Hi everyone, having some trouble deciding between these three incredible institutions and would love to hear what others have to say. My priorities in medicine include working with medical Spanish/Spanish-speaking populations and having the potential to match in any specialty of my choice (as I am still undecided).
UChicago
Pros
Cons
NYU
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Overall, definitely leaning towards NYU/UChicago as I'm not sure the additional "prestige" from Penn would be worth ~300k in loans, but I'm happy to hear what others have to say about this. Thanks!
UChicago
Pros
- Full tuition scholarship
- Love Chicago as a city + Hyde Park is a nice little academic bubble to build a sense of community
- Incredibly diverse cohort of students
- Very active LMSA chapter and free clinic opportunities
- 1.5 year pre-clinical? Potentially less intense than a 1 year pre-clinical/will provide more opportunities to find a balance
- Small class size of about 90
Cons
- Not much interaction with Spanish-speaking patients after pre-clinical years
- Newer curriculum--still some kinks to work out
- UChicago Medical Center appears to be a smaller/private hospital system that may not have as many opportunities to work with the patient populations I want to work with in the future
NYU
Pros
- Free tuition
- Great location in Manhattan + student dorm very close to campus
- Private, public, and government hospitals for a robust clinical experience with a variety of patient populations
- Bellevue Hospital serves a large Hispanic population
- Support system/friends in the area
- Small class size of about 105
Cons
- No free clinic anymore sadly
- 1 year pre-clinical? Could also be seen as a pro, but not sure how the intensity of the program will allow for balance outside of academics
- Also newer curriculum, not sure if I will be as competitive for the match after only 3 years (4th year is optional for research/dual degree)
- Cost of living in NYC
Pros
- Many opportunities to work with Spanish-speaking patients through Puentes de Salud
- Prestige? Within and outside of medicine
- 1.5 year preclinical
- Could apply for MBA program at Wharton
- Philly?
Cons
- Roughly 80k per year after aid
- Philly?
- Housing seems to be a bit further from campus for most students/would likely need to commute a bit further than at other programs
- Slightly larger class size of about 150
Overall, definitely leaning towards NYU/UChicago as I'm not sure the additional "prestige" from Penn would be worth ~300k in loans, but I'm happy to hear what others have to say about this. Thanks!