help deciding DMU or NSU

[kabooya]

Hi everyone,

I was accepted to DMU and NSU and am trying to decide:

DMU

Pro:
- Cheaper tuition (~42k)
- 4th year elective rotations (so I'd be able to rotate in the northeast where I'm from originally. I'd like to end up doing a residency in the northeast)
- cheaper cost of living (~$700 for a 2 bedroom)
- cheaper nonrefundable tuition deposit of $500 (in case I get accepted to another school I prefer)

Con:
- cold, snowy
- more expensive flights
- people seemed older / married
- I've got decently bad eczema that gets worse in the cold and I don't think Iowa will help

NSU

Pro:
- weather!
- cheaper flights
- people seemed younger compared to DMU

Con:
- more expensive tuition (~47k)
- not as much 4th year freedom compared to DMU
- more expensive cost of living
- more expensive nonrefundable deposit ($1250)

I've been going back and forth for a while now. I'd like to pay my deposit in about a week from now. I've read a lot of the threads on SDN, but most of the posts comparing the 2 schools are a bit old (~2008) and a lot had changed since then (i.e. DMU faculty turnover and NSU is now nonmandatory attendance). I really like both schools and could see myself being happy at either. I think it boils down to cost vs location. I'd prefer to be in south Florida, but the cost of living and tuition will be about $10,000 more a year, totaling an additional $40,000 to go to NSU. In the big picture, will this be significant if I may be happier in Florida? Does anyone have any other thoughts? Thanks so much in advance for your help.

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[Iliketoytles]

Go with NSU. Your happiness and health matter most... especially during medschool, which is a place where you need both.

 

[SunDevilDoc]

There are only 3 months 4 th year at Nsu that are mandatory in florida or where your 3 rd core rotations are. And they have a core site in NY. Im a 4th yr at nsu and live in chicago

 

[kabooya]

Go with NSU. Your happiness and health matter most... especially during medschool, which is a place where you need both.

Thanks! That's where I'm leaning towards right now. I compare the weather everyday and it's hard to say yet to Des Moines' 7 degree weather today compared to Florida's 80 degrees. I'm just concerned about the extra $40,000, but I guess in the end, it'll be worth it.

There are only 3 months 4 th year at Nsu that are mandatory in florida or where your 3 rd core rotations are. And they have a core site in NY. Im a 4th yr at nsu and live in chicago

Wow that changes things. I thought it was the other way around - during 4th year, the 3 month underserved/rural rotations could be anywhere in the country. How hard is it to get rotations at New York?

 

[NeuroLAX]

We were told that the NY core rotation site is popular every year. It gives some people the opportunity to go back home (or relatively close to their hometown in NY). Some people rank it because of its location. We have a lottery system for core sites.

If you're concerned about money, Nova has two different fellowships that pay you a stipend during your fellowship year and your 3rd and 4th year tuition are taken care of for you. One is for OPP and the other is for research. 6 students get the OPP fellowship, and 2 get the research fellowship. It's an awesome deal. You just graduate a year later than your classmates.

 

[p30doc]

NSU! I'm missing the FLL weather and sunshine right about now!

 

[BCAA]

NSU! I'm missing the FLL weather and sunshine right about now!

Go where you will be happier so that you can perform better, but DMU is the more established program and, imo, objectively the better program. Although, if you are going to be happier at NSU, then for you it's the better program.

 

[SunDevilDoc]

Thanks! That's where I'm leaning towards right now. I compare the weather everyday and it's hard to say yet to Des Moines' 7 degree weather today compared to Florida's 80 degrees. I'm just concerned about the extra $40,000, but I guess in the end, it'll be worth it.




Wow that changes things. I thought it was the other way around - during 4th year, the 3 month underserved/rural rotations could be anywhere in the country. How hard is it to get rotations at New York?

I had to do my rurals in florida cause thats where my 3rd yr was (2 months) the 3rd month of rurals you can do anywhere thats underserved, which is basically anywhere in the world. Im doing mine at a county hospital in chicago

 

[kabooya]

We were told that the NY core rotation site is popular every year. It gives some people the opportunity to go back home (or relatively close to their hometown in NY). Some people rank it because of its location. We have a lottery system for core sites.

If you're concerned about money, Nova has two different fellowships that pay you a stipend during your fellowship year and your 3rd and 4th year tuition are taken care of for you. One is for OPP and the other is for research. 6 students get the OPP fellowship, and 2 get the research fellowship. It's an awesome deal. You just graduate a year later than your classmates.

That's a nice option. It sounds pretty competitive. What is the school looking for when choosing who gets the fellowship? Is it mainly grades?

I had to do my rurals in florida cause thats where my 3rd yr was (2 months) the 3rd month of rurals you can do anywhere thats underserved, which is basically anywhere in the world. Im doing mine at a county hospital in chicago

Thanks. Outside of those 3 months, how easy is it to get into a rotation site that is not within the NSU's main sites during 4th year?

 

[MJS4878]

Hi everyone,

I was accepted to DMU and NSU and am trying to decide:

DMU

Pro:
- Cheaper tuition (~42k)
- 4th year elective rotations (so I'd be able to rotate in the northeast where I'm from originally. I'd like to end up doing a residency in the northeast)
- cheaper cost of living (~$700 for a 2 bedroom)
- cheaper nonrefundable tuition deposit of $500 (in case I get accepted to another school I prefer)

Con:
- cold, snowy
- more expensive flights
- people seemed older / married
- I've got decently bad eczema that gets worse in the cold and I don't think Iowa will help

NSU

Pro:
- weather!
- cheaper flights
- people seemed younger compared to DMU

Con:
- more expensive tuition (~47k)
- not as much 4th year freedom compared to DMU
- more expensive cost of living
- more expensive nonrefundable deposit ($1250)

I've been going back and forth for a while now. I'd like to pay my deposit in about a week from now. I've read a lot of the threads on SDN, but most of the posts comparing the 2 schools are a bit old (~2008) and a lot had changed since then (i.e. DMU faculty turnover and NSU is now nonmandatory attendance). I really like both schools and could see myself being happy at either. I think it boils down to cost vs location. I'd prefer to be in south Florida, but the cost of living and tuition will be about $10,000 more a year, totaling an additional $40,000 to go to NSU. In the big picture, will this be significant if I may be happier in Florida? Does anyone have any other thoughts? Thanks so much in advance for your help.

I am lucky enough to have the same predicament. I was just wondering if you came to a decision and why? I am also a northeastern resident, so coming back here in the future would be a plus

 

[kabooya]

I am lucky enough to have the same predicament. I was just wondering if you came to a decision and why? I am also a northeastern resident, so coming back here in the future would be a plus

Ha! I read your post comparing the 2 schools and for a second, I thought it was my own thread. The responses to your posts seemed to be suggesting DMU over NSU.

It wasn't an easy decision, but I went with NSU. To be honest, I got a better feeling from DMU post interview. It is the "better" school, if you believe that/whatever that means, but after much thinking, I feel like I'll be happier at NSU. For one, the weather in Florida is warmer. A less obvious observation I made concerned the student body. At DMU, a lot of the students I met were older. A decent number had wives/childrens/ etc. I know the class size is big, but a lot of people seemed to be in the older group. Coming from a big northeast city, it was a little weird for me to be surrounded by people from small midwestern cities I never heard of. At NSU, the students seemed younger and more similar to me - this may be a pro or a con depending on what you prefer. I also think the city has the diversity and culture used to. I'm sure both cities are great, but I see myself enjoying south Florida more than Des Moines. Des Moines and the surrounding area/rotation sites were a bit too rural/suburban for me.

I know NSU will be more expensive, but how did you come up with 80k more? My rough calculations got me to ~40k more to go to NSU. This sounds bad and I may regret this later, but at this point, I'm willing to spend the extra money to go to NSU. There are a few government repayment programs that I'm hoping are still around that I can apply for.

Both schools have electives 4th year, which would let me go back to the northeast where I ultimately want to do residency. NSU has 3 months mandatory rural/underserved rotations, but I live in a medically underserved area which I'm hoping will be acceptable as a site. Also, NSU has a site in Southhampton out in Long Island which is about 1.5 hours from me. That's always a nice option.

As I wrote this, I realized how I'm still torn with the decision. I'm sure I'll be happy at either place, but I went with NSU. Let me know what you decide.