UNC v UMich v Vanderbilt

[alphahelix654]

Hi everyone! I currently having a hard time making a decision between three schools.

Important factors to me are ample research opportunities in my area (stem cell bio), support from MSTP leadership, good student outcomes, and living environment/cost of living.

University of Michigan

Pros
- Lots of research in my area
- Top Internal Med residency program
- Strong Match List
-Curriculum seems more flexible with quizzes
-One full year of rotations prior to starting Phd

Cons
-Expensive, hard to find good/cheap housing
-Have lived here for a few years, may want change


University Of North Carolina

Pros
-PIs I have talked to are super friendly and seem to be a great fit
-Clinical curriculum emphasizes patient-specific needs/social medicine
-Leadership team is wonderful
-Near family
-Good housing options

Cons
-More limited choice of faculty
-Less clinical time prior to grad phase
-Also somewhat familiar with this area
-Match placements slightly weaker (still great)
-Large emphasis on primary care


Vanderbilt

Pros
-Lots of built in support for students
- Ample research opportunities
- New clinical curriculum allows for 7 year track to graduation
-Like UM, one full year of rotations prior to phd

Cons
-Higher proportion of students applying IM stay at vanderbilt
-I have never been to Nashville

Overall, all have excellent research opportunties, with Michigan and Vanderbilt taking the lead. The program support is wonderful at all three, but my impression of the UNC community and leadership was much stronger. I am familiar with living in both Ann Arbor and Chapel Hill, and enjoy both, making them safe options, but somewhat unexciting in that regard. I have never traveled to Nashville.

Thank you so much for reading!

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[creode]

Based on your personal needs and description, the easy choice is University of Michigan. The cons are minor and as someone who is also constantly worried about the price of housing, there is usually a way to find/make affordable housing. In cities where housing is impossible to afford, programs typically offer subsidized student housing. In the long run, the con list for University of Michigan is minor.

Based on what you have said about Vanderbilt and UNC, I would rank UNC as second. You will end up in one lab for your thesis, and while more choices are great, I am sure UNC offers more than enough choice. UNC is attracting new faculty and likewise faculty may leave during your first years in the program. Along with students who frequently change their focus/interests, the number of faculty that interest you will be a moving target. As long as there is "enough" I would not see that as a problem. Also having great leadership is huge, and I noticed was an important factor when I heard students succeeding in their program vs. wanting to leave the program.

Vanderbilt is another good program, but based on your pros and cons list I would rank this program last for you. Regardless congrats on your success and good luck!

 

[mdphd789]

^^ I agree that UMich seems like where you want to go based on your pros and cons list. I would slightly disagree and say that Vandy may be a possible second choice over UNC, based solely on how you seem to view their academics and their relevance to you. I personally would prefer exploring new cities, but the safety and comfort of somewhere you're familiar with is nice to have, so I could see both sides; I think that part just depends on you as a person and if you would rather explore or stay where you're comfortable. This is just my interpretation of your list though, and I know this isn't helpful but no one knows where you'll thrive the most more than you do

 

[ValentinNarcisse]

Hi everyone! I currently having a hard time making a decision between three schools.

Important factors to me are ample research opportunities in my area (stem cell bio), support from MSTP leadership, good student outcomes, and living environment/cost of living.

University of Michigan

Pros
- Lots of research in my area
- Top Internal Med residency program
- Strong Match List
-Curriculum seems more flexible with quizzes
-One full year of rotations prior to starting Phd

Cons
-Expensive, hard to find good/cheap housing
-Have lived here for a few years, may want change


University Of North Carolina

Pros
-PIs I have talked to are super friendly and seem to be a great fit
-Clinical curriculum emphasizes patient-specific needs/social medicine
-Leadership team is wonderful
-Near family
-Good housing options

Cons
-More limited choice of faculty
-Less clinical time prior to grad phase
-Also somewhat familiar with this area
-Match placements slightly weaker (still great)
-Large emphasis on primary care


Vanderbilt

Pros
-Lots of built in support for students
- Ample research opportunities
- New clinical curriculum allows for 7 year track to graduation
-Like UM, one full year of rotations prior to phd

Cons
-Higher proportion of students applying IM stay at vanderbilt
-I have never been to Nashville

Overall, all have excellent research opportunties, with Michigan and Vanderbilt taking the lead. The program support is wonderful at all three, but my impression of the UNC community and leadership was much stronger. I am familiar with living in both Ann Arbor and Chapel Hill, and enjoy both, making them safe options, but somewhat unexciting in that regard. I have never traveled to Nashville.

Thank you so much for reading!

Vandy - MSTP match list speaks for itself. Nashville is a booming city with lots to fun stuff to do in your 20s.

 

[alphahelix654]

Thanks for the responses so far! I am currently leaning towards UM, but am having a hard time letting go of UNC (primarily because of 'gut feeling'). I don't feel especially strong towards any one of the programs, so would choosing UNC make sense? I am mainly worried it may affect me later when applying to competitive residencies (potentially PSTPs).

 

[creode]

Either UM or UNC are fantastic choices. Both programs are highly recognized. Also, with MD/PhD, the school means virtually nothing. Your competitiveness will depend on your grades/scores/letters/research productivity etc but not the school. Most if not every MD/PhD program has students get into competitive residency programs. This is especially true for both UNC and UM. I am confident both programs will have everything you need. I understand the difficulty of choosing but realize you are choosing between great programs and you cannot go wrong picking either school.

 

[mdphdonthereapp]

Congratulations on your acceptances! I agree with creode you definitely cannot go wrong with these amazing choices. I feel like all of them are comparable match wise, and you have the potential to go anywhere!

I have not been in a situation where I have had to make this type of choice, but I would personally vote for UNC>Vanderbilt=Umich.

I feel like given how hard and long this process can be, I would personally vote to go to a place where I felt the most supported at. A lot can change in a decade, and having a support system, both familial and institutional, would be crucial. What happens if you change fields after you start and find something new and exciting? Or if something (hopefully not!!) unfortunate happens personally? While the research interests may take a slight hit, I feel like finding a place where you have the highest chance of feeling secure and supported is what will overall dictate your happiness over the next almost decade, and in turn your overall success.

Plus, if you really like the housing options at UNC, I feel like this will become more and more important over the next 8 years if you'd rather not be living in what Ann Arbor mostly has to offer (unless you spend a lot on rent). You would certainly know better than I would though on how the two compare, I only know from living in Ann Arbor for a few years + it's surrounding areas.

The only reason I might give a slight edge to Vanderbilt over Umich is that you mentioned potentially being bored in your current environment, and perhaps it's a bit easier to get to NC/family from Nashville than Ann Arbor. I feel like I always hear better and better things about Nashville. Although, if you don't ultimately feel like that is a big issue I would choose Umich>Vanderbilt for the research fit.

Thanks for the responses so far! I am currently leaning towards UM, but am having a hard time letting go of UNC (primarily because of 'gut feeling'). I don't feel especially strong towards any one of the programs, so would choosing UNC make sense? I am mainly worried it may affect me later when applying to competitive residencies (potentially PSTPs).

Given all this, and the fact that you don't feel a particularly strong pull to one alongside your "gut feeling" about UNC, then why not take it and go to UNC? I feel like when making a decision for the next 8 years this feeling is also important, and you want to mitigate your chances of regretting your decision.

That being said, you definitely cannot go wrong with your decision. I wish you the best of luck, and hope that one day I will be in your shoes!

 

[mdphd789]

Changing my response based on what you said about UNC. I’m 100% a proponent of going with your gut, if UNC makes you feel good, you will have plenty of resources there to thrive and become an incredible physician-scientist, so I would trust your instincts and do what feels “right” to you and it seems like that’s UNC.

 

[alphahelix654]

After a few days of weighing pros and cons, I've narrowed it down to UM and UNC. For making a final choice, I will be taking a closer look at lab options.

A slight hesitation I have with UNC is perceived less prestige. I mainly worry about it given what I've read about school mattering for a career in academic medicine. Is this justified? or are my two choices relatively equal?

Thanks so much!

 

[mdphdonthereapp]

After a few days of weighing pros and cons, I've narrowed it down to UM and UNC. For making a final choice, I will be taking a closer look at lab options.

A slight hesitation I have with UNC is perceived less prestige. I mainly worry about it given what I've read about school mattering for a career in academic medicine. Is this justified? or are my two choices relatively equal?

Thanks so much!

I feel like this perception is something we would focus on as pre-meds, but at the end stage wont matter. Every PI and program director I've talked to has emphasized personal performance and productivity in the PhD than institutional prestige. If you do well at either program, I'm sure you can go anywhere. UNC is still a very prestigious place regardless, but I feel like MSTPs across the country match very strongly at many ranks. Obviously I'm just an applicant, but that's my best understanding. Your performance is what will likely matter the most, so I'd pick the choice you think would be happiest at for the next 8 years, which will in turn make you more successful and lead to better outcomes.

Both choices are certainly safe though!!

 

[fdgjfg]

Does UMich let you finish the MD component in 3 years? It was a bit hard to tell from the website, but it sounds like it might be possible.

I know at Vanderbilt a majority of the MSTP grads get out after 3 MD years. This seems like quite an advantage - after the conclusion of clerkship year, medical school is mostly completing checkboxes and graduation requirements that don't have a whole lot of utility. An extra year of preclinical is also largely a waste and unnecessary, especially with step 1 going P/F. You could either graduate a year early compared to most of your peers, or get an additional year of relevant training in the same total amount of time. It certainly seems ideal to dodge the wasted time in the MD curriculum and move the resident/fellow/attending paydays up by a year, especially given that economic opportunity cost is a significant factor in MSTP grads leaving science (at least from perusing the advice of many posters on this board).

It might make sense to evaluate UMich a little closer (and if they won't let you get out in 3 years, maybe give Vanderbilt one last glance).

 

[wondervisions]

Do not let any perceived difference in prestige affect your judgement. UNC will not hold you back at all.