University of Colorado-Denver or University of Virginia?

[ripsta]

I know seeking others' opinions is strictly subjective and the decision ultimately lies in my hands, but I am curious about what applicants who interviewed at both schools had to say. Academically and rank-wise, they are pretty similar. UC is a lot better when it comes to primary care, but I want to specialize; thus, I'm somewhat indifferent about that statistic (honestly, I don't even understand the whole primary care rank on USNewsWeek). However, I figured that if UC excels in primary care, I will be properly trained to enter any field in medicine.

I was very impressed with the facilities at UC. The campus is brand new, and I think it would be a good change from Florida. I've lived in the North, South, but never in the West. The only thing I did not like about UC was Aurora (HOWEVER THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT FACTOR). I figured that if I were to matriculate I could just live in Denver, but my license will be suspended for the next year and my parents want to sell my car. Thus, I'll be forced to live in Aurora for at least my first year.

I enjoyed UVA and would love to spend the next 4 years of my life in a college town. I went to school @ UF, so I'm used to sports, and a large, enthusiastic Undergrad population. It's a prestigious school, and I am certain that I would enjoy my 4 years there.

For some reason I just feel like UC-Denver is too good of a school to pass up on :/ Did anyone interview at both schools, or live in either area? Any feedback is appreciated :/

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[rockydoc]

Hey, Im from CO but go to school in FL....one big consideration should be the fact that CU (its not UC) takes virtually no OOS. And any OOS they do take are almost all from surrounding rural western states like wyoming b/c they dont have a med school of their own. Also, I wouldnt worry about living in aurora vs living in denver b/c they are directly connected and you can hardly tell when you pass from one to the other. (its all the denver-metro area) downtown denver is like a 20 min drive.

do you have an acceptance from both or are you deciding which one you should apply to? b/c if you have an acceptance at CU then obviously disregard my post

 

[ripsta]

I have been accepted to both.

 

[RockWhisperer]

I've lived in Colorado my whole life and I'll chime in. I'm not sure how much you know about the area but the public transportation is actually very good. Getting to Denver from Aurora is relatively easy without a car, especially if you only will have to do it for a year.

University hospital and the children's right by it are new and pretty hard to beat.

However, I'm no expert on the climate of Virginia, but Colorado can have some pretty bad winters and I doubt you'll be able to take advantage of it and get to the slopes more than a few times (I could be wrong depending on how you manage time).

Also, the college feel will probably be non-existant at the HS center. If that is important to you (realize though that you will have very little spare time), that could be a deciding factor.