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!
. Congrats!
