Fortunate to have two great options - but I'm not exactly sure how much weight I should be placing on cost vs. prestige. As of right now, I'm unsure of a potential speciality and leaning towards academics, so keeping doors open is a priority. Additionally, going a school that has students that are happy and well-supported is a big priority as well.
Thanks in advance for reading and responding!
UVA
Pros:
In-state, and very familiar with the Charlottesville area
Seems like students are extremely happy, and the school takes student well-being and maintaining a relaxed vibe seriously (via interview and Second Look)
Unranked P/F as far as I know (?)
18 month preclinical curriculum
About 12k less expensive per year than Pitt (roughly 50k less in total)
Very solid match lists in recent years
Not a huge research focus in the same way as Pitt, but plenty of opportunities available
Cons:
Charlottesville is great, but I'm not sure if I'll feel the same after a couple years
Clinical sites aren't as great as Pitt - UVA is a single-hospital system, some rotations can be distant
General lack of diversity in the Charlottesville area
A slight difference in prestige compared to Pitt
Pitt
Pros:
Spent a couple summers in a program at Pitt Med and really enjoyed it there, so there's some familiarity with the area and the city
From a very rural hometown and went to undergrad in a college town, so Pittsburgh itself is a pro
Research focus, required scholarly project
The UPMC system - amazing clinical sites, all within the general Pittsburgh area
Areas of concentration within the curriculum allow flexibility, although it is traditional
Unranked P/F
Very strong match lists, with an edge over UVA in my opinion
Cons:
Got accepted to Pitt Med through the aforementioned summer program - no traditional interview experience to base things off of, and Second Look is very late this month
2 year, traditional curriculum
Not as generous with need-based aid as I had hoped, so ~50k more expensive over 4 years
Students seem happy and well-supported - but no personal experience/anecdotes to base this off of, unlike UVA
Overall
While I'm aware that differences among the T25-30 are mostly negligible, I can't shake that feeling that Pitt is a step up from UVA as far as prestige. While neither will close any doors in the future, I think Pitt may open more especially if I were to continue towards academics. However, I'm not sure how much stock to put into the cost difference at this point, and while I've been favoring Pitt, I haven't been able to fully form an opinion on it in the same way. Any thoughts would be incredibly helpful.
Thanks again!
Thanks in advance for reading and responding!
UVA
Pros:
In-state, and very familiar with the Charlottesville area
Seems like students are extremely happy, and the school takes student well-being and maintaining a relaxed vibe seriously (via interview and Second Look)
Unranked P/F as far as I know (?)
18 month preclinical curriculum
About 12k less expensive per year than Pitt (roughly 50k less in total)
Very solid match lists in recent years
Not a huge research focus in the same way as Pitt, but plenty of opportunities available
Cons:
Charlottesville is great, but I'm not sure if I'll feel the same after a couple years
Clinical sites aren't as great as Pitt - UVA is a single-hospital system, some rotations can be distant
General lack of diversity in the Charlottesville area
A slight difference in prestige compared to Pitt
Pitt
Pros:
Spent a couple summers in a program at Pitt Med and really enjoyed it there, so there's some familiarity with the area and the city
From a very rural hometown and went to undergrad in a college town, so Pittsburgh itself is a pro
Research focus, required scholarly project
The UPMC system - amazing clinical sites, all within the general Pittsburgh area
Areas of concentration within the curriculum allow flexibility, although it is traditional
Unranked P/F
Very strong match lists, with an edge over UVA in my opinion
Cons:
Got accepted to Pitt Med through the aforementioned summer program - no traditional interview experience to base things off of, and Second Look is very late this month
2 year, traditional curriculum
Not as generous with need-based aid as I had hoped, so ~50k more expensive over 4 years
Students seem happy and well-supported - but no personal experience/anecdotes to base this off of, unlike UVA
Overall
While I'm aware that differences among the T25-30 are mostly negligible, I can't shake that feeling that Pitt is a step up from UVA as far as prestige. While neither will close any doors in the future, I think Pitt may open more especially if I were to continue towards academics. However, I'm not sure how much stock to put into the cost difference at this point, and while I've been favoring Pitt, I haven't been able to fully form an opinion on it in the same way. Any thoughts would be incredibly helpful.
Thanks again!
