I will try!
1. Would you mind defining 'smaller' for me? Do you mean in terms of size, and if so, size of what (city, class, campus, etc)? Our med school class size is on the larger end in the nation for class size as far as I know (~185 students per entering class) and Birmingham isn't a super small city at least compared to where I've grown up, so I just want to make sure I answer your question correctly since the subject of what you might mean isn't jumping out at me right away. (Sorry, probably my fault!)
2. We take ~8 students each year in the MSTP. Our average graduation time (as I recall) is 7.8 years. This is slightly below the national average for MSTPs, which I believe is currently 8.2 years. 🙂
3. Good question, and a tough one. I think almost every aspect of this question is going to be different for every student. I personally love Birmingham! I knew when I was looking for schools that I wanted to have access to some bigger city resources, but that I also wanted to be able to drive to/from campus every day (and preferably a short drive without big city traffic). I wanted to be able to afford to rent a small house on my own and not worry about apartment living, etc. I have definitely found all of that in Birmingham, and I love that the city has lots of different neighborhoods with tons of different vibes to it. The culture of the MSTP in particular is also exceptional - it definitely is a family-type vibe and I always feel so accepted and supported by my program. They've helped me through lots of messy personal situations and tough times.
I will also add that Birmingham as a whole is far more progressive than what you may think of when you think of Alabama or our more rural areas (but do note that I really can't speak as much to our branch sites, since I haven't been to them really). In thinking of my medical school class, I can certainly think of people who are both Republicans and Democrats, and I can think of people whose beliefs have changed since they arrived to UAB. Many of our students are pretty fierce advocates for causes they are passionate about, but I also feel like my classmates are respectful of those who have different views than their own. I personally kind of enjoy the mix and the balance that we have. Our Student National Medical Association (the oldest and largest student-run org focused on the needs and concerns of minority students) and our LGBTQ+ student associations are some of our strongest on campus -- our SNMA chapter actually just won multiple national awards, and one of our students was named member of the year nationally.
However, I have only ever lived in pretty small towns (so Birmingham feels kinda big to me!) and have never visited CA. So I would imagine that my perspective from my previous experience is probably VERY different than yours!! I definitely think UAB would have a different 'feel' as opposed to schools in CA or NYC, but since I haven't visited either, I unfortunately can't be too much more specific in making comparisons. Hopefully this still helps a little though? And I hope you have the privilege of interviewing at many schools in different places so you can feel them out for yourself and see what you like!
