UVA vs. Colorado vs. Iowa (Scholarship)

[Mooseforkicks]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I’m a CO resident. I have no idea about what specialty I want. Pretty confident I’m not interested in academic medicine. I received a scholarship to Iowa, making its expected COA less expensive than Colorado (but not by a huge amount). UVA is more expensive than Colorado (but again, not by a huge amount). Went to second look for all. I liked every campus, and the current/future students.

Colorado
Pros

• Home, strong support network of family/friends
• P/F preclinical curriculum
• M3 will be at a branch campus in Colorado Springs:
  • Longitudinal clerkships rather than block style
  • Clerkships are done 1:1 with an attending you work with for a year, so strong relationships and mentoring
  • Very small number of medical students and almost no interns or residents to compete with—I’ve been told there is much more opportunity for hands-on experience and students usually develop stronger clinical skills than in traditional clerkships

Cons

• Preclinical curriculum is not 1.5 years, though not a full 2 years either. Some aspects of curriculum outdated (they will be changing for class of 2024)
• Internal rankings
• Match list definitely not as strong as UVA
• Generally negative experiences with responsiveness/helpfulness of administration
• Highest COL, traffic, etc.

Iowa
Pros

• 1.5 year preclinical
• Like their organization of learning communities and student engagement
• Seem the most interested in wanting me to come there: Offered me a scholarship, then matched in-state tuition for CO when I asked
• Distinction tracks
• I like Iowa City, and U Iowa Hospital
• Least expensive

Cons

• H/P/F grading in preclinical
• Worst weather
• Maybe the lowest ranking? Though not too far from Colorado
• Expensive to travel, unless commuting to Chicago first

UVA
Pros

• 1.5 year, true P/F preclinicals
• Flexible testing
• Highest ranked, great Match list
• Rotations at multiple facilities and settings
• I really love Charlottesville
• Particularly strong emphasis on student well-being and balance

Cons

• Furthest away
• Most expensive
• Most nervous about finances here: my calculated COA depends heavily on aid M2-M4 that was estimated for me by their financial aid office, but it’s not technically guaranteed

Iowa is the least expensive, but the gap isn’t huge. I like Colorado’s clinical curriculum best, but their preclinical curriculum least. UVA is great, but also the furthest away and most expensive. What are your thoughts?

 

[puahate]

Colorado seems like the happy middle

 

[Quantal Reasoning]

Iowa or Colorado, either the cheapest or the one where you'll have the best support network. Cons for UVA seem too strong to ignore for likely equivalent outcome.