Choosing between Chicago schools: Rush (no scholarship) vs Loyola (scholarship)
(you can read summary below for tldr)
I've posted this before but recently got a scholarship so it changes things a bit:
Rush Medical College
Pros
- Rotations at Rush Hospital (#2 hospital in Chicago) and guaranteed Stroger Cook County rotations (one of the largest safety-net hospitals in US)
- No internal rankings
- More name recognition in Chicago (I want to practice in Chi likely)
- Closer to downtown Chicago- more fun things to do
- Systems based curriculum
- More research funding
- Exam at end of every block (every 3-5 weeks)
- Ranks 58 on residency director scores
Cons
- More expensive → $87,559 per year
- Downtown Chicago living= more expensive, more of a hassle to have a car and drive to visit family, not very safe
Stritch School of Medicine/Loyola
Pros
- Cheaper: 15k/yr scholarship (60k total) → $79,000 per year
- Know people there (went to Loyola undergrad)
- Love the idea of living in Oak Park (suburb outside of Chicago)
Cons
- Internal rankings (30% preclinical and 70% clinical, placed into quartiles)
- Traditional curriculum
- Less research funding
- Exams more often (every 2-3 weeks)
- Ranks 69 on residency director scores
- #6 hospital in Chicago
- Less name recognition in the area
Both
- P/F M1 M2 and H/HP/P/F M3 and M4
- Around 1 hour drive from home
- Very close proximity to their hospitals
- Flipped classroom (recorded lectures and then small group sessions)
Summary: Ultimately, I feel Rush is a better educational opportunity (no internal rankings, better rotation sites) but Loyola is cheaper and in an environment I like better. Is Rush better than Stritch enough for me to choose a school that’s a bit more expensive and in an environment I don’t prefer? Last thing I want is to pass up a great educational opportunity, the rest I can manage.
Thank you so much in advance