UMiami Miller MD/MPH vs. Tufts MD/MPH

[awesomeapple]

Hello! I feel very fortunate to decide between these four-year MD/MPH programs, but I like them both for different reasons. Please help me decide!

UMiami Miller:
Pros

• Closeknit cohort within public health (50 students)
• Public health classes start earlier & it seems like it is more integrated and that you can get more out of it (includes the opportunity to get board certified in public health)
• Jackson Memorial/other clinical opportunities (2nd busiest hospital in the nation, safety net hospital, has the most transplants done here than any other hospital in the nation and sees diseases nowhere else seen in the US)
• HUGE Spanish-speaking population (I am conversational in Spanish and feel like this is a great opportunity to potentially become a bilingual provider.)
• Diverse faculty
• Good student culture
• WOLFSON Docs Program (a free clinic that provides early clinical exposure)
• Global health opportunities in Public Health + international rotation opportunities
• 1 year pre-clinical! (could be helpful b/c I don't know what I want to do)
• Great research opportunities within the school itself
• Weather!

Cons

• Internal Rank!! (20% of this also comes from the pre-clinical year, making that not true P/F)
• Name
• Mandatory lectures everyday at 8am for the 1 preclinical year
• Feels a bit disorganized (This seems more in terms of scheduling. Students mention that it hasn't affected their experience and that the admin definitely listens and makes changes upon feedback.)
• Anatomy lab isn't as comprehensive (prosections)
• Not as nice facilities (In undergrad, I loved studying in the library at all hours. Miami wouldn't give me that opportunity as much compared to Tufts, which is why this is an important factor.)

Tufts:
Pros:

• 20-person public health cohort, but it's not as much of a specific track as in Miami.
  • Public health faculty are super nice and connected all over Boston.
• Name! (though I think it is ranked lower than Miami)
• Gorgeous facilities!!
• Lectures are not required
• Super supportive faculty and student culture (people are VERY nice)
• Other specific pathways to learn to serve underserved patients
• No internal rank (though the clinical grading system is HP/P/LP/F)
• Boston=democratic city/culture (I'm from a democratic city.), walkable city, lots of students (great study environment)
• Rotate in a variety of clinical settings
• Lots of students match into Boston/Harvard residencies (but I don't think I would want to live in Boston for 8 years, so I'm not sure this matters)

Cons

• No safety net/large hospital
• Tufts itself doesn't have as great research opportunities
• 1.5-2 year pre-clinical
• Clinical opportunities seem to be later
• The MPH doesn't seem to be as robust
• Weather!

Overall, I feel like Miami has some exciting opportunities but comes with significant cons as well (that are basically the opposite of Tufts). I'm not sure how to balance the two. For additional context, I want to pursue a noncompetitive non-surgical specialty for sure, but I am undecided at this point.
Both are also equally far away from home, so that's not really a factor at this point. I also feel very fortunate that cost is not a major factor in my decision. I really want to go to the school that would make me happiest AND that would also best equip me to pursue my career goals.

Any input would greatly help, thank you!!

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[deleted1158770]

I’d say that it’s completely up to personal preference. Both are great options, but imo your pros for Miami are slightly stronger. Internal rankings shouldn’t be too big of an issue if you are pursuing a non competitive specialty.

 

[awesomeapple]

I’d say that it’s completely up to personal preference. Both are great options, but imo your pros for Miami are slightly stronger. Internal rankings shouldn’t be too big of an issue if you are pursuing a non competitive specialty.

Thank you so much for your thoughts!

 

[GoldLoaf]

I’m in a similar boat picking between tufts and a school that works in safety net facilities that seems slightly less organized! For what it’s worth, Tufts’s MPH is higher ranked than Miami’s and I’ve heard really positive things about the faculty from friends that did it. Tufts has selectives throughout the 1.5 yr preclinical so you spend a good amount of time shadowing and doing H&P then. They also have global health opportunities I’ve been looking at in Ghana and a few other places, but I know it’s not fully funded and I’m not sure how it compares to UMiami’s. It’s also true that you’d have to more intentionally seek out sites with Hispanic populations than you would at UMiami, but I did hear a student say she rotated at a site where 90% of patients used interpreters. I think I’m leaning Tufts because of that supportive environment, faculty organization, and because Boston is such a good place to be, but I’m also struggling with giving up the chance to have some of that unique training of being at a huge safety net facility.

You can’t make a bad decision here, but I know all too well that isn’t helpful haha. Feel free to dm me if you want to discuss at all since I’m grappling with some of the same issues!

 

[EndureVascular]

As someone with an MPH, I couldn't imagine making this decision based on the MPH portion of your education

I'd look at the surrounding neighborhoods, school match lists, costs, and patient population of interest

 

[rooafzahfoe]

It sounds like your biggest con of Miami is the disorganization, but I think that results from the admin taking so much student feedback into account, which is a good thing! The excellent clinical training can be significant in shaping you into a great physician, and the one year preclinical will help with figuring out earlier what specialty you like and completing more research. You'll have access to the gorgeous undergrad facilities too at UM, if that'll make a difference for you. AND their match list is killer. Personally I'll be going to Miami for my MD/MPH

 

[awesomeapple]

I’m in a similar boat picking between tufts and a school that works in safety net facilities that seems slightly less organized! For what it’s worth, Tufts’s MPH is higher ranked than Miami’s and I’ve heard really positive things about the faculty from friends that did it. Tufts has selectives throughout the 1.5 yr preclinical so you spend a good amount of time shadowing and doing H&P then. They also have global health opportunities I’ve been looking at in Ghana and a few other places, but I know it’s not fully funded and I’m not sure how it compares to UMiami’s. It’s also true that you’d have to more intentionally seek out sites with Hispanic populations than you would at UMiami, but I did hear a student say she rotated at a site where 90% of patients used interpreters. I think I’m leaning Tufts because of that supportive environment, faculty organization, and because Boston is such a good place to be, but I’m also struggling with giving up the chance to have some of that unique training of being at a huge safety net facility.

You can’t make a bad decision here, but I know all too well that isn’t helpful haha. Feel free to dm me if you want to discuss at all since I’m grappling with some of the same issues!

Yes! Tufts' supportive environment is unparalleled for sure! Thank you so much for sharing your insights! I will say that Tufts has a lot more site to rotate at than I initially thought, including hospitals that are part of Cambridge Health Alliance (which is considered a safety net). And yes, I'll DM you!

 

[awesomeapple]

As someone with an MPH, I couldn't imagine making this decision based on the MPH portion of your education

I'd look at the surrounding neighborhoods, school match lists, costs, and patient population of interest

This makes sense, thank you!

 

[awesomeapple]

It sounds like your biggest con of Miami is the disorganization, but I think that results from the admin taking so much student feedback into account, which is a good thing! The excellent clinical training can be significant in shaping you into a great physician, and the one year preclinical will help with figuring out earlier what specialty you like and completing more research. You'll have access to the gorgeous undergrad facilities too at UM, if that'll make a difference for you. AND their match list is killer. Personally I'll be going to Miami for my MD/MPH

Congrats on your A to Miami! UM's clinical training is definitely a huge draw, and those are some great points! And yes, I've heard admin definitely does take feedback into account! The main thing holding me back is the internal ranking system 😅

 

[awesomeapple]

Bumping this, because I’m still so conflicted and added a poll 😅