UMich (full tuition merit scholarship) vs. Stanford Med

[PR_MD]

Univ of Michigan (full tuition merit scholarship)

Stanford School of Medicine

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[MadameLULU]

WoW!! congrats!!! I would say U. Mich but I'm biased. Really, this is a decision you need to make on your own, but you have 2 great choices. You can't go wrong with either one. Good luck!

 

[virilep]

Univ of Michigan (full tuition merit scholarship)

Stanford School of Medicine

U Mich hands down. they have the best residency match lists for a state school. congrats.

 

[GuyLaroche]

But Michigan, such horrid weather. Besides, they've almost turned into a red state. Stanford - California, liberals, sunny weather.... I could go on.

But to be quite frank, despite my vote, UMich is probably were you should go. It's ranked higher than Stanford and has a solid research reputation. Stanford has excellent residency programs, I'm told, but the medical school is not that great.

 

[Haybrant]

but the medical school is not that great.

could you qualify this please? or is it just something youve heard?

Id add that Stanford has an average indebtedness of 68k on graduation which is something you should take into consideration. Probably a good idea to ask yourself where you want to end up; the stanford match list is heavy on california, many at stanford, residencies as ought to be expected. The 4 year pass/fail can go both ways; the match should only get better with more people being able to publish through the scholarly conc. program.

 

[bidster]

It's an awesome choice to have to make (congrats!!!), but if being in California vs Michigan doesn't matter to you that much--you're basically comparing two reputable top-tens, one of which is willing to cover you.

If the weather at Mich is an issue, you can take some of the money you saved from not paying for med school and invest it into constructing a weather-proof insulated hamster-ball type contraption so you could roll yourself around during the winter without being disturbed by the elements. (I sadly confess--being from GA, this was a flight of fancy I had for a few minutes when I visited Mich in mid-Dec. I'm obviously not an engineer... )

 

[GuyLaroche]

could you qualify this please? or is it just something youve heard?

I understand that the students are not clinically prepared. I am interviewing in April. I guess I'll confirm this myself. I apologize if my statement was too emphatic. I am going by comments made by med student/ resident friends of mine.

 

[virilep]

Univ of Michigan (full tuition merit scholarship)

Stanford School of Medicine

hahha, PR MD... u already voted for stanford. i guess ur mind is made up ;-)

 

[The Remix]

Univ of Michigan (full tuition merit scholarship)

Stanford School of Medicine

I'll take a little cold weather if it'll get me an almost-free education. Graduating with as little debt as possible means a lot these days in medical academia. You'll truly be able to specialize in whatever you want to without money being a factor. Plus, the schools are essentially the same as far as rankings go. In the end, you should go where you feel happiest. I don't know about you but the $126,000 scholarship they're offering you would put me on crack high!

 

[Haybrant]

I understand that the students are not clinically prepared. I am interviewing in April. I guess I'll confirm this myself. I apologize if my statement was too emphatic. I am going by comments made by med student/ resident friends of mine.

by looking into this, ive realized that being clinically prepared requires investment by the student; you'd be hard pressed to argue that all student from stanford are not clincally prepared. I research at ucsf right now and of the many physicians ive spoken with, none have indicated a weak clinical training of stanford students; in fact they are quite surprised that it is a concern of mine at all. I was at ucsd for example and they have an excellent free clinic, and although i havent seen it, stanford has one too. Not everyone participates in these activities, but if one will base their decision about where to attend med school (and weather to call a med school good or not , for that matter) on the clinical training, then participating in the free clinic is something they can get heavily involved with. The free clinic is just one example of how the student burdens a certain amount of the weight for being clincially prepared not just at stanford, but most schools. Please see the post by AJM, a current stanford med, at the bottom of the page on the following link for more info: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=174237&page=6&pp=20

he/she talks directly to this concern.

 

[aumed22]

Congrats on the choice, it is quite an opportunity. I'd go with UMich though, it may be cold, but it is FREE!!. To say that finances shouldn't be a concern is a little too idealistic for me, they aren't everything, but the financial burden of medical school is ever growing and it will play a role when it comes to choosing a specialty. Go to UMich and enjoy the ride.

 

[GuyLaroche]

by looking into this, ive realized that being clinically prepared requires investment by the student; you'd be hard pressed to argue that all student from stanford are not clincally prepared. I research at ucsf right now and of the many physicians ive spoken with, none have indicated a weak clinical training of stanford students; in fact they are quite surprised that it is a concern of mine at all. I was at ucsd for example and they have an excellent free clinic, and although i havent seen it, stanford has one too. Not everyone participates in these activities, but if one will base their decision about where to attend med school (and weather to call a med school good or not , for that matter) on the clinical training, then participating in the free clinic is something they can get heavily involved with. The free clinic is just one example of how the student burdens a certain amount of the weight for being clincially prepared not just at stanford, but most schools. Please see the post by AJM, a current stanford med, at the bottom of the page on the following link for more info: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=174237&page=6&pp=20

he/she talks directly to this concern.

What a wonderful read. I am a little more encouraged. Thanks.

 

[AStudent]

You couldn't pay me enough to go to Michigan.

 

[GuyLaroche]

You couldn't pay me enough to go to Michigan.

Well, this thread's not about you, is it?

 

[Haybrant]

one more link for the op; it's been posted elsewhere but if you havent already seen this:

http://medicologic.com/stanford/convince.htm

 

[firex]

Depending on one's financial situation (e.g. if you're particularly poor), a full-tuition scholarship may not really be that much of an improvement over a regular financial aid package elsewhere. There's still $15000-$20000/year worth of living expenses to worry about even after the tuition has been paid for.

BTW, would anyone vote differently if this was a choice between UMICH full scholarship and Harvard med?

 

[dr.z]

I would go UMICH. There's nothing better than free education from a good school.

 

[The Remix]

Depending on one's financial situation (e.g. if you're particularly poor), a full-tuition scholarship may not really be that much of an improvement over a regular financial aid package elsewhere. There's still $15000-$20000/year worth of living expenses to worry about even after the tuition has been paid for.

BTW, would anyone vote differently if this was a choice between UMICH full scholarship and Harvard med?

I'd still go to Mich. Any of the top ten schools have the reputation to get you anywhere you want granted you score well on boards and interview well. I don't see a RD picking a HMS grad over a UMich one simply because of the respective schools they went to.

 

[Sancho]

There have been buttloads of snow, sleet, ice, and other cold **** precipitously pelting this flat (except for the occasional landfill) state of michigan since about halloween. I've lived in both areas and I'll tell you unflinchingly-hands down Stanford.

 

[Surgeonizer]

To the OP: You have two wonderful choices to work with! Congrats on your acceptances. You must be on cloud nine right now.

If I were in your shoes, I would go with the full ride. Both schools offer an outstanding education and--provided that you do well academically--can open a lot of doors in terms of career development. Don't underestimate the burden of debt.

Good luck with your decision and I hope to see you in Ann Arbor next year (I'm an M1 at Michigan).

 

[medic170]

Michigan is not nearly as cold and bad as people make it out to be. From the end of April all the way to the end of October we have temps that range from 70 to 95. I don't think the temp got below 0 degrees at all this winter south of Mt. Pleasant.

 

[leechy]

To the OP: I would say if you've got pressing personal reasons to be in California (such as family + friends nearby), then consider Stanford. If you're from California and really want to do your residency there, it could also be beneficial to go to Stanford. My main fear with UMich (which I've learned about through the UMich thread) is that people allegedly have a tougher time than one might expect getting residencies on the coasts. I say "allegedly" because there is debate about what makes the match list skewed towards the midwest - whether it's because UMich's reputation is more regional, or whether it's simply that midwest people want to stay in the midwest. If you're from the midwest, of course, then it's not a concern.

There's also been some debate about whether the grading during the clinical years at UMich is actually a lot tougher than it is at other top schools. Some say that whereas most schools give honors for a good performance during rotation, UMich only gives honors for extraordinary ones. Residency directors may not understand UMich's grade stinginess, and it may be disadvantageous come match time.

I'd advise you to read through two of the interview feedbacks on UMich that are actually written by current students with some tough words for the school, and at this year's UMich thread.

All that being said, I see no strong reason to turn down this free ride. UMich is a great school with pass-fail for the first year, possibly two years. It's ranked about the same as Stanford. People do recognize it as a prestigious school, not a typical state school. A distaste for the weather should not be enough to sway your mind. And having tuition paid for really frees up your mind. Don't underestimate what $150,000+ means. Just a thought.

 

[PR_MD]

I really appreciate everyone's input. it's going to be a tough choice no matter what...I am still waiting to hear from Stanford's financial aid, to see if at all is as nice as UMich's offer...

 

[LauraMac]

You couldn't pay me enough to go to Michigan.

why are you always hating on michigan? it's a great school! and, at least in my opinion, ann arbor is a great place to live.