Case Western vs UIC

[hopefulmd990]

Am I crazy to consider UIC over Case Western?

UIC pros:

-The only true pro here is more support circle but it means so much to me. My soon to be fiancé is here. My family is here. All my friends are here

UIC cons:

-I really don’t love the school. Doesn’t seem super organized and I didn’t love the people I met

Case Western pros:

-I loved my visit here. The campus and people were amazing. So many opportunities for research and great clinical experiences. I think I want to match into a competitive specialty so clearly Case has the advantage

Case Western cons:

-A flight or long drive from family. Would be hard on me to not see them.

Price is about the same with scholarships so that’s not a factor.

I love Case as a school so much but I’m really against leaving Chicago. I want to match here anyways so would I be doing myself a huge disservice by going to UIC?

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[fightingillini122]

I would probably lean UIC here as you sound like having your support system is vital for your success. I wouldn't sacrifice prestige over mental health/wellbeing. I will defer to experts here on their opinions if the prestige difference between these two schools is enough to push you towards Case.

 

[hopefulmd990]

Thank you for your opinion! I really am nervous about the opportunities I may lose not going to Case, but I want to be in Chicago!

Still not sure what to do

 

[muramasa]

It seems like it’s not just a matter of prestige, but also OP not vibing with the people and structure of the school.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Only pro? Organization is important, and the opportunities to get support from faculty are key to your future.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

You will not benefit from extra "research opportunities" if being far from family means that your mental health and ability to perform at your best will be significantly compromised. You will need to adjust to med school and become a decently performing medical student before you can think about piling on extracurriculars anyways. I'm only an M1, but I believe that if staying in Chicago means you can be at your best and be enough of a self-starter to do well academically and seek out whatever opportunities are available, you will ultimately do well.

EDITED TO ADD: As a fairly independent and self-motivated M1, whether the administration is organized or not does not affect my day-to-day life. I rely on third party materials and glance at lectures only if I feel like it (my school has only NBME exams). I do not mean to dismiss the potential impacts that a dysfunctional administration can have on student life, but again, if you are well-supported by your family and are a self-motivated learner you should be somewhat protected from a less than great administration.

 

[hopefulmd990]

It seems like it’s not just a matter of prestige, but also OP not vibing with the people and structure of the school.

Yeah I didn’t really love the people. With that being said I’m sure there are tons of people that I haven’t met yet that I could really like. But I didn’t like the structure either. Especially with how much driving could be associated with clinical rotations. Huge con for me.

 

[hopefulmd990]

You will not benefit from extra "research opportunities" if being far from family means that your mental health and ability to perform at your best will be significantly compromised. You will need to adjust to med school and become a decently performing medical student before you can think about piling on extracurriculars anyways. I'm only an M1, but I believe that if staying in Chicago means you can be at your best and be enough of a self-starter to do well academically and seek out whatever opportunities are available, you will ultimately do well.

EDITED TO ADD: As a fairly independent and self-motivated M1, whether the administration is organized or not does not affect my day-to-day life. I rely on third party materials and glance at lectures only if I feel like it (my school has only NBME exams). I do not mean to dismiss the potential impacts that a dysfunctional administration can have on student life, but again, if you are well-supported by your family and are a self-motivated learner you should be somewhat protected from a less than great administration.

I definitely would be in a better headspace if I stayed home so maybe that’s more important. Would just suck to look back and wish I had done something else but I guess I can’t worry about that. Just got to go with my gut

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

I definitely would be in a better headspace if I stayed home so maybe that’s more important. Would just suck to look back and wish I had done something else but I guess I can’t worry about that. Just got to go with my gut

Yeah you know yourself and your needs better than anyone else. Just think: how would you feel if you went to Case and were lonely, miserable, struggled academically, performed poorly on Step 2, and could not do sufficient research? You won't be matching into a competitive specialty then. But if you go to UIC and are at your best, you will make the best of what's there and will have a good shot of matching into a competitive specialty even if you have to work a bit harder than someone who goes to Harvard.

FWIW I go to a lower-ranked school that isn't known as a research powerhouse but has given me opportunities to explore other clinical interests that I've found very fulfilling on a personal level. And I still do research. My classmates and I are generally happy and still match into competitive specialties. I think this is one of those instances where you can tune out the hullabaloo out there about needing to go to the most prestigious school at all costs.

 

[KaiBuzz]

There are so many opportunities to meet fellow students at med school. Don’t just assume that you’ll be lonely and miserable moving to a new city. I moved across the country for UG and then moved again for med school. I may have to move again for residency and I’m fine with that. The only thing constant in live is change.

 

[crokonite]

Support system is incredibly important but you don't want to force yourself to be in an environment you hate. You'll be spending the majority of time with classmates and in the clinic - and being able to at least some what enjoy that experience is very important.

Having family and your fiancé close is very helpful though... is your fiancé open to moving/traveling to visit you?

Ultimately, it's about where you'll be happiest - is the support system outside of class enough to overcome the possible regret/dissatisfaction of med school? Or is having a better school experience enough to sacrifice having a support system far?