University of Minnesota-TC or Mayo??

[duncanst]

I need some major feedback...the one thing holding me back from mayo is location, PLEASE let me know your opinions. Thanks in advance.

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[riverwoman1040]

Seriously? I know Rochester isn't the best, but Mayo!

 

[duncanst]

I guess I'm just afraid if I go to med school there, I will end up doing residency there, and then end up spending my whole life there, which I do NOT want to do.

I should probably also mention that when giving your opinion, keep in mind no scholarships are on the table for consideration in the decision

 

[riverwoman1040]

Do you know if you'd be getting a scholarship from Mayo? I know they give out a lot of phenomenal aid, which could make the decision really easy. Also, you can always choose to do your residency elsewhere, and even if you stay for residency I don’t think it will be hard to convince yourself to leave Rochester after that.

 

[Falco2525]

I am having a hard time between Minnesota and Chicago...I think I will go to Chicago...I think you will go to Mayo

 

[pyrois]

I need some major feedback...the one thing holding me back from mayo is location, PLEASE let me know your opinions. Thanks in advance.

What, in particular, are you concerned about regarding Mayo's location (yeah, I'm aware of all the problems with it, but I'm wondering if there's anything in particular that you're worried about).

 

[duncanst]

I am having a hard time between Minnesota and Chicago...I think I will go to Chicago...I think you will go to Mayo

Falco: What are you basing this on??

Pyrois: Mostly just the lack of entertainment/social opportunities.

 

[Wanna_B_Scutty]

Go to Mayo.

You truly won't get stuck there for residency if you don't want to be. Simply leave their residency program off your match list and you'll be all set!

 

[Falco2525]

Falco: What are you basing this on??

Pyrois: Mostly just the lack of entertainment/social opportunities.

i really like Chicago...thats for me...from what I hear everyone loves Mayo that visits....and I know schools that people trun down for Mayo...plus Mayo gives out a lot of money so it will likely be cheaper.

 

[duncanst]

So not neccessarily anything negative about the University of Minnesota that would deter you from choosing it? To me (considerations of difference in tuitions aside), "everyone liking it" doesn't cut it....any other thoughts on major (academic or otherwise) differences between the 2?

 

[riverwoman1040]

Mayo is just generally thought of as a better school. The Mayo Clinic is HIGHLY respected and the very small class size is a plus.

 

[Ersatzious]

I guess I'm just afraid if I go to med school there, I will end up doing residency there, and then end up spending my whole life there, which I do NOT want to do.

Do not mistake the high retention rate as an indication of the competitiveness of the school's graduates for non-Mayo residencies (sometimes the case with lower ranked state schools). Most Mayo students (~40%?) remain at Mayo for residency by choice—not necessity.

To me (considerations of difference in tuitions aside), "everyone liking it" doesn't cut it....any other thoughts on major (academic or otherwise) differences between the 2?

Mayo's unique 6 weeks on / 2 weeks off curriculum and the small class size are some of the biggest academic differences, as well as the required third year research quarter. Mayo is a completely unranked pass/fail with no AOA versus Minnesota's P/F with potential honors, ranked AOA system. Whether or not those are pros or cons is a matter of personal preference (pro for me).

 

[Falco2525]

So not neccessarily anything negative about the University of Minnesota that would deter you from choosing it? To me (considerations of difference in tuitions aside), "everyone liking it" doesn't cut it....any other thoughts on major (academic or otherwise) differences between the 2?

no I loved Minnesota...in fact thats why its a difficult decisions...I love Chicago the city more than Minneapolis...also I really love Pritzker...but it is not an easy decision...and there is still a decent chance I will choose Minnesota...mainly because my SO has been accepted to grad school there

 

[pyrois]

Pyrois: Mostly just the lack of entertainment/social opportunities.

Regarding social opportunities, amongst the different schools I have been accepted at, I've actually had the most social interaction with fellow MMS folk.

I think what you will find is that at larger schools, although there will be more people, you will end up in a small clique of maybe 5 or 6 friends you hang out with every week.

At Mayo, you will know everybody, and have 34 friends that you will hang out with every week, and still have 5 or 6 even closer friends you hang out with every day. So far, everybody I've met who is planning on matriculating at Mayo next year has been absolutely awesome. They may have pre-screened for that

In fact, if you choose Mayo, pretty good odds we'll be great friends! If you miss the city that much, we'll organize weekend trips to the Twin Cities

 

[pyrois]

Do not mistake the high retention rate as an indication of the competitiveness of the school's graduates for non-Mayo residencies (sometimes the case with lower ranked state schools). Most Mayo students (~40%?) remain at Mayo for residency by choice—not necessity.

I agree wholeheartedly. The ones who decide not to match back into Mayo's stellar (REALLY stellar) residency programs, seem to end up either in their home states (by choice) or Harvard/Yale/UCSF/etc.

So I think your greatest fear is that you'll love it at Mayo and want to stay. Is that what you're getting at?

 

[kdburton]

What, in particular, are you concerned about regarding Mayo's location (yeah, I'm aware of all the problems with it, but I'm wondering if there's anything in particular that you're worried about).

What problems are there beyond being in crappy weather (which is no different than in Minneapolis)? Rochester is an awesome city, but its not a big city like Minneapolis (and St Paul).

 

[duncanst]

I guess just the size of the city itself, and the fact that the class size is so iincredibly small, which (as pyrois pointed out) could be a fantastic thing, but still terrifies me at the same time...I guess medical school really won't be a time for a lot of excess social activities anyway (?) But it would still be nice to have options...So the general consensus seems to be Mayo; does anyone want to rally for the U of Mn over Mayo??

 

[gopherthegold]

The U of MN has a lot of things going for it with Minneapolis and the med students there have a lot of fun (I live with two of them), but as far as I'm concerned, the money difference is just too much...

 

[NervousNed]

my opinion is:

if you are single: U MN
if you are not single: mayo

4 years is a long time...

 

[mintendo]

I personally can't stand Rochester. I've been there a couple of times and each time as soon as I got there I couldn't wait to leave.

 

[pyrois]

I guess medical school really won't be a time for a lot of excess social activities anyway (?)

I fully intend on spending a solid amount of time doing excess social activities in med school.

Then again, I am moving "study groups" under the category of "social activities."

 

[mikeinsd]

dont bother, mayo sucks







just kidding i love it there, and I am secretly trying to get people to decline so i can get in from the waitlist... i spent a couple days checking out rochester and yes it is small, but i think you can entertain yourself well enough... are you in Mn? why not go back down to rochester and hang out for a weekend, get a vibe for how you feel about it?

 

[ryandote]

I guess I'm just afraid if I go to med school there, I will end up doing residency there, and then end up spending my whole life there, which I do NOT want to do.

I should probably also mention that when giving your opinion, keep in mind no scholarships are on the table for consideration in the decision

You will only end up doing residency there if you like it. Seriously, with the Mayo name and a decent board score you'll interview for res at plenty of places. That is one of my favorite things about this process. 4 years is definitely temporary.

 

[duncanst]

my opinion is:

if you are single: U MN
if you are not single: mayo

4 years is a long time...

You would actually pick your medical school based on your dating status? With all the other deciding factors???

 

[duncanst]

I should probably mentioned that I know a few students that will be attending the U of Mn, so I can also visit....

 

[riverwoman1040]

Have you not been to both schools?

 

[NervousNed]

You would actually pick your medical school based on your dating status? With all the other deciding factors???

well the fact that there are 32 students, and when i visited it seemed like many of the students were married (my student host, the tour guide, the two people who sat and ate lunch with), i think that if you weren't married, you may find yourself much more lonely at mayo, you may find much of the class busy for hanging out cause they want to spend time with there signifigant other, of course this is all heresay, maybe the mayo class does lots of fun things together, and hang out tons...of course mayo is far superior academically to u mn, but 4 years isnt short....not by any means is that short...

 

[dln72183]

I'm from Rochester, went to school for 4 yrs in Minneapolis, and am currently doing a yrs worth of research here at Mayo until med school next yr. Rochester really insn't as bad as peoople make it out to be. I have several friends in the M1 class and they all love it. Even the ones form bigger cities on the coast. There are plenty of social opportunities and you will gorw to love the Mayo niche. If you are really all that worried about hanging out in the twin cities, its only an hour away. So you'll be able to get all the plays/concerts/twins/vikings/wild etc events in if you like. I think the biggest factor is class size. Go where you're happiest. Don't consider money. Debt can be paid back. People get too caught up on the fact that Rochester is a "small" town. Trust me, if it needs to attract big time physicians and clientel, it needs to have the resources to entertain them, right?

 

[duncanst]

well the fact that there are 32 students, and when i visited it seemed like many of the students were married (my student host, the tour guide, the two people who sat and ate lunch with), i think that if you weren't married, you may find yourself much more lonely at mayo, you may find much of the class busy for hanging out cause they want to spend time with there signifigant other, of course this is all heresay, maybe the mayo class does lots of fun things together, and hang out tons...of course mayo is far superior academically to u mn, but 4 years isnt short....not by any means is that short...

I agree, many of the students were married, but they also said they do actually do many things together, and the class seemed really close as a group. I'm a little confused NervousNed: you wouldn't choose Mayo if you were single even though (as you admit) it is far superior, academically?

 

[duncanst]

I'm from Rochester, went to school for 4 yrs in Minneapolis, and am currently doing a yrs worth of research here at Mayo until med school next yr. Rochester really insn't as bad as peoople make it out to be. I have several friends in the M1 class and they all love it. Even the ones form bigger cities on the coast. There are plenty of social opportunities and you will gorw to love the Mayo niche. If you are really all that worried about hanging out in the twin cities, its only an hour away. So you'll be able to get all the plays/concerts/twins/vikings/wild etc events in if you like. I think the biggest factor is class size. Go where you're happiest. Don't consider money. Debt can be paid back. People get too caught up on the fact that Rochester is a "small" town. Trust me, if it needs to attract big time physicians and clientel, it needs to have the resources to entertain them, right?

Where are you going to med school next year? Mayo?

 

[Ersatzious]

well the fact that there are 32 students

I love how the number of students in a Mayo class keeps dwindling down [there are 42 students per class (34 MD, 6 MD/PhD, 2 DDS/PhD)].

Give it another twenty replies: Don't go! There are only three students and the other two are married! Zero social life!

 

[pyrois]

when i visited it seemed like many of the students were married (my student host, the tour guide, the two people who sat and ate lunch with),

I think I heard an estimate of around 20 single folk (in a class of 34) each year.

So yeah, a lot of married people, but more than half single.

 

[pyrois]

I love how the number of students in MMS class keeps dwindling down [there are 42 students per class (34 MD, 6 MD/PhD, 2 DDS/PhD)].

Give it another twenty replies: Don't go! There are only three students and the other two are married! Zero social life!

haha yeah, and it's 32 Kelvin with windchill

 

[dln72183]

No, possibly Creighton, U of M or NYMC. I'm still deciding. I had an interview here but it was a no go. It'll be nice to get out of the home town for a while. They do usually take at least one "Rochesterite"/yr. My buddy who went to school at Brown got in this year. A girl from St. Olaf last year. There always seems to be one. It's an odd dynamic since most of our parents are physicians or affiliated with the hospital in some way.

 

[duncanst]

So basically, if you were accepted, you would be in my shoes too: What would you have done (I re-read your previous post, but the answer to this question didnt seem apparent): U of M or Mayo?

 

[dln72183]

Ahhh, you get used to the cold. Plus you can get around underground to almost anywhere. We usually only have about one or two bad weeks /winter. A couple of weeks ago we had a run of 1 1/2 wks with it staying below 0 F. That was cold. But after while, it all feels the same.

 

[duncanst]

dln: my previous post was directed at you.

 

[dln72183]

So basically, if you were accepted, you would be in my shoes too: What would you have done (I re-read your previous post, but the answer to this question didnt seem apparent): U of M or Mayo?

Personally, if I was chosing btwn Mayo and U of M, I'd go to Mayo. I love working here. Some of the perks of my job let me do some workshops w/ the M1s and they have a blast. Not only that, essentially most physician will be more than willing to help you get exposure to any aspect of medicine you want. I could even give you a contact if you were interested in emergency Med (my area). BUT, if you don't like the idea of being closer with your classmates or you just like the idea af being able to podcast your classes instead of actualy being there, U of M might be the choice. I just would be wary to make the final factor of your decision be the "big city." You'll have plenty of opportunities to get up there.

 

[duncanst]

Thanks dln, your answer was very helpful!

 

[dln72183]

Thanks dln, your answer was very helpful!

Good luck with the decision!

 

[gopherthegold]

I hear you Ned, if I were to get accepted to Mayo....it would be VERY VERY difficult for me to make a decision because of exactly what you're saying...I'm single and I'm very afraid that there are just not that many options in the Rochester area. If you don't find someone in your class or in the first year or so down there, you're kind of stuck being single for four years and that's WAYYY longer than I'm willing to wait. I know that this is silly talk because you never know when or where you will meet someone, but I definitely understand your concern.

 

[duncanst]

Even when you factor in the tuition difference (I'm instate, so would pay 6900..?), you all would still vote Mayo?

 

[duncanst]

gopherthegold: are you on hold @ Mayo? And are you saying that the academic prowess of Mayo would/wouldn't over-rule your choice to go to May?

Here's a hypothetical situation to consider: Let's say that Mayo's class size was the same as the U of M's, or maybe a little less (80-100), what would everyone think then???

 

[rach4214]

No one's opinion would change if the class size was much larger than 42?

 

[gopherthegold]

I am on hold at Mayo yes....and academic prowess doesn't mean much to me. Other than maybe technological enhancements, I don't think you're really going to learn more at any one school versus another. Your effort is much more important in determining what you learn. But I am saying that the difference in cost is enough to send me to Mayo regardless of social activities, mostly because I don't want to be forced into a specialty when I graduate due to debt. I want to do what makes me happy.

gopherthegold: are you on hold @ Mayo? And are you saying that the academic prowess of Mayo would/wouldn't over-rule your choice to go to May?

Here's a hypothetical situation to consider: Let's say that Mayo's class size was the same as the U of M's, or maybe a little less (80-100), what would everyone think then???

 

[duncanst]

Anyone else: Mayo vs. U of Mn ??

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Anyone else: Mayo vs. U of Mn ??

I can't believe you are even asking this question. goto Mayo. its an amazing school and the reputation will help you. Rochester does suck, but you can do alot of your clinical rotations in Scottsdale or Jacksonville. Those aren't the biggest metro areas in America, but they should be big enough to meet some people if you are there long enough.

You won't get stuck there for residency if you dont want. They do inbreed alot, but its not like your redneck father with his 10 year old daughter if you get what I'm saying. You're not forced to do your residency there.

 

[pyrois]

Let's say that Mayo's class size was the same as the U of M's, or maybe a little less (80-100), what would everyone think then???

I like the small class size of Mayo. It's great for making friends, albeit not so good for dating (I've actually yet to meet someone going to Mayo who isn't in some sort of relationship). Time for me to get married pre-matriculation ASAP

 

[sunnyjohn]

Mayo without a doubt.

I'd even pick Mayo if the class size were 84 and not 42.

 

[gsmithers68]

I need some major feedback...the one thing holding me back from mayo is location, PLEASE let me know your opinions. Thanks in advance.

Um.... lol? U of M in a heart beat. I mean all Mayo has is:

Faculty Ratio 11:1
Incredible Research
Rotations away from Rochester in Jacksonville, FL and Scottsdale, AZ during 3/4 years
International opportunities
New integrated curriculum
Cutting edge medicine at your finger tips
Amazing facilities
Incredible people
Financial aid
Outpatient community clinic volunteer opportunities

You would be insane to not go to UofM over Mayo