_overunder_
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Hi all, would appreciate some guidance/perspectives here. I'm very interested in academic medicine and undecided on specialty but am focused on a few of the more competitive ones at the moment. Will be going into this with a hugely supportive spouse (along with three pets) who just wants me to pick the best school for me and my future career. I had a relatively early-cycle acceptance to Case who I loved and visited for 2nd look, but recently got off of the waitlist at UW and I'm really struggling with this decision. Goal is to pick the school that leaves as many doors open to possible specialties/interests in the future while also aiming for the best chance of some semblance of a work-life balance.
University of Washington SOM
Pros
Cons
Case Western Reserve University SOM
Pros
Cons
Summary: I really love both of these schools and have a much longer pros/cons list that I condensed for this post. Any/all perspectives are more than welcome so that I can make this decision one way or another without regret!
University of Washington SOM
Pros
- P/F all four years (barring sub-Is and a certain few specialty rotations, I believe)
- Cheaper tuition
- More in-person job opportunities for partner (in tech), although they are excited about a potential remote job in the case of a move
- Very strong clinical exposure in the pre-clerkship phase in both primary care and inpatient settings
- Anatomy integrated throughout preclerkships
Cons
- Higher cost of living
- Match list is strong but seems to lean towards primary care and WWAMI states. I'm not 100% committed to either of these but I also recognize there is student bias with respect to the specialty/regional interests that the school attracts, and that all campuses are included in the same match list.
- Likely some required clerkships outside of Seattle - with a spouse and three pets, this definitely worries me a bit! It seemed somewhat more flexible than I expected upon conversations with current students, but considering it's part of the school's core mission I'm anticipating it could become a dilemma later on.
- Monday exam schedule with a spouse who works a 9-5. I'm still learning how to tell myself it's okay to stop studying, and I worry that either studying all weekend or struggling to not study on the weekends will become an added relationship stressor if I come here. Definitely something I'm constantly working on and wouldn't want to hinge this decision on something as minor as a test day of the week, but it's a consideration.
- Classes are pretty much not required? I wasn't sure if this should go in pros or cons, but it's here since I'm a bit worried about finding my group of people and at least some mandatory in-person work seems like it would be useful in building that community.
Case Western Reserve University SOM
Pros
- No midterms/quizzes, only a final exam week at the end of each block - huge for my test anxiety and too-much gene
- Very strong match list
- Optional lecture attendance, mandatory TBL/PBL sessions
- Option to do clerkships at the Cleveland Clinic
- Lower cost of living
- P/F preclinicals
Cons
- Graded clerkships (H/HP/P/F)
- Higher tuition
- Holoanatomy + 2 week cadaver anatomy bootcamp - would likely do a cadaver anatomy elective to "make up" for this
- Fewer job prospects for spouse, but not overly concerned about their ability to find a job - just more likely to be a remote job with lower pay.
- Cleveland...? But also excited about a new adventure since I've been all over the West Coast but the Midwest/East Coast would be brand new to me!
Summary: I really love both of these schools and have a much longer pros/cons list that I condensed for this post. Any/all perspectives are more than welcome so that I can make this decision one way or another without regret!
