If I get accepted to both campuses, I am going to Phoenix without a moment's hesitation. It may be strictly my opinion, but after 17 years in Phoenix and 7 in Tucson, I just think that Phoenix is overall a better place to live and raise a family.
There we go again with our SDN bias for UA phx.
😎 Looks like you're all alone again, Irk...
😀
I didn't like the idea of having to drive all over Phoenix for various rotations, because Phoenix is huge and the traffic sucks, especially at rush hour (although not as bad as LA, but we all know California is a terrible place 😀). Now as with other things related to UA-Phoenix, I am sure I could have found some relevant research in the Phoenix metro area, but I just wasn't sure where.
And just to address this as a current UA phx student... The teaching hospitals in the valley are relatively clustered. St. Joe's, Banner Good Sam, and Maricopa MC are all within about 10 miles (or less) of one another. So, yes, you will drive a bit... but, I just figure you'll get a lot of different experiences from a variety of medical centers.
Also, the research part... from my experience so far. I'm working with a group of neurologists at a clinical research center, and when I told them what I was interested in and asked what they were currently working on, they honestly mentioned 10 or more projects that they currently are working on that I could involve myself in. I'm not doing research on-site like some others I know are, but there is a ton of stuff out there (both on-site and off-site). And the best part is, we have a dedicated program to involve students in research, and researchers/clinicians all over the valley are aware of this. In fact, an email from a clinician at Barrow Neurological Institute a couple months ago was forwarded that mentioned all of the research projects that him and his colleagues are currently working on.
I'm sorry I can't offer much perspective from Tucson. I don't mean to sound biased, but fact of the matter is... I am. I really love my school's set up and I (obviously) enjoy letting everyone know about it. OK, I've got to study... test this Friday!
😱
Oh, by the way, has anyone started an accepted UA class of 2014 Tucson/Phoenix thread yet to talk more about these kinds of things? I know everyone is probably still stressing about admissions (like I was last year), but last year it was a good way last year to separate all of the non-MadEvans-like "OoOoOoh it feels so good to be accepted, I just turned down Hopkins and Harvard to go to UA with my full scholarship" and the MadEvans-like "WHY THE $%# WON'T UA ACCEPT ME?" sentiments.
🙂
Ok. Now seriously, it's study time.