UCR vs RUSH vs Uof IOWA

[WilliamB0xer]

Hello,

I am a resident in the state of California and I am trying to decide on which medical school to attend. I have narrowed down my choices to UC Riverside, U. of Iowa, and Rush University. There are pros and cons to each school and I am having a hard time deciding. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.

My thoughts about the schools:

1) UCR is the most practical, I would get in state tuition (and I think I have a strong grant and scholarship, this would be the least expensive school), and it could be helpful when applying for residency. My apprehension is that they don’t have a university hospital (we would rotate at Riverside Community Hospital, Kaiser, and few other smaller locations). Is this a big issue? Also I would be in the guinea pig class. I think their 1st and 2nd year curriculum will be good, but there may be some issues/speed bumps with clinical years.

2) Of my options, U. of Iowa is ranked the highest academically and they offered me a pretty nice grant that would cut my total cost of med school in half. This seems like the smart choice, but I am a little apprehensive about it being isolated. Also, I am a little hesitant about their curriculum: they have a traditional system where you take multiple classes that are independent and there is a test every Friday (2 to 5 test per class per semester) vs. a block system. What do you think? I expect to work very hard, that is guaranteed in med school, but I don't want to go to a school that makes med school harder than it needs to be.

3) Lastly, I think Rush would be the best life experience. I liked the school and I preferred Chicago over the other locations. They seem to very clinically and community oriented. Rush would be the most expensive though. Not sure if I should make a decision solely based on money, but I also don't know if I should make a decision based on location


Thanks for your input!!

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[NSAID01]

Basically it comes down to where you think you'll be most happy. Because in the end, where you end up (residency, specialty) is ultimately based on your work ethic, STEP 1 scores, etc.

It would be nice to come out with half the debt, but are you going to be happy with the school, location environment, etc- will the money saved be worth it? Same goes with going to a school based on the city- best life experience?

Hope this helps! Best of luck

 

[dbeast]

Hello,

I am a resident in the state of California and I am trying to decide on which medical school to attend. I have narrowed down my choices to UC Riverside, U. of Iowa, and Rush University. There are pros and cons to each school and I am having a hard time deciding. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.

My thoughts about the schools:

1) UCR is the most practical, I would get in state tuition (and I think I have a strong grant and scholarship, this would be the least expensive school), and it could be helpful when applying for residency. My apprehension is that they don’t have a university hospital (we would rotate at Riverside Community Hospital, Kaiser, and few other smaller locations). Is this a big issue? Also I would be in the guinea pig class. I think their 1st and 2nd year curriculum will be good, but there may be some issues/speed bumps with clinical years.

2) Of my options, U. of Iowa is ranked the highest academically and they offered me a pretty nice grant that would cut my total cost of med school in half. This seems like the smart choice, but I am a little apprehensive about it being isolated. Also, I am a little hesitant about their curriculum: they have a traditional system where you take multiple classes that are independent and there is a test every Friday (2 to 5 test per class per semester) vs. a block system. What do you think? I expect to work very hard, that is guaranteed in med school, but I don't want to go to a school that makes med school harder than it needs to be.

3) Lastly, I think Rush would be the best life experience. I liked the school and I preferred Chicago over the other locations. They seem to very clinically and community oriented. Rush would be the most expensive though. Not sure if I should make a decision solely based on money, but I also don't know if I should make a decision based on location


Thanks for your input!!

The bolded above is one of the wisest statements I've heard from a pre-med on these boards 👍

If it makes you feel any better, Riverside has been running their own program for quite a while, just under the supervision of UCLA, but it's not like they're starting from scratch. I voted for all three just for fun though

 

[NSAID01]

The bolded above is one of the wisest statements I've heard from a pre-med on these boards 👍

👍

 

[sdfoijffdso]

Best life experience would be most important for me, in this case chicago

 

[jcaptian]

I would choose between Riverside and Iowa. Like it has been mentioned Riverside was formerly under UCLA so I think they should have their stuff together. If you are concerned with attending a new school go with Iowa. How much is the price difference between Iowa an Riverside? Riverside might give you a slight advantage matching in California due to regional bias, but Iowa is a strong program that matches a number of students in California every year.

I'd leave out Rush because yes it might be the best life experience now but I guarantee you those extra loans won't give you the best life experience later. It's a bit of delayed gratification but Iowa City is close enough for you to travel to Chicago on the weekends (the nice thing about Friday tests). Plus you won't have that much time during the week as a medical student anyway.

In the end it's a great choice to have. Congrats on your acceptances!

 

[WilliamB0xer]

Thanks!!

 

[markyb03]

This is a tough one and I'm pretty biased but here are my thoughts. I'm from Chicago (not the burbs, actually the city) and I have to say that the city life is awesome (albeit Lincoln Park/ Lakeview is da best), but the Rush/UIC area is really nice as well and pretty up-and-coming. The Rush hospital is definitely great and I would absolutely go there for residency if it works out that way. I don't know anything about the school facilities or admin at Rush, but if you are anything like me a decent school with an awesome city has a lot of pull. Almost chose a different school over Iowa for that reason. But as another poster above said, you are going to medical school => lots of studying => not tons of free time. Also I've spent a considerable amount of time in Iowa City and it does have a lot of culture and fun things to do. Just not the endless amounts of possibilities like a big city.

I will definitely say that flying out of Iowa City/ Cedar Rapids would suck, but I don't know if you are the kind of person who needs to fly home six times a year or just twice. I also don't know what research opportunities are like at Rush or UCR, but that was a big selling point for me at Iowa. Plus you get paid $5500 for summer research which is crazy! Iowa seems very generous with money (woot Dean's Scholarship!) and I don't think finances can be completely ignored when making this decision. If it is going to be ~$50,000 or more less over the four years, that is HUGE. Another criteria for my decision making process was that I wanted to be a part of a big university with a lot of school pride. Iowa is definitely that, but I'm not sure if anyone else cares about that. Lastly, Iowa's facilities and administration felt the best for me and like a place that I would be able to do my best work.

btw I think we interviewed the same day and talked at second look too (#goodbye anonymity ) so best of luck making this decision! If you want more specifics, PM me - I've done pro/con lists for Iowa and others ad nauseam that I wouldn't mind sharing but just don't want to post because it has too many specifics

EDIT: I also didn't have any bad feelings about the curriculum. I honestly would have been more worried at Iowa being the guinea pig class next year. Several friends of mine are M2's at Iowa and didn't have anything bad to say about the curriculum.

 

[sinombre]

So which school did you choose OP? Don't leave us hanging.

 

[WilliamB0xer]

Thank you everyone for all the advice and support, I really appreciate it.

I will be attending Iowa this coming fall. Looking forward to getting together with the fellow Hawkeyes!

Thanks again

 

[jcaptian]

Thank you everyone for all the advice and support, I really appreciate it.

I will be attending Iowa this coming fall. Looking forward to getting together with the fellow Hawkeyes!

Thanks again

👍

See you in August! You made the right choice 😉

 

[markyb03]

Thank you everyone for all the advice and support, I really appreciate it.

I will be attending Iowa this coming fall. Looking forward to getting together with the fellow Hawkeyes!

Thanks again

Excellent decision! Better snatch up some hawkeye football tickets while you can!