UCONN vs Dartmouth

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effervescentseaotter

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Dartmouth

Pros
  • Great small class size
  • New curriculum
  • Love NH/hiking/skiing/outdoors stuff
  • Everyone seemed so happy and community oriented in interview
  • Love the global health opportunities such as research and potential rotations/community driven initiatives available
  • Could pursue research that I'm interested in and also like that they're affiliated with hospitals around country
  • Close to family
  • Great match list
  • Dream school
Cons
  • Little further to SO than UCONN but they also love NH, hiking, etc. and will be somewhere in NE so will still be max 2 hours away
  • Cost is definitely higher 68/year, but I think I can get a good financial package
UCONN

Pros
  • TBL based curriculum
  • Had a good interview with them
  • Cost is lower with 54 first year then 35/year for M2,3,4
  • Little bit closer to SO
Cons
  • There are definitely opportunities that Dartmouth has that UCONN does not
  • Not a huge fan of the area
  • Further from outdoor stuff

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Are you planning to shoot for a particular specialty and/or will be trying to match to a particular region?
 
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I'm interested in ID/critical care and tying that to a career in Global Health. I'm from the east coast so I'm biased towards that region but I also love that Dartmouth has a good amount of people that match in Cali and west coast
 
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Tough one. That’s a 110k price difference. See if you get some financial aid before you decide. If they can close the gap a bit then I’d go for Dartmouth.

Then again, your dream school is your dream school and if you personally think it’s worth the cost, then that’s up to you to decide. You will be able to pay off th debt as a doctor from either school but you should realize it will hinder your financial flexibility a little bit at least early on in your career.
 
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Both are very good schools. The cost difference is substantial between them. Combing through match lists from the last 3 years, the difference between UConn and Geisel for academic/research based residencies is not very different (plenty of grads at both schools going to great places; undergrad affiliation might color some of this perception).

The “dream school” factor is the intangible that throws a wrench in here. If you truly feel you would be happier at Dartmouth, despite the additional monetary burden and increased distance to SO, I would go there. Otherwise, I think UConn will be a great place to train. In either case, I don’t believe either school will make or break anything for you.

If you can attend the revisit of both schools and probe a bit further regarding opportunities for your interests in Global Health (and how the culture of each place compares to your personality), it might illuminate enough for you to make a final decision.
 
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