UMich vs Pritzker vs CCLCM vs Harvard??

[random_hooligan]

So I've been incredibly lucky and blessed to be faced with this difficult decision, and I was wondering if I could get some of your input about the pros and cons of each of these schools.

Cost of attendance is pretty low at UMich (in-state, maybe some financial/merit aid as well), Pritzker (full tuition scholarship), and CCLCM (tuition-free), especially compared to Harvard (likely all loans because parental income is high). Is it worth it to shell out the big bucks for Harvard compared to these other top schools? My gut feeling is no, but feel free to chime in if you believe otherwise.

Additional information: Michigan is closest to my family/my SO although Chicago and Cleveland aren't too far away. I'm not much of a partier (aka I basically have no life haha) so I'm not sure how much big fun city (Chicago, Boston) vs small non-fun city (Ann Arbor, Cleveland) matters.

I tried looking at the residency matches for all these schools. Harvard's has crazy inbreeding, which I guess is good, and the other match lists are solid (although, is CCLCM's match list really that good when you're considering that all of them have the leg-up of an additional year of research compared to people who graduate in 4 years?).

I am definitely interested in academic medicine in a non-surgical field. I like the curriculum at CCLCM the best, but I don't know how important curriculum is in the big picture. I can learn well using lectures as well, so I don't think I would necessarily do better in one curriculum or another.

Any input would be appreciated! Thank you!

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[WedgeDawg]

Moving to SSD

 

[KungFuPanda123]

.

 

[random_hooligan]

just go to harvard. ain't nothing better on the 'ol CV for academia than a harvard degree

But is that a real substantial advantage or a marginal one? On the interview day, Pritzker said that they were #1 in the nation in producing academic physicians, so it seems like they have a big reputation in the academic field as well (and that their graduates aren't hindered from landing academic jobs).

 

[KungFuPanda123]

But is that a real substantial advantage or a marginal one? On the interview day, Pritzker said that they were #1 in the nation in producing academic physicians, so it seems like they have a big reputation in the academic field as well (and that their graduates aren't hindered from landing academic jobs).

I missed the part where you said you got a full-tuition scholarship there. Go to Pritzker if you can't get Harvard to cough up a bit more dough

 

[jk818]

Free:
Pritzker
CCLCM

Not free:
UMich = $
Harvard =$$

Would immediately take out UMich, if you were going to pay, might as well go for the HMS name for academia.

Chicago >> Cleveland, even if you don't party, it just has more amenities, being in a better city but also right on one of the best undergrad campuses (coffee shops, gyms, libraries). If you want a research year, any of these schools will let you do so easily.

Which student body did you feel like you would fit in the most? I really liked Pritzker's students (happy, noncompetitive, socially conscious (Southside of Chicago)). But that might be different for you.

All these schools will set you up for academia. Is HMS worth $200k? Actually quite possibly, especially if you don't have financial pressure otherwise in the family. On the other hand, graduating debt-free is something else... I don't think it's an easy decision - congrats on your achievements!

 

[random_hooligan]

Free:
Pritzker
CCLCM

Not free:
UMich = $
Harvard =$$

Would immediately take out UMich, if you were going to pay, might as well go for the HMS name for academia.

Chicago >> Cleveland, even if you don't party, it just has more amenities, being in a better city but also right on one of the best undergrad campuses (coffee shops, gyms, libraries). If you want a research year, any of these schools will let you do so easily.

Which student body did you feel like you would fit in the most? I really liked Pritzker's students (happy, noncompetitive, socially conscious (Southside of Chicago)). But that might be different for you.

All these schools will set you up for academia. Is HMS worth $200k? Actually quite possibly, especially if you don't have financial pressure otherwise in the family. On the other hand, graduating debt-free is something else... I don't think it's an easy decision - congrats on your achievements!

Thank you for your input and congratulations! I got a really good vibe from Pritzker's students as well, although I think I would get a better idea during second look weekend. In fact I got a good vibe from Michigan and CCLCM students as well. Maybe I had a bad experience at Harvard, but the student host I stayed with seemed incredibly stressed out, and we didn't get to meet ANY students during the interview day due to an "oversight" on the part of the admissions committee. I'm going back for second look, but if the student body is anywhere near as stressed out as my student host was, I'm staying far, far away lol.

 

[kbird]

Pritzker!

While people here get googly-eyed over the idea of going to Harvard (rightfully so), the reality is that going to Pritzker will not even remotely shut any doors to you on the way to academic medicine. If you are good enough to have gotten the acceptances you have, you will be a wonderful medical student and will be set up to match at any of the best institutions in this country -- from any of the places you've been accepted. Unless you have the explicit goal of becoming faculty at Harvard (and if you plan to have kids, this might not be the best position down the line - fun fact, Harvard, unlike many of its peers, doesn't offer tuition benefits to faculty children!), there is minimal advantage to going there since Pritzker's students match incredibly well, too.

When we're all looking at crazy numbers for tuition costs, it just doesn't seem like real money at this point. But imagine 200k in extra debt -- that's well more than ten years of paying them off at 20k/yr! Imagine all the things you could do with that money each year. Or if your family has the money to spend, imagine how nice that money will be to have collecting interest and making it possible for you to buy a home flat-out when you've settled in.

Anyway, that's my two cents. Good luck and congrats on your great choices!

 

[random_hooligan]

Pritzker!

While people here get googly-eyed over the idea of going to Harvard (rightfully so), the reality is that going to Pritzker will not even remotely shut any doors to you on the way to academic medicine. If you are good enough to have gotten the acceptances you have, you will be a wonderful medical student and will be set up to match at any of the best institutions in this country -- from any of the places you've been accepted. Unless you have the explicit goal of becoming faculty at Harvard (and if you plan to have kids, this might not be the best position down the line - fun fact, Harvard, unlike many of its peers, doesn't offer tuition benefits to faculty children!), there is minimal advantage to going there since Pritzker's students match incredibly well, too.

When we're all looking at crazy numbers for tuition costs, it just doesn't seem like real money at this point. But imagine 200k in extra debt -- that's well more than ten years of paying them off at 20k/yr! Imagine all the things you could do with that money each year. Or if your family has the money to spend, imagine how nice that money will be to have collecting interest and making it possible for you to buy a home flat-out when you've settled in.

Anyway, that's my two cents. Good luck and congrats on your great choices!

Thank you for your input! That's an interesting fact about Harvard faculty... definitely did not know that. Do you have any opinions on CCLCM? Since financially there would be the same benefits as Chicago (even more benefits since Cleveland is probably about half as pricey to live in)

 

[kbird]

Thank you for your input! That's an interesting fact about Harvard faculty... definitely did not know that. Do you have any opinions on CCLCM? Since financially there would be the same benefits as Chicago (even more benefits since Cleveland is probably about half as pricey to live in)

No problem!

I'm not terribly familiar with CCLCM since I didn't apply, but I think the goals you have for your career have to determine whether or not CCLCM is right for you -- are you dead set on being a physician scientist? Or do you think there's a chance you might fall in love with clinical work only?

If you are sure you want to be behind a bench or doing tons of research, the extra year of training at CCLCM seems like a great opportunity. The thesis requirement (ie., the process of really going through with an independent research project of your own) will probably set you up better to be an independent researcher than will the more intermittent research you get in a normal curriculum. At least I'd imagine.

Speaking of research years, are you going to do an extra year if you go to Pritzker? If you don't feel set on doing that, the cost differential actually sways in favor of Chicago. You'd get out in four years and ultimately have an extra year of salary.

Tough call, but you can't go wrong with either!

 

[MaxPlancker]

Ok, I'll bite. Here's my personal views on this.

tl;dr: HMS, but wait on scholarship decisions from UMich which should be coming next week I believe.

Of those schools, I felt that UMich students were the happiest but I think our assessment of students' happiness/stress levels/etc are pretty biased/subjective/unreliable since they are so isolated blah blah.

Ann Arbor is a beautiful city and awesome in my opinion if you love the outdoors, but beware that it does get rural quite quickly as you move away from Ann Arbor. UMich has a big football culture so keep that in mind as well. There are also weekly assessments here, which can be taken on your own schedule towards the end of the week. I would say that the overall research opportunities here match (my political correctness) that of Pritzker (honestly, definitely surpasses) & certainly CCLCM (by quite a lot) but probably not Harvard. This is a key factor for you if you want to pursue academic medicine and/or competitive fields/residencies. One of the biggest drawbacks for me was that UMich is weak in the specific field that I want to do research. Best living costs and definitely not too crowded if you don't like bustling scenes. You would definitely probably want a car here. Your support network is around this area and that can be huge especially during medical school which is very difficult and will stress you out no matter where you go. Among the 4, I'd put UMich as the most partyish school.

I got the vibe that Pritzker (the institution itself, not the students) is much more focused on academics than the other 3 schools. Chicago is probably my pick in terms of city. I'm not a crazy party animal either but as someone above mentioned, there are much more venues to consider in a city beyond bars/clubs/etc. Research here is very strong as well but I would rank it behind HMS/UMich. Reputation-wise, Pritzker is above UMich but below HMS. Full-tuition Pritzker > UMich 75% tuition or less.

I actually disliked Case Western and CCLCM (and the only schools I actually disliked among all my interviews). CCLCM also seemed to care a more about the academics than other institutions. I think a big drawback to me for CCLCM was their dress code (I'm a shorts and t-shirt kinda guy and I can't fathom going to class and seminars in business casual…). While the program is relatively new, it is a strong one that prepares students well. The written self-reflection portfolios seem like an interesting concept, but I'm not sure how much I would enjoy doing them (they are quite long). Also, I feel as if there are diminishing returns as to how much time/effort you spend on the reflections (CCLCM being way too much IMO). I felt that the administration cared the least about students at CCLCM because when I asked why lectures were mandatory, I was told "Because the professors get offended". Lectures not video taped/recorded. Sure, that may be true but you really have to have the interest of the students in mind, which many many schools have realised over the years. Small class size also lends itself to either you getting along well with a lot of people or not having many people to be close with. Doing an extra 5th year here probably is unnecessary as you will probably match well regardless from the other 3 institutions. Also, probably the least networking here comparatively. Lastly, I was not a big fan of the city though the Cavs are there 😀

Before I visited HMS, I heard the craziest, worst things such as students being stuck up, etc. That completely changed after I visited, and I fell in love. The students I met seemed very happy. I interviewed in November and several students told me that earlier in the Fall, first years were stressed out because of the new curriculum and crazy prep demands the night before tomorrow's PBL sessions. However, that was fixed by the time I interviewed and it really seems that the administration is keeping a close eye on how the new curriculum for Pathways is unfolding and very receptive to student feedback. Again, our experiences meeting students is very isolated and unfortunately probably not very representative of the classes in general--that's what second look is for! I would suggest attending HMS's revisit over others if your primary concern was the students. For me, one of the biggest draws of HMS is their one-year preclinical curriculum. I think it's fantastic that you learn the most relevant details and hit the wards and come back to more advanced basic science topics later as you accumulate complementary exposure in the clinic. Needless to say, the research and other facilities at HMS are unrivalled by the other 3 with some rare exceptions. I think Boston is a great city, somewhere in between Ann Arbor and Chicago. I feel as if you would really enjoy Boston. If you want to go into academia, HMS will open doors for you that other schools may not though no doors will be closed by virtue of attending the other 3. Even though Pritzker and UMich are very well known and reputed, they don't come close to HMS. Many people outside of the medical field have not heard of CCLCM. Lastly, my impression is that you will find diversity (whether it be the arts, racial, ethnic, sports, whatever interests) at any institution from #100 to #1, you will find a much higher proportion of students that are the best of the best in their interests at Harvard. This and the faculty here definitely trumps the other 3 in terms of connections. Are you parents willing to help/pay for your schooling?

I would suggest looking into the specific area of research you are interested in--that may help to exclude some options. Some other things to consider are, in no particular order:
- Where you want to do residency; e.g. ~50% of HMS students match into Harvard-affiliated programs so if you want to go to MGH et al., then HMS is without a doubt the clear choice
- Explore a new part of the country, a new setting/atmosphere
- Transportation (can you adjust to public transit etc)

At any rate, you can't go wrong with any of these four although I really dislike CCLCM 😛 Hopefully this helped and good luck! Keep us updated!

 

[random_hooligan]

Thank you MaxPlancker for your input! It is very helpful!

I would say that the overall research opportunities here match (my political correctness) that of Pritzker (honestly, definitely surpasses) & certainly CCLCM (by quite a lot) but probably not Harvard.

It's interesting because I've definitely heard a different opinion on the matter. A Prof who is familiar with the three schools said that he would consider CCF among the strongest in the nation in clinical research just because of how long they've been a clinical powerhouse--he says that they had electronic medical records that they used for clinical research purposes way before other places (haven't checked to verify this). He said that in his opinion, for strength of clinical research, it would be: CCLCM > Michigan > Pritzker.

The written self-reflection portfolios seem like an interesting concept, but I'm not sure how much I would enjoy doing them (they are quite long). Also, I feel as if there are diminishing returns as to how much time/effort you spend on the reflections (CCLCM being way too much IMO).

Definitely agree, I think one student posted on a thread and said that they were not only a waste of valuable time that could be spent doing other things, but were also used by some students to make life harder for you (i.e. since students evaluate each other, a student that is disgruntled with you could give you a negative evaluation and that could lead to you having to do a lot of portfolio writing to "prove" you fixed that negative trait). I'm taking that with a grain of salt, but it does seem like the system, although unique, could have issues.

Again, our experiences meeting students is very isolated and unfortunately probably not very representative of the classes in general--that's what second look is for! I would suggest attending HMS's revisit over others if your primary concern was the students. For me, one of the biggest draws of HMS is their one-year preclinical curriculum. I think it's fantastic that you learn the most relevant details and hit the wards and come back to more advanced basic science topics later as you accumulate complementary exposure in the clinic.

I'm definitely planning on second look for Harvard! As for the one-year preclinical, I think that might be a negative for both Harvard and Michigan, just because of the newness. I don't know much about how smoothly the curriculum implementation is happening at Harvard but I know from friends at Michigan that it's been a bit bumpy. I would prefer a curriculum for which I wouldn't be a guinea pig... but I do understand why it could also be seen as a draw.

I would suggest looking into the specific area of research you are interested in--that may help to exclude some options.

I'm thinking neurology... but I know like 80% of med students change their mind so I feel like I wouldn't want to decide on a med school on the basis of a research/residency interest. I wish I weren't so indecisive haha.

 

[zedsdead]

So I've been incredibly lucky and blessed to be faced with this difficult decision, and I was wondering if I could get some of your input about the pros and cons of each of these schools.

Cost of attendance is pretty low at UMich (in-state, maybe some financial/merit aid as well), Pritzker (full tuition scholarship), and CCLCM (tuition-free), especially compared to Harvard (likely all loans because parental income is high). Is it worth it to shell out the big bucks for Harvard compared to these other top schools? My gut feeling is no, but feel free to chime in if you believe otherwise.

Additional information: Michigan is closest to my family/my SO although Chicago and Cleveland aren't too far away. I'm not much of a partier (aka I basically have no life haha) so I'm not sure how much big fun city (Chicago, Boston) vs small non-fun city (Ann Arbor, Cleveland) matters.

I tried looking at the residency matches for all these schools. Harvard's has crazy inbreeding, which I guess is good, and the other match lists are solid (although, is CCLCM's match list really that good when you're considering that all of them have the leg-up of an additional year of research compared to people who graduate in 4 years?).

I am definitely interested in academic medicine in a non-surgical field. I like the curriculum at CCLCM the best, but I don't know how important curriculum is in the big picture. I can learn well using lectures as well, so I don't think I would necessarily do better in one curriculum or another.

Any input would be appreciated! Thank you!

You're clearly a solid student, so I wouldn't be worried about the slightly less prestigious schools closing any doors. From what I can tell, the only special doors that Harvard's brand name opens are in the case that you want to pivot into a completely different field, such as healthcare private equity or consulting, where prestige in the public eye matters. Unless that is the case, I am sure a high enough step and good letters of rec will get you the residency you want, no matter where you go.

EDIT: ^ Or maybe I'm just trying to rationalize my own decisions! Food for thought, I guess.

In my opinion, your decision should rest on what MaxPlancker asked -- are your parents going to help? If no debt, then you can't really go wrong with Harvard, provided you're okay with the distance from family. The curriculum is definitely still working itself out, but I don't think it's a huge issue (see http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...lication-thread.1134921/page-16#post-17401247). On the other hand, if the question is >100k in loans vs full tuition at Pritzker, I think the cost/benefit analysis strongly sides with Chicago/CCLCM.

Keep in mind that my advice comes from a person that hasn't spent a single minute in medical school 🙂. Best of luck!

 

[MaxPlancker]

Thank you MaxPlancker for your input! It is very helpful!

It's interesting because I've definitely heard a different opinion on the matter. A Prof who is familiar with the three schools said that he would consider CCF among the strongest in the nation in clinical research just because of how long they've been a clinical powerhouse--he says that they had electronic medical records that they used for clinical research purposes way before other places (haven't checked to verify this). He said that in his opinion, for strength of clinical research, it would be: CCLCM > Michigan > Pritzker.

Ahh yes I was only thinking of basic science since that is what I'm interested in. But yes CCLCM definitely has strong clinical.

See you at the revisit 😉

 

[soswim]

Maybe I had a bad experience at Harvard, but the student host I stayed with seemed incredibly stressed out, and we didn't get to meet ANY students during the interview day due to an "oversight" on the part of the admissions committee. .

hey I have nothing of merit to add here, congratulations on your acceptances! this is an incredible achievement and I hope you've taken an opportunity to celebrate your accomplishments 🙂 I do have a question though - any chance you interviewed at HMS on Oct. 20? I also didn't get to meet any students at the lunch and I'm not sure if that was a fluke from my day or if that happened a couple times throughout the season.

 

[random_hooligan]

hey I have nothing of merit to add here, congratulations on your acceptances! this is an incredible achievement and I hope you've taken an opportunity to celebrate your accomplishments 🙂 I do have a question though - any chance you interviewed at HMS on Oct. 20? I also didn't get to meet any students at the lunch and I'm not sure if that was a fluke from my day or if that happened a couple times throughout the season.

Yes, October 20th was my interview date! I think it was likely just a fluke for our interview day but I left feeling underwhelmed for sure.

 

[random_hooligan]

You're clearly a solid student, so I wouldn't be worried about the slightly less prestigious schools closing any doors. From what I can tell, the only special doors that Harvard's brand name opens are in the case that you want to pivot into a completely different field, such as healthcare private equity or consulting, where prestige in the public eye matters. Unless that is the case, I am sure a high enough step and good letters of rec will get you the residency you want, no matter where you go.

EDIT: ^ Or maybe I'm just trying to rationalize my own decisions! Food for thought, I guess.

In my opinion, your decision should rest on what MaxPlancker asked -- are your parents going to help? If no debt, then you can't really go wrong with Harvard, provided you're okay with the distance from family. The curriculum is definitely still working itself out, but I don't think it's a huge issue (see http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...lication-thread.1134921/page-16#post-17401247). On the other hand, if the question is >100k in loans vs full tuition at Pritzker, I think the cost/benefit analysis strongly sides with Chicago/CCLCM.

Keep in mind that my advice comes from a person that hasn't spent a single minute in medical school 🙂. Best of luck!

Thank you for your advice! It makes sense to me--I think the "Harvard brand" is perhaps more powerful in other fields (business, etc.) than medicine where the training is pretty standardized.

My parents have offered to help out, so there's that.

 

[Mansamusa]

Pritzker hands down. And it's even in a cheap part of Chicago (you can easily find rent around $550).

Harvard is way more than $200K too (unless you said you got $ there and I missed it).

Top school with less than $60K debt + one of the best cities in the country= . Congrats!

 

[soswim]

Yes, October 20th was my interview date! I think it was likely just a fluke for our interview day but I left feeling underwhelmed for sure.

ah no way! looking forward to seeing you again at revisit! but I completely agree with you, the interview day wasn't very impressive. I have heard that once you're accepted HMS really shows you the love and they make revisit incredible.

good luck with your decision! I hope we can be classmates next year but I don't think you can go wrong with any of your incredible options!

 

[random_hooligan]

No problem!

I'm not terribly familiar with CCLCM since I didn't apply, but I think the goals you have for your career have to determine whether or not CCLCM is right for you -- are you dead set on being a physician scientist? Or do you think there's a chance you might fall in love with clinical work only?

If you are sure you want to be behind a bench or doing tons of research, the extra year of training at CCLCM seems like a great opportunity. The thesis requirement (ie., the process of really going through with an independent research project of your own) will probably set you up better to be an independent researcher than will the more intermittent research you get in a normal curriculum. At least I'd imagine.

Speaking of research years, are you going to do an extra year if you go to Pritzker? If you don't feel set on doing that, the cost differential actually sways in favor of Chicago. You'd get out in four years and ultimately have an extra year of salary.

Tough call, but you can't go wrong with either!

Thanks for your input! I think I'm pretty set on being an academic physician--although probably going down the "clinician educator" path rather than a full-blown tenured professor track. I'm fairly certain that if I went to a different school I would do an extra year though so the benefit of an extra year of salary likely won't apply.

 

[random_hooligan]

Update: I attended all the second looks, and I think I'm leaning more towards CCLCM. I actually got along with all the students there, not getting along with them was a fear of mine since it's such a small class.

Harvard didn't wow me (scandalous to say, I know) and I was really turned off by the 15k fee for doing a research gap year (um, no thanks?), frequent tests/quizzes, and a reportedly poor anatomy curriculum. Coupled with distance from family and cost of attendance, I think I've mostly ruled it out. Michigan gave me a bit of merit aid but it didn't quite match Pritzker or CCLCM. I was highly impressed by all the TA opportunities that Pritzker had, so that's one thing that still has me considering Pritzker. I definitely love teaching, I had the last day of class for a class I teach last week and I was really sad... but I'm hoping that there would still be teaching/mentorship opportunities available if I go elsewhere.

If anyone has any more input about these schools, especially Pritzker or CCLCM, I'd love to hear it 🙂

 

[naijacardriodoc]

Update: I attended all the second looks, and I think I'm leaning more towards CCLCM. I actually got along with all the students there, not getting along with them was a fear of mine since it's such a small class.

Harvard didn't wow me (scandalous to say, I know) and I was really turned off by the 15k fee for doing a research gap year (um, no thanks?), frequent tests/quizzes, and a reportedly poor anatomy curriculum. Coupled with distance from family and cost of attendance, I think I've mostly ruled it out. Michigan gave me a bit of merit aid but it didn't quite match Pritzker or CCLCM. I was highly impressed by all the TA opportunities that Pritzker had, so that's one thing that still has me considering Pritzker. I definitely love teaching, I had the last day of class for a class I teach last week and I was really sad... but I'm hoping that there would still be teaching/mentorship opportunities available if I go elsewhere.

If anyone has any more input about these schools, especially Pritzker or CCLCM, I'd love to hear it 🙂

do you like CCLCM's small class size? it's not for everyone...

 

[random_hooligan]

do you like CCLCM's small class size? it's not for everyone...

I think I do! I got along with everyone I met on second look, so I feel like it will be a nice community feel. A smaller class size does mean more individual attention so I do like that aspect of it for sure.

 

[Tots]

Hmmm....

3rd year at Pritzker here.

I don't have any special knowledge about CCLCM so can't really comment on a comparison between the two schools. I would be happy to answer any questions about Pritzker you have that you didn't get answered about second look.

You can't make a bad decision - even if that means spending the next 5 years in Cleveland 😛

 

[Mansamusa]

Thank you for your advice! It makes sense to me--I think the "Harvard brand" is perhaps more powerful in other fields (business, etc.) than medicine where the training is pretty standardized.

My parents have offered to help out, so there's that.

Wait, I just saw the comment about Harvard brand for healthcare business....UChicago is known for econ. UChicago would be just as good as the Harvard brand if you wanted to go into consulting. UChi would be better than CCLCM if you did have any desire to not practice medicine as well.

To me, CCLCM seems too hyperfocused, which may be what you want(?). Pritzker would let you become a great academic while also exploring other areas. I know Pritzker students who were in non-science undergrad classes just because they wanted to learn. You may also find that you don't need that 5th yr to go on in what you want to do, which will save a lot of time

 

[Sir.SavaLottaLife]

Wait, I just saw the comment about Harvard brand for healthcare business....UChicago is known for econ. UChicago would be just as good as the Harvard brand if you wanted to go into consulting. UChi would be better than CCLCM if you did have any desire to not practice medicine as well.

To me, CCLCM seems too hyperfocused, which may be what you want(?). Pritzker would let you become a great academic while also exploring other areas. I know Pritzker students who were in non-science undergrad classes just because they wanted to learn. You may also find that you don't need that 5th yr to go on in what you want to do, which will save a lot of time

I think that he/she was making more of the comparison between business and medicine (as opposed to Harvard vs. UChicago) when considering the prestige of an institution.

Update: I attended all the second looks, and I think I'm leaning more towards CCLCM. I actually got along with all the students there, not getting along with them was a fear of mine since it's such a small class.

Harvard didn't wow me (scandalous to say, I know) and I was really turned off by the 15k fee for doing a research gap year (um, no thanks?), frequent tests/quizzes, and a reportedly poor anatomy curriculum. Coupled with distance from family and cost of attendance, I think I've mostly ruled it out. Michigan gave me a bit of merit aid but it didn't quite match Pritzker or CCLCM. I was highly impressed by all the TA opportunities that Pritzker had, so that's one thing that still has me considering Pritzker. I definitely love teaching, I had the last day of class for a class I teach last week and I was really sad... but I'm hoping that there would still be teaching/mentorship opportunities available if I go elsewhere.

If anyone has any more input about these schools, especially Pritzker or CCLCM, I'd love to hear it 🙂

So it sounds like its down to Pritzker vs CCLCM. I would just like to add that you're looking at two very different settings; Pritzker is on one of the top academic campuses in the world, with opportunities to explore and expand, while CCLCM is pretty much like all-day everyday clinical medicine in comparison. Do you see yourself enjoying anything a university campus has to offer over the next 4-5 years? Maybe you're not thinking much about that now, but think about how much your life has changed in the past 4-5 years.

 

[Mansamusa]

I think that he/she was making more of the comparison between business and medicine (as opposed to Harvard vs. UChicago) when considering the prestige of an institution.

Yeah, I was just saying that wouldn't be a good reason to choose Harvard over Chicago

 

[Sir.SavaLottaLife]

Yeah, I was just saying that wouldn't be a good reason to choose Harvard over Chicago

Yes, but I think thats exactly what they were saying too lol. I understand the confusion now though

 

[seeinghowitgoes]

So it sounds like its down to Pritzker vs CCLCM. I would just like to add that you're looking at two very different settings; Pritzker is on one of the top academic campuses in the world, with opportunities to explore and expand, while CCLCM is pretty much like all-day everyday clinical medicine in comparison. Do you see yourself enjoying anything a university campus has to offer over the next 4-5 years? Maybe you're not thinking much about that now, but think about how much your life has changed in the past 4-5 years.

Just want to point out that while I agree CCLCM definitely has a clinical focus due to its CCF affiliation, there is an affiliated undergrad campus (that being Case Western, which is not a shabby university by any means especially in the areas of biomed engineering, health law, and health Econ), though admittedly it's not U of Chicago (though again I debate how much that matters - you're going to Med school, other things will be more periphery than they were in undergrad).

Also want to point out while CCF is definitely clinically focused, they do a pretty wide variety of work - they're well known for their health systems research, for example, which is more in the public health realm.

I don't think the OP can go wrong picking either school - both will afford all the opportunities in the world - so I only mention these things to say that the Cleveland Clinic, like any large multidisciplinary institution really, is by no means one dimensional, though of course different institutions will have different overall strengths.

 

[random_hooligan]

Yes, but I think thats exactly what they were saying too lol. I understand the confusion now though

Yeah I'm sorry for the confusion, I do not want to go into business. I was just trying to assert (correctly or incorrectly) that I perceived the Harvard brand perhaps holding less weight in medicine than in other fields where networking is more crucial.

Just want to point out that while I agree CCLCM definitely has a clinical focus due to its CCF affiliation, there is an affiliated undergrad campus (that being Case Western, which is not a shabby university by any means especially in the areas of biomed engineering, health law, and health Econ), though admittedly it's not U of Chicago (though again I debate how much that matters - you're going to Med school, other things will be more periphery than they were in undergrad).

Thank you for your insight, seeinghowitgoes. I definitely do like that there is the Case campus in case I do want something outside of medicine (Spanish classes, dual degrees, student organizations, etc.).

 

[Psai]

The poll reflects how I feel. Chicago seems like the best fit for you but the Harvard name impresses like no other

 

[random_hooligan]

An update for any who are curious: I've decided to matriculate to CCLCM! Thanks for all who chimed in.