Hey quaileggs, I think I can answer your question. I picked between UC and OSU (as well as a couple others), and I made the correct choice - UC. Correct for me, that is.
First off, I amazed everyone who knows me by choosing UC, since I have lived in Columbus my whole life, and am a huge Buckeye fan. Going into med school applications, OSU was by far my top choice. But in the end, it just didn't "do it" for me. So I packed my bags, and moved down to the Nati.
You need to interview at both schools, and try and get a sense of the environments there. Are the students competitive with each other? Does the class feel "united"? Or are they split into three waring tribes? Do they help each other, or criticize each other with every chance they get? When I asked myself these questions, I ended up here. You can extrapolate whatever you wish from that...
The next most important factor should be the curriculum. As Amy said, ours is unique, and exceptional. We are on test block format for years one, AND TWO. This means an integrated curriculum, with the courses working together, and testing during designated test weeks. It's a huge help. Also, our fourth year (as well as third), allow for a HUGE amount of choices of electives. I think at last count there were over a hundred options available, including many abroad. The program at OSU was extremely structured, and inflexible, in my opinion.
The last thing I considered was facilities. Both schools have top-notch teaching hospitals and clinics, as well as huge research facilities. And both have several other excellent hospitals they work with. We also have one of the top 3 Children's hospitals in the country, if you are interested in Peds. UC also has newly remodeled Gross and Micro/Path labs. We work FOUR to a cadaver, and each student has their own built-in laptop at their seat in Micro/Path lab. It's amazing.
So, I hope this helps you out. I can't emphasize enough the fact that you should go to the school that feels right to you. Good Luck!
Mango, MSII
