Wisconsin (UWSMPH) vs Iowa (Carver) for MD/PhD

[totalpanda472]

University of Wisconsin Madison MSTP

Pros:

• Madison is a great city – love the culture, vibe, and general location
• Top choice in terms of research (many high producing labs I would love to do my PhD with)
• Higher ranked medical school by USN (probably doesn’t matter that much)
• Great Match rate and statistics
• Established MSTP with continuous funding
• Within driving distance of home

Cons:

• My SO, who will be applying to MD/PhDs next year with similar stats has UW lower on her list due to a smaller number of researcher labs
• Higher cost of living compared to Iowa City
• Lower stipend (1,000 less)

University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine MSTP

Pros:

• Super low cost of living
• Higher stipend
• Good Match rate and statistics
• SO’s top choice in terms of researchers
• Within driving distance of home
• Older and established MSTP with continuous funding (one of the nation's first)

Cons:

• Lower ranked medical school by USN (once again does it matter really?)
• Handful number of researchers I could see myself doing my PhD with (no where close to Madison)
• Iowa City is smaller with less to do (?)

Any input here would be great!

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[deleted950316]

Congrats on getting into these two great programs!! TBH, I think both schools are really similar in terms of ranking and match (rank ~30 vs. rank 38, pretty much the same), so I think that the choice will come down to happiness, money, and your SO. The big pull to UW-Madison would probably be that it's your top choice research program and that you really enjoy the city. I think Iowa might be more worth it financially because of lower cost of living and higher stipend. Iowa city is a bit smaller than Madison, but it does have great food, culture, and plenty to do! You're also near Des Moines, which is a way better city than Madison IMO. Since Carver is also your SO's top choice, if you choose Iowa it'd definitely give you extra brownie points with them .

I'm leaning towards Iowa to save yourself a lot of money (important to think about when you're settling down. Even if it's not in Iowa, it'd be really nice to have that extra money once you finish school for if/when you move), for your SO, and even though the city is smaller I think you'll be very happy living there! Even if there aren't as many PhD mentor options, the researchers at Iowa are definitely the real deal. This is a pretty tough choice, but regardless, I'm sure that you'll be productive and successful since you were able to get into both these really great programs. Congrats again and best of luck to both you and your SO!

 

[totalpanda472]

Thank you for your input!

 

[Lawyer101]

Congrats on the acceptances! Sorry I don't have any input but do you have the match list/rate/statistics for Wisconsin? I couldn't seem to find it.