BU vs. Case vs. UVA

[danty20]

Hi everyone! I am very grateful for my acceptances, but I am having a really difficult time picking a school. I was hoping for some opinions/insight
I am interested in academic medicine and a surgical specialty (due to my clinical experiences in this field), and would like research to be a big part of my career in the future, specifically neuroscience (which is the research I have conducted during the past few years). In medical school, I would like to conduct translational and clinical neuroscience research. I am also interested in working with diverse patient populations, specifically immigrant/refugee populations, as I have an interest/experiences in advocacy for multicultural patient populations.

Here are my pros and cons for all schools:

1) BU:
Pros-
Incredibly diverse patient population
Values strongly align with BMC's mission
Strong translational neuroscience research
Best location out of the three
When I toured, I loved the vibe of the students; they seemed very passionate.
Flexible curriculum: I get Mondays off so more time to dedicate to research.

Cons-
Match list does not have too many surgical subspecialties
Students have told me there is weak clinical surgery research, so I would have to find opportunities at other Boston hospitals.

2) UVA:
Pros-
In state so should be the cheapest (still waiting for FA packages)
Strong translational neuroscience research
Strong clinical surgery research
Family support is close
Flexible curriculum
Good match list for surgical specialities

Cons-
I have stayed in state for my whole life and kind of want a change of location.
Clinical experience seems less varied compared to other two options.

3) Case:
Pros-
Amazing clinical surgery research
Strong translational neuroscience research
Great match list for surgical specialities
Range of patient populations due to the several clinical sites in Cleveland

Cons-
I visited Cleveland and it's an okay location, not too exciting.
Students seemed a little less chill compared to my BU visit.
Less breaks built in compared to the other two curricula

Thank you so much for any input you can give! I really appreciate it.

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[danty20]

Any insight/comments into why you think a certain choice would be better would be greatly appreciated. I’m really conflicted and any feedback would be amazing, thank you so much

 

[thefirerisen]

Disclaimer - attending UVA next year but I'll do my best to be objective.

You can look up the NIH funding for Neurosciences on BRIMR (BRIMR Rankings of NIH Funding in 2023 | BRIMR) by sorting for specific department. Neuroscience is a strength of UVA but CWRU is a close second. BU does not have a neuroscience department that receives NIH dollars but you could do research with Harvard or Tufts nearby?

For surgical specialties, I agree that UVa or Case would be your best bet. I'm also interested in ortho and chose UVa over other lower ranked departments. In terms of location, BU definitely takes the win. Boston is a great city and I personally would prefer it over Charlottesville if nothing else was considered. However, I will say that Charlottesville is a historic refugee center and is the refugee capital of Virginia. The International Rescue Committee is headquartered there and often parters with the medical school. They have a refugee-specific clinic where you would be able to get great exposure and advocacy. Boston being Boston, it definitely also will have all these opportunities.

I think since UVa is the cheapest for you as well as lines up with your specific interests (strong surgical program, strong neuroscience research, and diverse refugee population), I would vote for you to go there. It doesn't look like you want to go to Case as much so BU would be the other contender. Is there a specific surgical program you are interested in? I am assuming NSGY since you indicated an interest in Neuroscience

 

[danty20]

Disclaimer - attending UVA next year but I'll do my best to be objective.

You can look up the NIH funding for Neurosciences on BRIMR (BRIMR Rankings of NIH Funding in 2023 | BRIMR) by sorting for specific department. Neuroscience is a strength of UVA but CWRU is a close second. BU does not have a neuroscience department that receives NIH dollars but you could do research with Harvard or Tufts nearby?

For surgical specialties, I agree that UVa or Case would be your best bet. I'm also interested in ortho and chose UVa over other lower ranked departments. In terms of location, BU definitely takes the win. Boston is a great city and I personally would prefer it over Charlottesville if nothing else was considered. However, I will say that Charlottesville is a historic refugee center and is the refugee capital of Virginia. The International Rescue Committee is headquartered there and often parters with the medical school. They have a refugee-specific clinic where you would be able to get great exposure and advocacy. Boston being Boston, it definitely also will have all these opportunities.

I think since UVa is the cheapest for you as well as lines up with your specific interests (strong surgical program, strong neuroscience research, and diverse refugee population), I would vote for you to go there. It doesn't look like you want to go to Case as much so BU would be the other contender. Is there a specific surgical program you are interested in? I am assuming NSGY since you indicated an interest in Neuroscience

Wow, thank you so much for your detailed and insightful answer! Yes, I am interested in neurosurgery or surgical oncology. I read a statistic that Case produces the most neurosurgeons, but I know that UVA produces a bunch as well.

 

[thefirerisen]

Wow, thank you so much for your detailed and insightful answer! Yes, I am interested in neurosurgery or surgical oncology. I read a statistic that Case produces the most neurosurgeons, but I know that UVA produces a bunch as well.

Using Doximity (which judges home residency programs), UVA is #32 for prestige in neurosurgery while Case is #33. For research output, UVA is #8 and Case is #33. This applies more to their residency programs but looks like there is a lot more research done at UVA while prestige is more or less the same. I don't know what statistic you are referring to but I would say they are both very strong programs and match well to NSGY.

 

[JungleTrouble]

Using Doximity (which judges home residency programs), UVA is #32 for prestige in neurosurgery while Case is #33. For research output, UVA is #8 and Case is #33. This applies more to their residency programs but looks like there is a lot more research done at UVA while prestige is more or less the same. I don't know what statistic you are referring to but I would say they are both very strong programs and match well to NSGY.

How do you get access to doximity without being a physician or med student yet?

 

[JungleTrouble]

If you have other professional licensure, like EMT or CNA, you can get Doximity access.

damn, if I dont have one, am I down to phone a friend?

 

[deleted1160290]

Using Doximity (which judges home residency programs), UVA is #32 for prestige in neurosurgery while Case is #33. For research output, UVA is #8 and Case is #33. This applies more to their residency programs but looks like there is a lot more research done at UVA while prestige is more or less the same. I don't know what statistic you are referring to but I would say they are both very strong programs and match well to NSGY.

Post-COVID Analysis of Which United States Medical Schools Produce the Most Neurosurgery Residents: 2021-2023 in Review - PubMed

Case Western, Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, Vanderbilt, University of Illinois and University of California San Francisco produced the most neurosurgical residents as a percentage of total graduates. There was a statistically significant difference in the post-COVID cohort between medical schools...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Which medical schools produce the most neurosurgery residents? An analysis of the 2014–2020 cohort

OBJECTIVE In this study, the authors sought to determine which US medical schools have produced the most neurosurgery residents and to evaluate potential associations between recruitment and medical school characteristics. METHODS Demographic and bibliometric characteristics were collected for...

thejns.org

Would also consider school curriculums. I'm pretty sure UVA has AOA whereas Case has no AOA. Both are fantastic programs, good luck in your decision!

 

[thefirerisen]

How do you get access to doximity without being a physician or med student yet?

I can also help. If there is a school you're committing to, you can also put their information in and get access. I did that with UVA