UMiami vs. Case Western Reserve

[kidddo598]

Hey guys! I have been having a rough time deciding between medical schools. Currently, I am deciding between Case Western Reserve SOM and UMiami Miller SOM. I am Cuban-American and a Miami-native. I have never left Miami before and I love it here. When I first got into UMiami I was psyched because it meant I was able to stay close to my family and very close friends and have that support system going into medical school.

However, I am unfortunately interested in the competitive surgical specialties and have been hearing a lot about how much more important school rankings is going to be with Step 1 P/F. Curriculum and school-wise, I like Case Western much more, and the administration is fantastic! I was able to obtain a great scholarship from both programs so price (after COL) will be about the same.

I should also say I don’t care about getting into a “top residency” (whatever that means). A residency in Miami would be ideal and I want to practice in Miami. Should note that according to the match list a lot of UMiami students do match into competitive residencies through Jackson/UMiami residencies.

CWRU T25
Pros
True P/F
Cleveland Clinic
Students are happy, administration is great!
Great match list (whatever that means)

Cons
Location/far from friends/family
Not a large Hispanic Population

UMiami T50
Pros
Close to family/friends! Location!
Large Hispanic Population (important to me)
Connect with Miami physicians/community leaders

Cons
P/F preclinical, graded clinical
Was on probation a few years ago for student mistreatment
disorganized administration

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Shunsui]

Considering your career goals, Miami is the better option. Going for a competitive speciality and wanting to match back into Miami could be done at Case but would be easier to do through Miami. I think the relative lack of diversity at Case is also a huge turnoff in this case.

Don't let the prestige difference or subjective factors like "admins are great" cloud your judgement. Either way, both schools are outstanding but my pick goes to Miami. Congrats on the killer cycle!

 

[deleted1054719]

Trust your initial instincts. Miami sounds like the better fit for you especially since you aren't interested in uber competitive residencies outside of Miami

 

[betablocker7]

Both are great schools. Case is outside the T20 tier, after which the dropoff is steep. Its match list is slightly stronger than Miami's. Miami will give you the edge in coming back to FLA, and community cannot be overlooked

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Agree on Miami. I think going to Cleveland would be a shock to your system (weather, culture, etc.) and really unnecessary in this situation. Congrats!

 

[Banco]

Miami is a great school and such a better fit for you. Go there and don't look back.

 

[supsurfer]

Miami- great school in a great city.

 

[seeinghowitgoes]

Based on your priorities pick UMiami.

Disagree with above posters on some things (Case is def more prestigious in *academic* medicine), and my unsolicited advice would be to try to get out of your hometown for at least a little while to broaden your horizons and world views. But bottom line is it is far easier to match at a home program for residency than anywhere else, and given the stated goal for you is to be a clinician in surgery (can be done from any institution) and in Miami, UMiami makes perfect sense.

 

[kidddo598]

Disagree with above posters on some things (Case is def more prestigious in *academic* medicine), and my unsolicited advice would be to try to get out of your hometown for at least a little while to broaden your horizons and world views. But bottom line is it is far easier to match at a home program for residency than anywhere else, and given the stated goal for you is to be a clinician in surgery (can be done from any institution) and in Miami, UMiami makes perfect sense.

Thanks for the response! Yea I definitely do feel like I need to get out of Miami at one point, but I also have ill family at home that I want to spend time with through these next 4 years.

I think by biggest concern was with matching, as, looking at match lists, case has a higher number of students going into the surgical subspecialties. I wonder if this is simply because more were interested, or because it was easier for them to do so given case’s reputation or advising/opportunities.

 

[wondervisions]

Thanks for the response! Yea I definitely do feel like I need to get out of Miami at one point, but I also have ill family at home that I want to spend time with through these next 4 years.

I think by biggest concern was with matching, as, looking at match lists, case has a higher number of students going into the surgical subspecialties. I wonder if this is simply because more were interested, or because it was easier for them to do so given case’s reputation or advising/opportunities.

It's almost certainly selection bias, i.e. the difference is driven by the students themselves rather than the school.

Go with Miami.