UMass Chan vs Texas Tech Lubbock

[pitabread]

this post is gonna be super niche but I literally have no one to ask so would appreciate any and all input!!

Some context about me:
I just got in off waitlist for both so I never got to visit, and campus feel/fit is usually important for me. I'm from California, attended undergrad in Georgia, did a classic 1-yr gap. Very ok with living away from home but eventually probably want to end up back in Cali for residency. ORM and hope to have at least some diversity in my surroundings and be able to find an Indian community. Interested in working with underserved populations, likely in primary care/ pediatrics but honestly haven't really seen what any of the specialties are like so I potentially could change my mind later. I might be interested in MD/MBA but both schools have similar 4-year dual degree programs so this isn't a deciding factor.

UMass Chan SOM- Worcester, Massachusetts
Pros

• extremely good primary care program, well-ranked and reputed
• they recently got a FATTT research grant and other donation so prob newer facilities soon and lots of research opportunities- but I'm definitely much more interested in clinical and would only do research as resume padding
• got into the PURCH track, which is a specific program I'm very interested in- population-based, urban, rural healthcare, integration of health systems science, health equity-based curriculum, DEI etc.
• new curriculum incorporating weeklong breaks after each block- honestly a huge pro for me because I'll actually have time to visit home or travel to see friends in the Northeast (have a good number of close friends up there). M1 summer and winter breaks too
• 6 free clinics to choose from, students are highly involved
• learning communities (like houses), reported good student interactions
• true P/F preclinical
• students generally seem happy and laid-back, team-based spirit
• relatively close to Boston (1 hr drive) which gives me access to a major city for day trips or other big cities in the NE for longer trips. also dating scene woohoo
• technically far from my parents but actually closer to what would be a better support system for me- my friends in NY/ DC and my brother in Chicago. would still only see them on breaks tho

Cons

• $57k annual tuition (for me), COA ~$92.5k/year. (on FAFSA, EFC was 0). luckily my parents are helping finance my education and are insistent that money isn't an issue (typical immigrant parents) but I know that's not true and I don't want to waste their money unless necessary, especially when I know my educational expenses are going to prevent them from their own goals like becoming homeowners. i'd definitely need loans for these costs.
• Worcester is a college town/kinda in the middle of nowhere. many people say it's depressing but I have a friend who was there for undergrad and loved it, so I guess it depends on the person. I did attend a similarly isolated rural college in Georgia for 2 years and didn't mind being nowhere; actually enjoyed building a closer community and connections (but also I've changed a lot since I was 18 so idk)
• Massachusetts weather- I get such bad seasonal depression I'm scared. I also like being outdoors/ outdoor sports and activities; even though there's supposedly nice skiing and hiking in the area, not sure how often I could go (skiing) and it's likely often too cold for hiking
• my rotations will be in Springfield, an hour further inland (2 hours away from Boston
• someone who went to second look said admin seemed supportive and like they listened to students but obv gonna seem like that at second look? honestly didn't get the best impression from transparency/ communications leading up to interview and decision. mid at best, they did the bare minimum. but who knows they did make a bunch of curricular changes based on student feedback.

Texas Tech (TTUHSC)- Lubbock, Texas
Pros

• $22.5k annual tuition+fees, COA ~$52.5k (OOS but granted a scholarship/OOS tuition waiver). LIKE THIS IS SO CHEAP WTF, could probably graduate debt-free !!
• also a good primary care program, though not as good (technically ranked #19 compared to UMass's #13 but I don't trust USNews enough for this). still good match rates esp for primary care, only issues i might see is if i decide to go non-primary care route
• had the BEST and chillest interview day experience. good vibes, friendly students, understanding admin/faculty
• admin seem to be responsive to student concerns and i actually believe it
• students genuinely seem super happy and cheesin
• distinction in primary care, service to underserved, but focus is on rural TX and no dedicated curriculum to population healthcare, health disparities, health policy
• only 1 free clinic but involvement with community non-profit orgs is woven into curriculum
• medical Spanish and exposure to Hispanic speaking patients that I hope to work with in the future, also opportunities for traveling abroad and practicing Spanish through global/ public health opportunities
• only level 1 trauma center in the region so good clinical opportunities
• weather is so much nicer than MA, more like Cali/GA
• nice outdoor activities like hikes that I could do close to year-round

Cons

• Lubbock is genuinely in the middle of nowhere. 6 hour drive from the nearest major cities in Texas, which means no popping in for a day trip. goodbye city life. west Texas seems truly isolated
• have absolutely 0 family, friends, or support system nearby. the closest would be my family in the Bay Area, CA, which is technically closer than MA but that's still a plane ride away and the Lubbock airport is not a major airport
• probably more non-trads and less diversity; shouldn't be a big issue but it's already rural and this combined is gonna make the dating scene so rough for me
• significantly worse in research/ less research funds than UMass, but idc much anyways and I'm sure I'll still find an opportunity to do whatever interests me
• p sure it's H/HP/P/F which is basically graded but my notes from interview day are a little sketch about this. somewhere else, I wrote P/F unranked curriculum but grades starting 3rd/4th year
• terrified of the political climate and being in true rural TX. the school's motto is literally Guns Up??? not excited for microaggressions and the "where are you really from" comments but hopefully won't have to deal too much with all this in actual school
• 3rd and 4th year rotations done in satellite campuses so have to move when you're studying for step

Summary:
Neither city itself is spectacular but at least Worcester is close to Boston and other major cities in the northeast. Both are good primary care programs so shouldn't have an issue matching, but in case I change my mind, I think UMass will open more doors for me.
I like UMass's program and location better but idk if I can justify paying $50k-ish more per year. Will I get significantly more out of that experience and in it setting me up for my future career?

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[chilly_md]

Will I get significantly more out of that experience and in it setting me up for my future career?

Not really, especially if you already seem pretty interested in primary care.

There’s not much around Lubbock but the city itself has 260k (more than Worchester’s city limits). And while I don’t know the specific culture there, I don’t think most people from Boston would be interested in meeting students from Worchester if it’s an hour away when they have many people within the downtown area.

Southwest will fly out of the airport there, you just will have to deal with layovers. In that regard, you don’t really have any support at UMass either. Your brother being 1000 miles away in Chicago does not count, nor do your friends living several hours away by car. And flying across country to CA would be an all-day event as well.

 

[NotAWalrus]

UMass student here (so I admittedly don't know anything about Texas Tech), but for what it's worth: You asked which would help set you up for a future career, but a lot of your pros & cons for both schools are related to happiness and fit and vibe, and IMHO that's a bigger predictor of future success than the marginal differences between two programs that (as you mentioned) are both good with primary care. Finances aside (that's a big aside, I know) I think wherever you will be happiest is where you'll do the best academically and professionally.

I'm not as wise as the SDN admin/faculty so I won't try to sway you one way or the other, but feel free to PM me if I can answer any questions about UMass. Congrats on the acceptances!

 

[wysdoc]

Your interests match better with U Mass.
I think Lubbock is bigger than Worcester and more affordable to live, but you don't seem to think much of it.
Lubbock med school community is warm and supportive. Texans are way friendlier than Massachusetts natives, I've lived in both states.

 

[Kracin]

90K cost of attendance vs. 40K cost of attendance. $200,000 difference after 4 years.

I don’t see Umass opening enough doors to justify the price difference - I’d go Tech

 

[professinalDJ_futureMD]

I'm from MA but go to school in Florida, my thoughts are 1) money does matter 2) even though money matters, set yourself up for success #1. If that means one city or climate over the other, or if you are itching to go somewhere, then take that into consideration, 4 years is no short time and if you're happy you'll succeed in school, which trust me is enough to worry about 3) always check match lists 4) I also got into UMass, almost went in-state, seems to be reputable all around, but also check what you're interested in specialty-wise - will they have the research projects you want? Look up specific prospective mentors on PubMed 5) cost of living is a thing, but weigh against total cost of course 6) check pass-fail. internal rank can weigh on you with stress, do yourself that favor and go pass-fail preclinical if you can 7) distance from friends or family does matter 8) check the admitted group-chats to gauge who your classmates will be, the people who will impact your experience almost more than the curriculum or city.

 

[obiwan]

terrified of the political climate and being in true rural TX. the school's motto is literally Guns Up??? not excited for microaggressions and the "where are you really from" comments but hopefully won't have to deal too much with all this in actual school
3rd and 4th year rotations done in satellite campuses so have to move when you're studying for step

Graduated from TTUHSC. I can assuage you of your concerns regarding political/racial/cultural differences. West Texas people are truly the nicest people around (at least when I was there). And as stated above, a very supportive medical school administration. 4 years does go by pretty quickly if the idea of living in West Texas doesn't seem so appealing

 

[Soparklion]

90K cost of attendance vs. 40K cost of attendance. $200,000 difference after 4 years.

I don’t see Umass opening enough doors to justify the price difference - I’d go Tech

Also checkout average debt on graduation. That means that the poor get financial aid money while those with access to $$$ pay big money.

 

[123OkayGoogle]

Go to tech

 

[wysdoc]

@pitabread which school did you choose in the end?