UPenn vs UChicago

[whoknow]

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hey guys,
long time follower, first post. was deciding between two awesome schools but am having a really hard time differentiating and was hoping some of you could help me out. heres the pro/con list i've come up with so far:

UPenn
Pro: 1.5 years basic, Global Health Program, Match List awesome
Con: Philly, Honors

UChicago
Pro: P/F, Chicago better than Philly, Match list good, but perhaps not as good as UPenns (Am i wrong about this, don't really know how to compare match lists)
Con: lots of lecture time, very traditional lectures

Anything you can add would help. Thanks!

 

[Bluntman]

OMG these threads are sucking the life out of me!

(but Penn for sure)

 

[combatmedic]

U PENN all the way

 

[Labslave]

UPenn. No doubt.

 

[whoknow]

but why? any comments on penn?

 

[QofQuimica]

Is this thread just for people to give opinions with no rationale, or are we supposed to tell you why? I liked Chicago better. The student body is more diverse (including non-trads), and the school is just so integrated and eclectic. There are people there doing MSTPs in physical sciences, social sciences, even humanities. I really liked how compact the Chicago campus is, and I just thought that the people there were super friendly, from the admissions office to the students to the other interviewees. It's not that I disliked Penn; it's more that I just really liked Chicago a lot and felt like it was a good fit for me. What were your feelings when you visited each school? Because I don't really think you can go wrong by choosing either of them.

 

[infiniti]

except for the non trad population (which I don't know much about), I do say Penn offers everthing you mentioned.

Both schools are apparently great schools, you just have to find which one feels makes you more comfortable.

 

[pallcare]

ditto. You can't go wrong with either school, chances are pretty good that you'll end up getting the same matches either way. I personally like penn, but actually because I like philly a lot. I also really like Penn's global health program, as you mentioned.

My major concern with penn is that I know some people there and I hear it to be pretty competitive, and while putting the sciences in 1.5 yrs sounds good, it can be stressful when you couple that with H/p/f. I also don't know how open and inviting the profs are, though that may just be the bad experience I had with my faculty interviewer.

I didn't get an interview at chicago so i can't speak about that school. Though I have heard very good things about it. Again, in terms of your career you can't go wrong either way. it's where you think you'll fit in the best and be happiest.

Is this thread just for people to give opinions with no rationale, or are we supposed to tell you why? I liked Chicago better. The student body is more diverse (including non-trads), and the school is just so integrated and eclectic. There are people there doing MSTPs in physical sciences, social sciences, even humanities. I really liked how compact the Chicago campus is, and I just thought that the people there were super friendly, from the admissions office to the students to the other interviewees. It's not that I disliked Penn; it's more that I just really liked Chicago a lot and felt like it was a good fit for me. What were your feelings when you visited each school? Because I don't really think you can go wrong by choosing either of them.

 

[Overlap12]

You're probably splitting hairs at this point. You'll get a good residency from both schools, although Penn does have a slight prestige edge but it won't really matter all that much. I would go to the school where you will be happiest and perform the best- which will determine the kind of residency and career you have much more than the name of your school. UChicago's p/f system sounds so much less stressful than a h/p/f system, and combine that with the fact that you like Chicago more I think you should think hard about Pritzker. UChicago does have a lot of class time, but it's not necessarily a bad thing- their match list reflects the great level of training. Also, have you gotten the financial aid packages for either school? They could make a huge difference.