Dartmouth vs. BU vs. Case Western

[Clouddance9]

Hello!
First time posting, but I thought better late than never
I'm incredible fortunate to have been accepted to these three wonderful schools, and I'm really struggling to make some decisions. Definitely going to the second-look weekend for Dartmouth, but Case and BU have theirs on the same weekend, which only helps to complicate matters. I haven't heard back about Financial Aid from any of these places yet, but I'm not expecting drastically different packages from all of them. Would love to hear any thoughts/opinions!

My initial thoughts about each of the schools:

Dartmouth
Really liked the close-knit nature of the class
Beautiful campus
Interested in public health, so TDI would be a great resource
Great match lists over the past few years
Ability to do some rotations in SF
Not sure about the rural location- I've had access to big cities all my life, so this would definitely be a change; granted Boston and NYC aren't super inaccessible
Able to drive home
Would be lying if I didn't think prestige/name-recognition was a nice bonus

BU
Loved my interview day, from meeting with students and faculty
The class didn't seem as close-knit/cohesive
Having direct access to Boston is pretty great
Diverse patient population with BMC (I think it's great that BMC is a safety-net hospital)
Also has incredible match lists
Public health opportunities/research opportunities are plentiful
Seems unlikely that I would be able to keep a car in Boston

Case Western
Out of all interviews, really enjoyed this one the most (though I really couldn't explain why)
Really like the small group emphasis that is present in the curriculum
Cleveland Clinic is literally right there
Big class size, which didn't seem to allow for students to really get to know all their classmates
Cleveland itself isn't the most attractive of cities, but COL would definitely be less than Boston
Incredible match-lists here as well
Opportunities for public health/MPH
Cleveland is far enough that I would need to fly home, which I'm not a huge fan of

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[bearintraining]

You have some amazing opportunities, and I am also potentially picking between CWRU and Dartmouth. We have similar pros and cons of each, so I don't have a huge amount to chime in about. I would say however that CWRU grads typically have a very high indebtedness compared to other schools (I don't know about BU). I also love the fact that at BU you'll be in the big city, however, I wonder how much BU students get access to the cool rotation locations, due to Tufts and HMS also being there. I think if you can muster the 2 years in Hanover --- I drove around, there are some big box stores in the general area, but yes it seems somewhat isolated. However going to Boston is a relatively quick/easy drive, and if you have a place to crash there, it would allow you to do weekends in Boston if you wanted -- then the future flexibility of diverse locations (including SF) for rotations could be invaluable. The Ivy League name will certainly not hinder you. Also, Dartmouth students score really well on the USMLEs.

Edit: Also, I will say I definitely noticed the younger student body at CWRU compared to Dartmouth - I think people who are more "established" and "mature" (however you want to define those) do very well at Dartmouth. CWRU seems more like an easier, hand-holdingish transition for younger folk.

 

[md4234]

I'm currently choosing between BU and CWRU and I'm really struggling. I really loved both schools, but there are a lot of differences I can't decide between!!

The curriculum is dramatically different at both schools. Case seems to offer a lot more free time and less exams, but I worry I would get distracted. BU has like 3x more exams than Case which definitely offers structure but I think I would be way more stressed out.
In terms of student population, I definitely got the vibe that Case students have more fun and are more cohesive as a group.
The one thing that makes it super difficult for me is I am VERY skeptical about living in Cleveland. I love Boston but the cost of living is like 3x more and more indebtness. I don't think I know enough about Cleveland to make a decision, but I'm going to CW 2nd look weekend so hoping to get some clarity.
The fact that Case has Cleveland Clinic and is the only med school in the area makes it attractive, but again the Cleveland thing...
I think as far as rank, research opportunities, clinic experiences, etc both offer great options

I would love to hear other people's opinions on this!

 

[Clouddance9]

Thank you both for your input! I think both of you have hit exactly the reasons why this decision is so difficult.
I think I'm leaning slightly more towards Dartmouth at the moment. I think I could definitely grow to really like Hanover. And since I'll definitely need a car there, I definitely get your point that driving out to Boston wouldn't be that big a hassle for a weekend trip at times. But the flexibility for rotations is really looking attractive right now.
I think I need to make a decision between Case and BU, since I do want to be able to attend another second-look weekend beyond Dartmouth just to keep my options open. And since these two are the same day (and I really need to start booking tickets ASAP), this looks to be more time sensitive. Curriculum-wise I think I prefer BU's exam heavy schedule since I would always be forced to be on top of the material. Cleveland vs Boston is much different than looking at Hanover vs. Boston, but I think location is looking to be less of an issue for me.
Are there other factors that I should be considering right now?

 

[bearintraining]

Thank you both for your input! I think both of you have hit exactly the reasons why this decision is so difficult.
I think I'm leaning slightly more towards Dartmouth at the moment. I think I could definitely grow to really like Hanover. And since I'll definitely need a car there, I definitely get your point that driving out to Boston wouldn't be that big a hassle for a weekend trip at times. But the flexibility for rotations is really looking attractive right now.
I think I need to make a decision between Case and BU, since I do want to be able to attend another second-look weekend beyond Dartmouth just to keep my options open. And since these two are the same day (and I really need to start booking tickets ASAP), this looks to be more time sensitive. Curriculum-wise I think I prefer BU's exam heavy schedule since I would always be forced to be on top of the material. Cleveland vs Boston is much different than looking at Hanover vs. Boston, but I think location is looking to be less of an issue for me.
Are there other factors that I should be considering right now?

Are you Registered for case second look? Cause it's been a wait last for a while now.

 

[Clouddance9]

Yeah, I registered as soon as I got the email, just since I hadn't received my BU acceptance at the time. But if I do choose not to go, I would like to let them know soon-ish so that someone on the waitlist for second-look can take my spot!

 

[Clouddance9]

Would love to hear people's thoughts based on their voting one way or the other!

 

[lmn]

I'm only somewhat familiar with most of your list, but just imo for your considering between BU or Case, I wouldn't worry about class size/how close knit the class as a whole seems. You will find a good group of friends and at very likely be friendly with the rest of your classmates (as long as you're a semi-competent/social human being), like in the rest of life it is how much you put yourself out there that will determine your friendships. Depending on how interested you are in an MPH, you can do that at either school, boston would give you the additional option of doing it at other schools (like Harvard, etc.) if that's important to you. Also any of the schools will be able to match you to whatever you want, what it really is going to depend on is your performance on the steps and 3rd year/away rotations. My guess would be that Dartmouth will probably be your cheapest option, but of course that all depends on your packages/scholarships for each of the school.

Not sure where home is for you, but being able to drive or train/bus home rather than have to fly is nice for different family events that come up or when you just want to see your family.

As a side note, hopefully you talked to the Case students about their small group based curriculum, most med students at pretty much every school quickly grows to hate small group style of learning...

 

[jebelali]

I interviewed at both BU and case. I didn't get a great vibe from the IQ session I attended as it felt disorganized with people just interjecting at random points. I will say i did like the flexibility of the currirculum and rotations and didn't mind Cleveland. Students felt a bit off on my day (apart from my interviewer) and for the most part ignored us even when we sat together unless it was lunch. I really liked the faculty and school but didn't feel great about it.

At BU, I was expecting more of the same. I really didn't expect the second year med students to be so honest and engaging and helpful but they were. Faculty were awesome and seemed receptive to student feedback (from my interview itself and throughout the day). Considering the weather in both, recorded lectures are a plus at BU plus you get the case-based learning experience as well and opportunities for service learning seem more prominent at BU (if you find that interesting).

I am still torn between them (not accepted to case yet but chose to keep my file active) but most likely matriculating at BU. I connected with the students better. Hope I am not wrong when I go visit for 2nd look.

 

[Dr. Bey]

I'm currently trying to decide between BU and Case. If anyone in this thread is as well, I'd really love to talk. Kinda have to decide soon lol

 

[bearintraining]

Ugh. I'm still torn between case and Dartmouth. OP have you decided? @Clouddance9

 

[Clouddance9]

Still not made a final decision yet, but I have it narrowed down to BU and Dartmouth.
I did get a chance to attend both Second Look weekends, and I think I'm leaning more towards Dartmouth at the moment

 

[bearintraining]

Still not made a final decision yet, but I have it narrowed down to BU and Dartmouth.
I did get a chance to attend both Second Look weekends, and I think I'm leaning more towards Dartmouth at the moment

What convinced you to go Dartmouth over Case?

 

[wanderyonder]

Hm interesting, I just read the initial post just now and was going to vouch for Case, but I guess that one's out so... good luck regardless

 

[Clouddance9]

What convinced you to go Dartmouth over Case?

For Case, I was really looking at Case vs. BU. And once I made that decision, I was then looking at Dartmouth. I did really like Case during my interview, but some factors that worked against it for me were distance from home (would need to fly rather than drive) and the exam schedule during pre-clinicals. For my learning style, I prefer to have regular assessment/check points as opposed to the one giant exam at the end of the block.

@bearintraining how's the decision-making going for you?

 

[dawoo14]

For Case, I was really looking at Case vs. BU. And once I made that decision, I was then looking at Dartmouth. I did really like Case during my interview, but some factors that worked against it for me were distance from home (would need to fly rather than drive) and the exam schedule during pre-clinicals. For my learning style, I prefer to have regular assessment/check points as opposed to the one giant exam at the end of the block.

@bearintraining how's the decision-making going for you?

I know BU has pretty frequent exams (every 3 weeks or so). Don't know how frequently Dartmouth tests.

Definitely biased, but you should come to Boston!

 

[ChrisMack390]

For me, Case would be the easy choice. It is a fantastic school, I would argue that it actually has more prestige in medicine than Dartmouth, Cleveland is dirt cheap, and you said this: "Out of all interviews, really enjoyed this one the most".

 

[lmn]

For me, Case would be the easy choice. It is a fantastic school, I would argue that it actually has more prestige in medicine than Dartmouth, Cleveland is dirt cheap, and you said this: "Out of all interviews, really enjoyed this one the most".

Case definitelyl matches well, but I would also say Dartmouth's prestige is pretty good too imo, year after year their match lists have been extremely impressive. https://geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/admissions/medical-education-at-geisel/residency-matches/

 

[bearintraining]

Dartmouth and Case always seem neck-and-neck in these polls! ARGH, making these kinds of decisions are agonizing!