UMich vs. UPitt

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AmaranthMoor

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Hey yall!! I'm really lucky to have some great choices, unless I get off one particularly spicy waitlist, and I wanted to make sure I've covered all the bases. Both of these places would cost about the same in terms of tuition and housing. Also, both of these schools are closer to my family than the place I went to college, so distance isn't the most important factor.

My main interest in medicine is very heavily towards community service and underserved populations, especially Spanish-speaking patients - but it's really hard to tell which schools actually care about this and which hospitals serve that specific patient population, if any, because most of them seem to advertise themselves in the exact same way. I'd especially love if any of you guys know the inside scoop on that subject!


UMichigan

Pros:
-1 year curriculum
-Lots of interesting and diverse clinical sites to rotate through, opportunities in Detroit and Southeast Michigan, etc.
-Seems to really focus on patient care (though all the med schools say this, so IDK)
-I was impressed by the hospital facilities - they're basically THE tertiary care hospital for all of Michigan, right??
-Got great vibes from the admins and physicians (but what if that's all just advertising, and they drop the act once you're in? Do I have trust issues? Maybe)
-Students I met seemed to genuinely love it
-Ann Arbor has trees! Lots of them!
-(shallow) They sent me a funny letter in the mail that unfolds into a little box, and I played with it so much that I broke it, and I desperately want another one or else I'll die

Cons:
-Would need to buy a car! :nailbiting: And DRIVE it! A LOT!
-I would like to match on the East Coast, and the match list seems to lean towards the Midwest/West (though that might just be the preference of the average student who goes to Michigan! And there certainly were East Coast matches...so who knows...)
-Curriculum seems cool, but is it just a gimmick??
-Farther from family
-Ann Arbor seems like a cute little town, but maybe a bit too small - and I know nothing about football, which seems to be a big deal there (maybe? IDK, I'm guessing it's not like someone's gonna drag me to a football game at gunpoint)

University of Pittsburgh

Pros:
-Really impressive hospital! I liked the funny robots
-Match list leans towards East Coast and seems pretty thicc
-Seems to have plenty of community service opportunities
-WAY closer to family
-No car needed, yeehaw! I hate driving!
-City environment, which I'm way more used to

Cons:
-2 year curriculum, apparently implemented in 2004
-Seems pretty heavily focused on research, which is fine and necessary, but I'm not super hype about it!! I despise benchwork more than anything
-At least one 4th year said he'd never encountered any Spanish-speaking patients
-It seemed a bit............how do I put this...........bland? Students seemed to like it, but when you ask them why, they mostly list things that all other medical schools have. Maybe I shouldn't expect all medical schools to be as flashy as Michigan :thinking: or to send me funny boxes in the mail


Overall, I'm leaning towards Michigan based on what I already know, but what I'm really wondering is whether anyone here has additional information about either program that I should know about before deciding, or gossip testimonies, or any other consideration I haven't thought about! Be nice 2 me or ELSE..................................i'll be SAD

TL;DR mami michigan or papi pittsburgh?? spill the tea

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MICHIGAN, no doubt!!!

ENGRAILED!!!!!! i KNOW ur biased because u SENT me a picture of the funny little box they sent u. we are both blinded by their charms. we need someone who HASNT gotten the funny little box
 
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I'll be that person! I didn't interview either place, so I am unbiased.

From how you wrote about these, your heart is set on Michigan.

I cannot imagine a fantastic school like Michigan could stop you from matching on the East Coast. Ann Arbor is a special college town, I have never heard anyone who went there say a bad thing about it. Yeah they love sports, but you don't need to be obsessed with it to enjoy that atmosphere. I can't speak to the patient population, but I would think they'd have plenty of connections in Detroit to cover that for you; Chicago is also a close drive (by midwestern standards).
I also did not interview at either place, and I agree. It seems like you want to go to UMich based on what you wrote. I have no doubts that you will be able to match back to the East Coast from what is considered one of the strongest schools in the nation!
 
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