Help me rank: UTMB vs TAMU

[happy&hungry]

This is a bit of a re-visited thread, but it's outdated and I'd love a fresh perspective! FYI I'm looking to do a surgical specialty vs anesthesia for residency. Here's what I've got so far:

UTMB Pros: awesome match lists, well-established and well-run, happy vibe in Galvy, basically every in-house residency + less need for away rotations
TAMU Pros: could save big $$ by living at home for the 3 clinical years + have family support (I mean thats like $60k+ saved across those 3 years...), Aggie network, smaller class size, more one-on-one clinical opps

Would love some outside thoughts!

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[wysdoc]

This is a bit of a re-visited thread, but it's outdated and I'd love a fresh perspective! FYI I'm looking to do a surgical specialty vs anesthesia for residency. Here's what I've got so far:

UTMB Pros: awesome match lists, well-established and well-run, happy vibe in Galvy, basically every in-house residency + less need for away rotations
TAMU Pros: could save big $$ by living at home for the 3 clinical years + have family support (I mean thats like $60k+ saved across those 3 years...), Aggie network, smaller class size, more one-on-one clinical opps

Would love some outside thoughts!

What if you were not assigned to the location where your family lives? Without this plus, which school would you choose?

 

[happy&hungry]

What if you were not assigned to the location where your family lives? Without this plus, which school would you choose?

It's a great point and something I've considered... I would be happy with my #2 location choice, but less so for the remaining two options...

 

[FarmHand]

I was having a similar decision last cycle between UTMB and TAMU. I ultimately ranked TAMU higher since I felt a much better vibe from the current students, the unranked P/F preclinical, and the opportunity to go to Houston, Dallas, or round rock (Galveston did not interest me). I didn’t care for the META program or the mandatory volunteering/service required at UTMB.

So far, I’ve been enjoying A&M, the class here is great and everyone is very friendly and collaborative. Research is pretty much DIY, cold emailing PIs and seeing where you get a bite. I’ve heard UTMB has better research access. The Professors here could be better organized and some of the mandatories are annoying/unnecessary. I cannot speak on the quality of the rotation sites.

It sounds like you have a bigger pull towards UTMB. Where do you think your mental health and overall happiness would be higher?

 

[happy&hungry]

I was having a similar decision last cycle between UTMB and TAMU. I ultimately ranked TAMU higher since I felt a much better vibe from the current students, the unranked P/F preclinical, and the opportunity to go to Houston, Dallas, or round rock (Galveston did not interest me). I didn’t care for the META program or the mandatory volunteering/service required at UTMB.

So far, I’ve been enjoying A&M, the class here is great and everyone is very friendly and collaborative. Research is pretty much DIY, cold emailing PIs and seeing where you get a bite. I’ve heard UTMB has better research access. The Professors here could be better organized and some of the mandatories are annoying/unnecessary. I cannot speak on the quality of the rotation sites.

It sounds like you have a bigger pull towards UTMB. Where do you think your mental health and overall happiness would be higher?

thank you sm for your response! it feels like the decision is coming down to A&M being a "safer"/"more comfortable" route just bc of the support I'd have at home for those 3 years + I am someone with debt anxiety and would save a lotttt by going A&M (provided that I get my 1st choice track). I think I would thrive at UTMB with the culture + opps, but it would be a leap out of my comfort zone (support and $$ wise)

 

[FarmHand]

Im not sure what campus you are going for but, as Wysdoc said, its possible you won't get the campus that would alleviate your debt anxiety which would eliminate the main pro of TAMU for you. With this in mind, it seems like the better choice for you is UTMB and taking that leap to be in a place you'd thrive.