Weill Cornell vs Washington

[UserNameIsTitan]

Weill Cornell Medical College
Pros

• Debt forgiveness program (~65k/yr in grants)
• Debt burden: ~130k over 4 years (5th year for research etc would also be tuition free)
• Easy access to tons of research opportunities
• Match very well any great connections in any field
• P/F curriculum with 65% cutoff
• Housing provided, so no stress trying to figure out living situation
• NYC would be easy to travel from and has so many cultural opportunities

Cons

• Very far from home/family/friends (family unlikely to travel to visit due to finances and age)
• Concerned about a more hypercompetitive environment
• Transition from very rural location to NYC
• No car (saves money but harder to get around outside immediate area)
• I'm nontrad (early 30s) and concerned about fitting in as the class is very young and urban-centric (enjoyed Second Look but very few true peers I guess)
• Would love to get a dog or other pet in med school, not going to be possible in NYC

Univ. of Washington SOM (regional campus)
Pros

• Closer to home/family/friends
• Opportunity to stay involved in current activities that I'm very passionate about
• Best/most collaborative environment I encountered in my second looks
• P/F curriculum with 70% cutoff; M3 about to go P/F as well
• Already know some people in program both my year and year ahead of me
• Group better fits my background, so feel more comfortable and think adjustment would be far easier
• Also match very well but might be more challenging to get necessary ECs to apply/match competitively
• Much easier access to outdoor opportunities and having a car will provide me more freedom
• Living in a rural location and in off-campus housing would allow me to have a dog or other pet which I would like very much

Cons

• Minimal scholarship/grant funding (10k/yr received already and potentially 10k/yr more coming in January)
• Debt burden: ~300k over 4yrs (assuming 20k/yr in scholarships)
  • Side note: my home state provides loan repayment up to 150k over 5yrs and I could save ~35k more if i signed a binding contract to return. I'm just not sure about locking myself into a contract that I won't be honoring for likely 15 more years as I don't know who or where I'll be that far in the future. I also could get the loan repayment after coming back from WCMC too, but UW grads get preferential selection for those spots.
• Much more difficult to access research, mentorship, clubs, interest groups, etc due to regional campus. Current students say it is very doable but maybe requires a bit more work that it would at other locations.
• Minimal ancillary benefits to attend here. School doesn't even have a building, just rents a few rooms, so no campus gym, sim labs, dedicated study areas, etc.
• Heavy emphasis on rural medicine and primary care, which don't particularly interest me.
• Serious lack of housing available in area means finding a place will be more costly and time-consuming

Summary: Both are amazing opportunities but the way I see it, WCMC seems like the more professionally geared option while UWSOM matches far better to my personal aspects. Given the money situation, WCMC seems like the logical choice but at the same time on an emotional and follow your heart level, UWSOM fits far better. Also just to mention, I'm not super set on any particular career path/specialty but would like to be in a place where any option is a possibility if I decide to pursue something very competitive.

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[PikminZoom]

Hi! I actually just decided on Cornell instead of UW today. I felt like the COA was a big enough difference to tip the scale towards Cornell. I was also a little worried about the competitive environment but figure that there will be folks like that in every class.

 

[UserNameIsTitan]

Hi! I actually just decided on Cornell instead of UW today. I felt like the COA was a big enough difference to tip the scale towards Cornell. I was also a little worried about the competitive environment but figure that there will be folks like that in every class.

Thanks for the insight! I feel like I might be more ok with the cost difference if the opportunities were equivalent, but being at one of the UW regional campuses and the additional challenges that come with that are definitely a factor.