UICOM (Rockford) vs Rosalind Franklin

[jhk23]

Hi all!

I need help deciding between Rosalind Franklin and UICOM (Rockford Campus). I am from the Chicago area and if I went to RFU I would be able to live at home for two years and then move downtown for clinical rotations during 3rd and 4th year. At UICOM, they aren't letting students appeal their campus assignment placement so I would be at the Rockford campus and living in Rockford for 4 years. UICOM seems to have greater research opportunities and a smaller class size which provides me easy access to attendings, mentors, etc, but I don't get to rotate in the city of Chicago. RFU does not have a home hospital and I would be switching to a variety of hospitals and healthcare settings throughout my rotations vs UICOM-R having a home hospital (or 2/3 in the Rockford area). Right now my interests are in either orthopedics or emergency medicine and both seem to have similar match lists. Because I am in-state, UICOM-R is the cheaper option.

I would love to hear your opinions on the two schools, any major differences, any first-hand experiences, etc. Thanks!!!

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[fightingillini122]

I interviewed and was accepted at both schools this cycle (withdrawing from both). If I was in your position, I would 100% choose UICOM. The price difference is significant enough alone to choose UICOM. Aside from that, there are more opportunities for research, and more opportunity to make connections (for LOR) with physicians in Rockford. RFU seems generally disorganized, and with rotating at so many different locations, it may be difficult to create meaningful relationships with those who will write you letters for residency applications. The only thing RFU has going for it is location (barely), but with Rockford only being about an hour and a half away from Chicago, I would definitely choose UICOM.

 

[mdog31415]

RFU student here- I think it's a closer call than many think, but I think UICOM is the best choice from price perspective and if you truly want a chance at ortho. Granted I personally would choose RFU if I was gunning for EM and EM was as competitive as it used to be (doing EM and trauma rotations at Sinai and Stroger are awesome), but times changed and I think UICOM will suit you better in the long run.

 

[SynapticHype]

UICOM-R is more focused on rural medicine and not as many research opportunities as the other 2 campuses. I heard from Rockford students through a mutual friend that a lot of them between M1 and M2 summer go to do research in Chicago. Personally, I'd want to establish a relationship with a lab to do research during all 4 years of school which would be way more meaningful for residency applications than just doing research over the summer (6 weeks long). As for RFU, I met an M1 there and he doesn’t have anything bad to say about it. He loves the fact that he saves money by living at home and during his 35-45 min commute he listens to lectures lol. A big majority of his classmates are also commuters. There is a good amount of students in his class aiming for EM and RFU has a supreme match for EM. He was disappointed about RFU not having a hospital at first. However, his rotations are going to take him all around Chicago he’s excited about the opportunity to network at all these different hospitals to try and get a residency position. A lot of the M3’s and M4’s live downtown and don't have to come to campus for lectures. Overall it's chill and he’s enjoying his time there. Message me if you want me to connect you with him super nice guy. I think it’s a difficult choice but perhaps having your family/support nearby and being closer to plentiful opportunities in Chicago might edge this choice towards RFU.