UChicago vs. NYU vs. UPenn

[el_gato12]

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

• 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

UPenn
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!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ValPak00per]

Why did you include UPenn in this?

 

[RunnerDad]

I think Chicago has moved to true pass/fail throughout, which, combined with the 18 mo. preclinical curriculum, seems like an awfully sweet spot. Although 12 month preclinical is short, NYU probably does that to align "regular" students with whose who opt for the 3-year MD pathway. And NYU preclinicals, at least, are pass/fail. You can't go wrong in either city, or really with either school.

 

[BritainKittenMittens]

No additional prestige of Penn is not worth 300k over UChicago and NYU. From reading your pros and cons, it seems like both of those schools are a good match for your goals and interests. I skimmed the match list and don't see anything noteworthy (caveat, I have big assumptions that top academic urban programs have students who like to go to top urban programs, specifically on the coasts, and both schools have that--NYU seems to have a leaning toward east coast).

If it were me personally, if UChicago is going P/F I'd go with that. I remember how I HATED clinical year because of the hoops and games, and that did detract from learning and clinical care for me. Do yourself a favor and go with low-stress.

 

[SnakeDiscovery]

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

• 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

UPenn
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!

I'm gonna be real, I did Undergrad at Uchicago, our hospital serves a ton of people from all over the city. The patient population is very diverse. They also have one of the biggest trauma centers in the area.

 

[4pf]

Definitely not worth considering Penn at 80k per year