University of Minnesota vs University of Colorado

[LC_Traveller]

I'm struggling to decide which medical school to attend- UMN Twin Cities vs UC Denver.

As far as I can tell, both universities are similarly ranked and are good prospects. I'm from MN so my family and friends are there. But Denver is Denver and I love the idea of settling in Colorado in the long run.
I'm doing the AF HPSP program so cost of attendance is not a concern.

Anyone have information about which university is better academically? It looks to me like UMN has historically had a better program, but that now UColorado is higher ranked.
What should I consider with the choice?
My current residency pick of the month is OB/Gyn- so is either choice better for that?

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[Slack3r]

Wrong forum.

But UC all the way.

 

[owlegrad]

Here let me swoop in and help you out with this. To Pre-Allo!

 

[WedgeDawg]

I'm going to go ahead and throw this in SSD too.

 

[Pastamahn]

Colorado. Although I'm a little biased against Minnesota due to a certain Big Ten rivalry 😛

 

[AAATPase]

Colorado if HPSP covers the insane OOS price tag. W/O HPSP, then Minnesota.

 

[repititionition]

I know students at UC who are very happy and well-rounded.

I don't know anyone at UM.

Denver > Minneapolis.

 

[nellbot2000]

As a University of Colorado ms2 I have to just go ahead and say CU. I'm a Colorado native to boot, so obvious bias here. Denver is a great city and Colorado is a great state. I don't know any OOS's that regret coming here. If you have specific questions about the school, feel free to PM me.

 

[Ad2b]

LOL ... /bites tongue... UC Denver < UMN ... but ... I love the mountains so this would be a tough call.

I know the faculty at UMN and the program well. If this were my choice, I'd go home. It would/will be the only thing to bring me back.

 

[LC_Traveller]

Whoops this is my first post- still figuring out how to do everything.
Thank you for moving me! And for everyone's help!

I definitely believe UC Denver would be a more adventurous city, but I can't figure out which is the better choice career-wise. They seem very similar... Maybe they're even?

 

[Ad2b]

I that now UColorado is higher ranked.

In what respect? Primary care = UMN, research = UMN, NIH funding = UMN

I think you need to gut check yourself. To me, you're from MN and maybe grew up there. Maybe the comfort of being around that state your entire life is hard to break (I'm a native, I get it; we NEVER leave MN... ever... and our friends have been friends of the parents' friends' families for generations; and we're all Swede, Fin, or Norwegian - I get it; no, I've never had lutefisk!)

BUT ... maybe this is your time to spread your wings and break the MN bonds. Besides, you do know that if you leave, you'll go back, right? No native ever leaves. 😀

To me, UMN >>> UC Denver historically and current; again, I AM biased... /trots off singing, "Minnesota hats off to thee..." 😉

 

[6874899601]

I'm an MS4 at CU. I'll try to address the points you seem to care about.

Academic power: CU is very much on the up-and-up. The campus is one of the nicest and newest in the country, and they have made strong efforts to recruit research-focused faculty. For example, the surgery department here is quickly becoming a haven for Johns Hopkins-trained surgeons.

OBGYN: You'll get into OBGYN if that's what you want to do at either place, it's very middle-of-the-road in terms of competitiveness (at least today). From my own experience I can say that the OBGYNs here are awesome people who love to teach, and really are outstanding at making med students a real part of the team on rotations (seeing patients by yourself and getting your hands dirty when operating). I had no interest in going into this specialty but this was seriously my favorite rotation, just based on how awesome the people in the department are. But whatever you end up wanting to do, CU has the resources to get you there if you take advantage of them.

Colorado: If you want to settle in Colorado in the long run (or are even thinking of it) then to me it's a no-brainer, go to CU. Living here for four years will be an invaluable experience for you, not to mention an amazing one! I've averaged 20 days of skiing per year, and I've hiked just as much. Like you I'm from the midwest, and have even lived in cool cities over there (the Twin Cities would be a fun place to live I bet), but there's just no comparison when you think about the mountains (and Denver is very cool too).

Hope this helps. Feel free to reply or PM me.

 

[Me.D.]

If you're doing AF HPSP you might have a good chance of ending up in Colorado regardless right (especially if you want to do a military residency)? So maybe that factor would play less of a role.

 

[occams_razor]

Anyone have information about which university is better academically? It looks to me like UMN has historically had a better program, but that now UColorado is higher ranked.

They are ranked very similarly. I would say that they are comparable academically and certainly in the same tier.