University of Rochester vs Dartmouth (Geisel) -- please comment reason for vote

[SevillaOranges]

Hi! I am struggling in choosing between University of Rochester and Dartmouth. When I was first accepted, I was heavily leaning toward Dartmouth. I love the outdoors: hiking, paddling, just sitting outside with a book, and the culture at Dartmouth very much aligns with this. I attended an Open House at Dartmouth and vibed well with the students/environment. However, I then attended the Second Look at UR and realized how comprehensive their medical program is and now I’m torn between the two schools. Right now I am interested in an internal medicine residency and pursuing a cardiology fellowship (however I anticipate and welcome change). I would like to be fairly involved in research throughout medical school and have the opportunity to match to a big name program.


University of Rochester – COA for M1 $75,000 in loans

Pros:

• Medical school is connected to the medical center
• Would likely live in white coat neighborhood and be walking distance to school/med campus
• More diverse patient population
• Large standardized patient program representative of diverse patient populations. Focus on feedback (Not sure how this directly compares to Geisel, was very impressed by it at UR’s second look though)
• Overall feels like a more comprehensive medical program
• Tier 1 vs Dartmouth being Tier 2 in rankings
• Wegmans (iykyk)

Cons:

• More expensive
• Harsh winters (will be inside most of the time)
• Possible con ? match list – 20-25% stay at UR but maybe this speaks to students’ satisfaction at UR

Dartmouth (Geisel) – COA for M1 $55,000 in loans

Pros:

• Students seem very active outdoors and seem to thrive in the winters with skiing etc. Seems like students are able to prioritize outdoor activities and studying. I also kinda like the idea of living in the upper valley. Would be new life experiences living somewhere rural
• Optional away clerkship rotations for M3. Opportunity to gain experience in different medical environments (makes up for lack of patient diversity near Dartmouth)
• Name recognition mostly because of the undergrad however seems to still carry weight for residency match
• Slightly smaller class size
• Interested in Urban Health Scholars (trips to Boston per open house)

Cons:

• Higher cost of living/stress of finding housing however fairly certain that COL difference wouldn't amount to the $20,000 difference in COA
• Lots of driving. Will likely live 10-20 minutes from the medical school and then the medical school is about a 10 minute drive from the Medical Center. Also worried that I wont have as many opportunities to shadow at the medical center at Dartmouth compared to UR just due to proximity of the medical school to the medical center
• Very little food/retail options (I guess it will help with the COL lol)

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[chilly_md]

If you are big on outdoors, that and the cheaper cost at Dartmouth is hard to beat.

 

[loverofneuro]

These are both great schools, but to me it's a no-brainer to choose Dartmouth. You seem like a better fit for their program, clearly vibe with the surrounding area more (which is important!), and it's cheaper. Plus, that name will give you a leg up in research opportunities and residency applications.