University of Chicago Pritzker vs. Vanderbilt

[ointment]

Hello! The second looks are on the same weekend, which is a huge, huge bummer. But, trying to decide which of the two I should go to ... or if I should try to spend a day at both. I'm interested in surgical specialties and academic medicine (especially being a clinican-educator), but would also love experience working with underserved populations (especially LGBTQ+ pops). Also, I live in Chicago now, so maybe I could visit Pritzker on NOT second-look weekend? Is that a thing?

Pritzker (full-tuition scholarship, total COA = $120k-ish)

Pros

(+++) got really good vibes on interview day, everybody seemed happy, loved my student interviewer
(+++) full tuition!!!
(+++) already live in Chicago, so I have lots of friends here, connected to a few communities already
(++) small class size = me feeling loved!
(++) can continue to do improv comedy pretty easily lol (maybe true for Nashville too...?)
(++) strong, obvious mission to support the underserved
(++) hailed as the "teacher of teachers" and I love education, def want to teach as a physician
(+) LGBTQ friendly city for sure
(+) have other students from my undergrad at Pritzker
(+) see patients from around the world? good bread and butter and ALSO zebra cases?

Cons

(-) not a huge fan of the 2 year-preclinical. But would I really care while I'm in the thick of it? Should I be worried about a curriculum restructuring while I'm there?
(-) college system seems like it's just a thing and that students don't really care about it
(-) Chicago weather
(-) Hyde Park is fine, but separated a bit from the parts of Chicago that I frequent now


Vanderbilt (75% scholarship, total COA = $190k-ish)

Pros

(+++) Curriculum 2.0 is really amazing, love the breakdown of the years (1 preclinical, 1 clinical, 1 discovery year). Really into the idea of that third-year project 🙂
(+++) pass/fail clerkships! which made it seem like people in clerkships DIDN'T disappear from the community
(++) I got the feeling that everybody was pretty happy on interview day, students seemed excited and interested
(++) small class size = me feeling loved yes!
(++) big focus on student wellness and the college system actually seems respected and used!
(+) lower cost of living than Chicago, I guess
(+) some students there picked Vandy over Columbia/other highly ranked schools ... made Vandy seem more legit to me?
(+) highest avg STEP 1 score?

Cons

(-) I was only in Nashville for half-a-day, but I didn't vibe with it that much. I've heard such good things tho. But ... healthy food options?
(-) I don't know anybody in Nashville/the south, honestly
(-) LGBTQ in the south? being in the south in general? I've lived in Los Angeles and Chicago and I'm not sure the south is really my speed?
(-) the hospital seemed a bit old? maybe it was just the parts I saw. Didn't seem "high tech" like some other schools
(-) only see patients from TN area? and surrounding states? is this true

My understanding is that the prestige is matched pretty evenly, as USNWR rankings are identical. Is there any difference in prestige that I should think about? Is one regarded more highly at highly ranked residency programs?

Summary: Trying to decide whether to go to second-look weekend at Pritzker (when I already live in Chicago) or Vanderbilt. Love the curriculum at Vandy a lot, got good vibes from each school, but already have support systems in Chicago for me. Similarly ranked, similar financial aid packages. Just afraid of choosing one over the other at this point and eliminating the other as a serious option for me moving forward.

Thank you for your perspectives!

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[SinglePayerNow]

Maybe explain your situation to UChicago and request a private tour/Q&A with students so that you can attend the Second Look for Vanderbilt.

Based on your list, I would say lean UChicago right now because its close to home, you have a strong support network, and you know you would be comfortable with how you identify. It also looks like their mission may resonate with you more? In terms of potential for continuing hobbies and pursuing academic med the two would be pretty similar. I also don't think the price difference for both schools would be that significant in the long run. Main differences I see are patient population and and preclinical which you can ask about more once you visit again. Huge congrats on those scholarships and best of luck!

 

[deleted972488]

Both are equally fabulous schools, but I think Pritzker is the clear choice here given the cost difference and the support system you have in Chicago.

 

[capriccio]

Current Pritzker student here: societies are admittedly not a big deal here aside from a few social gatherings here and there, but the class size is small such that it's not really necessary for us to build a community. I know a fair amount of us here have expressed the opinion that we're almost glad we don't have college systems dividing us up.

There probably won't be a curriculum restructuring in the near future, we haven't heard anything regarding one.

It seems like your sticking points mainly revolve around location and curriculum. Because you're unfamiliar with Vandy/Nashville, I would lean towards going there for second look to get a better idea of the location and patient population. (biased goggles on: uchicago second look was so much fun and you should definitely come visit us lmao). As far as curriculum goes, it might be worth reaching out to any upperclassmen you might've met on interview day or ask admissions to connect you with upperclassmen. Also agree that it's worth reaching out to Pritzker admissions to see if you can arrange a private tour/Q&A, I know they do this for waitlist acceptees.

(+) some students there picked Vandy over Columbia/other highly ranked schools ... made Vandy seem more legit to me?

You'll find that this is the case at both Vandy and Pritzker. I wouldn't let this be a factor.

 

[jacob457]

In terms of second look I would definitely attend Vanderbilts, since you’re less familiar with the area. I think you would walk away from second look with a better idea of the school and that would help with your decision. I would also try to get Vanderbilt to match Chicago’s scholarship, if that’s something a vanderbilt is open to. Since their prestige is basically equal, this decision is really going to be based on gut feeling/how you like the areas. Good luck, and you can’t really go wrong here.

 

[xkcd6330]

To comment on your point about Vanderbilt only seeing patients from TN, keep in mind that Vandy’s catchment area is huge. i.e. they’re the main academic center for a really big geographic area, so I wouldn’t worry about the diversity of cases you’ll get to see

 

[FatherTime-PhD]

PRITZKER for your reasons and $$

 

[Jeremy Bearimy]

Pritzker seems like a great choice! But just to add some more confusion to your pile, check out the LGBTQ Health Program at Vanderbilt. It's actually one of the main reasons I applied there even though I had no business applying there (peep that pre-secondary R).

 

[Blueyonder2]

Honestly, I would choose Vanderbilt in this position. The 3rd year P/F is just too great to pass up. I've talked to a lot of medical students and they all say that 3rd year is basically hell, and having P/F would help immensely with mental health during that year. Add that to a fresher curriculum, slightly more prestige in the PD ranking, and most importantly, MUCH better weather, and I think Vandy is a winner. And Vanderbilt isn't too far from Chicago if you wanted to visit your family on the weekends. However, if having family close by is very important to you, then of course Pritkzer is the better choice. Really just depends on your priorities.

 

[CHIOTR]

(-) Hyde Park is fine, but separated a bit from the parts of Chicago that I frequent now

I think this could actually be pretty helpful. I used to live in Hyde Park, as well as all over the north side (Wrigleyville, Ravenswood, Uptown, etc...). Worked downtown. It's still pretty easy to get anywhere in the city you might be wanting to hang out, but it wouldn't be so easy that it would be distracting. So, your support system and social life would still be easily accessible, but you could build your own "med school" corner of the city where there might be fewer temptations and distractions.

 

[MD34289403]

I think Chicago has more opportunities and Vanderbilt does not have much going on in the surrounding area comparatively to the hub that is Chicago. The accelerated curriculum at Vanderbilt can limit your opportunities in the first year so you are very busy, and clerkships are still very stressful even though they are P/F. UChicago has a more relaxed first two years and more opportunities to get involved in research in those first two years. Vanderbilt does have incredible Step 1 scores, but that might not sway you much since it is going P/F and schools catch up by Step 2.