Mayo 4 year MN vs WashU vs Pritzker

[impossibleyam]

Hello everyone! I am fortunate to have been accepted to Pritzker, Mayo and Washu and am completely torn about what to do. A bit of background, I will be 22 starting in medical school and still looking for friendships and relationships. I am interested in going into general surgery or neurosurgery. I am from the west coast, so both areas are equally far away. Financials are not a decision factor since both have been very generous. Unfortunately, the final decision time is in just 2 weeks!!

WashU
Pros

• St. louis has a nice mix of city and suburban living (I am 22 yo and single)
• larger class size means I can meet more people + slu + undergrad campus
• Huge research and clinical powerhouse, seems like great access to medical resources
• KISCs seem very interesting, though they are not too many of them
• Clerkships are also slightly P/F (there is some competency grading and stuff but kind of unclear)

Cons

• I felt like patient access for washu students was not as easy as Mayo clinic students
• Medical students are led more gradually into learning about their specialty
• Less global health opportunities than Mayo (I would love to travel for a couple of weeks providing care to underserved areas)
• Not super interested in basic science anymore, leaning more clinical research

Mayo MN
Pros

• access to incredible speed of patient care allows me to see patients more longitudinally
• seems like access to shadowing/clinical opportunities are unparalleled (I want to pursue a speciality surgery but am not 100% and want the flexibility to explore early on
• Clinical research (for competitive specialities, I want to be able to publish multiple papers in clinical research)
• Many global health opportunities and I like the many selective
• I have a family friend there who really demonstrates the importance of having connections in medicine
• Mayo has a huge expansion planned for 2030 which I feel could really help residency

Cons

• Rochester Minnesota is a small, rural area. I enjoy some things like golf, but am very social
• the small class size is a big scary
• graded clerkships (high pass, honors, distinctions)

Pritzker
Pros

• the vibe of the students was the best, everybody was so nice and I really like the environment
• seems like shadowing and research opportunities are super great and have an emphasis on health equity/social justice, which sounds interesting
• Chicago is a big city with lots to do! No car needed most likely.

Cons

• I felt like the ranking for competitive specialities was slightly less than washu/mayo
• the match into competitive specialties is slightly fewer than washu/mayo (ran some basic stats controlling for student size)
• south side Chicago typically seen as unsafe

Summary: I am very confused about what to do.

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[Egg-Benedict]

My brother went to WashU, so I'll address some of your points:

• Clerkships are also slightly P/F (there is some competency grading and stuff but kind of unclear)

They are essentially completely P/F, though there are separate "competencies" that you can get distinction in. It seems like those are pretty insignificant compared to the clerkships themselves.

• I felt like patient access for washu students was not as easy as Mayo clinic students

WashU students actually get blocks of clinical experience in the first year, and I've never heard anyone say this.

• Not super interested in basic science anymore, leaning more clinical research

WashU is a powerhouse of clinical research, so I don't see why this would be a con for WashU.

I suppose I'm a little biased, but I would go with WashU in your case.

 

[j_diggity]

Hello everyone! I am fortunate to have been accepted to Pritzker, Mayo and Washu and am completely torn about what to do. A bit of background, I will be 22 starting in medical school and still looking for friendships and relationships. I am interested in going into general surgery or neurosurgery. I am from the west coast, so both areas are equally far away. Financials are not a decision factor since both have been very generous. Unfortunately, the final decision time is in just 2 weeks!!

WashU
Pros

• St. louis has a nice mix of city and suburban living (I am 22 yo and single)
• larger class size means I can meet more people + slu + undergrad campus
• Huge research and clinical powerhouse, seems like great access to medical resources
• KISCs seem very interesting, though they are not too many of them
• Clerkships are also slightly P/F (there is some competency grading and stuff but kind of unclear)

Cons

• I felt like patient access for washu students was not as easy as Mayo clinic students
• Medical students are led more gradually into learning about their specialty
• Less global health opportunities than Mayo (I would love to travel for a couple of weeks providing care to underserved areas)
• Not super interested in basic science anymore, leaning more clinical research

Mayo MN
Pros

• access to incredible speed of patient care allows me to see patients more longitudinally
• seems like access to shadowing/clinical opportunities are unparalleled (I want to pursue a speciality surgery but am not 100% and want the flexibility to explore early on
• Clinical research (for competitive specialities, I want to be able to publish multiple papers in clinical research)
• Many global health opportunities and I like the many selective
• I have a family friend there who really demonstrates the importance of having connections in medicine
• Mayo has a huge expansion planned for 2030 which I feel could really help residency

Cons

• Rochester Minnesota is a small, rural area. I enjoy some things like golf, but am very social
• the small class size is a big scary
• graded clerkships (high pass, honors, distinctions)

Pritzker
Pros

• the vibe of the students was the best, everybody was so nice and I really like the environment
• seems like shadowing and research opportunities are super great and have an emphasis on health equity/social justice, which sounds interesting
• Chicago is a big city with lots to do! No car needed most likely.

Cons

• I felt like the ranking for competitive specialities was slightly less than washu/mayo
• the match into competitive specialties is slightly fewer than washu/mayo (ran some basic stats controlling for student size)
• south side Chicago typically seen as unsafe

Summary: I am very confused about what to do.

Hmm.. tough choice. I think you need to do more thinking about what you value and what’s most important to you. Do some thought exercises where you have to order things from most to least important - student vibes and fit vs. ease of curriculum vs. historical match list vs. ability to explore your interests more, etc…

Then try writing yourself a “letter from the future” where you say “I’m so glad I picked school X because of XYZ” and address any concerns you had. Write one for each school and see which one rings the most true.

Part of the reason it’s hard to say which is best is because it’s unclear what your values are in a school.

Pritzker seems like it had the best vibes but you’re wondering about speciality matches - I feel that the equity focus may lead more people away from less competitive specialties so there may be a sampling bias there; I doubt it would hold you back.

Mayo is excellent for matching into things like neurosurgery, potentially the best - but I hear you on the class size. Though there are significant pluses to having more individualized attention.

WashU seems like a very strong choice as well, maybe even the strongest here. Plus it’s got P/F clinical grades. However it seems you like the ability to explore your interests more at Mayo.

Again, it all comes down to what you value. Spend some time thinking about that and then come back to us! Good luck

 

[impossibleyam]

Hmm.. tough choice. I think you need to do more thinking about what you value and what’s most important to you. Do some thought exercises where you have to order things from most to least important - student vibes and fit vs. ease of curriculum vs. historical match list vs. ability to explore your interests more, etc…

Then try writing yourself a “letter from the future” where you say “I’m so glad I picked school X because of XYZ” and address any concerns you had. Write one for each school and see which one rings the most true.

Part of the reason it’s hard to say which is best is because it’s unclear what your values are in a school.

Pritzker seems like it had the best vibes but you’re wondering about speciality matches - I feel that the equity focus may lead more people away from less competitive specialties so there may be a sampling bias there; I doubt it would hold you back.

Mayo is excellent for matching into things like neurosurgery, potentially the best - but I hear you on the class size. Though there are significant pluses to having more individualized attention.

WashU seems like a very strong choice as well, maybe even the strongest here. Plus it’s got P/F clinical grades. However it seems you like the ability to explore your interests more at Mayo.

Again, it all comes down to what you value. Spend some time thinking about that and then come back to us! Good luck

Thank you for the thoughtful answer! I think this is very true and part of why it is a hard decision is because really I want everything in a school but the reality is that there are always sacrifices.

In terms of updates on personal reflection and school choice, I have realized that location and class size are important enough factors for me to rule out Mayo.

The decision at this point is between WashU and Pritzker. I think that the student vibes were better in Chicago, however, I prefer the P/F clerkships at WashU and the greater emphasis on matching to competitive specialties (though I recognize that UChicago may not hold me back).

In terms of priorities, I feel like the class vibe may be less important given that I am very social and will make friends anywhere I go. I may just have been lucky for the two days that I was at second look as well. I feel like the structure of the institution is something more consistent and constant across my four years that I can depend on making a decision with. Please let me know your thoughts/whether you think my reasoning is valid

 

[impossibleyam]

My brother went to WashU, so I'll address some of your points:


They are essentially completely P/F, though there are separate "competencies" that you can get distinction in. It seems like those are pretty insignificant compared to the clerkships themselves.


WashU students actually get blocks of clinical experience in the first year, and I've never heard anyone say this.


WashU is a powerhouse of clinical research, so I don't see why this would be a con for WashU.

I suppose I'm a little biased, but I would go with WashU in your case.

Thank you so much for the response! I did not realize that it was almost completely P/F clerkships. I think that is a huge plus. I also have come to see that the clinical immersions at WashU are just as great as any other top institution.

Right now, my decision is between WashU and Pritzker only. As I kind of described in the other reply, I think it's a decision between objective benefits and subjective feeling. Would love to hear your thoughts on how to go about prioritizing those things/whether you think my reasoning makes sense

 

[oatmilkplease]

I am on WashU waitlist so take everything I say with a grain of salt, but...

Chicago is lit asf. Going to medical school there would be an absolute dream, and if I had the choice between Pritzker and WashU I wouldn't hesitate for even a second (especially as a single person). Also I have to say that not having to rely on a car is huge. The difference is ranking in negligible- all three schools are absolute powerhouses in medicine and will take you as far as you want to go, and further. If anything I'd assume that Chicago comes way ahead of WashU from a layperson's point of view (not sure about Mayo tbh but Mayo is a huge name in medicine too). However WashU would also be a dream (for me) so I really don't think you can go wrong here. If I had to give you a ranking I'd say Pritkzer >> WashU >= Mayo

 

[Egg-Benedict]

Thank you so much for the response! I did not realize that it was almost completely P/F clerkships. I think that is a huge plus. I also have come to see that the clinical immersions at WashU are just as great as any other top institution.

Right now, my decision is between WashU and Pritzker only. As I kind of described in the other reply, I think it's a decision between objective benefits and subjective feeling. Would love to hear your thoughts on how to go about prioritizing those things/whether you think my reasoning makes sense

I think your reasoning totally makes sense here, and I agree that it seems like it should be between WashU and Pritzker. At this point it's just weighing your values, so you're really the only one who can do that. I don't think there's a wrong choice between these two, though

 

[meowth85]

Disclaimer: On UChicago WL.

If you're leaning toward surgery, especially a competitive specialty, I would lean toward WashU.
UChicago also has graded clerkships btw.

WashU>UChicago>Mayo