Weill Cornell vs CWRU

[fluffypanda34]

I'm so split and I'd love some opinions. I'm from a rural area in Ohio, and all my family still lives close to Cleveland. I feel so fortunate to have such amazing options, but this is truly such a hard choice. I've visited NYC twice now, and although it still seems overwhelming to me, I hope I'd learn to love it. On the other hand, being close to all my family and friends would be wonderful. I'm undecided on a specialty, but thinking OBGYN, derm, and possibly surgery.

Weill Cornell

Pros:

• Slightly cheaper
• Loved it when I visited. Students seem happy and super friendly.
• Went to Cornell for undergrad!
• Amazing research opportunities and facilities.
• Location in NYC is top-notch. Seems like a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me to live there for so cheap.
• I think I like the preclinical curriculum here slightly better than Case

Cons:

• I don't know if I'm a city person. It could be nerves, but it seems overwhelming, packing up all my stuff and moving away.
• My financial aid is not guaranteed for all 4 years. I have to reapply, and there's a good chance it goes up.
• Although the housing is super cheap for the Upper East Side, it's basically dorm living with a shared kitchen for a floor of people. Gives me PTSD from undergrad. I am also bringing my kitty, and it will be a hassle getting her back and forth.
• No family support system and far fewer friends in NYC. I think the state of my mental health could be more of a gamble here.

Case Western:

Pros:

• Support system. My family is less than 1 hr away.
• Currently spending my gap year in Cleveland, and currently do research at Case SOM, which I could continue.
• My sister is a current M3 at Case. We live together and it's amazing. This may be trivial, but I love my apartment here. It is much nicer than a dorm with a shared kitchen.
• Financial aid guaranteed for all 4 years. Don't have to reapply!
• Would probably want to match back in Cleveland if possible, and being able to rotate there definitely wouldn't hurt.

Cons:

• More expensive.
• Heard bad things about their anatomy curriculum. 2-week anatomy bootcamp with cadavers, then holoanatomy for the rest of the blocks. At Cornell, you learn anatomy with each block.
• Technically lowered ranked, but I really dont care about that.

They are both wonderful programs. I wish I had a gut feeling that told me where to go, but I don't!!

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[BigDawg101]

Both are great schools (T-15 vs. T-30) that can get you where you need to be. You seem to enjoy Cleveland, your support system, and the possibility of matching back there, so given that, I would pick CWRU. Your sister being an M3 will give you a huge leg up in adjusting, as medical school is difficult wherever you go. I would say that the 80k more over four years should not factor as heavily into your decision given your support system and the ease that can be paid off as an attending. Had you wanted to match more on the East Coast, especially back into NYC, do orthopedics, or valued academic medicine, which I'm not seeing here, Cornell would be the better option. Best of luck, you have incredible options at the moment.