UMass vs CUSM

[actual789]

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Born in raised in Southern California about 45 min from CUSM campus. I'mm mainly interested in IM but have recently begun to consider ophtho. My main concern with schools (as of right now) is matching back into California, which is basically the only reason I am strongly considering CUSM.
I've always lived in LA so I would ideally like four years in a new setting that is not the Inland Empire of California but I do not want to be out there long term so matching out of state has really given me a lot of anxiety as of late.
Both are pass fail pre-clinical, tiered grading during clerkships. Similar tuition and COL (for me).

UMASS
Pros

• MUCH BETTER RANKING (#46)
• Amazing campus and wonderful people
• WIN time (a few days off) after each block
• dedicated time off for STEP
• Greater name recognition for residency matches
• Mentorship community
• a lot more study/support resources than my other choice
• well established, been around since 1960s
• hospital on campus
• strong IM matching

Cons

• larger class size
• in Worcester, which I recently visited -- I'm from Los Angeles and used to a lottt more city life and this was not that at all. It's quite a bit far from Boston so I don't know if long-term I can live in a city that small but I don't know how important this will become with the business of medical school
• does not match well into California (about 8 matched in to CA out of a 200 person class, and I know it's a public state school but my biggest consideration as a CA resident)
• long ways to the airport, makes it a lot more difficult to get back home for breaks etc.

CUSM

Pros

• 45 min from home (have an.... interesting.... relationship with family so the family support aspect is not a super big deal for me, but I DO like the familiarity of knowing the area/having friends already close by)
• More things to do in the area (maybe not the immediate, but OC and LA are close)
• 97% MATCHING INTO CALIFORNIA -- VERY important for me, probably the only big pull factor for me to this school. The very few ppl from UMass that match into CA are matching into perhaps more prestigious institutions (UCLA, etc) but the idea of it being guaranteed is huge for me.
• Tuesdays (some) and all Fridays off.
• Will be an easier transition to med school for me (easier to move things and set up my life a short ways away)
• Lifestyle is a lot better/easier for me (close to fam/friends, close to the beach, weather I am familiar with, close to nightlife/malls/restaurants/things to do which tbh as someone from LA has become something important for me (which I know is incredibly trivial lol)

Cons

• I will have literally never moved out of Southern California in my life
• A bit too close to family
• School is very new and UNRANKED
• much less structured. From what I've heard from current students, curriculum/support resources etc are very all over the place and not quite set in place quite yet. It's a bit of a choose your own adventure/things morphing and changes as it goes
• No cadaver lab, fully virtual (not super important for me bc im not interested in surgery but still)
• in the IE (iykyk)
• Rotations are at different locations around southern cal
• No in-house research (must find a different institution on my own) -- i'm sure i'll manage but annyoing

So basically, I'm torn between a very well-ranked institution that basically has everything going for it and most things i'm looking for in a school. However, it is not guaranteed I will come back for residency and that scares me. Additionally, it is in a much smaller town and is very unfamiliar/difficult to get back home for me.
The other option, CUSM, is not ranked at all, very new, little name recognition, a lot less structured. But as someone who hopes to match and practice in southern california, it is much more equipped to place me there. It's a bit more chill/enables me to have good free time and perhaps a slightly more relaxed experience than moving to Mass, but I will have never moved or experienced anything else.

I also forgot to mention that this is something else very trivial and shouldn't be important to me. But the idea of possibly choosing a medical school that is much lower (and not even) ranked as compared to such a fantastic, well-established institution just because it will set me up easier for my future has been kind of upsetting. I am so incredibly grateful and lucky to even have choice. But do people choose something that is much lower ranked and has little name recognition just because life will be somewhat easier and that anxiety of not knowing if you will come back home or not goes away?

I am very very split between the two, one (UMass) which I am sure will give me a richer, more deeply experiential four years, and the other (CUSM) which will set me up for my future in LA with greater guarantee. What would you do?

Thank you in advance, this choice has been so incredibly difficult for me 🙂

 

[LelouchLamperouge]

If you want to do optho, you will have to an easier time at a school with an optho home program. Getting involved with optho research is easier and you have better odds matching at your home program. UMass is better in that regard.

That being said, go where you feel like you will succeed. School rank will not help you take your exams. Attend the program that will allow you to be at your best.

I always find it intriguing when people say they’re anxious about possibly going out of state for residency. You have to know that comes with this career path, and in certain instances, it’s not avoidable. Think beyond medical school and residency, you can always come home to practice. Go where you will get the best training and education.