poinsettiacoherent
Full Member
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2023
- Messages
- 35
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- 133
Okay, I need a bit of pre-med advice on which school. I'm also hopeful that making this will help me see where I actually want to do. Thank you in advance!
Caveat: Finances - both will cost me 105k a year. So this is a moot point. Rip me.
Case Western:
Pros:
1. The curriculum is so, so solid - I have zero doubts that I will be a well-rounded and thorough doctor leaving this program.
2. The admissions staff and faculty have been amazing. Incredibly responsive, kind, and humorous even. I feel like I would get incredible support here.
3. Cool pathways program that doesn't limit students during the application process.
Cons:
1. I'm queer and unsure how Cleveland will be. I don't feel like I would ever be harmed or anything like that, but I worry it's not a robust community for someone looking for a partner or into the queer social scene.
UCLA:
Pros:
1. Location: Incredible everything. Food, outings, stuff to see and do, music, and thriving LGBTQ community.
2. Great hospitals for rotations, and patient population diversity. Learning Spanish and new languages is important to me.
Cons:
1. This HEALS curriculum: There was that thread about UCLA in crisis - I can understand if this was exaggerated, but what scared me was that I had already speculated some of these things beforehand. I'm not comfortable with essentially removing my 3rd year of medical school, and condensing all my coursework into a year, all my clerkships into a year, having a "flex" year, then applying to residency. Would really love people's thoughts on this one.
There's additional pros/cons for each, but some of them felt minor compared to these, so I've taken those out. Also - I can't believe I get to choose between two incredible schools. I've spent these last few days happy crying enough that I need to drink electrolytes.
Caveat: Finances - both will cost me 105k a year. So this is a moot point. Rip me.
Case Western:
Pros:
1. The curriculum is so, so solid - I have zero doubts that I will be a well-rounded and thorough doctor leaving this program.
2. The admissions staff and faculty have been amazing. Incredibly responsive, kind, and humorous even. I feel like I would get incredible support here.
3. Cool pathways program that doesn't limit students during the application process.
Cons:
1. I'm queer and unsure how Cleveland will be. I don't feel like I would ever be harmed or anything like that, but I worry it's not a robust community for someone looking for a partner or into the queer social scene.
UCLA:
Pros:
1. Location: Incredible everything. Food, outings, stuff to see and do, music, and thriving LGBTQ community.
2. Great hospitals for rotations, and patient population diversity. Learning Spanish and new languages is important to me.
Cons:
1. This HEALS curriculum: There was that thread about UCLA in crisis - I can understand if this was exaggerated, but what scared me was that I had already speculated some of these things beforehand. I'm not comfortable with essentially removing my 3rd year of medical school, and condensing all my coursework into a year, all my clerkships into a year, having a "flex" year, then applying to residency. Would really love people's thoughts on this one.
There's additional pros/cons for each, but some of them felt minor compared to these, so I've taken those out. Also - I can't believe I get to choose between two incredible schools. I've spent these last few days happy crying enough that I need to drink electrolytes.
