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I am having a hard time debating the pro's and con's of these two schools. Anyone have opinions about which school is better?
UIC vs Rush
- Thread starter shorrin
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If you're good at studying by yourself (ie. knowing whats going to be on the exam and getting a pile of books and sifting through them) then go to UIC. My friend goes to Rush and he says it's a lot more relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Also, Rush seems to have more student support services. Anyhow, the school for me is UIC. It's up to you though which school is a better fit for you. Good luck.
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my med school decision is essentially going to boil down to these two schools, assuming i get into rush (but i think i have a decent shot). here are my pros and cons:
UIC pros:
1) CHEAPER!!!
2) i don't get much out of lectures and since it seems no one goes to class there anyway, i may learn better since i'm encouraged to work on my own
3) better known than rush--they match pretty well
4) very research-oriented, if you're interested in that--rush simply isn't a research institution, although of course some work goes on there
UIC cons:
1) why does no one go to class in the first place? do the professors suck that much? i don't buy the we-don't-have-time-to-go-to-class-all-day-and-still-study excuse that i was fed at my interview because plenty of other med schools out there have classes all day and people manage just fine. this is a huge concern for me.
2) horribly inefficient. it takes weeks to get scores back after exams.
3) unresponsive administration--everyone griped about this at my interview.
4) crappy classrooms and library. but this will depend on what campus you're at.
RUSH pros:
1) EXTREMELY supportive faculty and student body. i have a few good friends at rush and they rave about it. professors are willing to go the extra mile to help you out, and students are pretty laid-back. well-organized note-taking service. basically, rush makes it easy for you to do well.
2) rush students have highest priority to rotate at cook county, which i think is a big deal. UIC students, from what i understand, can elect to rotate there, but it's built into the clinical curriculum at rush. rush students get to be the first to rotate at cook county when it finishes its renovations.
3) nice facilities--everything's pretty new
RUSH cons:
1) EXPENSIVE
2) it supposedly has a primary care bias, but this doesn't matter much, it seems, because plenty of people match into strong specialty residencies
3) not as well-known as the university of illinois system
there's my list. there's a lot of personal bias in it, since i rated things on how much they matter to me, but i hope this helps. i don't know where i'll wind up next year (this is all assuming i get into rush). i prefer rush's curriculum as a whole--but the relative cheapness of UIC is a big deal. anyway, enjoy!
UIC pros:
1) CHEAPER!!!
2) i don't get much out of lectures and since it seems no one goes to class there anyway, i may learn better since i'm encouraged to work on my own
3) better known than rush--they match pretty well
4) very research-oriented, if you're interested in that--rush simply isn't a research institution, although of course some work goes on there
UIC cons:
1) why does no one go to class in the first place? do the professors suck that much? i don't buy the we-don't-have-time-to-go-to-class-all-day-and-still-study excuse that i was fed at my interview because plenty of other med schools out there have classes all day and people manage just fine. this is a huge concern for me.
2) horribly inefficient. it takes weeks to get scores back after exams.
3) unresponsive administration--everyone griped about this at my interview.
4) crappy classrooms and library. but this will depend on what campus you're at.
RUSH pros:
1) EXTREMELY supportive faculty and student body. i have a few good friends at rush and they rave about it. professors are willing to go the extra mile to help you out, and students are pretty laid-back. well-organized note-taking service. basically, rush makes it easy for you to do well.
2) rush students have highest priority to rotate at cook county, which i think is a big deal. UIC students, from what i understand, can elect to rotate there, but it's built into the clinical curriculum at rush. rush students get to be the first to rotate at cook county when it finishes its renovations.
3) nice facilities--everything's pretty new
RUSH cons:
1) EXPENSIVE
2) it supposedly has a primary care bias, but this doesn't matter much, it seems, because plenty of people match into strong specialty residencies
3) not as well-known as the university of illinois system
there's my list. there's a lot of personal bias in it, since i rated things on how much they matter to me, but i hope this helps. i don't know where i'll wind up next year (this is all assuming i get into rush). i prefer rush's curriculum as a whole--but the relative cheapness of UIC is a big deal. anyway, enjoy!
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As a UIC third year student, here are my views:
Rush seems to have a happier student body... they are supported by better staff, better administration, and possibly better courses in the first two years.
UIC has the edge, however, in the third and fourth year clerkships. Though we have pulled out of Cook for many clerkships, we still have that option (which, I may add, isn't always very enticing!), but we have MANY more hospitals from which to choose. We've pretty much traded their Illinois Masonic for our Cook. However, note that hospital affiliations change frequently! UIC has always had more of a choice, however, of hospitals.
I chose UIC for that reason. I went realizing that the first two years weren't going to be great. And they weren't. But the reason I wanted to be a doctor wasn't to study all that nonsense I learned the first two years (well, somewhat...) but really for the clinical experience , for which I believe UIC has the edge.
Also, UIC is about $40,000 cheaper for the four years.
Both schools are good, and you won't go wrong either way. Try to talk to students at both schools to get a sense of the first two years; the latter years are more difficult to get a feeling about, because we're all over the place, but we're not at school to be asked!
Best of luck!
Rush seems to have a happier student body... they are supported by better staff, better administration, and possibly better courses in the first two years.
UIC has the edge, however, in the third and fourth year clerkships. Though we have pulled out of Cook for many clerkships, we still have that option (which, I may add, isn't always very enticing!), but we have MANY more hospitals from which to choose. We've pretty much traded their Illinois Masonic for our Cook. However, note that hospital affiliations change frequently! UIC has always had more of a choice, however, of hospitals.
I chose UIC for that reason. I went realizing that the first two years weren't going to be great. And they weren't. But the reason I wanted to be a doctor wasn't to study all that nonsense I learned the first two years (well, somewhat...) but really for the clinical experience , for which I believe UIC has the edge.
Also, UIC is about $40,000 cheaper for the four years.
Both schools are good, and you won't go wrong either way. Try to talk to students at both schools to get a sense of the first two years; the latter years are more difficult to get a feeling about, because we're all over the place, but we're not at school to be asked!
Best of luck!
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I sure hope so, got my fingers crossed hoping I get in!!!!!!!!! 
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