Hopkins vs WashU vs Northwestern

[throwaway250]

Hi guys! I'm very grateful for how my cycle has turned out and would appreciate any insight/advice! I'm interested in pursuing ortho/cardio/derm but recognize that these interests will likely change. I'd prefer to work in private practice and/or do some entrepreneurship but can also envision myself in an academic medical setting.

1. WashU
Pros:
True P/F preclinical (no internal rankings)
Stellar match list
Barnes-Jewish is extremely strong, heard amazing things about the hospital system

Cons:
Competency with distinction/competency/no competency clinicals (my understanding is that it's essentially graded clinicals?)
Heard that the student body had (maybe still has?) a reputation of being competitive
Unsure if I want to live in St. Louis for 4 years (more if I match back to Barnes-Jewish for residency)
Further away from family and SO


2. Northwestern
Pros:
Family is close by (a 1-2 hour drive) and SO (3.5 hour drive)
Chicago's like a second home and I love the part of Chicago that the school is located in
Would love to spend 4+ years in Chicago
Opportunity for MD/MBA (Kellogg!)

Cons:
Match list not quite as strong?
Not P/F during clinicals
Internal rankings during preclinical despite being Pass/Pass
Bigger class size (160)
Heard that the student body trends towards being younger (not a big concern, but I took a few gap years before applying)

I'm waiting to hear back from Hopkins later this month and am on the WL for Penn and Yale, so I'll update this post if anything changes.

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[deleted1126476]

Based on your pros/cons list, Northwestern. It's clear you care about your support system and even discounting that + your ties to Chicago, the location is just way better. WashU theoretically does have the edge in prestige/historic prestige which is probably reflected in the match list, but IMO it's probably not worth that much consideration if your alternative is Feinberg.

Also, not sure WashU has "graded clinicals." Northwestern from what I remember is similar, but I was not aware they internally rank in preclinicals (?) maybe worth double-checking. I will say from my experience interviewing/talking to students at both schools, the vibes and culture seem to be polar opposites (chill vs cutthroat) at these institutions...but again not sure how much stake to put into things like that.

Go where you'll be happier. Sounds like Northwestern.

 

[deleted1065184]

Distinctions for WashU are awarded at the end of clerkship year to give students an opportunity to stand out in clinical knowledge (doing well on all shelf exams), clinical reasoning (doing well according to evaluations), or advocacy (self explanatory). But each clerkship is true pass/fail. It's not honors/pass/fail.

Having said that, it seems like you prefer Chicago over St. Louis, which I think is very important. Is cost a factor? I think you should take that into account in your decision. But all things being equal, sounds like you'd enjoy being at Northwestern more. Also, if you wanna do an MBA then Northwestern is definitely the move.

Lastly, I wouldn't factor in rumors about how people perceive the student bodies. Everybody's experience is different, and every school has chill people, gunners, and everything in between.

 

[Lifeblood_20]

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[Max2022]

Northwestern looks appealing

 

[throwaway250]

Bumping with new updates, I also got into Hopkins and received some merit aid from WashU!

 

[FutureMD2.0]

Congrats on the acceptances!! I'm also somewhat of a non-traditional student and interviewed at many of the same schools so will share my thoughts on each. Disclaimer: WashU WL, Northwestern A, Hopkins WL, and Yale A.

• WashU: Biggest pro is probably cost given the merit aid (congrats!). Is it also reasonably close to your family/friends in the Chicago area? If so, it could be a good alternative to Feinberg, especially since it has a slightly older class on average.
• Northwestern: Northwestern seems amazingly supportive and is in a fantastic location (if you don't mind cold winters). The major cons are probably younger class on average, grades (?), and cost.
• Hopkins: Pros are amazing clinical training and research, cons are younger class and Baltimore (personal opinion). I've also heard that Hopkins has a more competitive vibe, but this is probably just an outdated stereotype.
• Yale: The Yale system seems wonderful and chill, but New Haven might be boring and seems difficult to get to/from from outside of the northeast.
• Penn: Seems like a great school in a great location but don't know much beyond that

Good luck with the decision and congrats again on the acceptances! Hopefully we're classmates at one of the above schools.

 

[EndureVascular]

Northwestern based on what you said

Hopkins name is medicine is obvious unparalleled though