UTHSCSA vs Duke

[bunny94]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hello! I am trying to decide between attending UTHSC San Antonio and Duke Med. Background, I did my undergrad in Texas, so I have a good support system and great friends in Texas (although Texas is huge and they are not all in San Antonio). I have been very interested in a career in Pediatrics, although I am also strongly considering surgery and surgical specialties. Basically, I have no idea what field I want to practice medicine in but I have the option of two medical schools to choose from. Advice/insight would be greatly appreciated!

Duke (~$250,000)

Pros
- Curriculum is amazing, 1 year basic sciences, rotations start in 2nd year, research year in third year
- True pass/fail in the pre-clinical year
- Interview day was great, felt like I connected with the students there and could really see myself thriving there
- relatively low cost of living...I think?
- Amazing match list

Cons
- Hella expensive tuition at about $60,000 per year
- Will have approximately $250,000 indebtedness
- Don't have a support system in Durham or NC

UTHSC San Antonio (~$160,000)

Pros
- Great curriculum with about 4 months to prepare for Step 1 exam,
- Students seem incredibly happy
- Interview day was great, people were very friendly
- Low cost of living
- Would pay in-state tuition of $14,500 per year (I am OOS but was offered in-state tuition)

Cons
- Not as prestigious/well known as Duke
- Not as many research opportunities?
- Lower average Step scores than Duke
- Would probably match in Texas for residency (this isn't really too much of a con bc I don't mind living in Texas)

 

[swgadoo]

Sounds like you like both schools, but Duke would set you up better for competitive specialties but would be more expensive.
If you really (read: are certain about) want to go into a high-paying specialty, the difference in cost between the schools won't matter as much, and it would probably behoove you to go to Duke.
If you want to do a primary care specialty, go to UTSA - it'll be better for your wallet in the long run.
And if you really can't make a decision right now, then I would say stick with UTSA. It's cheaper, you'll have your support network, and won't close any doors for you. While their match list may not be as impressive, it's still pretty solid (3 Neurosurg, 11 Ortho, 2 Plastics) if you decide to go with surgical specialties.

 

[bunny94]

@swgadoo Do you think the research year would be beneficial to getting into top residency programs? Even if for residency in primary care?

 

[liquidcrawler]

.

 

[swgadoo]

I agree - I think it is based on how productive you can be and what you can make out of it. If you're trying to get into a top residency program for peds/primary care, I assume you want to do academics? In that case it would be nice to have that extra research opportunity.

In my opinion, if you're thinking about a primary care specialty you should weight the cost of medical school a little more heavily due to a reduced future income. Still, look at where Duke grads vs UTSA grads matched to pediatrics in the past year (taken from UTSA official match list and the 2017 match list thread on SDN):

Duke:
Baylor
Duke
Emory
Northwestern
U Florida
U Utah
Yale

UTSA:
Baylor
UCLA x2
Loma Linda
Northwestern
U Nevada
U New Mexico
U Oklahoma
UT Austin (Dell Med)
UTSA x2
UT Houston x3
UT Southwestern x3
U Utah
U Virginia
U Washington

Baylor and U Washington are both top 10 programs according to Doximity (Doximity Residency Navigator 2017 - 2018 - Tea with MD - your guide to health and beauty) and US News (https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/pediatrics-rankings). It seems like you can still get into a top pediatric residency program from either school.

 

[DSM_302.0]

I would go to Duke. In the long run, the 90k isn't *that* much.

 

[bunny94]

I would go to Duke. In the long run, the 90k isn't *that* much.

Any particular reason(s) you would pick Duke? Besides the obvious fact that it is ranked higher. Thanks!

 

[JPmoleymole]

I would choose the cheaper option just because I'm pretty debt averse and UTSA matches very well in Texas