University of Michigan vs Dartmouth / Geisel

[user2425]

I am trying to decide which school to pick! Would appreciate any insight/help!

Pros of Michigan:
- Top school, loved my interview and the Admissions team
- Love the curriculum and the culture of the institution (friendly, ready to help, seems like a big sense of community)
- Midwest (change of scenery, which could be a con as well)
- Ann Arbor, although small, seems to be really great

Cons of Michigan:
- I went to school and then lived in the Northeast, and feel unsure about going to a new region/place (have never been to the midwest or really to any other state outside of those in New England and California)
- Doesn't seem to be many international/global students and would ideally love to have a Latino community for example--I am worried about not finding people I have much in common with since I will be there for the rest of my twenties (prioritizing this)
- Lots of people have said, "I can't picture you living there"
- Worried about not matching to an NYC residency program since the school is not in the Northeast. I very much want to end up in NYC and the regional factor of residency matching is worrying me.

Pros of Dartmouth:
- exactly like my college (basically an extension of my college experience, which I loved)
- tight-knit community, friendly culture
- would be a safe, comfortable choice
- I know this should not matter as much (especially when it comes to med schools), but I also like the prestige of it being an Ivy, which is also more recognized internationally, and being part of that alumni network in the future
- residency matching in NYC and Boston is much more common/likely

Cons of Dartmouth
- Although it is rural, it's only 2 hours from Boston and a 5-hour ride to NYC, two cities where all my friends live (as opposed to Michigan, where I know no one in the area or nearby cities)
- not as prestigious as Michigan in the med school world
- limited in terms of being able to meet people (not because I wouldn't have much in common but because the pool would be much smaller)

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[ese2]

I get that saying you go to an ivy league med school sounds cool, but UMich is in another league in medicine and it’s really no comparison. Also, you won’t struggle matching in the Northeast because you went to UMich.

 

[deleted1119806]

agree with @ese2

This isn't undergrad, its medicine. Michigan.

 

[user2425]

@ese2 @anakin's fall Thank you! It's hard to understand exactly which school is superior to another (since the rankings can be misleading). I appreciate your input.

 

[i-doctor]

I went to Med school at Michigan, and matched into residency in NYC (surgical sub). Funny coincidence here that one of my co-residents went to Geisel.
Michigan has an excellent reputation in NYC.
It also has a diverse international student body.

 

[EmbryonalCarcinoma]

Which one is cheaper?

 

[deleted1095841]

Both are great med schools. Congrats!
Dartmouth has an interesting clinical rotation program with a variety of sites. You can even do some of your rotations in SF, or Arizona at the IHS. So if you're into serving underserved populations, that could be a cool thing.

 

[Kierkegaard's Bud]

- Doesn't seem to be many international/global students and would ideally love to have a Latino community for example--I am worried about not finding people I have much in common with since I will be there for the rest of my twenties (prioritizing this)

Detroit is like 35 min away

 

[obiwan]

You would have to have pretty compelling reasons to convince me not to go to Michigan

 

[user2425]

Thank you very much everyone! Very helpful!