University of Arizona Phoenix vs. University of Arizona Tucson

[golddust127]

In-state resident so both have the same cost of attendance.

UA Phoenix
Pros

• Very close to family and friends/support network
• Nice culture with lots of academic and mental health resources for students
• Class attendance not mandatory
• Good location in downtown, lots to do in the area
• True pass/fail (although not sure if this is so great given the changes to Step 1)
• Really nice, brand new facilities

Cons

• Not sure if this is a con necessarily but there's no directly attached hospital so rotations are in clinical sites around the city at a bunch of different hospitals
• Unranked, newer school

UA Tucson
Pros

• Tiered pass/fail (honors, high pass, pass, etc) in preclinical years might be helpful with Step 1 P/F?? But who knows what'll actually end up being weighed more heavily
• Really good programs set up to help get research and faculty mentorship
• More established, higher ranked than Phoenix
• Match list is slightly more robust but it's possible that's because there are 115 students in the class whereas Phoenix only has 80

Cons

• Long drive from family/support network
• Don't like the town very much
• This isn't a measurable thing and might have been a fluke but I just did not get a good vibe there, everything looked very old and run down and the people weren't nearly as nice as the other school.

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[EmDeeAZ]

I'm currently pre-med out of state undergrad, but I would definitely choose UA Phoenix if given the choice. I haven't toured the UA Tucson med campus specifically, but I have seen UA Phoenix's and spoken with some faculty, and I was really impressed. I would choose Phoenix over the Dirty T any day, especially given the variety of clinical opportunities available here. Not sure about research

 

[TheDataKing]

I'd go with Tucson. It's been around longer, has an attached hospital and residency programs, and you wouldn't have to travel all around for clerkships. I know students in the Philly area at the big 3 med schools and they HATE having to switch hospitals and such on different clerkships

 

[HopefulPilot]

The clerkship sites in Phoenix are great. I haven’t been bothered by switching, and sometimes it’s refreshing to start a clerkship at a new place. I would say for you, living near family and friends would be very nice. The benefit of Tucson would really be in affiliated residencies. Especially in competitive specialties.

 

[ggjniin]

The clerkship sites in Phoenix are great. I haven’t been bothered by switching, and sometimes it’s refreshing to start a clerkship at a new place. I would say for you, living near family and friends would be very nice. The benefit of Tucson would really be in affiliated residencies. Especially in competitive specialties.

hey i was wondering if i am interested in derm if ua phoenix or Tucson is better. thank you

 

[pablo213]

I would go for UofA phoenix based on your pros/cons. They still have access to great clinical sites like Barrow and Phoenix Childrens. On another note, during the interview day at UofA Tucson, one of the med students mentioned feeling like the school did not prepare them adequately for Step 1 and said something about accreditation issues briefly, but then tried to circle back lol. Gave me kind of a concerning feeling about it.