BU vs. Dartmouth Med

[catiness]

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I am trying to decide between BU Med and Dartmouth Med. Here are some of my thoughts:

Dartmouth - Got a really good vibe from this school on my interview day. AMAZING hospital, by far my favorite out of any of the hospitals I've visited....though I'm not sold on the patient diversity. Small class size, which is a plus because the community will probably be more close-knit, both amongst students and between students and faculty. Good financial aid (allegedly). Away rotations all over the country (though I've yet to decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing). However it is in the middle of nowhere in NH...

BU - In Boston, which is where I'm originally from and where I went to college. Subsidized student housing. BMC is great and definitely will give me exposure to a lot of different cases and diverse patients. It is probably going to be more expensive than Dartmouth, considering how their financial aid is minimal from what I've heard. Also the students I met there on my interview day didn't seem that happy, but I'm not sure if that means too much because I only had a chance to talk with 2-3 students.

Any thoughts/suggestions/input would be welcomed! 🙂

 

[Shmemifly]

You know that it comes down to rural vs. urban. These two schools are such different experiences i would argue that elitism and even mild differences in cost are less important than identifying where you fit. Don't go to dartmouth if you are a die-hard city person, you will be unhappy, and vice versa. So here's my question to get you thinking about that:

Which one of these situations sounds worse?
1. Eating at the same four or five average-fare restaurants for the next four years, with few exceptions, BUT seeing your friends every thursday for trivia at the pizza place in town.
2. Having at your fingertips all kinds of fantastic restaurants and exciting bars, but losing touch with many of your classmates into the abyss of urban life.

To me, having a whole city full of restaurants is completely meaningless, but where i live it is like oxygen for many people.

 

[mipp0]

I am trying to decide between BU Med and Dartmouth Med. Here are some of my thoughts:

Dartmouth - Got a really good vibe from this school on my interview day. AMAZING hospital, by far my favorite out of any of the hospitals I've visited....though I'm not sold on the patient diversity. Small class size, which is a plus because the community will probably be more close-knit, both amongst students and between students and faculty. Good financial aid (allegedly). Away rotations all over the country (though I've yet to decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing). However it is in the middle of nowhere in NH...

BU - In Boston, which is where I'm originally from and where I went to college. Subsidized student housing. BMC is great and definitely will give me exposure to a lot of different cases and diverse patients. It is probably going to be more expensive than Dartmouth, considering how their financial aid is minimal from what I've heard. Also the students I met there on my interview day didn't seem that happy, but I'm not sure if that means too much because I only had a chance to talk with 2-3 students.

Any thoughts/suggestions/input would be welcomed! 🙂

Strange, all the students I've met at BU were extremely happy, almost too happy...
The kinds of patients you see will also be completely different at both.
More diversity at BU, both in the hospital and among your mates.
BMC serves predom. underserved, urban populations.

Both are ranked similarly.

Away rotations "all over the country" would suck royally for me.

I have "more prestigious" options (also in less desirable locations), but would go with BU over them, although drizzt has done a good job creating doubt . Jury is still out, so haven't decided.

I'm a city kid, so I would go Boston. Location is VERY important to me. Based on your comparisons, seems like Dartmouth will be a better fit for you?

 

[mipp0]

You know that it comes down to rural vs. urban. These two schools are such different experiences i would argue that elitism and even mild differences in cost are less important than identifying where you fit. DONT go to dartmouth if you are a die-hard city person, you will be unhappy, and vice versa. So here's my question to get you thinking about that:

Which one of these situations sounds worse?
1. Eating at the same four or five average-fare restaurants for the next four years, with few exceptions, BUT seeing your friends every thursday for trivia at the ONLY pizza place in town.
2. Having at your fingertips all kinds of fantastic restaurants and exciting bars, but losing touch with many of your classmates into the abyss of urban life.

To me, having a whole city full of restaurants is completely meaningless, but where i live it is like oxygen for many people.

So, basically torture for 4 years?

Still, there is a huge draw to small class size. You could get some great research and LORs and make some life long friends.

 

[leeeooooo]

I'd ask Yueh Ho.