BU vs MCG (Parent with Terminal Illness) by 4/8

[ThrowawayKylar]

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Hi all,

I am having a hard time deciding between Boston University and Medical College of Georgia. I am in a bit of a hurry because the deadline to accept the Harrison Scholarship for MCG is April 8th. Normally, I would choose BU over MCG, but my mom's cancer has returned as Stage 4 this year, and I don't know how long she has left. The doctors say at least a year or two, but we never know when the treatments will stop working (could be longer). I've lived in Georgia my whole life, but I went to undergrad in the Northeast. My family is low-income, so I've been lucky enough to receive aid and scholarships for both schools to where the cost difference isn't horrible.

I am interested in pediatric primary care (so Pediatrics), but I am also very passionate about neurodevelopmental disabilities due to personal experience (so Neurology). That said, I want to keep an open mind going into medical school. I really just care that I can meaningfully help my patients -- no draw to competitive specialties or anything, so that's not a factor.


Boston University

Pros

• Fun and exciting city (I've only been there once though), young people
• BMC and clear devotion to underserved populations, really impressed me on interview day and aligns with my career goals
• More research opportunities
• Self-esteem (just being honest) - I feel like I can dream bigger and accomplish more
• More likely to get into a specialty residency if I want to, much higher ranked

Cons

• Far from family (I can fly and visit but much less convenient)
• Cold but I'm kinda used to cold after undergrad
• 30k tuition per year (more expensive but still not bad)

Medical College of Georgia

Pros

• Cheaper (14k tuition per year)
• 3 hours from home
• My family really wants me to go here and stay near home, is opposed to BU
• My mom may have less than 2 years left and I don't want to regret spending less time with her. That said, I love my family, but I honestly don't want to see them more than once a month (but I do want to see them). Friends have always been my support system due to cultural and religious differences between me and my parents. However, it's the fact that if I wanted to see my mom, I could go any weekend which may not be possible with BU.
• Students seemed happy and relaxed on interview day, possibly a less stressful environment?
• Warmer weather (not much better than cold to me)

Cons

• Less research opportunities
• City doesn't seem to have as much stuff to do, and I love exploring my school's city with my friends for fun
• Very primary care focused (I am interested in Pediatrics but I don't want to close myself off if I change my mind, which is why less research and more rural clinical sites is concerning)

Summary:
My dreams and fantasies are drawing me to BU, but the realities of my parent with terminal illness, cost, and family's well-meaning wishes are making me feel like I will regret not going to MCG and staying in-state in the long run. Will I still be able to see my mom regularly if I go to BU?

I would appreciate any input in particular from people who have had a parent with terminal illness during medical school and how hard it was to deal with that (if you feel comfortable). I think that I've imagined living and going to school in Boston for many years, so it's clouding my judgment. Plus, I know I will be more likely get into the specialty I want, but am I in need of a reality check?

Thanks!

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

I’m sorry about your mom’s cancer. I know it must be making a tough decision tougher. I will refrain from considering this in my analysis below because I don’t want to lead you down the wrong path based on a situation I don’t know much about


I would go MCG.

I say this for a number of reasons. You say that you always imagined going to school and living in Boston. I fear that you are expecting something that you will not get as a medical student. A number of my friends moved to there after college and even with relatively good jobs >90k, they either need roommates, are forced to live in a bad area of the city, or commute from the suburbs. Even in the suburbs, they pay 1800/month for rent. As a medical student, it would be very hard to enjoy the city.

I also wouldn’t assume that BU offers that much of an advantage when it comes to matching competitive specialties. Yes BU is higher ranked, but outside of the top 30ish schools there is significant diminish returns in regards to matching advantages.

For example, in the most recent match BU had

1 derm
0 neurosurgery
1 plastics
3 ortho
3 optho
4 uro
5 ENT

This is pretty good but I don’t think it’s all that different than most schools outside of the top 30ish. I bet that MCG has similar numbers going into competitive specialties (in fact I saw somebody on twitter or somebody from the school who is doing dermatology at MGH). So I wouldn’t really base your decision on this.


Good luck with the decision and I’m wishing the best regarding your mom’s health.

 

[MedSD123]

I am so sorry you are in this situation. I can’t even imagine how hard this must be for you and your family. You won’t regret staying near your mom bow. Go to Boston for residency.

 

[creativeusername2191]

Hi OP, I'm so sorry to hear about your mom's diagnosis. From your post it seems like your heart is leaning towards BU, so I just wanted to add that it is ok if you decide to go to Boston, any choice you make here is valid. It is very easy to get to Logan airport from BU so if your plan was to visit home once per month on the weekend, I think it's definitely doable (probably a ~2.5 hr flight from Boston to Georgia) as long as your parents don't live extremely far from an airport.

 

[Shunsui]

MCG easily and spend as much time with your mom.

20 years down the line, nobody will care about where you went to med school but the memories you'll have with your mom will live with you forever.

 

[ThrowawayKylar]

Thank you each of you for your input! Y'all helped me realize what is really important to me, which is my mom and the memories I share with her. While my heart may have been with BU, I realize now it was more the idea of BU and Boston. Plus, the challenge of cities with less stuff to do is actually pretty fun.

I feel good about choosing MCG now! The timing of my change of heart actually seems meant to be since they just increased the scholarship to full 🙂 I appreciate your help