Hey Guys and Gals, I was wondering what you all thought of as the best places to go to medical school. I don't mean academically, but more like the cities they reside in...I have always had a thing with NYC, and hope to go their one day. J
If you're into big cities, then you're looking for the exact opposite of me. The only major city I am looking into as far as medical schools goes is Chicago. You couldn't pay me to attend medical school in New York City.
ew, dc is wretched i have no idea--there are pros and cons to every place and i cant decide what matters most. but more people are moving away from the northeast, thats a fact. westward and southward, that is. i think big factors are crime, fun, economy
Actually I've lived in DC for quite a long time. I found it to be pleasant and one of the more cosmopolitan places I have lived. However, I also think this is a loaded question because experience is subjective. What's best for you may not be what is best for me. Some people really like Austin. Others could never live there. Some people like NYC. Others well, you know. Perhaps you would do well to do some soul searching to find out what best suits you in terms of environment, and couple that with your style of learning. This will help you to find an environmental nitche (urban or nonurban) that coupled to the style of teaching of the medical school, will best suit your needs. Additionally, as far as learning curve, some areas provide more diverse patient populations than others. My $0.02.
To add to this: Seatle, Boston (if you can afford it), New Haven (a bit bad), Phoenix, Tucson, DC (nice if live near or around Dupont circle), NYC, (nice in some parts), LA (in weswood), SF, storrs (if you like cows!), Miami (if you like the beach), San Diego (if you can afford it), Portland, Palo Alto (if you can afford it although the MS helps you to find housing), Austin (happening!), Atlanta (if you can stand the heat!). There are quite a few. I could go on but you get the idea. Have fun!
I lived around DC and must say that Napoleon is somewhat right, that it is a cosmopolitan place to live and that most of the crime Shredder speaks of is centered in a given portion of DC and the rest of the city is not any worse than any major city. Actually I found New York to be far nastier and saw more crime there when I spent 2 weeks than I did in my 2 years in the DC area.
Go to the city with the least distractions - you will do much better. You won't have time to take advantage of much of what makes a big city like NY cool while in med school. Plus, if you are going to a school that makes students fend for themselves in terms of housing, you won't get much space for the $ in a place like NYC, and will have a much better quality of life in a smaller city, less cosmopolitan city. NYC is a really great place to live if you have $ and a schedule which allows you to go out after 11pm. If you are a poor med student and expect to attend classes or hit the books early, it will for many, probably be a real downer.
Well, I wasn't thinking D.C., but Bethesda. Nice town with easy access to D.C. I've only seen the nice parts of D.C. and I liked it.
NY, LA, SF are the three first tier cities to choose from, which draw people from worldwide (both incredibly affluent to impoverished). These are the three culturally vanguard cites in the US, with LA and NY being a solid step ahead of little sf) After that it depends on whether or not you are a west coast guy, a midwest guy, or a New England type.
I guess if I guy that calls himself "SoCalRules" with five exclamation points says Chicago is not tier 1 over and over and over again... then it must be true in his world! Now I am convinced you are doing it on purpose though since no human being can possibly claim that the first tier cities are New York and LA and then put in San Francisco (population ~800,000) without evening mentioning Chicago (population ~3,000,000) especially after everyone totally ripped you a new one in that "urban med schools" thread (including people from DC, NYC, etc.)... There is no way around it.... no matter how much you want to ignore it, Chicago is a Tier 1, completely international, diverse as ****, cultured as all hell, very important, world-class city, that would be in your OWN BEST INTEREST to learn about if you want to become more cultured and well travelled.... ESPECIALLY in medicine considering that the AMA, American College of Surgeons, The Radiological Society of North America, The American College of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Osteopathic Association, and I'm sure there are many that I'm forgetting off the top of my head, are all headquartered there. Welcome to my ignore list anyway though... you have now proven yourself to be completely unwilling to learn anything about actual cultural realities, of your own country no less. I leave you with this... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city ...read and scroll, paying close attention to the cities they have pictured. ...and this...
Storrs does not have a medical school - UConn med school is in Farmington which is a posh suburb of Hartford, the State Capitol. Best areas depends on what you like. What kind of housing do you prefer? could you be happy with a roommate? need room for a family during medschool? Do you love to drive or would you prefer walking with public transportation/taxicabs for longer trips? Is it important to you to be in close proximity to a major airport? Do you want to be close to where your family lives? Do you want to be a minority in your environment or would you prefer a school where there are many others of your race/ethnicity/religious tradition? Do your favorite freetime activities involve the performing arts? outdoor sports such as skiing or rock climbing? do you need year-round access to a swimming pool to be happy/healthy? Not everyone likes big cities. Not everyone would be happy giving up their car (or paying a second rent to house the car). Not everyone likes to hang out in clubs, museums, theaters in their free time. Some people would like to be 20 minutes from the Art Institute of Chicago. Others would prefer to be 20 minutes from a challenging ski run. Different strokes.... Focus on what you need and let other's opinions of best be damned.
Aside from the crazy price of housing (which you'll also find at some of the cities that others have already mentioned), Boston is a great city. I spent the summer there and loved it! Very diverse and safe.
Same here. There are plans to build one soon. Maybe you can work in Austin after medical school and residency.
You and me both. Granted my chances there aren't that great, but I hope to live in the Pacific Northwest when I start practicing.
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