UT Austin (Dell) vs UT Houston (McGovern)

[premedtomedstudentjourney]

Hi all, I received a prematch to both Dell and McGovern (very thankful for that), but I am extremely unsure which school would be a better fit. I haven't narrowed down my interests to one specialty, but so far I'm interested in derm/GI/OBGYN.

Dell

Pros

• True P/F (really excited about this)
• Smaller class and strong mentorship
• Flexible 3rd year for research, masters, etc.
• Good STEP scores
• I'm interested in health policy and administration
• Early clerkships (beginning of MS2)
• Enjoyed the environment during the interview day
• More in-person things during COVID because of small class size (not sure if this matters anymore bc vaccine but students seemed happier than at other schools because of this)

Cons

• No long-established student clubs/organizations/service
• Clinical rotations don't seem great
• Higher COL
• New school so just seems riskier overall
• Went to UT Austin for undergrad and I'm starting to get tired of living in Austin (I know unpopular opinion lol)
• Fewer residencies

McGovern

Pros

• Located in Texas Medical Center (more research opportunities and good clinical rotations)
• More established
• Strong match list
• More residencies
• Seems like the safe choice
• New city
• Good housing prices through UT health

Cons

• Larger class size
• A more traditional curriculum that seems kinda out of date
• I've heard the environment is more competitive
• Not true p/f
• Didn't enjoy the interview day as much

Summary:

At the end of the day, what I want most from a medical school is the ability to pursue any specialty I am interested in and not be limited by a lack of X thing. Dell seems like the more enticing choice, but McGovern seems like the safer bet. I keep going back and forth between the two and was interested in what you all have to say about these two schools. Any input is appreciated.

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[tulsajoe94]

Just to point out some things I think are missing from this list:

• Dell has grad student housing that (at least in recent year) has prioritized placing medical students. Not as cheap as McGovern but you can see it here: University Apartments Rates | University Housing and Dining | The University of Texas at Austin
• STEP 1 scores probably won't matter for you, don't choose Dell for this.
• I don't know much about competitive specialty research (not my vibe), but I know we have a plastic research group, an orthopedic research group, and involved derm mentors who offer research. Take a look at the match list for last year, you'll see cardiothoracic, ortho, rad onc, derm, neurosurg, optho, uro, etc. Maybe they had to work much harder at Dell than elsewhere, I'm not sure.

Do you get any financial aid information with prematching? I'd probably look at that too.

 

[Drsecondchance]

Honestly, it looks like Dell is what excites you. They'll get you where you need to go. Stop trying to pick based on how other people feel and go where you feel alive. That spark, along with good performance in classes/ boards/ rotations is what's going to set you apart. Don't go somewhere you feel bores you. Med school is hard enough already.

 

[premedtomedstudentjourney]

Wow, a 16-16 vote makes the decision even harder! Thanks to everyone for the input. I still go back and forth between the two schools but now I'm focusing more on the school environments.

 

[Drsecondchance]

Wow, a 16-16 vote makes the decision even harder! Thanks to everyone for the input. I still go back and forth between the two schools but now I'm focusing more on the school environments.

20 days later, have you picked? Hoping you gave yourself permission to go to Dell, since it sounded like this was what was really in your heart.

 

[premedtomedstudentjourney]

20 days later, have you picked? Hoping you gave yourself permission to go to Dell, since it sounded like this was what was really in your heart.

yes, dell

 

[velvetcoffee]

yes, dell

I would love to hear more about how you like this choice if I can DM you!