UNR vs UNLV (University of Nevada Reno vs Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV)

[cupoftea16]

Hello!
I am trying to decide between UNLV and UNR SoM. I have family in Las Vegas, but UNR seems like an overall better school having been established for so long. Does anyone have advice as to how to approach this decision? Are there any pros/cons that I'm missing for either school? Any input would be greatly appreciated!!

UNR Pros:
-Has been established longer so they know what they're doing (and have better matches).
-Has a cadaver lab (not just virtual, so students can get a better grasp of anatomy).
-Lots of extracurriculars like the student outreach clinic and rural outreach clinic.
-Prepares students well for step.
-Has a pretty established research program.
-Preceptorship during first year so you get early exposure to primary care.
-Students I talked to had nothing but good things to say and seemed very supportive of one another and friendly.

UNR Cons:
-Far from family (my family is in Vegas).
-Would cost ~100k more considering living expenses (I would live at home if I went to UNLV).

UNLV Pros:
-Also has community engagement.
-Students have said that it's a supportive, collaborative culture.
-Would have more social support in Vegas with my family there.
-Would cost less overall.

UNLV Cons:
-A newer school so they're still figuring things out (clerkships, extracurriculars, etc).
-Flipped classroom (?) centered around project based learning (PBLs).
-Could be distracting living at home.
-Commuter school with less of a "campus" feel.


Looking just at the schools themselves, UNR would be my top choice because of all the pros above. So it feels like I'm choosing between lower cost and being near family/support (UNLV) and a better medical education (UNR). What do you guys think?

Thank you in advance for your help! I really appreciate it!!!

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[chilly_md]

Are you sure that difference in cost of living would be 25k or more a year for your circumstances? I can understand rent being a big part of that, but food, transportation, books and the personal expense category are also costs even if you commute from home. For example, you may save on the gas for the long drive between Reno and Vegas, but you still have daily drives to campus if it’s not within a few miles. Also the same for rotations. So it’s not a $0 expense.

 

[cupoftea16]

That’s a really good point, I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks so much for the insight!

So I guess the cost of attendance at UNLV would be 30~50k less than UNR. That’s definitely more manageable than 100k.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

I think I would go UNR because it might have less hiccups that come w/ a new school