BU vs OSU

[Melvillei]

PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE​

Very grateful to be accepted to both schools but struggling to choose between them. BU was originally much more expensive, but I was offered enough financial aid to make total COA essentially even. Both would be far from home (California) and my eventual goal would be to match back along the West Coast. Interested in anesthesiology or PM&R right now but this is subject to change. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!


Boston University (COA ~270K)

Pros

• True P/F pre-clinical with no internal ranking
• Smaller quizzes every Friday instead of final exams. Can retake failed quizzes without it showing up on transcript
• Lots of emphasis on working with diverse and underserved populations at BMC which I like
• Boston seems like an fun city to spend your 20's with no need for a car during MS1/MS2 years.
• Access to lots of exciting opportunities with Boston being a center of medical/pharmaceutical/biotech research
• Potential for 3rd year clerkships at Kaiser San Jose / Santa Clara, which might help with matching back to CA.

Cons

• Will be the first cohort on a 1.5-yr systems-based curriculum. Not stoked to be the guinea pig year
• No home PM&R program and their gas program seems IMG heavy? Unsure how this reflects quality of rotations
• Generally older facilities. Students also seem somewhat less happy compared to OSU
  

Ohio State University (COA ~260K assuming I qualify for IS tuition during 2nd-4th years)

Pros

• Higher overall PD ranking this year (#26 vs #40). Not sure how much weight to put into this
• Stronger home rotations in some specialties I MIGHT be interested in (PM&R, gas, ortho)
• More emphasis on mentored research opportunities
• Useful electives such as ultrasound education incorporated into the curriculum
• Higher total matches into competitive specialties (ortho, derm, etc.), but this may be partly due to larger class size
• Access to all the facilities of the massive undergrad campus. Students here generally seem chiller and more enthusiastic?

Cons

• Not true P/F (internally ranked by quartiles)
• Strict guidelines to qualify for IS tuition (no financial contribution from family, limited travel back home)
• Not quite as excited about living in Columbus (and would def need a car). Also seems to match more heavily in the Midwest

Summary: OSU seems like the slightly stronger program, but BU is in the more attractive city and offers true P/F. Total cost is essentially a wash, so I'd ultimately be deciding based on which school would provide the best opportunities/resources. Thanks!

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[Shunsui]

BU

Plenty of resources in Boston to get PM&R connections, the potential to do clerkships on West Coast, no restrictions on IS vs OOS tuition, still a prestigious program, and your excitement about the city

 

[Proudfather94]

I did my undergrad at osu would not recommend.

 

[Melvillei]

I did my undergrad at osu would not recommend.

What did you not like about it?

 

[chilly_md]

Agree wholeheartedly with Shunsui. BU will help you accomplish what you want while providing a nice surrounding city and no worries about managing how many days you can leave for home, taxes, changing your drivers license etc.

 

[Proudfather94]

What did you not like about it?

Pmd you

 

[mr-dookie]

Disclaimer I am a current M1 at OSU but I really like it here. I also moved from the west coast and I was def nervous about living in Ohio, but its been great. My classmates are fun and outgoing and Columbus is a fun place with a lot of young professionals. That being said BU is a great school and Boston is a dope city to be in for 4 years. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about OSU.