BU vs. Brown

[shesallthat52]

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Probably shooting for a competitive specialty but have NO idea really. From Boston and have lived here for awhile. Many similarities in year 1 and 2 (both students seemed happy, both P/F, equal amounts of mandatory things, both admin seem awesome and supportive). Would like a NE residency to stay close to family and friends.

BU Pros

-Wouldn’t have to uproot life. Many friends and SO here.

-Studied at BU. Research is ample.

-Easier transition back to being a full-time student (familiar with the city and have an established professional network and support system)

-Plenty of home residency program opportunities

-Moved up in USNWRs to #29 (For what it’s worth….)

-Boston is fun (but I’ve lived the fun side for a while already. I'm old. My friends are married/engaged)

BU Cons

-$$$$ COA is criminal

-3rd year can be a pain, not all rotations are at BMC. May have to travel all over MA.

-Lower residency director ranking than Brown

Brown Pros

-Loved interview day, got an awesome feeling from everyone there. Current students I know love it and are happy

-Smaller class

-3rd year appears less stressful. Only school in RI. All rotation sites are closer. RI travel easier vs. Boston’s rat nest of roads and public transportation

-Good match list (but so is BUs? Hard to compare)

-Cheaper COA

-Expand professional network

-Higher residency director ranking (USNWR rank in research carries weight but does it matter outside of T15? However, residency director ranking seems to reflect how good the school is in the eyes of people who actually matter for the next step in your medical path)

Brown Cons

-Have to leave friends and SO. While only an hour from Boston, I can’t help but think my relationships would be strained due to the distance. This worries me especially with my SO (although we talked about it and both agreed to commit to it) and is my biggest con.

-Have to find a new living situation. Not crazy about transitioning to a new city while starting a stressful period (but maybe moving from what I’m so used to could be good?)

-Went down to 32 in USNWR (again, debatable worth but people still pay attention to it)

-Unsure about research compared to BU. Also fewer home residency programs

My gut says Brown and heart says BU. Brown may set me up better for residency due to Ivy name recognition and residency director ranking (which is very debatable) but it feels hard to leave friends and SO in Boston. BUT, I worry I only like BU more because I wouldn’t have to move and it is convenient and familiar, perhaps change wouldn't be bad...

 

[Kingsmen2018]

Its only an hour. Thats seriously nothing. Go to brown, save urself money for the superior school that will be more "stress free." As for your S/O Ive made my 5 year work and my S/O lives an hour an a half away. As for your fiends your true friends will drive 30 mins to meet u somewhere or even drive an hour to see you. All this is relative, Brown seems like the much better choice for you and you should do whats best for yourself.

 

[sss1219]

What is the actual COA difference between the two?

Seems to be a question of happiness/location vs cost. For reference, most people on here seem to think that up to 100k-ish is a reasonable amount of debt to pay off to attend a more desirable school. If you need your support systems nearby to do well in school and stay sane, then it's an easy answer. Either way, both schools should make your goals attainable, so I don't think you can go wrong.

 

[srpprs]

COA is actually about the same, depending on your choice of housing

 

[shesallthat52]

What is the actual COA difference between the two?

Seems to be a question of happiness/location vs cost. For reference, most people on here seem to think that up to 100k-ish is a reasonable amount of debt to pay off to attend a more desirable school. If you need your support systems nearby to do well in school and stay sane, then it's an easy answer. Either way, both schools should make your goals attainable, so I don't think you can go wrong.

Have not received package from Brown but I estimate about 30-50k less. Mostly due to cost of living in Providence being far more reasonable.

 

[docjo31]

BU's resources and match list are super, super impressive. Honestly, I think people underestimate how much weight BU's name carries in the medical field (more than people generally think). On top of that, choosing BU seems like a good call because of the support system and the home residency programs.

 

[sss1219]

Have not received package from Brown but I estimate about 30-50k less. Mostly due to cost of living in Providence being far more reasonable.

50k should be not too difficult to pay off. You may want to try and squeeze out a bit more from BU, but if you do choose them even despite that amount it would be an acceptable decision imo 🙂

 

[tekkenman11]

BU

 

[mj2760066]

Brown because of support systems during M1/M2 & access to Brown's medical network.

 

[shesallthat52]

50k should be not too difficult to pay off. You may want to try and squeeze out a bit more from BU, but if you do choose them even despite that amount it would be an acceptable decision imo 🙂

What do you mean squeeze more out of BU? Financially? How would one approach this without seeming too forward?

 

[Welshman]

My gut says Brown and heart says BU. Brown may set me up better for residency due to Ivy name recognition and residency director ranking (which is very debatable) but it feels hard to leave friends and SO in Boston.

I'm on the WL at Brown but I don't think the Ivy name holds any weight whatsoever when it comes to residencies and will probably only impress lay people who associate good undergrad with good med school. Also, I went to Boston for undergrad and, while I'm also probably younger, would love to stay in the city for med school. Its so easy to do research and connect with great docs at Harvard MGH, BIDMC, BWH etc. Literally all at your fingertips. Think about that for residency....