Boston U. Vs. Tufts

[Argephontes]

Which would you go to, Boston University or Tufts?

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[eagle34]

Two very different schools, both with pros and cons. First, in order to have the choice, you need to be accepted to BU, and the first acceptances go out in January. I think BU has a good interview day and you find out a lot about BU during the interview, and the same with Tufts. I had the option of going to Tufts or BU and I chose BU, so if you have any specific questions about the school, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[eagle34]

Tufts!!!! I have heard soooooooooooooooooo many good things about the school from anyone and everyone who has ver interviewed there. 2 former USF students got in their in medical school and had nothing but good things to say. It was the same issue on here on SDN as well. Quite a few people spoke nothing but good words about the school. I now have 2 old acquaintances who go there for dental school and they are also very positive about the school.

I just hear a lot more about Tufts being a great school then BUMC. That said, both are probably good schools and I'm just biased based on what I've heard. I'd have to visit both schools and see their curricula and atmosphere to make final decisions.

I can say the same thing about BU and if you meet almost any BU student, they will have nothing but good to say about BUSM. I will say one thing: only go to BU if you know you want to work with diverse populations because thats what BU is all about. Myself, I graduted from Tufts undergrad and ended up choosing BU instead of Tufts.

 

[searun]

A huge debt load at both schools unless the folks are writing the checks. But if the folks can write the checks, cool.

 

[kevinmw5]

A huge debt load at both schools unless the folks are writing the checks. But if the folks can write the checks, cool.

lol, I'm sorry but in no way did this help the thread...

 

[eagle34]

Yes, both schools are expensive, it's a negative factor for both schools. However, none of the 4th years that I know are worried about paying back their loans in the future, and all that I know took out just loans and didn't have parents writing tuition checks.

 

[kevinmw5]

Yes, both schools are expensive, it's a negative factor for both schools. However, none of the 4th years that I know are worried about paying back their loans in the future, and all that I know took out just loans and didn't have parents writing tuition checks.

I think debt is a constant with medical school and you shouldn't really allow money to entirely dictate where you are going to live for 4 years... You just need to be happy during that time and remember that no matter what you will be able to pay back the loans.

 

[eagle34]

I think debt is a constant with medical school and you shouldn't really allow money to entirely dictate where you are going to live for 4 years... You just need to be happy during that time and remember that no matter what you will be able to pay back the loans.

Definitely, and I think a lot of people tend to forget that. As a doctor, you will live comfortably and I think will be able to pay back your loans without much struggles. I never thought that your number 1 choice in choosing schools should be because of money. It's really important to go to med school that you actually like and where you think you will be the happiest.

 

[kevinmw5]

Definitely, and I think a lot of people tend to forget that. As a doctor, you will live comfortably and I think will be able to pay back your loans without much struggles. I never thought that your number 1 choice in choosing schools should be because of money. It's really important to go to med school that you actually like and where you think you will be the happiest.

Amen!

 

[MDIC]

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[kevinmw5]

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Same thing goes for what I said about searun's comment...

 

[medseek1]

IMHO Tufts has slightly higher matriculant GPA and MCAT while BU has better clincal exposure.
But they are both good schools and nothing beats Boston for a city.

 

[CopperDime]

IMHO Tufts has slightly higher matriculant GPA and MCAT while BU has better clincal exposure.
But they are both good schools and nothing beats Boston for a city.

However, Boston has a higher research rank! which means theres a bit more funding. They are unranked in primary care according to Us news report.

What does unranked mean? Is that bad?

 

[medseek1]

IMHO research ranking is better aligned with the quality of the program that primary care ranking. Even research ranking cannot be trusted fully.

 

[searun]

IMHO Tufts has slightly higher matriculant GPA and MCAT while BU has better clincal exposure.
But they are both good schools and nothing beats Boston for a city.

New York beats Boston as a city and debt load is something to take seriously. The financial aid at both of these schools is pretty minimal and tutition and cost of living is high. That said, you can get a good education at both schools and yes, Boston is a fine city, it is not New York, but you can't have everything if you go to med school in Boston, well, Harvard, but that was not the question. If you get accepted to Harvard, then, sure, go.

 

[linguini]

New York beats Boston as a city and debt load is something to take seriously. The financial aid at both of these schools is pretty minimal and tutition and cost of living is high. That said, you can get a good education at both schools and yes, Boston is a fine city, it is not New York, but you can't have everything if you go to med school in Boston, well, Harvard, but that was not the question. If you get accepted to Harvard, then, sure, go.

That's pretty subjective. Depends what you're into. Boston has tons of stuff to do, obviously not as much as NYC. Boston is a quainter, quieter city than New York, which some people may prefer. And yes, the cost of living is certainly high, but not as high as New York.

 

[eagle34]

New York beats Boston as a city and debt load is something to take seriously. The financial aid at both of these schools is pretty minimal and tutition and cost of living is high. That said, you can get a good education at both schools and yes, Boston is a fine city, it is not New York, but you can't have everything if you go to med school in Boston, well, Harvard, but that was not the question. If you get accepted to Harvard, then, sure, go.

City preference is a personal opinion, not a fact. Personally, I could never live in NY and like Boston a lot better. In terms of cost of living, NYC is wayy more expensive than Boston, but yes, Boston is still expensive. Debt load is something to take seriously, I agree, but I don't think it should keep you out of a school that you really like. And you can get a good education at any medical school.

 

[searun]

City preference is a personal opinion, not a fact. Personally, I could never live in NY and like Boston a lot better. In terms of cost of living, NYC is wayy more expensive than Boston, but yes, Boston is still expensive. Debt load is something to take seriously, I agree, but I don't think it should keep you out of a school that you really like. And you can get a good education at any medical school.

Of course city preference is a personal opinion. I was responding to the "nothing beats Boston as a city" comment. I actually am a Boston fan and an NYC fan. And we agree, you can get a good education at any American med school. So why bury yourself in debt if you have other options? New York is very expensive, but a good financial aid package definitely softens the blow.

 

[qmcat]

i would say tufts, but that's because i read some threads about how BUSM is pretty bad...

can anyone comment or elaborate on what was said in this thread?

http://more.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=530906

 

[eagle34]

i would say tufts, but that's because i read some threads about how BUSM is pretty bad...

can anyone comment or elaborate on what was said in this thread?

http://more.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=530906

Yes, I responded to Amelia's comments in the current BU secondary thread.

In terms of why take on the debt, I still say it's important to go where you feel you will be most happy, not let money totally dictate your school choice. And I'm very happy at BU.

 

[Lacheln]

However, Boston has a higher research rank! which means theres a bit more funding. They are unranked in primary care according to Us news report.

What does unranked mean? Is that bad?

Unranked means there wasn't enough data from the primary care surveys for the school.

I have several friends who are either at, or graduated from, both BU and TUSM. They were all happy (except with the price tag of course). They had some disgruntled classmates, but it seemed from the descriptions that those stemmed from something more fundamental than the med school they were at. (Hating the city, wanting to be with SO, general stress, $$ issues etc).

It does seem a bit premature to be debating this already though.

 

[EMmedic]

i would say tufts, but that's because i read some threads about how BUSM is pretty bad...

can anyone comment or elaborate on what was said in this thread?

http://more.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=530906

Current BU MII here. If you read the thread all the way through, you will soon realize that Amelia is probably not a reliable source. He/she posts on SDN primarily only to trash BU in a ridiculous and outrageous way. There are a few threads like this...always by this person. I don't personally know what happened with this person, but there seems to be a lot more to the story. I'm guessing it had a lot more to do with Amelia than the school. Personally, I am very happy at BU and think that I am getting a wonderful education. The faculty have been nothing but nice and go out of their way to make sure you understand the material. There are pros and cons to every school (obviously the price is a big con here), but I really don't see any of what Amelia talks about. Medical school is tough and people get frustrated, but for the most part I think students are very happy here.

As far as BU vs. Tufts...I don't think I can give a good answer to this because I only know about BU. Anything about Tufts would just be second hand knowledge. Both are great schools. Visit both places and see for yourself which is the best fit for you.

 

[icarus8]

That's pretty subjective. Depends what you're into. Boston has tons of stuff to do, obviously not as much as NYC. Boston is a quainter, quieter city than New York, which some people may prefer. And yes, the cost of living is certainly high, but not as high as New York.

What is this talk of NYC? Aren't they both in Boston?

 

[linguini]

What is this talk of NYC? Aren't they both in Boston?

Yes they are. Someone mentioned that NYC was a better city than Boston (not my personal opinion) so if you were going to spend that much money going to medical school, you should go to one in NYC instead of a Boston school. Nothing relating to BU v. tufts.

 

[searun]

What is this talk of NYC? Aren't they both in Boston?

Well, sure, New York City is in Boston, because those parallel universes collided and the Knicks and Yankees won their respective championships last year. Sweet.

 

[searun]

Well, sure, New York City is in Boston, because those parallel universes collided and the Knicks and Yankees won their respective championships last year. Sweet.

Oh, wait, that means that the Patriots beat the Giants. Damn.

 

[SlickNickMD]

I say Tufts but I'm biased. I'm a Jumbo

 

[eagle34]

I say Tufts but I'm biased. I'm a Jumbo

Haha I was a Jumbo, but I switched territories.

 

[aSagacious]

Moving to the school-specific discussions forum.