UMinn-Twin Cities vs. UCI Please guys!!! I need to decide soon!!!

[yOUkNOWtHIS]

I'm trying to decide between UMinn and UCI. Please let me know where you guys would go and why. I need to make a choice within a week. Thanks.

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[oldman]

What are your important factors (and why do you have to decide by this week? I thought May 15 was the drop date for multiple acceptances)

Location

-Minneapolis vs. Chicago

Money

-which has better financial aid
-which has higher tuition

Matchlist

-which has good matches for your favored specialty?

Classsize

-what's the classsize?

Ugrad

-is there a ugrad adjacent, is it far away, nonexistent

 

[UofMNguy]

I think the biggest difference is location. Where do you want to spend the next 4 years? Where do you want to go to residency? UCI isn't ranked in the top 50 which isn't a huge deal but probably will play a small factor. I am not sure if UCI incorporates PBL but the U of MN doesn't. It is very traditional and has a lot of class hours. If location isn't a factor. I think the U is better in terms of matching into highly ranked specialities, especially Mayo. About 15% of the class goes to Mayo. If your interested in research, U of MN is probably better? I don't have a clue about UCI though. What are your interests?

 

[none]

oldman...UCI and UIC are two very different places with very different weather.

 

[yOUkNOWtHIS]

Thanks for the responses. Yeah, the financial aid package Minnesota provided me with makes the tuitions of the two schools comparable. I did like both schools because they were both on undergraduate campuses, were both P/NP, and were both well-respected schools. I guess I would like to attend a prestigious residency, preferably but not limited to California schools. I understand that a nice percentage of University of Minnesota students get into Mayo for residency training, but it seems most everyone else stays at the U. Is this personal preference to live in Minnesota or an inability to secure prestigious residency programs across the nation? Thanks.

 

[yOUkNOWtHIS]

Also, if anyone knows, please fill me in on what a typical day is like at both schools for a year one or year two student. Is UMN mostly lecture based? If so, how many hours a day are students in lecture? Is there time for research? One last concern, I've heard about the weather in Minneapolis. Is the myth larger than the reality, or does it really get unbearably cold?

 

[UofMNguy]

Do a search about minnesota in the pre-allo forum. There are two University of Minnesota that have about 100 messages. Most of your questions were discussed. About the cold, I have lived in Minnesota my whole life it is no myth. It gets dam cold here. But there are tunnels and you are inside most of the day so it doesn't matter to much. Just remember last year I think we had a record of 70-80 CONSECUTIVE days without going above 0 degrees.

 

[Bamboozeled]

Wow Mayo!

congrats...by the way correction..UCI isn't pass/no pass it is honors/pass/no pass

best of luck they are great schools

 

[yOUkNOWtHIS]

Thanks for your input. 'Preciate it.

 

[oldman]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by none:
•oldman...UCI and UIC are two very different places with very different weather. •••••oh oops! i was thinking it was u of illinois. sorry

 

[yOUkNOWtHIS]

OLDMAN, why have you chosen to attend UMN over your other options? What factors did you take into account before making your selection? Please let me in on anything you feel might be noteworthy about the institution and its medical program. Thanks.

 

[yOUkNOWtHIS]

OLDMAN, where you at?

 

[BlackPuma]

hey I am talking to oldman...I just told him to respond to ur message

best of luck with ur choices! Mayo is without a doubt one of the best hospitals I have seen...I lived in MN for 2 years.....

 

[oldman]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by yOUkNOWtHIS:
•OLDMAN, why have you chosen to attend UMN over your other options? What factors did you take into account before making your selection? Please let me in on anything you feel might be noteworthy about the institution and its medical program. Thanks.•••••1. U of MN is giving me scholarship money instead of 40K of loans.

2. Location - I am close to home and friends

3. I am active in groups on campus (volunteer groups and the school's emt unit)

4. better or similar ranking to other schools I have been accepted at

5. They recently got 300 million in tobacco money and are busy attracting new professors.

6. located on a big 10 school campus. lots of young people to interact with and a young feeling

7. cheap housing, 3 medical fraternities to live in

8. campus is loaded with chinese restaurants

village wok
shaung cheng
peking garden
hong kong noodle
dragon court

9. a nearby shopping area called Dinkytown offers all other necessary shopping needs

10. nearby major malls

mall of america
southdale

11. major hospitals in area to rotate through

HCMC (minneapolis)
Fairview University Hospitals (1 on each side of the river)
Abbott (Minneapolis)
Regions (st. paul)

12. close to #2 hospital in country

Mayo Clinic

13. connections with doctors

I have one ER doc at the U of MN offering to be my mentor. I have connections with another doc who is a chief pediatric orthopedic surgeon. I also know lots of ER docs at the hospital i work at. the list goes on

 

[oldman]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by yOUkNOWtHIS:
•OLDMAN, where you at?•••••sorry, i just didn't see the post

 

[yOUkNOWtHIS]

Thanks people, you guys are awesome. I appreciate the time OLDMAN and Whatcha... I'm 90% sure I'll be matriculating to the U. Take it easy.