UTSW v Dell - Please read at least last paragraph before voting

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TheStarfus

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I fortunately pre-matched to UTSW and had a great interview/ conversations with students and faculty at Dell. My last day to rank them is February 19th at 5pm CT.

The appeal for UTSW: It's an established highly ranked medical school that consistently has great match results. I felt very supported by the faculty during my interview and while contacting faculty and students outside of the interview.
Pros:
  • Established med school
  • Highly ranked (#26 on USN)
  • Historically great residency matching
  • Funded well with research
  • Established a physician mentor at the school (Although they said they will mentor me regardless of where I go)
  • Cheaper COL than Austin, TX
  • Established AOA chapter
Cons:
  • 1.5 yr pre-clerkship v 1yr
  • Larger class size
  • Less room for creativity around curriculum
  • Not a huge fan of Dallas (not super big con though)
  • Not as many professional contacts to collaborate with in the city for medical project design
  • No friends and family in Dallas
The appeal for Dell: I've done a lot of work for the underserved through my jobs since graduating college. The flexibility in the first year and “Innovation, Leadership and Discovery” third year offers an opportunity to continue the type of work I've done thus far. Plus, I have a close friend who has a lot of connections to local activist in Austin and I personally have professional contacts who work in Austin too.
Pros:
  • 1 yr preclinical
  • A lot of students who chose medicine as a second career and older students
  • MD/MBA program is MUCH better
  • The 4th years I talked to were interviewing at TOP tier residencies (but they were also doing some unique/ awesome stuff 3rd year, so small sample size)
  • Smaller class size
    • It felt like they got more individualized support for their residency apps
  • Closer to family and have a few friends in Austin
  • Ability to innovate and create projects with professional contacts during 3rd year
  • Austin is a cool place to close out my 20s
  • Very young med school = help establish clubs/ organizations that will shape school
Cons:
  • A lot less racial/ SES diversity than UTSW
  • No AOA, but I'm not sure if I like this or not
  • Austin is getting more and more expensive
  • Very young med school = less alumni, less recognition to residency program directors, expected growing pains, more uncertainty
  • Unranked on USN
What is most important to me:
I hope to be a physician that works with the community in new ways. I want to gain skills that integrate well with my career goals while in school. I also want to go to a school that offers opportunities for connections and networking for professional development and mentorship in and out of my parent school. It seems like Dell might give me the freedom to gain those skills and connections, but UTSW might have stronger connections in the medical community and a better ability for matching in programs where I can have more opportunities in residency.

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It seems like you like Dell more, so I'd go with Dell. But ultimately, I think both schools will give you a very strong platform to get you where you want to be.
 
You'll be good either way, but here are some thoughts:
- not really liking the city probably matters more than you think. I go for 2-4 mile walks around the lake every single day in Austin and do my anki flashcards and that is my *ideal*
- family and friends are probably also more important than you'd think. Seeing my family is such a sweet respite and having friends from outside medical school was very grounding in my first year.
- I think Dell might be getting an AOA chapter? We voted on it last year but I cannot remember what the results were, lots of opinions on it.
- Establishing clubs is not at all what it is cracked up to be. Our clubs are messes. But upperclassmen mentorship is solid gold and I feel very comfortable asking them all for help.
- Racial diversity is rough @Dell, no lie.
- UTSW will almost certainly be a stronger name when STEP 1 scoring goes P/F.
- Being unranked is nice :) Lots of nontrads here, not really into competing.
 
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Great choice to make. One thing that shocked me about med school is how route and memorization everything was and it’s sucked the creativity away. Thus, those outlets may be important to you to get through Med school with piece of mind. I would hazard a guess that UTSW May have more of the traditional student mindset of steps, AOA, research and have a more competitive atmosphere. Certainly it is large so not everyone will be like that. I think I would still choose UTSW here-top tier med school with unlimited possibilities and almost everyone will find their niche. Alumni network may also be useful for you. Just make sure to keep your connection to the community going.
 
@TheStarfus I saw on another of your posts that you have just been offered a place from Dell's WL, so I deduce that you must have gotten your match at UTSW.

Have your thoughts/opinions changed since February? I'm interested in whether you will stick with UTSW or switch to Dell -
If you feel so inclined, please message me to let me know!
 
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