UMich vs. UChicago (Pritzker)

[palmtrees1975]

It's coming down to the last few days before the unavoidable April 30th deadline rolls around and I am very conflicted on which school to attend. I would love your feedback/insight/advice that will help me decide where I will spend the next 4 years.

Michigan
Pros

• 1 year pre-clincal curriculum (it seems nice to get everything done in one year)
• systems-based blocks
• Flexible M3 and M4 years for electives, research, projects, and figuring out residency
• Potential to get a dual MPH degree at one of the top schools of Public Health
• opportunities to collaborate with other top professional health schools
• top rated hospital system and residency programs in a variety of fields
• fun, Big 10 environment
• Lots of global health opportunities
• flex quizzing

Cons

• Front-loaded pre-clincal curriculum and doing clerkships in second year can be overwhelming
• students seem to be stressed and pressed for time
• limited service opportunities and involvement in extra-curriculars because of the demands from the first two years of school
• Not as strong of focus on health disparities or diversity efforts (although they do exist--just not their main or strongest focus)
• curriculum is always changing and worried how this impacts step
• similar social scene as undergrad
• not as diverse of a patient population or institution as a whole
• large class (~170)

UChicago (Pritzker)
Pros

• Huge focus on health disparities, social justice, health equity, and service (they walk the walk when it comes to this!)
• urban/diverse setting and patient population
• students have heavy extra-curricular involvement
• required robust scholarship and discovery research program throughout all 4 years
• faculty very supportive of their students
• students seem very happy to be there
• Health Care Disparities in America coursework
• learn what it means and how to work with and serve underserved populations
• Small class size (~90)
• Chicago is a fun city
• Diverse faculty

Cons

• unsure about the safety of the area
• small campus
• 2 year traditional pre-clinical curriculum
• undergrad environment/surrounding atmosphere has a reputation for being stressful
• more expensive cost of living
• have to get adjusted to living in a big city and having to use public transportation to get places

Summary: I love both programs and my heart is very torn.

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[puahate]

UMich. You obviously don't want to move and both programs are pretty equivalent.

 

[Arsartium]

Looking at your at pros for UChicago, nearly all of them mention diversity and/or service to underserved populations. Do you envision this to be an important part of your career? Is that why you want to obtain an MPH and collaborate with other professional schools? Because you can find a diverse population at UMich as well. You'll just have to work for it. You can drive out to Ypsilanti or Detroit and work with Doctors of Tomorrow or Wolverine Street Medicine. You can spend several months of the 3 years you have for clerkships pursuing global health initiatives in under-resourced regions.

On the other hand, at UChicago your campus will be in a very different kind of neighborhood. Yes, by all accounts it is safe, but you won't have to drive 30 min to an hour to find underserved patients. They'll be on your doorstep. They'll be in your clinical rotations. It will be pretty much effortless. You mention the lack of school of public health but social justice will permeate your learning at Chicago. You can't ignore it. It's deep in Chicago's history. You don't need a public health degree to be a force in the public health sphere. Experience counts for just as much--maybe more. That and many residencies will pay for an MPH during a research year if you feel so inclined.

You're comfortable in Ann Arbor. Family, SO, and friends are all there. That's okay. This may be your last chance to choose where you live for a long while. Your choices are both excellent and you'll do well either way. But the more uncomfortable you are, the more you are probably growing, the more you are probably evolving.

Godspeed.

 

[puahate]

UChicago will be better if you have plans like that. Not saying you can't do that in UMich but UChicago is located in a more diverse area. The population you will be able to interact with lends itself to those goals.

I am willing to move, but you are right in that I am more reluctant to do it if I can get similar career outcomes if I stay especially when it comes to being a leader in pushing for diversity in medicine and doing health disparities work. Any insight on that?

 

[Arsartium]

I am willing to move, but you are right in that I am more reluctant to do it if I can get similar career outcomes if I stay especially when it comes to being a leader in pushing for diversity in medicine and doing health disparities work. Any insight on that?

Honestly, this might be a question better asked of the diversity deans at the respective institutions. I will say that Michigan has a robust leadership program. Part of this comes from the numerous student organization possible with a larger class size. Part of this comes from the interdiscplinary work encouraged by having nearly a dozen T10 graduate schools. Speaking with a former dean of Michigan (who is advising me on my own med school decision) he told me that "school X" will make you a great doctor, but Michigan produces leaders. Michigan produces Surgeon-Generals.

On the other hand, one of my faculty interviewers said that UMichigan was the only place that felt just like her time at UChicago (i.e. strong academic, interdisciplinary atmosphere).