UMDNJ vs. Pitt HELP!!

[kamasatra]

I NEED HELP!! I need to decide between going to U. Pitt vs. UMDNJ (NJMS). I would end up in 80,000 less debt (interest not included) if I went to UMDNJ. At UMDNJ, I like the way students are very chill, and the fact that Newark and North NJ is much more diverse. I like the freedom and diversity of Pitt's curriculum as well as the happiness factor of the students. The biggest pull is that Pitt is ranked much higher.

This decision is much harder now because of this HUGE difference in money. Is Pitt's reputation as high as its actually ranking (and will this have much of a difference in the residency programs I get into?) Is this worth $80,000?

Also to any UMDNJ students who might be reading this - did you feel like you had enough time to study for get the boards? Any advice in making this decision would be much appreciated. Even if you know nothing about either schools, any advice on how choosing a school b/c of the amount the debt you will be in, would be helpful.

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[mophead]

Hi there... I'm a first year at Pitt with one day to go until I become a second year. Just procrastinating on studying...

I like Pitt, but my advice is that if all else is relatively equal, go for the situation in which you'll have substantially less debt. I chose Pitt over a school I liked better where I would have had a *lot* more debt. It eases my mind to know I'll have few financial worries when I graduate and so don't have to concern myself with going into a specialty where the salary isn't at the top. And I don't think ranking is such a big deal for most things. Of course, I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up in one of those fields where any US medical grad can find a spot if they want one. If you're into surgery, derm, or emergency medicine Pitt might be a good place. We had a lot of folks match into those things this past year. And I'm told by my mentors that the debt really isn't such a big deal once you've finished residency.