UNC vs WF vs Uchicago

[drcdbby]

UNC School of Medicine
• Lower in-state tuition & cost of living(compared to Uchicago)
• Strong reputation & national ranking
• Large academic medical center with diverse clinical opportunities
•Research opportunities & connections to Gillings School of Public Health
• Strong match list
• close to family

Cons
• Large class size, potentially less individualized support
• AOA


Wake Forest School of Medicine
Pros
• Full cost of attendance covered
• medium class size
• probably lowest COL on this list
• Reputation for strong mentorship and faculty-student relationships
• Good match list, particularly in the Southeast
• also close to family

Cons
• Smaller research footprint compared to UNC and UChicago
• Winston-Salem is quieter
• Not as strong in national rankings or academic prestige as UNC/UChicago
• AOA



UChicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Pros
• Full tuition covered
Top-tier national reputation and ranking
• Strong research opportunities and academic resources
• Strong match list, including competitive specialties
• Smaller class size with strong faculty support
• diverse clinical experiences
• Emphasis on health equity and serving underserved populations

Cons
• Chicago’s cost of living is higher
• Harsh winters, not used to snow
• AOA

I am waiting for FA information, but I think it’s very possible with how generous uchicago is and negotiating that I could have a full tuition scholarship. Hopeful about UNC too. I really really love Uchicago but also feel very drawn to the full COA scholarship at Wake. Would appreciate any insights or thoughts!

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[toastedbutter]

No AOA and P/F is a life changer. Update with exact numbers once you have them. Only thing that could outweigh Pritzker in my opinion is if being close to family is very important to you or it is significantly more expensive after you are done negotiating. They are very generous. Also several daily flights from RDU to Chicago, easy travel.

 

[newkungfukenny]

is uchicago removing aoa? its still a thing as of feb 2025

Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society

pritzker.uchicago.edu

 

[drcdbby]

is uchicago removing aoa? its still a thing as of feb 2025

Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society

pritzker.uchicago.edu

Missed this, Thank You

 

[thefirerisen]

If Chicago gives you significant aid, would 100% go there. If not, UNC is a good option too if you can get some more money. WFU would be out of the picture if it weren't for a full ride but I'd try like hell to get the most money out of Chicago before I even consider that.

 

[newkungfukenny]

Missed this, Thank You

ofc! if you wanna double check AOA and other similar things, def recommend :

Medical School Curriculums – Admit.org

Learn about the different medical school curriculums, grading systems, and more to perfect your school list and choose where to attend.

med.admit.org

its so easy to lose track/forget

 

[drcdbby]

Do you still feel this way about Pritzker with them having AOA? Updated my post, but I had gotten that wrong.

No AOA and P/F is a life changer. Update with exact numbers once you have them. Only thing that could outweigh Pritzker in my opinion is if being close to family is very important to you or it is significantly more expensive after you are done negotiating. They are very generous. Also several daily flights from RDU to Chicago, easy travel.

 

[drcdbby]

If Chicago gives you significant aid, would 100% go there. If not, UNC is a good option too if you can get some more money. WFU would be out of the picture if it weren't for a full ride but I'd try like hell to get the most money out of Chicago before I even consider that.

Thanks for this! Yeah I’m hoping the aid comes through🤞Pritzker and UNC both have their second looks the same weekend too so trying to figure that out

 

[coffeelover347]

UNC School of Medicine
• Lower in-state tuition & cost of living(compared to Uchicago)
• Strong reputation & national ranking
• Large academic medical center with diverse clinical opportunities
•Research opportunities & connections to Gillings School of Public Health
• Strong match list
• close to family

Cons
• Large class size, potentially less individualized support
• AOA


Wake Forest School of Medicine
Pros
• Full cost of attendance covered
• medium class size
• probably lowest COL on this list
• Reputation for strong mentorship and faculty-student relationships
• Good match list, particularly in the Southeast
• also close to family

Cons
• Smaller research footprint compared to UNC and UChicago
• Winston-Salem is quieter
• Not as strong in national rankings or academic prestige as UNC/UChicago
• AOA



UChicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Pros
• Top-tier national reputation and ranking
• Strong research opportunities and academic resources
• Strong match list, including competitive specialties
• Smaller class size with strong faculty support
• diverse clinical experiences
• Emphasis on health equity and serving underserved populations

Cons
• Chicago’s cost of living is higher
• Harsh winters, not used to snow
• AOA

I am waiting for FA information, but I think it’s very possible with how generous uchicago is and negotiating that I could have a full tuition scholarship. Hopeful about UNC too. I really really love Uchicago but also feel very drawn to the full COA scholarship at Wake. Would appreciate any insights or thoughts!

Hey! Congrats on being in such an awesome position! When did WF send out your financial aid package?

 

[toastedbutter]

Do you still feel this way about Pritzker with them having AOA? Updated my post, but I had gotten that wrong.

Is it AOA pre or post match? If it is pre match then its basically the same as graded IMO. Go where the vibes are best for you, I saw UNC is closer to family so that could be the move.

 

[Mr. Macrophage]

Is it AOA pre or post match? If it is pre match then its basically the same as graded IMO. Go where the vibes are best for you, I saw UNC is closer to family so that could be the move.

Chicago has AOA prematch and has graded clinicals! UNC also has AOA prematch—unsure on the graded clinicals.

 

[coffeelover347]

ofc! if you wanna double check AOA and other similar things, def recommend :

Medical School Curriculums – Admit.org

Learn about the different medical school curriculums, grading systems, and more to perfect your school list and choose where to attend.

med.admit.org

its so easy to lose track/forget

Hey! What is AOA and why is it important for a medical school?

 

[newkungfukenny]

Hey! What is AOA and why is it important for a medical school?

AOA is an honor society for med students nationwide, akin to Phi Beta Kappa for undergrad. its reserved for the top students (might be like top 25%?) in each med school class to show distinction. its not necessarily the worst thing its just that its existence at a medical school sort of promotes a bit of competition amongst the class because you're technically all "competing" for a spot in it. but honestly only a handful of schools release it before match (meaning they make it present on your residency applications). If it's not released before match (which it isn't at most schools), it's not the worst thing in the world. (this is just from what I understand)

 

[drcdbby]

Hey! Congrats on being in such an awesome position! When did WF send out your financial aid package?

Thank You! I received the scholarship offer a few months ago around the holidays

 

[m1redsox]

I loved Wake Forest, and it has a very solid reputation. UNC and UChicago are not worth $200k+ more than Wake, especially with the current federal student loan fiasco that is killing recent grads like me right now.

I would not consider UChicago or UNC to be T20 schools, yet your primary pros for both programs are recognition and prestige based. While Wake is not as recognizable of a name, it will absolutely get you where you want to go, and it is still a T50 program that is on the same "tier" as UNC in recent USWNR rankings.

If UNC or UChicago come back with significant aid, then this will be a very different conversation, but from my perspective as things sit right now, of the 3 big topics for choosing a program (social support, money, and prestige), it seems like Wake wins or ties 2/3 with a somewhat marginal loss in category 3.

 

[Mr. Macrophage]

I would not consider UChicago or UNC to be T20 schools, yet your primary pros for both programs are recognition and prestige based.

USNews is pretty useless, but in the last 23 years, UChicago has only ranked outside the top 20 twice. How is it not a T20?

 

[coffeelover347]

AOA is an honor society for med students nationwide, akin to Phi Beta Kappa for undergrad. its reserved for the top students (might be like top 25%?) in each med school class to show distinction. its not necessarily the worst thing its just that its existence at a medical school sort of promotes a bit of competition amongst the class because you're technically all "competing" for a spot in it. but honestly only a handful of schools release it before match (meaning they make it present on your residency applications). If it's not released before match (which it isn't at most schools), it's not the worst thing in the world. (this is just from what I understand)

Oh ok got it, thank you for explaining!

 

[m1redsox]

USNews is pretty useless, but in the last 23 years, UChicago has only ranked outside the top 20 twice. How is it not a T20?

Perhaps this may show my bias, but as a recent med school graduate and current ophthalmology resident, I tend to focus on the quality of training at the associated hospital (and thus, the doximity specialty rankings rather than USWNR, which you have cited as useless, although doximity also has its own issues as any ranking system does). The University of Chicago hospital’s reputation is fine, but not amazing in most specialties. For example, the University of Chicago ranks below Wake in anesthesiology, radiology, OB/GYN, ophthalmology, ENT, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, neurology, EM, FM, dermatology, etc. Even in University of Chicago’s stronger programs, like IM, it is still outside the top 20. Thus, forgive me for not holding the University of Chicago in such high esteem. I think most of their reputation comes from their name outside of medicine (like law).

Edit: not to mention that the prestige of your home residency program is the real consideration for the match, not the prestige of your medical school. As an example, in ophthalmology, the most prestigious program is UMiami. Med students from there routinely match at T10-20 programs. So, my "decent but nothing crazy" sentiment about UChicago is likely present among all specialties where they have an average or below average reputation.

 

[drcdbby]

I loved Wake Forest, and it has a very solid reputation. UNC and UChicago are not worth $200k+ more than Wake, especially with the current federal student loan fiasco that is killing recent grads like me right now.

I would not consider UChicago or UNC to be T20 schools, yet your primary pros for both programs are recognition and prestige based. While Wake is not as recognizable of a name, it will absolutely get you where you want to go, and it is still a T50 program that is on the same "tier" as UNC in recent USWNR rankings.

If UNC or UChicago come back with significant aid, then this will be a very different conversation, but from my perspective as things sit right now, of the 3 big topics for choosing a program (social support, money, and prestige), it seems like Wake wins or ties 2/3 with a somewhat marginal loss in category 3.

Thanks for sharing with me! Yeah Wake does have a lot going for it and I need to evaluate my priorities. Uchicago just gave me a full tuition scholarship though and I think that makes things more even financially

 

[Mr. Macrophage]

Thanks for sharing with me! Yeah Wake does have a lot going for it and I need to evaluate my priorities. Uchicago just gave me a full tuition scholarship though and I think that makes things more even financially

Congrats!!! Definitely pick UChicago!

 

[drcdbby]

Congrats!!! Definitely pick UChicago!

Thanks Mr. Macrophage! Hope they make you a good offer too!

 

[m1redsox]

Thanks for sharing with me! Yeah Wake does have a lot going for it and I need to evaluate my priorities. Uchicago just gave me a full tuition scholarship though and I think that makes things more even financially

That is amazing! I would probably pick UChicago in your shoes. However, a full ride near family vs full tuition away from family and a slight prestige bump is still a debate IMO. COL in Chicago is much higher than it is in WS and could easily still cost you an extra $35k/year in loans even if you don't take out loans for tuition (based on UChicago's cost of attendance website). Now add in interest over 4 years and the idea that you may have to start making "standard" payments on those loans starting during your residency training (if nothing changes on the federal level in the next 4 years which is a real risk), and that creates a significant burden that you could have avoided. Unless you have family members helping you financially, that could still be very difficult. If you end up doing primary care, I think you'll be kicking yourself a little bit.