Chicago, IL
Applicant sentiment — from 140 anonymous posts, 2017–2027
6.5 / 10
What anonymous posters said
Anonymous posters frequently described Northwestern's program as highly competitive, citing large applicant pools relative to available spots. Many comments framed the program favorably in comparisons with other programs, and a few highlighted strengths in pediatric dermatology and Mohs training, while some posts referred to it as a 'rotation mill.'
AI-generated summary of opinions expressed in anonymous, unverified posts. It describes what posters wrote, not verified facts about this program. Based on these 140 posts · Updated Aug 2026 · Contest or respond to this entry · Takedown & right of reply
❌1. Formal between faculty and residents and tense. Not a relaxed feeling and some residents are standoff-ish and rude (some are wonderful, but it's very hit or miss). Generally not as social as they may seem. I was sad as this was my first choice in the beginning (esp given their social media) and I was a little shocked at how much I disliked it. I ended up ranking them very low after my interview. Also, only 1 resident has matched MOHs since 2019 and that match was back in 2020. One match in 2020? Are they not interviewing their own candidates? This was a red flag for me but if this is a consideration for you, maybe talk to the current residents to sus out program support. There do seem to be residents aiming for MOHs in the next classes, so hopefully their outcomes are better. Anyways, always try to get the most exposure to your top programs if possible, because they may surprise you in a bad OR good way. More info is better.
❌2. Have heard this is not a great program for Mohs since department is not as supportive in taking their own residents.
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Can someone comment on the diversity of the patient population at Northwestern? I know they have an Ethnic Skin Center. Just wondering what the general breakdown is like. Is NW a good program for exposure to a variety of skin types and patient populations?
ROL are like due in 24 hours so can y'all start dropping names on who sent out RTM calls/emails, we wanna know (Northwestern for sure it sounds like...) < I got a RTM call from nunya
Anyone with firsthand knowlege of Northwestern's culture?
stanford vs northwestern
Can any home students comment on umich and northwestern? Are they as malignant as ppl have been suggesting < wondering about miami too< I would rather call miami hardworking. < how about utsw? only thing preventing me from ranking it highly rn is the culture stereotype..if home students can chime in
List of programs where residents are overworked? < NYU < Miami <UChicago < Northwestern U < UTSW < Harvard << is utsw still that bad? <UT Houston < is UChicago still bad? Heard it changed after most of the faculty changed < is miami as bad as people say < Residency explorer from 2020 said 60 hr/ week for UChicago
Do you guys think the reported weekly hours on Residency Explorer are legit? e.g. Penn is at 40 hr/week and NU Northwestern is at 55 hr/week. < what is NU??? < Northwestern < so NW lol? thx tho < People got really anal retentive about how it's NU and not NW, like who gives a duck
"what do people think of the doximity rankings? are they useful at all? << Depends what your criteria are for filtering through programs. < at one point I thought they had actual criteria for the rankings, but apparently it's just alumni opinion? Or am I reading that wrong? Seems like a less than objective way to rank < It's all based on opinion. In the past, there have been a few publications that have attempted to rank programs based on NIH funding, faculty, residents, research output, etc (https://cdn.mdedge.com/files/s3fs-public/Document/September-2017/CT094100189_REV.pdf) but this is outdated now. From what I've been told, you've got the big powerhouses (NYU, Penn, UCSF, Harvard, Yale, Stanford), the great but not quite top programs (Emory, Northwestern, Sinai, Wake Forest, Johns Hopkins, Miami, UTSW), a bunch of solid programs that aren't particularly famous for research or anything but will still train you well and prepare you for a career, and then a few bottom tier programs that have been known to have issues (ie flagged by ACGME, residents don't match to fellowships, program closes midway through a year, etc) < is there anything more recent?"
Can someone who rotated or with insider perspective elaborate on people saying the culture at Northwestern isn't all that great?
It is SO noticable that Northwestern residents are actually friends/hang out, like more than at any other program I have interviewed at lol. Anyone else picking up on this?
THE RANK TALLY LIST IS CURRENTLY BEING SABATOGED! I JUST WATCHED THE SAME PERSON PUT A BUNCH OF NUMBERS UNDER HARVARD AND NORTHWESTERN AND OTHER PROGRAMS!!!< they are on a spree! < what benefit do these trolls get from fucking things up.<living in my head lol < so sad < WHERE IS OUR MOD????
why is the dress code for the northwestern resident social business casual
Can someone comment on the culture at Northwestern?
and just like that ladies and gents, we have a new #1 program. NW was such a delightful experience < NU or NW? < Chicago and #1 program are mutually exclusive my friend < i know, trust me but they are killing me here with how great experience it was < I love a little mugging with my morning walk. < mugging with -10 wind chill on the side < delicious < i feel like we rained on OPs parade a little and i'm sorry OP, glad you liked the program and hope u end up there and love it < kinda like the rain in chicago? < OP: nah they actually covered all the reasons my family is looking at me like I'm high rn after i told them I liked NW so I definitely hear you guys haha < Hopkins & NW are at the bottom of my list for these exact reasons. I choose life, thx < did you also interview at both today? i hated hopkins so at least that part is figured out for me < You aren't getting shot walking around Northwestern. It's in the cushiest part of Chicago. The rent is like SF levels in Streeterville and the most basic grocery store is a Whole Foods. < People must be mixing up Northwestern and U Chicago, very different areas < lol we are not mixing anything up. We know NW itself is in a boujie part of town but people will have lives outside the immediate NW area< outside the NW area is fine, stay away from the southside and westside (not including south loop or west loop)
Asking again b/c no one answered.. how is cosmetic training at NU(Northwestern U). < why dont you ask them on your IV day < as if you can ask this on your IV day lol> it's not great << just ask what their case breakdown is and give an example like peds vs gen derm vs med derm and slip in cosmetics into that list < im surprised by this answer, its a bougie place and i would expect their cosmetics to be on point
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