it can't hurt to try. Someone reported that they had matched an offer from UC Davis, which is still a good school, but lower ranked and not really a peer to UCLA.

 

[Mikiras]

Bumping after fin aid offers and narrowing down to top 3 schools. This seemingly boils down to Prestige/environment vs Lower debt burden

 

[chilly_md]

I’d take Creighton out and choose between UCLA Drew and SLU. It’s pretty big to have close family near you while also saving money. I feel if you’ve lived in Chicago, the crime of St Louis shouldn’t be as big of a shock as it would be to somebody who hasn’t lived in a large city before. Drew is a special program though and Westwood is a nice place to live.

 

[Entadus]

...do you want an MPH?

And how are you calculating 160k debt in 5 years? Surely you can live on less than 32k/year loans?

 

[Mikiras]

...do you want an MPH?

And how are you calculating 160k debt in 5 years? Surely you can live on less than 32k/year loans?

Yes I would like an MPH but it is not a deal-breaker. I only applied MD-MPH to Creighton because I liked their Arrupe Scholars program but am not 100% in dire need of it.

As for living amount, Idk. My current salary is $32k per year and it's hard to pay bills with that alreadt. I'm non-trad and have a car note, car insurance, bills, etc. Idk how much less I could go. Roommates aren't an option and my SO would also be going to school and unable to work full-time.