SUNY - I love the city of NY, I hate the people. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good people there, but there are also a lot of people who piss me off and i'm not the type to be easily pissed off. I think it has to do with the busy, fast paced nature of the city so it hardens a number of the inhabitants. I'm a little too soft to handle SUNY for 4 years so I'll probably not interview there.
In terms of reputation, I think they're up there. High pass rates of the boards is a good thing. I haven't actually visited but I've heard many good things about the education there. And you'll be dealing with New Yorkers, which I'd imagine to be some of the toughest patients (in terms of personality). High population density might also help with exposing you to a lot more varied patient cases... but that's just me guessing and not going by any sort of publication or fact 🙂
If you can handle the tough NY crowd, it's one of the most amazing cities you could live in (if city life is for you). One thing I did hear though, but I'd like to verify with people that actually go there: I heard rent is increased (as high as $500 a month) after living in one apt for a year in manhattan. So the best option is to move each year? sounds ridiculous but not sure if it's true.
NECO - Another nice city and not as fast paced as NY. Lot's of history and landmarks to visit. I think I'd enjoy living in Boston. The school is actually in a mansion, I hear. So that's kinda different if you're into that novelty 🙂 The clinics are offsite though and quite a bit further than the ones at other schools (oh yeah, the SUNY one I hear is a couple blocks away from the campus as well). The people in Boston seem friendlier, the city seems cleaner, and it definitely looks like a nice place to live.
As for the education, I've heard mixed reviews. I've had friends who've worked with NECO students and said the background wasn't as strong in disease. And I've heard others who've been there and said nothing but great things about the curriculum and the experience. If there were to be any reason for a lesser experience in disease, I'd guess that maybe the population around Boston is healthier than, say, NY? again, me guessing and not based off any fact. So there may be more dependence on externships for greater exposure to disease.
There seems to be a correlation between poor, dense neighborhoods and disease. So you naturally get more exposure to the disease patient cases when your school or externship is closer to such neighboorhoods with poor healthcare. This may not always be the case, but it's just something I've noticed. Boston did not at all seem like a poor area when I visited and I'm not sure if there are many areas around Boston that are. That being said, you also probably want to consider what kind of area you want to be living and how safe it is. In that respect, Boston would be a great choice from what I've seen 🙂
PCO - I haven't heard much about this school actually, so I can't comment too much. 😛
Grats on your acceptances!
