UT Southwestern vs. Baylor

[Lone Star]

Hey all,

I don't know if there's already a thread going for this, but I figured it might be good to create a place where people who have been accepted to both schools can get comparative information. I know that Baylor tends to be considered the "better" school but UT Southwestern usually ends up as the cheaper school. What are some more specific things that should be taken into account when comparing these two schools?

Any pointers are welcome, thanks!

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[Dbate]

I'm also in this situation and I wanted to provide the match list for Baylor (because it's really hard to find). I got it from my MS1 friend at Baylor and I know people like to compare match lists, so I think it would be helpful to some people.

And here's a link to UTSW's 2013 match: http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/center-times/year-2013/march/match-day-specialty.html

 

[Dbate]

Personally, I think Baylor is hands down the better school. They have a better curriculum (i.e. tests every 6 weeks instead of every two weeks), better reputation nationally, and their position in the TMC is enviable.

The reason that I am choosing UTSW over Baylor is simply location. I am originally from Houston and I don't want to live near my family or in the same city for four more years.

Otherwise, I would chose Baylor in a heartbeat. I think for anyone who is not from Houston, then Baylor is clearly the right/better choice.

 

[Lone Star]

TMC is a huge factor to consider but it's important not to forget that UTSW will be opening two brand new hospitals in the next couple of years. Personally, I'm from Dallas so I totally understand wanting to distance a bit from family but I also have strong ties to UTSW already whereas I have no preexisting relationships at Baylor so UTSW might provide me with more immediate inside opportunities than Baylor (this is pure speculation of course).

I think reviewing the curriculum might help me out a bit. When interviewing, I sort of took the "I'll think about this in the unlikely event that I actually get accepted" approach when considering the curricula, so I think I ought to start there.

 

[Amygdarya]

They have a better curriculum (i.e. tests every 6 weeks instead of every two weeks)

Test spacing doesn't constitute a curriculum Curriculum is what things you're taught in which order, for how long and by which methods Schools can have similar curricula but different test schedules and vice versa. Bottom line: test schedule >< curriculum.

That said, I like Baylor's curriculum more than I like UTSW's curriculum. UTSW's curriculum is not bad at all, but it's mostly traditional and just not terribly exciting. Baylor, on the other hand, offers a 1.5 year preclinical curriculum, which I like a lot - not the preclinical curriculum itself, that is (I know too little about it to make any conclusions), but more time for clinical rotations, taking elective rotations etc.

Speaking of tests, considering the amount of information that is pushed into medical students, more frequent exams may be better because more frequent noncumulative exams = less stuff to memorize for each exam. (And UTSW tests are actually spaced 3, not 2 weeks apart.) But this, of course, is a matter of individual preference.

 

[Rocket73]

Personally, I think Baylor is hands down the better school. They have a better curriculum (i.e. tests every 6 weeks instead of every two weeks), better reputation nationally, and their position in the TMC is enviable.

The reason that I am choosing UTSW over Baylor is simply location. I am originally from Houston and I don't want to live near my family or in the same city for four more years.

Otherwise, I would chose Baylor in a heartbeat. I think for anyone who is not from Houston, then Baylor is clearly the right/better choice.

Have you made final decision to go to UTSW?

 

[Dbate]

I wonder if the small difference in ranking #18 Baylor versus #22 UTSW or slight difference in prestige favoring Baylor would matter when it comes to residency or (more importantly) finding a job.

 

[seeinghowitgoes]

I wonder if the small difference in ranking #18 Baylor versus #22 UTSW or slight difference in prestige favoring Baylor would matter when it comes to residency or (more importantly) finding a job.

No, not at all.

 

[alpinism]

Test spacing doesn't constitute a curriculum Curriculum is what things you're taught in which order, for how long and by which methods Schools can have similar curricula but different test schedules and vice versa. Bottom line: test schedule >< curriculum.

That said, I like Baylor's curriculum more than I like UTSW's curriculum. UTSW's curriculum is not bad at all, but it's mostly traditional and just not terribly exciting. Baylor, on the other hand, offers a 1.5 year preclinical curriculum, which I like a lot - not the preclinical curriculum itself, that is (I know too little about it to make any conclusions), but more time for clinical rotations, taking elective rotations etc.

Speaking of tests, considering the amount of information that is pushed into medical students, more frequent exams may be better because more frequent noncumulative exams = less stuff to memorize for each exam. (And UTSW tests are actually spaced 3, not 2 weeks apart.) But this, of course, is a matter of individual preference.

Most med students spend the week before exams hunkered down trying to review and memorize hundreds of pages of notes. While you might have less overall material to memorize in 3 week blocks, you'll still have more than enough to keep you busy all week. Because of this you'll essentially have 1 intense study week every 2 weeks. Just something thing to consider.

I wonder if the small difference in ranking #18 Baylor versus #22 UTSW or slight difference in prestige favoring Baylor would matter when it comes to residency or (more importantly) finding a job.

Nope.

 

[lodestar]

I am not here to depreciate UTSW, but instead to accentuate the success of BCM...also to question the much-touted USNWR rankings.
Last year BCM's Step 1 average led all medical schools at 244 and is always high. The Step 1 is SO essential even to being considered for residency placements. One could argue logically that this is a litmus test for the success of a medical school in teaching/preparing its students.

As to rankings, if you drill down on how USNWR arrives at those, the magazine rates various criteria and weighs them according to some fairly subjective estimations and reckonings. Look at their top 10 for Primary Care-- they simply seem out of whack. They supposedly ask for opinions on who should be considered the top schools. But ultimately, a key element would seem to be how inherently bright the students are...here below is another rating that looks primarily at the level of competitive entry as defined by the average MCAT's and GPA's of their accepted students, which is a bit different in all cases from matriculants' average. By this reckoning, BCM has recently been ranked # 4. Then again, UT-SW comes in at #6!

http://www.studentdoc.com/top-10-medical-schools.html

Also, if you access BCM's Match List, it is a VERY impressive schedule of residency program placements...res ipsa loquitur (the thing speaks for itself). See the respective Match Lists just below (repeated from a post above)-- edge to BCM I would say.

Baylor Match List 2013.xlsx
[url]http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/center-times/year-2013/march/match-day-specialty.html[/URL]

 

[7502]

Can anyone comment on BCM's supposed financial issues and their strained relationship with Houston Methodist?

 

[Dbate]

I wanted to bump this thread. UTSW's second look was this weekend and many people I met were facing the dilemma of UTSW versus Baylor.

For me personally, I am now very much conflicted. And would like others' input.

I think of things in terms of a pros/cons list:

UTSW
Pro:
+Dallas is a different city than my hometown (Houston). I hate my parents, so I really wanted to live in another city.
+New Hospitals
+Large building
+24 hour library (I am huge on studying in the library)
+$10K/year scholarship
+Caveat to the con below: More frequent testing. (I know myself and I do not put in more work than I have to. Having fewer tests at Baylor will mean that I will not study as hard or as often, which is somewhat scary because I am afraid that I may fall behind in med school.)

Cons:
- Tests every 2-3 weeks
- Students seemed a little stressed (it was ridiculous the number of times I heard that "time was too precious" to do activities outside of school)
- Didn't like Dallas as much as I thought I would. Dallas being different than Houston was a big factor in my initial preference for UTSW over Baylor, so now I am really conflicted.

Baylor
Pros:
+ Less frequent tests
+Shorter pre-clinical curriculum
+Two of my high school friends go to Baylor
+Slight more prestigious/well known outside of Texas (this might not matter that much because I don't plan on leaving Texas for residency)
+ More Step 1 study time and higher Step 1 scores

Cons:
- In Houston
-Clinical facilities (Ben Taub is known as a terrible hospital in Houston, so I am not excited to rotate there)
- No scholarship

 

[Dbate]

Bump. Any input would be appreciated. I don't want to start another thread (to avoid cluttering the forums with a decision many others are probably facing)

 

[rocco92]

I wanted to bump this thread. UTSW's second look was this weekend and many people I met were facing the dilemma of UTSW versus Baylor.

For me personally, I am now very much conflicted. And would like others' input.

I think of things in terms of a pros/cons list:

UTSW
Pro:
+Dallas is a different city than my hometown (Houston). I hate my parents, so I really wanted to live in another city.
+New Hospitals
+Large building
+24 hour library (I am huge on studying in the library)
+$10K/year scholarship
+Caveat to the con below: More frequent testing. (I know myself and I do not put in more work than I have to. Having fewer tests at Baylor will mean that I will not study as hard or as often, which is somewhat scary because I am afraid that I may fall behind in med school.)

Cons:
- Tests every 2-3 weeks
- Students seemed a little stressed (it was ridiculous the number of times I heard that "time was too precious" to do activities outside of school)
- Didn't like Dallas as much as I thought I would. Dallas being different than Houston was a big factor in my initial preference for UTSW over Baylor, so now I am really conflicted.

Baylor
Pros:
+ Less frequent tests
+Shorter pre-clinical curriculum
+Two of my high school friends go to Baylor
+Slight more prestigious/well known outside of Texas (this might not matter that much because I don't plan on leaving Texas for residency)
+ More Step 1 study time and higher Step 1 scores

Cons:
- In Houston
-Clinical facilities (Ben Taub is known as a terrible hospital in Houston, so I am not excited to rotate there)
- No scholarship

Figured I give my two cents, esp since you offered advice on my thread.

So I am basing this off your pros and cons, because I don't know much about either of these schools, aside from the fact they are both terrific and very well-known in the medical community. If in your shoes and dealing with these pros and cons, I would pick UTSW. They are both really strong schools, but given your hesitance about being in Houston and near family/local community, I would go to UTSW. Happiness and comfort is huge for medical school, and you definitely don't want to deal with any turmoil or additional stress. Given the 24 hour library (which I agree is great), your point about more frequent tests (keeps you on point), great new facilities, the scholarship (does this make it cheaper than Baylor?), and great location (Dallas may not be all that, but its still a nice city, cant complain much), I would go UTSW.

You definitely won't go wrong with Baylor, esp with its appealing Step scores, but I consider Baylor and UTSW on the same prestige level. Especially since you know you want to stay in Texas, UTSW would be a strong and safe choice, whereas Baylor has that uncertainty about how you would feel about staying in Houston. The only things that would make me lean towards Baylor would be if UTSW is more expensive and if there is a more than a miniscule difference in Step 1 average. Otherwise, I say UTSW.

Anyways, best of luck, this is a great position to be in, you'll do fine at either for sure.

 

[lodestar]

I wanted to bump this thread. UTSW's second look was this weekend and many people I met were facing the dilemma of UTSW versus Baylor.

For me personally, I am now very much conflicted. And would like others' input.

I think of things in terms of a pros/cons list:

UTSW
Pro:
+Dallas is a different city than my hometown (Houston). I hate my parents, so I really wanted to live in another city.
+New Hospitals
+Large building
+24 hour library (I am huge on studying in the library)
+$10K/year scholarship
+Caveat to the con below: More frequent testing. (I know myself and I do not put in more work than I have to. Having fewer tests at Baylor will mean that I will not study as hard or as often, which is somewhat scary because I am afraid that I may fall behind in med school.)

Cons:
- Tests every 2-3 weeks
- Students seemed a little stressed (it was ridiculous the number of times I heard that "time was too precious" to do activities outside of school)
- Didn't like Dallas as much as I thought I would. Dallas being different than Houston was a big factor in my initial preference for UTSW over Baylor, so now I am really conflicted.

Baylor
Pros:
+ Less frequent tests
+Shorter pre-clinical curriculum
+Two of my high school friends go to Baylor
+Slight more prestigious/well known outside of Texas (this might not matter that much because I don't plan on leaving Texas for residency)
+ More Step 1 study time and higher Step 1 scores

Cons:
- In Houston
-Clinical facilities (Ben Taub is known as a terrible hospital in Houston, so I am not excited to rotate there)
- No scholarship

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Wow man...you HATE your parents in your home town of Houston?! (Are they helping you pay for medical school?) They are giving you $10k/year at UTSW? Tests keep you focused? Gonna' surely do residency in Texas...24 hour library...appeal of new hospitals...sounds like you have talked yourself into UTSW. You might see little of those 2 H.S. friends at BCM. Many Texas residents would welcome your slight dilemma

 

[ChEMD]

Your cons list for UTSW is pretty weak. You already made the point that more frequent tests tend to keep people from falling behind. As far as stress level goes, that just depends on the students you happened to encounter during the weekend, which really is just a small portion of the total student body. There will be people that choose to study most of every day at any school that you go to. But plenty of my classmates volunteer outside of school regularly, exercise multiple times a week, play intramural sports, and even have families. It really just depends on how you want to spend your time. As far as not liking Dallas goes, spending one weekend in a city doesn't really give you enough time to decide whether you like it or not imo (especially since you most likely spent most of your time doing stuff at or related to UTSW). Just to touch on the amount of time given to study for Step 1, I'm not sure how much time Baylor is given to study, but you are given 8 weeks of dedicated study time at UTSW between 2nd and 3rd year to study for and take Step 1. If you ask around, most people will say that is more than enough dedicated study time to prepare and to well.

You're going to get a top-notch education at either school, so you really should just pick whichever place you think you'd be happier at. And I know people will say that $40k isn't a lot of money in the long run, but I'd choose to have $40k over not having it any day of the week, regardless of how much money I'll be making 10 years down the road. So it to me it sounds like: not Houston + scholarship + equal education = your decision.

 

[Dbate]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Wow man...you HATE your parents in your home town of Houston?! (Are they helping you pay for medical school?) They are giving you $10k/year at UTSW? Tests keep you focused? Gonna' surely do residency in Texas...24 hour library...appeal of new hospitals...sounds like you have talked yourself into UTSW. You might see little of those 2 H.S. friends at BCM. Many Texas residents would welcome your slight dilemma

Unfortunately, not all parents are as active and engaged as the many of the parents on these boards. I grew up in a very dysfunctional household. My parents won't provide any money for medial school and I would strongly prefer to never interact with or see them. This is why I am very hesitant to attend school in Houston.

In all honestly, aside from test frequency, there aren't any downsides to UTSW. Being in the TMC would be nice, but it doesn't outweigh the downsides to being in Houston.

 

[Dbate]

Your cons list for UTSW is pretty weak. You already made the point that more frequent tests tend to keep people from falling behind. As far as stress level goes, that just depends on the students you happened to encounter during the weekend, which really is just a small portion of the total student body. There will be people that choose to study most of every day at any school that you go to. But plenty of my classmates volunteer outside of school regularly, exercise multiple times a week, play intramural sports, and even have families. It really just depends on how you want to spend your time. As far as not liking Dallas goes, spending one weekend in a city doesn't really give you enough time to decide whether you like it or not imo (especially since you most likely spent most of your time doing stuff at or related to UTSW). Just to touch on the amount of time given to study for Step 1, I'm not sure how much time Baylor is given to study, but you are given 8 weeks of dedicated study time at UTSW between 2nd and 3rd year to study for and take Step 1. If you ask around, most people will say that is more than enough dedicated study time to prepare and to well.

You're going to get a top-notch education at either school, so you really should just pick whichever place you think you'd be happier at. And I know people will say that $40k isn't a lot of money in the long run, but I'd choose to have $40k over not having it any day of the week, regardless of how much money I'll be making 10 years down the road. So it to me it sounds like: not Houston + scholarship + equal education = your decision.

After thinking it over and considering everyone's extremely helpful input, I will certainly be matriculating at UTSW in the fall!

 

[Amygdarya]

I wanted to bump this thread. UTSW's second look was this weekend and many people I met were facing the dilemma of UTSW versus Baylor.

For me personally, I am now very much conflicted. And would like others' input.

I think of things in terms of a pros/cons list:

UTSW
Pro:
+Dallas is a different city than my hometown (Houston). I hate my parents, so I really wanted to live in another city.
+New Hospitals
+Large building
+24 hour library (I am huge on studying in the library)
+$10K/year scholarship
+Caveat to the con below: More frequent testing. (I know myself and I do not put in more work than I have to. Having fewer tests at Baylor will mean that I will not study as hard or as often, which is somewhat scary because I am afraid that I may fall behind in med school.)

Cons:
- Tests every 2-3 weeks
- Students seemed a little stressed (it was ridiculous the number of times I heard that "time was too precious" to do activities outside of school)
- Didn't like Dallas as much as I thought I would. Dallas being different than Houston was a big factor in my initial preference for UTSW over Baylor, so now I am really conflicted.

Baylor
Pros:
+ Less frequent tests
+Shorter pre-clinical curriculum
+Two of my high school friends go to Baylor
+Slight more prestigious/well known outside of Texas (this might not matter that much because I don't plan on leaving Texas for residency)
+ More Step 1 study time and higher Step 1 scores

Cons:
- In Houston
-Clinical facilities (Ben Taub is known as a terrible hospital in Houston, so I am not excited to rotate there)
- No scholarship

Ha, I went to UTSW Second Look, too, and got an opposite impression about time concerns from the students I met: all the students I talked to in the carrels did tons of stuff. I guess it depends on people you talk to and what their goals are.

As far as prestige is concerned, UTSW has a great national reputation. I was asked not once but several times why I would even consider their school over UTSW at my interviews at top schools in the Northeast and Midwest. Some of the interviewers had children/friends who were residents in UTSW/Parkland programs and reflected on them positively.
UTSW reputation is as good as Baylor's in the medical community; only some clueless undergrads would assume a difference in prestige.

Congrats on your decision, anyway!

 

[7502]

Does anyone else think the grades in the preclinical years at utsw are a deal breaker?

 

[ChEMD]

Does anyone else think the grades in the preclinical years at utsw are a deal breaker?

This might be not what you're asking for, but here's my take on the preclinical grades:

Many schools that are pass/fail during preclinical years are internally ranking you anyways, so for all intensive purposes, you are being graded. Saying it's pass/fail just makes people feel better. For the schools that are true pass/fail, that kind of scares me. It means that it only gives you your grades during 3rd year to establish your class rank. That is worrisome to me because grading during third year can be very subjective and depend on things like what residents/attending you have on that rotation. Having grades during your preclinical years at least allows you to average that with something very objective (tests). Now grades and class rank may not be the most important things in the world, but it is something you would at least consider if you're thinking about a reasonably competitive specialty.

Now I don't know if Baylor internally ranks you or not, but the first semester is true pass/fail at UTSW. I can't stress enough how important that is. It gives you stress-free time to figure out how you like to study, hang out with your new classmates, and just transition into med school without having to worry about grades. Like I've said before, you'll get a great education at either school, but that's just my take on grades.

 

[clutch21]

Bump. Any input would be appreciated. I don't want to start another thread (to avoid cluttering the forums with a decision many others are probably facing)

UTSW MS1 here. Honestly, you probably caught us in the most stressful stretch of the year. Ms0 weekend was couched right in between the end of cell bio and a massive test in physio test (this friday). That would probably explain any impressions you got of everyone being overstressed.

Also, I wouldn't agree with the opinion that you heard from other students regarding how much free time there is. Several students in our class will slack off following a test, get behind, and find themselves playing catch-up until the next test. It's students with these habits that tend to complain about not having free time. If you're willing to get into a habit of staying on top of the material, then free time shouldn't be a problem.

 

[7502]

Thanks for all your input!

Would anyone argue against the sentiment that UTSW has more/better opportunities in terms of clinical, basic, and translational research? What about for the sentiment that Baylor has a better program (curriculum, grading, etc).

 

[Amygdarya]

Thanks for all your input!

Would anyone argue against the sentiment that UTSW has more/better opportunities in terms of clinical, basic, and translational research? What about for the sentiment that Baylor has a better program (curriculum, grading, etc).

To be honest, I like Baylor's curriculum (1.5 preclinical) and P/F grading more than I like UTSW's more traditional curriculum and grading. That said, UTSW students do well on USMLEs, get a solid clinical training (as far as I know, UTSW students get a lot of responsibilities on the wards, which prepares them well for their internship; I don't have any particular information about Baylor in this regard, though I'm sure its clinical training is good as well) and get into competitive specialties and top residencies regardless.

As far as research opportunities at the two schools, I think they are comparable. You can look into the areas of interest to you and see which school has more research/more prominent researchers/centers etc. in those areas. But overall, if you don't have any specific research preferences, I think that Baylor and UTSW are at about the same level.

In my view, you can't go wrong with either of these two schools. For most people, it seems to go down to personal preferences/situations (location, family, COA).

 

[7502]

As trivial as it is, usnwr rankings for both utsw and baylor have dropped to 26 and 21 respectively.

 

[7502]

Can anyone provide a timeline of BCM's curriculum (like a monthly schedule)? Is it true that they take step 1 after year 3?
Also--is BCM's main teaching hospital ben taub/VA or the St. Luke's (or which rotations are done where)?
ALSOOO--does anyone have access to older match lists? The two posted by dbate show BCM clearly matches better, but my neurotic self would like to see if this is a strong distinction.

I should have paid attention during the interview days....

EDIT: can someone also comment on the differences in the clinical years, specifically with respect to taking call?

 

[ChEMD]

Can anyone provide a timeline of BCM's curriculum (like a monthly schedule)? Is it true that they take step 1 after year 3?
Also--is BCM's main teaching hospital ben taub/VA or the St. Luke's (or which rotations are done where)?
ALSOOO--does anyone have access to older match lists? The two posted by dbate show BCM clearly matches better, but my neurotic self would like to see if this is a strong distinction.

I should have paid attention during the interview days....

EDIT: can someone also comment on the differences in the clinical years, specifically with respect to taking call?

Just curious, what criteria are you using to compare the match lists of different schools?

 

[7502]

Just curious, what criteria are you using to compare the match lists of different schools?

Quality of IM matches since the n is high, and matches to specialties I'm interested in.

 

[ChEMD]

Quality of IM matches since the n is high, and matches to specialties I'm interested in.

I'm not trying to attack you or anything, but how do you determine the quality of internal medicine programs?

I only ask these questions because a lot of premeds judge match lists based on how other people on the internet rank different programs, without ever speaking to a program director in that field. Harvard and Johns Hopkins aren't the only two quality residency programs out there. When I look at the IM list of Baylor and UTSW, I see no discernible difference. Both schools sent students to many of the big name places (Duke, Michigan, Vanderbilt, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, UTSW, Pitt, etc...).

I guess my point is, you can match to any program in any specialty from either school. The deciding factor is going to be how hard you work at one of these schools. Anyways, good luck with your decision! Either way, I don't think you can go wrong!

 

[hdyno]

Cons:
-Clinical facilities (Ben Taub is known as a terrible hospital in Houston, so I am not excited to rotate there)

When I interviewed at Baylor, I spoke at lengths with an MS4 who told me how useful he found Ben Taub. The hospital isn't a glamorous place and most patients aren't high-end but when it came to do rotations or electives, the MS4 was so heavily heavily involved in the clinic. Compared to the rotations or electives at other facilities, the MS4 felt Ben Taub provided him the best teaching arena, by far.

Just my 2 cents. I won't be attending baylor but I am from houston sooo houston>>>dallas, any day of the week.

 

[7502]

Can anyone post the new match lists?

 

[Pseudonymity]

Can anyone post the new match lists?

Seconded!

 

[whalewind]

Bump. Baylor or SW, now that UT Southwestern is opening 2 new hospitals and also switched to the 1.5 preclinical curriculum?

 

[sliceofbread136]

Your cons list for UTSW is pretty weak. You already made the point that more frequent tests tend to keep people from falling behind. As far as stress level goes, that just depends on the students you happened to encounter during the weekend, which really is just a small portion of the total student body. There will be people that choose to study most of every day at any school that you go to. But plenty of my classmates volunteer outside of school regularly, exercise multiple times a week, play intramural sports, and even have families. It really just depends on how you want to spend your time. As far as not liking Dallas goes, spending one weekend in a city doesn't really give you enough time to decide whether you like it or not imo (especially since you most likely spent most of your time doing stuff at or related to UTSW). Just to touch on the amount of time given to study for Step 1, I'm not sure how much time Baylor is given to study, but you are given 8 weeks of dedicated study time at UTSW between 2nd and 3rd year to study for and take Step 1. If you ask around, most people will say that is more than enough dedicated study time to prepare and to well.

You're going to get a top-notch education at either school, so you really should just pick whichever place you think you'd be happier at. And I know people will say that $40k isn't a lot of money in the long run, but I'd choose to have $40k over not having it any day of the week, regardless of how much money I'll be making 10 years down the road. So it to me it sounds like: not Houston + scholarship + equal education = your decision.

Is 8 weeks what they are given with the new curriculum? If so that is great! I am only given 5 weeks this year, which is frustrating

 

[anhtimmy]

Bump. Baylor or SW, now that UT Southwestern is opening 2 new hospitals and also switched to the 1.5 preclinical curriculum?

apples vs oranges, really.

I go to Baylor and have a lot of friends at UTSW (on the old curriculum). We are all happy with our choices.

If you compare both schools now, they both have 1.5 yr pre-clinicals, 2 months dedicated STEP 1 study time, etc. The only difference is that Baylor has been doing this for a while and has a tried and true curriculum. Look at our step 1 scores + matches (I posted them in the Baylor thread today).

Having two new hospitals isn't going to all of a sudden make you a better clinician.

Also, most residencies have a preference for students from their own medical school. If you want to end up at MD Anderson for oncology or St. Lukes for cardiology, then choose Baylor. Not too sure what UTSW is known for. You get the idea.

Don't worry too much about stats and go where you feel most comfortable.

 

[plokij123]

Bump yet again. I'm struggling with this decision this application cycle. I was impressed by my interview days at UT Southwestern and am originally from Dallas so it would be nice to attend school near friends and family. However, I also really enjoyed my day at Baylor, have heard good things about the student culture there, and was blown away by the Texas Medical Center.

I'm concerned about UT Southwestern's reputation of being highly competitive and perhaps unnecessarily stressful but maybe the new curriculum and being pass/fail will help with that.

Anyone else in the same boat or have more perspective on differences between the schools and their environments?