UT Tyler vs UTMB vs Colorado

[ctweedlebee]

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Hi! I am having a hard time deciding which schools to rank above the other and thought it might be nice to have some insight from other applicants. I have been fortunate to get 5 acceptances/prematches so far but my top 3 are UT Tyler, UTMB, and Colorado School of Medicine.



UT Tyler
Pros

• Free tuition
• I am from East Texas so I will be close to family
• Small class size
• Faculty seem very invested to students
• 1.5 year of pre-clinical
• Class schedule off T/Th

Cons

• New school, not fully accredited
• No upperclassman for guidance
• Primary care focused; I would like to do IM but would also like to keep my options open
• Won’t have cadavers for anatomy, which could be a con?

UTMB
Pros

• Would still be close to friends in the area
• Class schedule is flexible, allows for afternoons off
• In state tuition
• More opportunities to explore specialties

Cons

• Unsure how I feel about living in Galveston
• Big class size
• 2 year preclinical

Colorado
Pros

• LOVE Colorado and the area, have always wanted to live there
• Close to my siblings
• Opportunities to explore other specialties
• Start rotations the second year

Cons

• Very expensive since I am OOS
• Big class size
• Class schedule I think is 8-5
• LIC clerkships which could be cool but also could be a con as I don’t know much about it

Summary: The free tuition at UT Tyler is really swaying me but location wise, I would love to live in Colorado. I am just unsure if the move is worth the debt. Also, UTMB is a great school and I don’t want to count it out either. I do think I would want to do IM for residency but I also have some interest in going into a specialty like Oncology. Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[SpideyMD]

Woah woah did I hear free??

 

[SpideyMD]

UT Tyler. Move to CO for residency in IM

 

[chilly_md]

Either UT Tyler or UTMB. Leaving the state to pay full price for Colorado is not worth it. An 8-5 schedule everyday doesn't help either.

 

[123OkayGoogle]

If the goal is to stay in Texas for residency, i don’t think ut Tyler would close any doors. Can’t imagine turning down texas tuition to go out of state and pay oos tuition. If I was in the position, I’d prob go UTMB just because it’s well established.

 

[dinucleotidecarl]

Woah woah did I hear free??

UT Tyler will be free for the inaugural class of 40!

I personally don't think UT Tyler would keep you away from any opportunities despite being a new school. Participating in the UT System puts it at a baseline level of respect in the state of Texas. That said, life in Tyler is a bit slower and they do have a rural medicine/family medicine focus.

I would also struggle living in Galveston, but that's just me personally. I'm from Texas and would probably only be excited about staying in Texas for Dell, since I think Austin's a great city.

If it was between UTMB and Colorado, I would probably be swayed by the location. But UT Tyler's tuition would likely sway me...man, I don't know. I don't want to stay in Texas long-term, so that's the other thing. If you want to practice in Texas, it's likely going to be easier if you stay in Texas for school.

This is probably not all that helpful in your decision-making process, but it's just my perspective! Congrats on all of the acceptances, though!

 

[ctweedlebee]

I appreciate everyone’s point of view! I’ve definitely got a lot to think about in the next couple weeks!