UMass vs UWash

[quinone1234]

Hey everyone. Thankful to have been accepted to both of these schools but as a CA resident I’m torn which one will be better for me in hopes of matching back into CA for residency. I’m an OOS for both but UWSOM granted me the IS tuition waiver so it’ll be ~35k cheaper total (which isn’t a dealbreaker). Also I’m interested in the ROAD specialties.

UMass Pros

• T50
• Students seem happy. After a block students get a “win week” which is a free week to do shadowing/research/travel--this sounds awesome. Win weeks only for preclinical (I think). Student community seems really really great.
• TRUE P/F pre-clinical
• Strong match list but primarily match in MA/New England/NY
• Exams are 1/2 in-house, 1/2 NMBE (not entirely sure if this is true)

Cons:

• COA ~ $411K
• Rotations through out MA during third year, not necessarily in the area either
• Worcester lacks the city vibe

UWSOM - Seattle Pros

• T10
• TRUE P/F for ALL 4 years (new for the entering 2024 class)
• New city to live in and explore.
• Lecture-based exams but similar to NBME style
• Better odds at matching back in CA than UMass???
• Exams are 1/2 in-house, 1/2 NMBE (not entirely sure if this is true)
• Strong match list - CA is second most matched state after WA

Cons:

• COA ~ $376K
• 24 weeks of clinical rotations REQUIRED outside of Seattle (this could be fun but tiring?)
• weakest student community since students are more likely to commute??? Didn’t get strong student community vibes from interview day and second look

I don't have aid packages yet for any

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[PeteytheFish]

You can't go wrong either way, but I feel like you have answered your own question. If matching in California is a priority for you, then UWashington is the better choice. You are far more likely to match in CA from WA. It being the cheaper of the two schools, it's a no-brainer. Also, you'll understand this better once you're in clinicals, but true P/F during clerkships is nothing but a bonus when you're coming from an excellent school like UWashington. Not having to worry about honors, etc. frees you up to dedicate your clinical time to learning instead of kissing a**. Look at OHSU's public match list for the class of 2024 and you'll see we had no problems matching at excellent programs with a true P/F curriculum.

UMass is a great school, but so is UWashington. And Seattle is an awesome city, where you'll have all sorts of cool opportunities. It's expensive, but you'll have a good time.

Either way, congratulations. Whatever choice you make will be a good one.

 

[Bowel-Plumber]

Correct me if I’m wrong but based on your introduction there is literally nothing about UMass that tells me that you want to go there. You said you want to match back in CA and that CA is the 2nd highest state match after WA. You said UW is P/F for all 4 years. You said UW is about 35k cheaper. UW is also the T10 school.

Is it really just the Win week and the perceived student body? Because Worcester is a pretty random suburb area with not much to do and sure there is Boston but it’s about an hour east by car. Not sure how often you want to visit home but I’d assume it’s easier/quicker to get to Cali from WA than MA.

It seems to me like your Pros for UW significantly outweigh those UMass, but you have some cons for UW which I guess wouldn’t be there at UMass. If you ask me, the 24 weeks thing shouldn’t make or break where you choose to go for 4 years.

I think UW is very easily the winner based on the information you provided

 

[quinone1234]

Correct me if I’m wrong but based on your introduction there is literally nothing about UMass that tells me that you want to go there. You said you want to match back in CA and that CA is the 2nd highest state match after WA. You said UW is P/F for all 4 years. You said UW is about 35k cheaper. UW is also the T10 school.

Is it really just the Win week and the perceived student body? Because Worcester is a pretty random suburb area with not much to do and sure there is Boston but it’s about an hour east by car. Not sure how often you want to visit home but I’d assume it’s easier/quicker to get to Cali from WA than MA.

It seems to me like your Pros for UW significantly outweigh those UMass, but you have some cons for UW which I guess wouldn’t be there at UMass. If you ask me, the 24 weeks thing shouldn’t make or break where you choose to go for 4 years.

I think UW is very easily the winner based on the information you provided

Honestly, you hit the nail on the head. I think I just found the win weeks really enticing as someone who’s been working nonstop during this premed journey. Also my social life has been lacking during this premed journey so I was kind of bummed about the lack of student community at UW (but I know the students from interview day and second look don’t represent the whole class). Thank you!