Yale v. Northwestern v. USC

[vermillionwish]

I have the amazing opportunity to choose between these schools, and I'd love some more input.

Here are my current thoughts:
Yale:
-location: it seems in vogue to complain about New Haven, but I'm a pretty artsy person and don't think I would be too frustrated by living in a small city. I think the size of the hospital limits clinical training a little bit compared to Chicago and LA, but I'd love other input on this.
-student culture: loved the energy of the student body when I visited. Everyone seemed open, motivated, and just so happy.
-research: ingrained into the setup, tons of opportunities, lots of individual attention to students.
-curriculum: I'm pretty self-directed and like having the freedom to learn my own way. I don't believe the Yale System would be a problem for me.

Northwestern:
-location: Chicago is my hometown, and it would be nice to be near my mom. Love the city,
-student culture: was not super impressed with the students when I visited, but it could have been the result of a very limited first impression. With a bigger class, I worry about not being as tight-knit. Though the flip side is that a small class could feel stifling. I have a good number of friends in the Chicago area too, which is also nice.
-research: not as competitive as Yale, I think, but still lots of good opportunities?
-curriculum: tons of PBL and TBL which isn't quite my cup of tea, but could be a good learning experience.

USC:
-location: love LA, though I'm sure traffic will give me headaches before very long. I also have a feeling that my family will end up in Cali eventually, though in NorCal.
-student culture: seems like a bit of a commuter culture, which makes me worry about the class being as connected as I would want.
-research: solid, but not as competitive as the other schools
-curriculum: chill, more standard. nothing I'm worried about.

Financial Aid will be a huge consideration when it comes up. I have 3 siblings in Cali, Chicago, and DC so location isn't as big of a factor as it could be. I tentatively want to pursue a competitive specialty (potentially plastic surgery), so this is another factor in assessing schools/research.

Thanks for the help!

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[alpinism]

Easy choice. Yale.

If you don't like PBL already, you'll probably hate it once you start med school (unless you get lucky its generally a huge waste of time, i.e. very unhelpful and inefficient). Also, while USC is a good school, its nowhere near the same level as Yale (re: research and networking opportunities for competitive specialties).

New Haven may not be a big city but the hospital gets its fare share of low income and very sick patients.

 

[jusanothapremed]

Northwestern has top tier research too; if not at Yale's level then close. The difference maker for me is definitely location: comparing the Magnificent Mile to New Haven is not even fair. If you are sure you do not want PBL that's another thing, but the med students I have talked to gave (mostly) positive reviews. As far as a competitive specialty, all of these schools have way more resources than you will need to be a competitive applicant to any residency program.

The verdict: Northwestern.

 

[hopefulMD12]

Northwestern And Yale are close esp since Chicago blows new haven out of the water. Good luck with your decision.

 

[juliuspepperwood]

I'm on the waitlist at Feinberg so I vote USC or Yale.

 

[metview]

Yale by a mile.

 

[ttothemac]

I voted Northwestern. I think the research there is top notch and the location factor is just too much of a plus. Regardless, I think aid should be your number 1 consideration. All three are awesome, good luck!

 

[chillaxbro]

You gotta go Yale mang

 

[rocco92]

I love USC and am considering attending there, but I think the other schools have an edge in this situation. Basing on your pros and cons, I would say Yale. A lot of people are saying Feinberg because of location (which I agree, Chicago beats New Haven easy). But in your case, you are from Chicago, so Chicago's great environment shouldn't be a huge factor for you. A change of scenery from home is always nice, and building connections in different areas is great from a professional standpoint. While residency mostly comes down to Step 1 and rotation reviews, if you kill it at Yale, you can have a great chance at both New England and Chicago for residency. I would also say there is a significant difference in prestige between Yale and Feinberg.

The big thing is the Yale system. Be honest with yourself about it. I absolutely knew, knowing my personality, that I need some structure and format to thrive, and the Yale system would not work for me. If you know for sure you would kill it with that level of freedom, then, considering its better reputation and the change of scenery from Chicago, go to Yale. Also, the fact that you are considering plastics, that's a field where you need top Step scores, as well as strong research connections. I think the freedom of the Yale system would give you a fair advantage in building up connections within the plastics department and finding research opportunities. Anyways, I say Yale. Best of luck with your decision, great situation to be in.

 

[SilentSoldier]

As someone on the USC waitlist, I'd say Feinberg or Yale
But srs, if research is your thing, then Yale would probably be your best bet. However, if you want great clinical training, I'd go to USC in a heartbeat. La county hospital is fan-freakintastic in that regard.

 

[kanzeon]

Easy choice. Yale.

If you don't like PBL already, you'll probably hate it once you start med school (unless you get lucky its generally a huge waste of time, i.e. very unhelpful and inefficient). Also, while USC is a good school, its nowhere near the same level as Yale (re: research and networking opportunities for competitive specialties).

New Haven may not be a big city but the hospital gets its fare share of low income and very sick patients.

Northwestern's PBL is one of my favorite parts of the curriculum. Definitely not a waste of time--it really helps reinforce what we're learning in lecture. They've been using PBL for years and years now and have really refined the cases etc.