UVA vs. Case Western

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matt32red

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I’m very fortunate to have received multiple As so far, and I feel these are my top 2 choices right now (still on the WL for a few schools I’d consider potentially). I really enjoyed my interview experiences at both of these schools, and they both seem very collaborative.

UVA:
Pros:
  • in state tuition
  • not too far from my family, and very close to my significant other’s family
  • friends in the area
  • flexibility with weekend exams
  • more flexibility of learning styles, with both group work and recorded lectures
  • ability to do rotations at INOVA, and i really love the DMV area
  • more emphasis on community service which i’m interested in
Cons:
  • match list does not seem quite as impressive as case western
  • not true pass/fail
  • charlottesville may not be as exciting to live in as it’s more suburban
  • less diversity of pt populations if rotating at UVA hospitals

Case Western:
Pros:
  • very impressive match list
  • slightly higher rank
  • true pass/fail, no ranking
  • dedicated research block
  • greater diversity of patients, very well known hospitals
  • pathways program in the curriculum where you can do a concentration in things like urban health, public health, etc.

Cons:
  • higher tuition
  • less variety for different learning styles due to more emphasis on mandatory group work
  • essay exams
  • i haven’t heard as many positive things about cleveland
  • far from my family and significant other’s family, no support systems nearby
 
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How important is it for you and your significant other to have family and friends nearby? If important, I vote for UVA -- they're both great schools and CWRU is very expensive.
 
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Need more info on tuition difference and COL to make a decision. I would lean heavily towards case here just because it's such a good school and atmosphere in general. Match list is imperfect and UVA and Case are both essentially top schools, both will leave options open in regards to specialty.
 
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I work at UVASOM. Patient population is diverse. The community clinics and Infectious diseases division see underserved populations all of the time (minorities, immigrants, etc). There are specific efforts to reach the Black, Latine, and Nepali communities. There is a Ryan White Clinic for HIV patients, and multiple clinical studies for that patient population.

In terms of activities, the music scene and downtown area is very lively, without being a distraction from your studies.

From the Medical students I’ve worked with during their research rotations and community service, they’re quite happy and occupied.

No comments on Case Western.
 
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I feel like COL is such an underrated component of choices on these forums. 2000 a month in Cleveland goes much further than it does in Charlottesville. Case is probably more well known, better match list. Unless uva is significantly cheaper,

Case (closed)
 
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As someone accepted to UVA:

Match lists aren't necessarily a great indicator because the school seems to be kinda well known as the "chill" elite school. There is also a consistent desire amongst its students to match back into the state or the region. However, you still pretty frequently see matches to UPMC, Scripps, UPenn, Duke, and Vandy. There are the occasional elite Mass or NY hospitals.

However, Case Western's match list is actually pretty crazy tbh. Yea, if you can handle the cold and are ok with living in Cleveland, the greater research opportunities and better hospital rep will probably serve you well even if you're going for IM.

I'd be pretty torn personally b/c of the cold, and the fact that I don't necessarily believe the match list is really that much an indicator of the relative prestige of these institutions but rather the culture and desires of the incoming classes. If you can bear the cold and the fact that you live in Cleveland, then go with Case Imo.
 
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I'll reiterate what someone else said about the diversity of populations. You'll certainly get townies and locals, but there can be a lot of diversity between the Ryan White clinic (as mentioned above) as well as that there is a Refugee Health program given a number of resettlement programs between there and the Shenandoah Valley, particularly around Harrisonburg. The medical school has played a pretty active role expanding into providing services for the homeless through partnering with the Haven. The area is becoming increasingly diverse and that's a good thing.

Of course it also is pretty expensive. Good food though.
 
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voxveritatisetlucis said:
I feel like COL is such an underrated component of choices on these forums. 2000 a month in Cleveland goes much further than it does in Charlottesville. Case is probably more well known, better match list. Unless uva is significantly cheaper,

Case (closed)
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I think the impact of COL depends heavily on your lifestyle and habits. For a homebody like myself living on campus in Cleveland vs in subsidized student housing in NYC, I doubt there would be a drastic difference because I don't go out much and do almost all my shopping online. For someone with family/SO or plans to go shopping locally/do local activities, yeah a gap would start to really open up.
 
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If they were the same price case is the better school in most respects (better match list, reputation, patient diversity, hospitals to rotate through, etc) and I’d go there.

But case is definitely not 200k better, and the living factors were already in favor of UVA.

Go to UVA.
 
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