University of Illinois Peoria vs. SLU (waitlist)

[deleted895369]

I've already been accepted to UICOM in Peoria, and I wanted to get some input before I commit and send a letter of intent to SLU. For some background, I have been interested in specializing in infectious disease for close to 15 years. I was active with non-medical research in undergrad, but I have been waiting years for the opportunity to do ID research in medical school. I know it is too early to pick a fellowship, but I just love learning about ID and am impatient to get involved with the field of ID during medical school.

UICOM-Peoria

Pros:

• $51,000 tuition and fees/year (~ $7,000 cheaper than SLU)
• Smaller class with fewer residents/fellows at the hospital - I've heard that M3 and M4 students get way more hands-on opportunities than students at large academic centers
• Longitudinal early clinical exposure in ambulatory setting over first 2 years

Neutrals?:

• Didn't really get a vibe about the school during the interview. Granted, I know it's Zoom, but I didn't leave the interview pumped up to attend there like some other schools I interviewed at.

Cons:

• Infectious Disease isn't a listed area of research on the Peoria campus. I guess I could reach out to faculty directly to try and do clinical research, but idk. Don't see much research happening in that area.
• Not a very large metropolitan area - will this limit my dating pool? I do want to get married soon lol
• CMDA (Christian Medical Dental Association) chapter is almost non-existent in Peoria, and the Christian physicians I have talked to have said that CMDA was a great experience during med school. This relates to the above point about dating.

SLU

Pros:

• Great global health opportunities
• Large infectious disease department with a fellowship and lots of research activity and $$$
• Loved the vibes that I got from the students during the interview, definitely seemed like a community that I would love to be a part of
• 4 early clinical electives in the first 2 years to get patient care experience and explore specialties prior to clerkships
• Active, multi-school CMDA chapter
• Bigger city with more stuff to do

Cons:

• $57,000 tuition and fees/year ($7,000 more expensive than UIC)
• Bigger academic hospitals may mean less hands-on opportunities during clerkships than I might get in Peoria

Similarities

• 2 hr (UICOM) vs 4 hr (SLU) drive from family, not a big deal
• Cost of living is pretty similar
• Ranking and match list is pretty similar in terms of school tier

Is an additional $28,000 over four years + interest worth it for SLU if I can see myself being happier their than Peoria?

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[drsashafierce]

From what I hear for current physicians and medical students, early clinical exposure during M1 and M2 years AND having a smaller hospital system with less fellows/residents/medical students are huge bonuses to a medical school program that significantly help your chances of matching into residency. Because of that, I would recommend UICOM Peoria. It also helps that tuition is cheaper, and the cost of living in Peoria is more affordable. As med students, we need all the financial assistance we can get.

That being said, I don't know how much you value research in comparison with clinical experience. If you are very passionate about ID research and cannot imagine medical school without it, UICOM in Peoria may not be the right fit. You may spend all your time there wondering "What if I went somewhere that had those research experiences?" And that worry/regret may not be worth it. It may also be helpful to directly reach out to the research coordinator in Peoria. I attended second look there last week, and there is a research coordinator on the UICOM Peoria campus that helps all students find research in an area that interests them.

Also, I interviewed at UICOM in Peoria twice, and every time, every student had nothing but wonderful things to say about the Peoria campus. They seem to have a really strong community there.

Anyway, that's my two cents. I'm obviously biased because I interviewed there and loved the school, and I don't know very much about SLU, but I hope this helps!!

 

[_bkworks_]

From what I hear for current physicians and medical students, early clinical exposure during M1 and M2 years AND having a smaller hospital system with less fellows/residents/medical students are huge bonuses to a medical school program that significantly help your chances of matching into residency. Because of that, I would recommend UICOM Peoria. It also helps that tuition is cheaper, and the cost of living in Peoria is more affordable. As med students, we need all the financial assistance we can get.

That being said, I don't know how much you value research in comparison with clinical experience. If you are very passionate about ID research and cannot imagine medical school without it, UICOM in Peoria may not be the right fit. You may spend all your time there wondering "What if I went somewhere that had those research experiences?" And that worry/regret may not be worth it. It may also be helpful to directly reach out to the research coordinator in Peoria. I attended second look there last week, and there is a research coordinator on the UICOM Peoria campus that helps all students find research in an area that interests them.

Also, I interviewed at UICOM in Peoria twice, and every time, every student had nothing but wonderful things to say about the Peoria campus. They seem to have a really strong community there.

Anyway, that's my two cents. I'm obviously biased because I interviewed there and loved the school, and I don't know very much about SLU, but I hope this helps!!

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