<p>I've been accepted to both Miami's HPM and Pittsburgh's guaranteed med program, and I'm having a difficult time choosing between them. Pitt is closer to my home,
cheaper, and its med school is ranked higher, so obviously it seems like
the better choice, and my parents are really pushing it. On the other
hand, Miami is a 7 year program, so I would save one year as compared
to Pitt, and I also love the weather there (I know that it might not
sound like an important factor, but considering I'm going to be
spending at least 7-8 years of my life in a place, I feel as if I should at least
consider the atmosphere), and the entire feel of the program seems
very relaxed, even in medical school. Miami also has more of a
"program" quality to it-- meaning that there will be about 20 or so
other students with me in the HPM, whereas at Pitt, since they only
pick about 5 students, it loses that "community" type feel. I also feel that at Miami it would be easier to stand out from the crowd, especially since the HPM is considered to be a top program, but in Pitt, because of the school's size, I would just be lost. That said, Pitt is a
really great school- I've heard good things not only about its
research (its a top 20 research school) but also its primary care.
Miami isn't ranked as high in research, but its clinical training,
I've heard, is supposed to be very good, considering that it's
affiliated with Jackson- which is the only medical center in the Miami
area and sees thousands of different types of cases each year, including tropical diseases that are rare in other areas of the country. Some students that I have spoken with there say that the clinical training is great at Miami, and I know that I personally would like to focus more on this aspect of medicine as opposed to research. The only drawbacks to Miami are that its med school isn't ranked as high as Pitt's (but to what extent do rankings matter, anyway?) and it is a little bit more expensive (about $5-7,000 more). </p>
<p>Is anyone else going through a similar situation involving either Miami or Pitt? Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated! I really like Miami's atmosphere, the whole relaxed feel, but I'm not sure if turning down a better med school is a good option.</p>
<p>in my opinion... you are the luckiest kid on collegeconfidential</p>
<p>while others decide between brown, NW, psu, rpi and all of the other "prestigious" programs... you decide between the two sweetest programs in the country</p>
<p>miami is...... well... miami!
and pitt... that city is AMAZING... ppl think of it as an old run down steel town.. but its such a beautiful city... and UPITT is an amazing school... and UPMC is a GREAT medical center</p>
<p>so... good luck deciding... i envy your position... forget all those other programs... pitt and miami rockkkkk</p>
<p>I'm having the same problem. I got into Pitt and GWU programs, both 8 year ( I did the integrated engineering and medicine program), and I'm really torn between the two. I've grown up in pittsburgh, and I feel that i need to spend my undergrad years outside of the city, and DC is such an amazing place. Also, GW undergrad is better than Pitt undergrad, and the program is more structured.
At the same time, Pitt is ranked number 15 and it's moving up. It's one of the best medical schools, but i really don't want to sacrifice my undergrad years. At the same time, I really don't want to regret not goign to Pittmed 8 years from now. And Pitt isn't exactly the most stellar undergrad, both studentwise adn teachingwise.
I know that med school rankings matter ALOT if you're interested in research and teaching, but does it matter if you're interested in just practicing?
I'm just really confused right now on what i should do, any help would be great.</p>
<p>Hey, thanks for the responses, guys.
express-- I'm glad I have the options that are available to me, in that way I guess I am lucky. But it's such a tough decision! I was hoping that I wouldn't get into Pitt actually so I wouldn't have to make the choice, but oh well.
n33ta05-- I don't know if ranking matters alot if you're just thinking about practicing. That's what I'm wondering, as well. I know that rankings are important for residency placement, but if a student works hard at a less than top-tier school, would she still have a shot at a good residency? i think so, at least that's what I've heard. Plus, i looked at the Match Day list for both Pitt and Miami, and both have pretty solid residency placements. So now I'm not sure if ranking really <em>matters</em>.
Your decision is just as tough as mine. DC is a great place, and many of my friends are in GW or in the program and really enjoy it. The downside is that GW is pretty expensive unless you're getting a scholarship, and DC in general is expensive, as well. GW's med school isn't that great (I've heard), so I would consider that as well. But I know what you mean about getting away from Pittsburgh, since you've grown up there. That's why I want to go to Miami. I don't know though, it's tough.</p>
<p>Anyone else? I reallllllly need help deciding!</p>
<p>n33ta05
medical school rankings mean pretty much nothing.
Yeah its nice to come from harvard med... but at the end of the day, an MD is an MD is still an MD and will forever be an MD. Do well in medical school [on your rotations and BOARDS!!]... and you will surely get the residency you want no matter what... im not saying that going to a top flight med skool [like pitt] doesnt have its advantages... it does... BUT... you are much more likely to succeed in a medical school that you are well-suited for. Dont choose a medical school based on what USNEWs tells you... follow YOUR INSTINCTS!</p>
<p>Also,
its funny that you mention GW... i am going to Drexel's 7 year program... but, when i began applying to these medical programs, my top 2 choices were GW and BU in that order. I didn't get into either [i got over it]. BUT... GW is a VERY NICE undergrad skool... dc is sikkk... you will have so much fun there... so yea, if you want to get away from home, GW is a great place to go. REMEMBER --> follow your instincts... take USNEWS completely out of the equation and use your head. If you look at GW med skool's match results.. you should get a clearer picture of where students go for residencies... if you like what you see, then go!
pitt is more prestigious than GW... but you seem to think that you will enjoy GW more... go where you'll be happy. I got into Union and RPI which are both more prestigious that Drexel. But quite frankly, I wasnt going to waste 7 years in albany just because the program is more "prestigious"... thats why i chose drexel... i followed my instincts and where i thought I would have a better experience...drexel also gave me the most money as an added bonus so.. yeah</p>
<p>i totally agree with express2nyc, people in these boards are placing too much importance on usnews. Don't let a magazine determine where u end up. Go to teh program that u feel will offer u the best opportunities academically as well as socially.</p>
<p>willy and n33ta, i know you guys got email confirmations of your acceptances, but have you gotten the actual letter in the mail? i'm pretty sure i was rejected but i haven't even got a letter from them stating so , so i dunno what to truly think until i actually see it in writing... and one of my friends called up pitt med admissions, and they told her that they haven't even sent out the letters yet and it's april 19th!</p>
<p>no, we haven't recieved the actual letter, and in her email Ms. Wick said they went out in the mail on Friday. I'm getting a little worried because I figured the letter should have been here by now (I live in MD). I don't know what's going on.</p>
<p>hey, i can relate to this post a lot. I spent the past month racking my brain over Miami HPM vs. GW 7-year. I ended up picking GW, mainly because i think it allows me to slack off more with no MCAT and 3.3 GPA (as opposed to 28 MCAT and 3.7 GPA). Also, as an added perk, my cousin is going there, so we could room together. But I dont know, I keep second guessing my decision. It kills me to think about how I am missing out on the Miami experience (weather, football, gorgeous girls). Also, for me UM was cheaper cuz I got a nice 3/4 tuition scholarship. Willyshakes, if you're like me, you will probably feel like you made the wrong decision no matter which school you pick... though i guess there is no wrong decision when you have awesome choices like that.</p>
<p>rehan- omg yes! I was soo completely torn b/w my two decisions, and in the end I picked Miami, because honestly, even though Pitt is a better med school and closer to home, I think I would rather spend 7 years in Miami than 8 in Pittsburgh. Also, I have a few friends at Miami, and the clinical experience there is said to be unparalleled because of the large immigrant and elderly population, and I am more of a clinically oriented person than research oriented (something that Pitt is strong in). </p>
<p>I was a complete mess this past weekend, just vacillating between the two schools. I ended up paying Miami's fees on Saturday which was the last day before the May 1st deadline that it could be mailed, and then on Sunday I was so worried that I had made the wrong decision I almost paid the Pitt fee online as well, at like 11:50 pm ten minutes before the deadline was gone. I guess I was really worried that I should be closer to home and that Pitt would be a better undergrad experience as well (academically at least). In the end though I didn't pay it, and I hope I made the right decision. I guess only time will tell. :(</p>