Posted previously to SDN, but with CYMS open I figured I should take all the advice I can get.

Hi all! Fortunate to have gotten a couple acceptances from schools I'd be super excited to attend. Don't think any of the schools I am waiting to hear back from post-II would turn my head from either of these two, however I do have a WL from my IS school that would indeed cause reconsideration. Still, since that is far from a guarantee, I figured now may be a good time to get an idea of what to weigh and what may look like the better opportunity. Thanks so much in advance!

Before I provide pros/cons, I should say that I am about as certain as one can be going into school about the specialty I'll be pursuing (urology, specifically academic) for a number of personal reasons. I know that this is subject to change, however it is certainly a factor of how I may decide. Additionally, all COA will be taken on by me, with no familial support. Okay, now that this is out of the way.


Case:

Pros
- True P/F (no internal rank or AOA)

- Cleveland Clinic affiliation (a top urology residency program in country)

- More NIH funding

- Slightly more prestige(?)

- Great COL; more eventful city(?)

- Rather independent curriculum (always done best this way)

- TBL for those mandatory sessions (another setting I've liked through undergrad)

- An hour from Cedar Point (!)

Cons

- Tuition (really up there, even for private schools)

- Far from home (Boston) and family

- Competition with students doing aways at the Cleveland Clinic?

Neutral / Potentially need insight
- Large class size (I like the idea of controlling my exposure on a day to day level; maybe not possible in a <100 class size like at Rochester)

- 2 year preclinical (not sure if this is a pro or a con, and imagine it is likely a bit of each. Maximizing research time is my main concern)

- Essay based exams (my interviewers actually said they loved this about Case, and there are practice NBMEs that don't contribute to grades, however I have always spent ages on any writing assignment--secondaries killed me)

Rochester:

Pros

-Almost true P/F (no internal rank but they do have AOA)

- Urology home program is very reputable (from research done online)

- Student interviewer emphasized that, because URochester is really the only school in the area, and because the class size is smaller, any and all research opportunities are handed out with little competition (big pro)

- Very solid NIH funding; similarly great research culture

- Great COL, maybe even slightly better than Cleveland

- TBL and PBL emphasis as well

Cons

- Tuition (just as bad)

- Emphasis on attendance even for standard lectures (not required but seemed like the student culture as well)

- Closer to home but still a day's worth of plan and travel to get back

- Less happening city(?)

Neutral / Potentially need insight

- Small class size (flip the reasoning above)

- 2 year preclinical but with your primary care clerkships starting in year 2 (so kind of a 1-year or 1.5 year preclinical? very busy M2?)

- Emphasis on alternate curriculum components (Biopsychosocial Model)

Overall, my gut tells me that everything I like about Rochester, Case maybe does just a little bit better and with a bump in name recognition. Still I can't shake the feeling that Rochester would be a bit more stable of a choice for securing opportunities (even if Case may have more, again visiting students, more classmates etc complicates this. Higher risk, higher reward maybe?).

This very well could be just a "wait for the money" scenario, and even further perhaps be all null and void if the Umass WL moves--thanks so much nonetheless!