Jefferson vs East Carolina

[wanderedtoolong]

I just got into both of these schools off of their waitlists, so I only have a few days to make the decision.

ECU: Pros- In State tuition = 15K, low cost of living

Cons- Pretty much everything else (for me personally, I know lots of people love this school)- small town in eastern NC, very limited job prospects for fiance once he finishes PhD, limited research opportunities, very primary care focused (I'd like to end up in translational medicine)

Jefferson: Pros- Both my family and my fiance's family live in and around Philly, and I'm a non-trad, so they're not getting any younger. I love living in Philly, have worked at Jefferson before and walked into work every day, no need for a car, totally different atmosphere than Greenville. I want to match in the northeast, and it seems easier to do this from a school up there.
Overall I have a much easier time seeing myself at Jeff- the student body is HUGE so the chance that as a non-trad I'll still find some kindred spirits is pretty good.

Cons- Cost, of course. Getting in off of the waitlist I assume my aid will be all loans. I can live with my parents to offset some of that.


In sum- am I crazy to choose a school that is 35K more/year for proximity to support system and overall happiness?

Informed opinions would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

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[tarheel1408]

I just got into both of these schools off of their waitlists, so I only have a few days to make the decision.

ECU: Pros- In State tuition = 15K, low cost of living

Cons- Pretty much everything else (for me personally, I know lots of people love this school)- small town in eastern NC, very limited job prospects for fiance once he finishes PhD, limited research opportunities, very primary care focused (I'd like to end up in translational medicine)

Jefferson: Pros- Both my family and my fiance's family live in and around Philly, and I'm a non-trad, so they're not getting any younger. I love living in Philly, have worked at Jefferson before and walked into work every day, no need for a car, totally different atmosphere than Greenville. I want to match in the northeast, and it seems easier to do this from a school up there.
Overall I have a much easier time seeing myself at Jeff- the student body is HUGE so the chance that as a non-trad I'll still find some kindred spirits is pretty good.

Cons- Cost, of course. Getting in off of the waitlist I assume my aid will be all loans. I can live with my parents to offset some of that.


In sum- am I crazy to choose a school that is 35K more/year for proximity to support system and overall happiness?

Informed opinions would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

You bolded the word informed so I don't know if I qualify, but I'd say that the deciding factor may be when you want to have kids. If you're not planning on having them for a while then paying off a bit of debt won't be too much of a hindrance in exchange for better location and more happiness, but if you plan on having kids remotely soon then you might just want to take the money and run.

 

[wanderedtoolong]

You bolded the word informed so I don't know if I qualify, but I'd say that the deciding factor may be when you want to have kids. If you're not planning on having them for a while then paying off a bit of debt won't be too much of a hindrance in exchange for better location and more happiness, but if you plan on having kids remotely soon then you might just want to take the money and run.

I've thought about this too- and the thing is if I have kids in Philly then I have free childcare, at least part time. I'm a 30yr old female so I hear the clock ticking, and actually plan to try to have kids during med school. This would be way more doable if both of our families are around.

 

[nimbooda]

OP, I'm also a non-trad, from NC no less I'll probably be at Jefferson next year too, but did not apply to ECU because I was not even close to their mission statement. If you look at ECU's match list, their grads can really do anything, but they are very clear about their mission to produce primary care physicians and are very good at what they do.

If you're thinking about translational medicine, Jefferson's new College Within the College research program has a Translational Research track that I'm also considering (http://www.jefferson.edu/jmc/students/college_within_college/translational_research.html)

The price tag at Jeff scares me too, but of all the med schools I've visited, it gave me by far the best impression. My host was also a non-trad guy in his 30s and absolutely loves it there. The large class size is a definitely a "pro" for me too since there is bound to be a lot of diversity.

Both are great schools, but ECU has a very specific mission and Jeff is more of a traditional medical school. Good luck in your decision!

 

[GrabSlamBoot]

Go where you will be happy. If you will be happier at Jefferson, then go there. IMO the benefits of going where you will be happy for four years far outweigh the disadvantages of being in debt after medical school. Most of us will be in some debt anyways haha. Congrats on the acceptances!

 

[wanderedtoolong]

OP, I'm also a non-trad, from NC no less I'll probably be at Jefferson next year too, but did not apply to ECU because I was not even close to their mission statement. If you look at ECU's match list, their grads can really do anything, but they are very clear about their mission to produce primary care physicians and are very good at what they do.

If you're thinking about translational medicine, Jefferson's new College Within the College research program has a Translational Research track that I'm also considering (http://www.jefferson.edu/jmc/students/college_within_college/translational_research.html)

The price tag at Jeff scares me too, but of all the med schools I've visited, it gave me by far the best impression. My host was also a non-trad guy in his 30s and absolutely loves it there. The large class size is a definitely a "pro" for me too since there is bound to be a lot of diversity.

Both are great schools, but ECU has a very specific mission and Jeff is more of a traditional medical school. Good luck in your decision!

How funny- thanks for sharing! See you there!

 

[wanderedtoolong]

Go where you will be happy. If you will be happier at Jefferson, then go there. IMO the benefits of going where you will be happy for four years far outweigh the disadvantages of being in debt after medical school. Most of us will be in some debt anyways haha. Congrats on the acceptances!

Thanks! Jeff it is. . . just needed a little support in my decision (from other than my very very biased family members)

 

[MDTiger]

Thanks! Jeff it is. . . just needed a little support in my decision (from other than my very very biased family members)

As a fellow non-trad on the waitlist at ECU I think you made an excellent choice!! Haha. But seriously CONGRATS!! I definitely would make a financial trade off to be close to my family/support during medical school. It just so happens that ECU would be closer for me than my current destination.

 

[wanderedtoolong]

As a fellow non-trad on the waitlist at ECU I think you made an excellent choice!! Haha. But seriously CONGRATS!! I definitely would make a financial trade off to be close to my family/support during medical school. It just so happens that ECU would be closer for me than my current destination.

thanks! Just sent my withdrawal to ECU- hopefully they give you the seat! good luck!