UVA vs. Miami

[Dawibo]

Background:
My partner will be working in the Washington DC area with virtual days on Monday and Friday, which would allow her to stay with me on weekends if I live close enough. I am very interested in pursuing neurosurgery.


UVA (projected debt - $130,000):
Pros

• 2-3 hours from my partner, so we would see each other most weeks
• Inova Fairfax track would allow me to live with my partner during clinical years
• Gives the impression of collaborative students and faculty members
• Smaller class size
• Slightly better match list and slightly more prestigious
• True P/F preclinical
• If price weren't a factor, I would almost certainly choose UVA

Cons

• Most expensive option
• Weaker clinical experiences than Miami

Miami (projected debt - $0):
Pros

• Full tuition scholarship, no debt
• Strong match results
• Great clinical opportunities at Jackson Memorial
• Partner's parents live in Miami, so I could visit them all the time
• Will be using Spanish constantly, which I want to do in my career
• Great research funding, very strong neurosurgery residency program

Cons

• I got the vibe that this is very much a "make your own opportunities" place with possibly a less collaborative student body
• Very hot climate, would be nice during the winter but very unpleasant in the summer
• Miami traffic
• Lower "prestige" than UVA, but still comparable match results
• Partner would need to fly to visit, would be much less frequent

Summary:
Match results: UVA > Miami
Cost: Miami >> UVA
Location: UVA > Miami

Overall: Leaning strongly towards Miami

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[thefirerisen]

Disclaimer, I'll be going to UVA but I'll try to be as objective as possible. The cost difference between UVA and the other two schools is huge. OSU is ranked similarly to UVA and even though Miami is ranked a little bit lower, the full tuition scholarship is 100% worth it. You'll be able to match nsgy at Miami if you put in the work. Location is a factor too obviously and you've expressed a clear desire to be near your partner at UVA. But Miami is a great city with its own benefits (Spanish-speaking population, beach, etc)

I would wait until UVA and OSU releases scholarships to see if that makes your decision clearer. If UVA gives you any money, go there for sure.

I agree that UVA has the best match list and prospects for NSGY but that price tag might be too big to swallow. As of right now, I would choose Miami if you can be away from your partner. If you can't, then UVA is the obvious choice.

 

[thefirerisen]

Disclaimer, I'll be going to UVA but I'll try to be as objective as possible. The cost difference between UVA and the other two schools is huge. OSU is ranked similarly to UVA and even though Miami is ranked a little bit lower, the full tuition scholarship is 100% worth it. You'll be able to match nsgy at Miami if you put in the work. Location is a factor too obviously and you've expressed a clear desire to be near your partner at UVA. But Miami is a great city with its own benefits (Spanish-speaking population, beach, etc)

I would wait until UVA and OSU releases scholarships to see if that makes your decision clearer. If UVA gives you any money, go there for sure.

I agree that UVA has the best match list and prospects for NSGY but that price tag might be too big to swallow. As of right now, I would choose Miami if you can be away from your partner. If you can't, then UVA is the obvious choice.

Commenting again because I recently got Doximity and their Residency Navigator is super super helpful for deciding between schools.

UVA's neurosurgery home program is ranked #1 in the south for research output and #11 for reputation. Miami's home program, on the other hand, is ranked #1 in the south for reputation and #7 for research output.

Obviously, this applies more to residencies than medical schools but a robust home program is very very important. In your case, both Miami and UVA have a great NSGY program with Miami being more reputable and UVA conducting more research.

 

[Dral]

I went to UVA as an out of state. Back then tuition was I think 20k in state and 38k out of state. They gave me 18k in scholarships per year to basically bring me down to in state tuition.

I'd say wait to see what they offer. Also, when I went there, their financial aid office was top notch.

 

[Dawibo]

Update: Projected debt for Miami will be $0, and UVA will be ~$130,000. I also got the Inova Fairfax track for UVA.

 

[thefirerisen]

Update: Projected debt for Miami will be $0, and UVA will be ~$130,000. I also got the Inova Fairfax track for UVA.

Definitely pick Miami then! Have fun!

 

[Dawibo]

Definitely pick Miami then! Have fun!

Thanks, good luck at UVA!