Rush vs WSU

[MajorDingus]

Hey all,

I was very fortunate to receive two acceptances during the cycle and I’m struggling to figure out which one is the right choice. The students at both schools seemed really happy and close knit, which is something I’m looking for.
I’m fairly interested in surgery as a specialty, but I’m open to wherever life takes me.
I also have a medium-high waitlist spot at the UW and I was wondering if that should factor into this decision at all.


Rush:

Pros:
- Chicago is a great city with a ton of stuff to do
- Rotations at Stroger cook county hospital, which is a huge safety net hospital and the exposure to interesting and complex pathology is unparalleled
- Seems like way more opportunities for specialty/subspecialty exposure and research
- Well-established program

Cons:
- Way more expensive (100k+ more /yr) with cost of living
- Across the country from family and friends, no family in Chicago
- Flipped classroom/emphasis on in-house material over NBME


WSU:

Pros:
- Small class size
- Close to home/family and friends
- Admin gets to know you personally, so your clinical pairings on rotations tend to more closely mirror your interests
- Just seems more personal to me
- Really strong anatomy program and apparently a lot of exposure to surgery during clinicals because you’re not competing with everyone in the academic setting

Cons:
- Very new program
- Does not have an attached hospital/level 1 center so all rotations are through community partnerships, which makes me worried about exposure
- Spokane is not a thriving metropolis like Chicago


Ultimately, Rush feels very out of my comfort zone in terms of living in a huge city, being way more expensive, and just being away from my support system. WSU feels a little too in my comfort zone, and I worry about not having enough exposure to specialties or pathology without an academic center attached to the school.
Both schools seem like great places to go, and I think I could be happy either way. I’m just not sure and would love any and all input.

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[blameitonbaby]

Hey all,

I was very fortunate to receive two acceptances during the cycle and I’m struggling to figure out which one is the right choice. The students at both schools seemed really happy and close knit, which is something I’m looking for.
I’m fairly interested in surgery as a specialty, but I’m open to wherever life takes me.
I also have a medium-high waitlist spot at the UW and I was wondering if that should factor into this decision at all.


Rush:

Pros:
- Chicago is a great city with a ton of stuff to do
- Rotations at Stroger cook county hospital, which is a huge safety net hospital and the exposure to interesting and complex pathology is unparalleled
- Seems like way more opportunities for specialty/subspecialty exposure and research
- Well-established program

Cons:
- Way more expensive (100k+ more /yr) with cost of living
- Across the country from family and friends, no family in Chicago
- Flipped classroom/emphasis on in-house material over NBME


WSU:

Pros:
- Small class size
- Close to home/family and friends
- Admin gets to know you personally, so your clinical pairings on rotations tend to more closely mirror your interests
- Just seems more personal to me
- Really strong anatomy program and apparently a lot of exposure to surgery during clinicals because you’re not competing with everyone in the academic setting

Cons:
- Very new program
- Does not have an attached hospital/level 1 center so all rotations are through community partnerships, which makes me worried about exposure
- Spokane is not a thriving metropolis like Chicago


Ultimately, Rush feels very out of my comfort zone in terms of living in a huge city, being way more expensive, and just being away from my support system. WSU feels a little too in my comfort zone, and I worry about not having enough exposure to specialties or pathology without an academic center attached to the school.
Both schools seem like great places to go, and I think I could be happy either way. I’m just not sure and would love any and all input.

Did you have a med student show you around at Rush or at WSU? I'd recommend contacting someone in admissions and seeing you can arrange for this to happen. Good luck with whatever school you choose.