University of Minnesota or Northwestern?

[greenpenguin65]

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So, I was just accepted off the waitlist at Northwestern and have another week to make my decision. I was originally planning on going to the University of Minnesota (home state), but Northwestern was one of my favorites from interview day.

Basically, I have no idea what to choose. Northwestern will end up costing me (probably, unless I get any sort of financial aid) $120k - 150k more than the U of MN. I'm originally from Minnesota but I don't want to stay there forever. While I'm sure that my interests will change, I'm really interested in urology and general surgery at this point (definitely not as interested in primary care, which is U of MN's strong suit).

I (like most people on this site) would like to match into a competitive residency, and I'm just wondering what my best bet is.

Any advice as to what to consider or what you would do would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Lamel]

Wait for full financial aid information before you make any decision.

At a cursory glance though, NW is not worth 120k+ in extra debt imo, as U of Mn is a great school too - I doubt it will stop you from matching gen surg or uro.

 

[greenpenguin65]

Wait for full financial aid information before you make any decision.

At a cursory glance though, NW is not worth 120k+ in extra debt imo, as U of Mn is a great school too - I doubt it will stop you from matching gen surg or uro.

Thanks. How important is "prestige" of the school in matching?

 

[Lamel]

Thanks. How important is "prestige" of the school in matching?

It can matter to varying degrees depending on specialty choice and/or desire for academic medicine, but I personally don't think the prestige difference between U of Mn and NW is enough to justify 120k+ in debt. If NW gives enough aid to bring the difference down to <50k total, then I may start to weigh my options (but that's just me).