UIC vs Tulane

[blond.MD]

Hey guys,

I'm having a hard time deciding between two schools: UIC vs. Tulane. I am an OOS applicant for both schools and the COA is almost identical. Both are similar in opportunities for service and clinical experience. Both schools are extremely diverse. Please help!!

University of Illinois COM (Chicago campus):

Pros:
- Loved my interview day. Got a great vibe from the students and fellow interviewees
- Have family in Chicago so I have social support
- Got accepted to a scholarly concentration program within the COM that focus on healthcare topics I am passionate about
- Chicago was my top choice city while applying
- Successfully matching into residencies I want to go into around the country
- Is located in the medical district of Chicago and have tons of opportunities for shadowing and research
- Can do Rotations at any of the major hospitals in Chicago

Cons:
- Curriculum is not ideal for me. Long blocks with alot of content covered for exams
- Not a deal-breaker but weather
- No possibility to gain in-state tuition for IL as a medical student
- Never lived here and moving expenses add up


Tulane University School of Medicine:

Pros:
- Did my masters at Tulane in the past so I'm comfortable with the school
- Made a ton of friends with current and future students
- Already established and comfortable in New Orleans
- Seems to me they have equally good match rates for the specialty I'm interested in
- Can do rotations at UHC or Tulane Medical center
- Familiar with faculty at TUSOM and they're extremely supportive and caring for their student's options (Speculate UIC is similar from my experiences with them)

Cons:
- No family in Nola
- Somewhat outdated facilities (esp anatomy lab)
- not in love with New Orleans but can tolerate living there for med school
- the city floods a lot and natural disasters hit hard

Any advice on this is much appreciated! I'm stuck between what I feel like are two great schools for me. Would I be dumb not to use all the advantages I have at Tulane and just stay there??

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[Therealestdoc]

Being that cost is pretty much identical, I'd say judging by what you've listed I'd go with UIC- the scholarly concentration program, family in Chicago and the opportunities for research and rotations are incredible in Chicago

 

[blond.MD]

Thanks for your reply! I really think I'm leaning towards UIC because of that.

A bit nervous about UIC curriculum. If anyone has any knowledge/has done either curriculum I'd love to hear some opinions on it

 

[m1redsox]

If the COA is truly identical, then go with UIC, but isn’t tuition there like $78k compared to $65k at Tulane? According to their websites, COA at UIC is $111k and COA at Tulane is $94k—making Tulane $17k per year cheaper. After four years, that’s $68k, and once interest compounds, Tulane is likely $90k less expensive—in which case, I would definitely go with Tulane SOM. IMO UIC isn’t enough to justify an additional $100k of debt.

 

[blond.MD]

Hey, thanks for your reply! You're right because I had just realized I wasn't including the M3 summer tuition for UIC I thought it was only first 2 years but it actually extends to year 3 as well (an extra $34K in COA which is where I went wrong). Without this, the COA would be very similar, thanks for helping me realize this!

So including all this, the 4 year COA for Tulane is $383,442 & For UIC it's $415,791.

That's a $32,349 difference over 4 years. If I'm not mistaken there's actually no interest accumulation while you're in school for graduate loans. So I'll be walking out with $32K more in debt after medical school which is a good amount. I was leaning towards UIC but now after realizing this, I'm back to not knowing.

 

[blond.MD]

A little disclaimer: I'm being considered for OOS tuition waiver at UIC b/c I'm a disadvantaged OOS student. I won't know if I got it until I already start school so it doesn't help my decision right now. If I do get the waiver, I will be paying the cost of in-state tuition.

 

[m1redsox]

Hey, thanks for your reply! You're right because I had just realized I wasn't including the M3 summer tuition for UIC I thought it was only first 2 years but it actually extends to year 3 as well (an extra $34K in COA which is where I went wrong). Without this, the COA would be very similar, thanks for helping me realize this!

So including all this, the 4 year COA for Tulane is $383,442 & For UIC it's $415,791.

That's a $32,349 difference over 4 years. If I'm not mistaken there's actually no interest accumulation while you're in school for graduate loans. So I'll be walking out with $32K more in debt after medical school which is a good amount. I was leaning towards UIC but now after realizing this, I'm back to not knowing.

Graduate loans definitely accumulate interest while you’re in school

 

[bengalsix]

A little disclaimer: I'm being considered for OOS tuition waiver at UIC b/c I'm a disadvantaged OOS student. I won't know if I got it until I already start school so it doesn't help my decision right now. If I do get the waiver, I will be paying the cost of in-state tuition.

IF you get a tuition reduction for UIC, then consider going there. Like email them to see if they can expedite a decision. The full OOS rate is ridiculous, cost-of-living in Chicago is insane, and I'm saying all that as a current UIC student.

Fwiw, I've talked to a bunch of friends who go to other med schools, and UIC's curriculum is surprisingly streamlined with minimal mandatory stuff, P/F blocks, and unranked preclinicals. Long blocks are a challenge, but you do get a full week off prior to each end-of-block exam to get all your final studying done.