UVa vs Pitt

[Dr. Pepper]

Hey guys,

Right now, I'm deciding between Pitt and UVa (I just got off of the Pitt waitlist).

UVa

Pro:

- Liked environment better
- 1.5 year curriculum
- P/F 2 years


Cons:

- Away rotations
- Probably not as reputable as Pitt


Pitt

Pro

- Better reputation (both med school and hospital)

Con

- H/P/F
- Pittsburgh was kind of scary

I already know a lot about UVa, but I was hoping someone could talk a bit about the city, the grading scheme and their general experience of Pitt.

Also, do you think Pitt would give me a significantly better experience or ability to match?

Thanks so much for your help.

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[gila]

I have the same dilemma - UVa vs Pitt. I would love to know what others think about these schools!

 

[Salt and Lime]

You thought Pittsburgh was scary!? Where are you from?

I grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. I could name pages of pros and cons, but it would help to know what specifically are you looking for in a city.

 

[JokerMD]

i didn't find pittsburgh scary at all....every city has its bad parts. I think the school and surrounding neighborhoods (shadyside and N. Oakland) are pretty safe.

FWIW Pittsburgh was named the most "livable" city in the united states by both Forbes and the Economist...

I think the biggest down side to Pitt is the H/P/F system for the first two years.

How do the costs compare? I don't necessarily think Pitt is THAT much more prestigious than UVa (but I don't know much) and if UVa is significantly cheaper it seems like the better option for you

 

[DoctwoB]

If money is not a factor, then Pitt, hands down.

There is almost no other school that will give you the clinical exposure that pitt will. You have an entire 7 billion dollar health care system just for one med school. The only other situation that can compare in my opinion are the harvard hospitals and mayo. Pitt also has the Wiser center, which is a playground for med students with a hospitals worth of mannequins.

In terms of prestige, Pitt is a bit better, though they're both great.

All this being said, if your in state for UVA, and will save significant dough, I'd pick UVA, as its still a great school. I don't think its quite as good as pitt, but its close enough to not make it worth a huge cost difference.

 

[gila]

I know this may be a stupid question, but what are people's thoughts on UVa vs Pitt for someone who wants to do a surgical specialty and go into private practice?

 

[DoctwoB]

I know this may be a stupid question, but what are people's thoughts on UVa vs Pitt for someone who wants to do a surgical specialty and go into private practice?

I don't know much about UVa, but Pitt has some pretty sweet surgical programs.

Their ENT, Ortho, and General Surgery programs are absolutely top notch. Neuro is pretty darn good as well, and CT is also up there. They also have a top 10 childrens hospital if you want pediatric surgery of any kind

A quote from a surgery attending on another SDN thread about best gen surgery programs.

"Traditional Top Tier by reputation :
Mass General, Brigham, Johns Hopkins, Michigan, Duke, Pittsburgh, Wash U (St. Louis), UCSF"

Anytime you're on a list with those other hospitals, you know its a good program.

That said, if your goal is to go private practice then all that matters is getting that surgical residency, it doesn't need to be top tier. If you do well you can get any residency you want from UVa, so in the long run it may not matter, especially if you can save a bunch of dough by going to UVa. If you want the best surgical residency possible though, Pitt is your best bet.

 

[Steeler7588]

Pitt is more prestigious, but I don't think it'll give you much of an advantage when matching. I also think Pittsburgh is a pretty nice city.

I think it should come down to what is more appealing - 1.5 preclinicals, P/F, better weather, away rotations or 2/2 curriculum, curved H/P/F, better sports scene (haha), and UPMC?

UPMC is amazing, I echo the poster above in that it's probably the best exposure to medicine a student could have, but UVa's new curriculum and location are just worth more to me.

 

[gila]

Thanks for the info everyone. It's nice to hear what other people think. Right now I'm still leaning more toward UVa - maybe because I've had since December to fall in love with them.