Dartmouth vs. Emory

[rb721]

Hi everyone,

I’ve narrowed my choices down to Dartmouth and Emory, and I’m looking to get some insight:

Dartmouth:

Pros:

• Students were down-to-earth, happy and were very welcoming. They also seem to love the school.
• Collaborative environment with more hands-on mentorship and networking (I got the sense that admin/profs there really want you to succeed and will bend over backwards to help)
• Strong emphasis on open communication between students and administration
• DHMC is beautiful and seemed like a wonderful place to train
• Within driving distance of home/family
• Plenty of hikes and outdoor activities around
• Interesting away rotations with established sites
• Smaller class size (92 students)

Cons:

• Very rural
• Not many job/schooling opportunities for SO
• New 1.5y curriculum geared more towards Step1: I would be part of the second class to try it so there might still be some things to work out especially with Step1 being P/F.
• Less emphasis on clinical exposure during M1&M2.
• Hanover is not very diverse. I would need to do away rotations to gain access to more clinical diversity
• Strong emphasis/transition towards PBL. (I think I learn a bit better with traditional lectures but I know a lot of schools are transitioning to PBL so this is more of a neutral point)

Emory:

Pros:

• Amazing clinical opportunity (all the third-year rotations are in/around Atlanta, and there is early clinical exposure)
• Atlanta will offer me diverse patient populations and cases
• It would be fun to live in and explore Atlanta
• Discovery phase would let me continue doing research if I wanted or travel abroad to explore international health opportunities.
• Very standard, established curriculum.
• More job opportunities for SO

Cons:

• Far from home/family
• The administration during the interview day felt a bit removed. I didn’t feel like the environment was as supportive as Geisel.
• Students, especially those on rotations, seemed more stressed here.
• Larger class size (130 student) as well as additional PA/Nursing students.
• I had a stressful interview day
• M1&M2 are more lecture based at the moment with some PBL/TBL slowly being incorporated (again this is more of a neutral point).

Objectively, in many ways Emory seems like the better choice, but I simply felt more at home at Dartmouth. Without the opportunity to visit again for second look, it feels imprudent to make my decision solely based on a gut-feeling from one day (especially when my Dartmouth interview was earlier in the cycle, and I had some outside stressors impacting my Emory interview day). I would really appreciate any insight regarding the competitiveness/general culture or the administration/curriculum at either of these programs. Thanks!

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[Amphisbaenids]

Given your pros/cons, I’d lean a bit towards Dartmouth. I definitely wouldn’t underestimate the value of a having support system nearby, especially since med school is going to be hard anyways. Also seems like you’d find a better community with the students and faculty at Dartmouth than Emory.

 

[HingleMcCringleberryPSU]

Hi everyone,

I’ve narrowed my choices down to Dartmouth and Emory, and I’m looking to get some insight:

Dartmouth:

Pros:

• Students were down-to-earth, happy and were very welcoming. They also seem to love the school.
• Collaborative environment with more hands-on mentorship and networking (I got the sense that admin/profs there really want you to succeed and will bend over backwards to help)
• Strong emphasis on open communication between students and administration
• DHMC is beautiful and seemed like a wonderful place to train
• Within driving distance of home/family
• Plenty of hikes and outdoor activities around
• Interesting away rotations with established sites
• Smaller class size (92 students)

Cons:

• Very rural
• Not many job/schooling opportunities for SO
• New 1.5y curriculum geared more towards Step1: I would be part of the second class to try it so there might still be some things to work out especially with Step1 being P/F.
• Less emphasis on clinical exposure during M1&M2.
• Hanover is not very diverse. I would need to do away rotations to gain access to more clinical diversity
• Strong emphasis/transition towards PBL. (I think I learn a bit better with traditional lectures but I know a lot of schools are transitioning to PBL so this is more of a neutral point)

Emory:

Pros:

• Amazing clinical opportunity (all the third-year rotations are in/around Atlanta, and there is early clinical exposure)
• Atlanta will offer me diverse patient populations and cases
• It would be fun to live in and explore Atlanta
• Discovery phase would let me continue doing research if I wanted or travel abroad to explore international health opportunities.
• Very standard, established curriculum.
• More job opportunities for SO

Cons:

• Far from home/family
• The administration during the interview day felt a bit removed. I didn’t feel like the environment was as supportive as Geisel.
• Students, especially those on rotations, seemed more stressed here.
• Larger class size (130 student) as well as additional PA/Nursing students.
• I had a stressful interview day
• M1&M2 are more lecture based at the moment with some PBL/TBL slowly being incorporated (again this is more of a neutral point).

Objectively, in many ways Emory seems like the better choice, but I simply felt more at home at Dartmouth. Without the opportunity to visit again for second look, it feels imprudent to make my decision solely based on a gut-feeling from one day (especially when my Dartmouth interview was earlier in the cycle, and I had some outside stressors impacting my Emory interview day). I would really appreciate any insight regarding the competitiveness/general culture or the administration/curriculum at either of these programs. Thanks!

what’s the difference in CoA and does cost matter to you at all?

 

[rb721]

what’s the difference in CoA and does cost matter to you at all?

Tuition is slightly cheaper at Emory, but COL is slightly cheaper at Dartmouth so the total COA is comparable at the moment.

 

[wagonwheel23]

Emory student here. The clinical training is unparalleled and as you recognize one of the strongest reasons to attend. You will see so much pathology and be well equipped to start residency.
The administration is supportive and has been especially kicking ass during the COVID-19 crisis. You are also assigned to a faculty small group advisor your first week for all four years that serves as great support.
Rotations are stressful everywhere. I found third-year rotations to be manageable and most of my close friends and I avoided significant stress. If you have any issues during a clerkship, the clerkship directors and deans will work with you. I have experienced this first hand.
Best of luck with your decision!

 

[rb721]

Emory student here. The clinical training is unparalleled and as you recognize one of the strongest reasons to attend. You will see so much pathology and be well equipped to start residency.
The administration is supportive and has been especially kicking ass during the COVID-19 crisis. You are also assigned to a faculty small group advisor your first week for all four years that serves as great support.
Rotations are stressful everywhere. I found third-year rotations to be manageable and most of my close friends and I avoided significant stress. If you have any issues during a clerkship, the clerkship directors and deans will work with you. I have experienced this first hand.
Best of luck with your decision!

Thanks so much for your response. I really like the idea of the small groups and definitely think that will help build a support network if I choose Emory. I also appreciate your insight regarding administrative support and stress during rotations, especially your first hand experience. You're right that rotations will be stressful anywhere, so I should potentially focus less on that when making my choice. Do you mind if I PM you more questions about Emory?

 

[glee123]

This one is definitely a close call. Personally I would lean a little towards Emory since in medicine it's definitely the bigger name and you mentioned the COA is a wash between the two. It also seems like your SO would prefer that (correct me if I'm wrong about this). I think whether you choose Dartmouth or Emory depends on how important your familial support network is to you (or if you're comfortable moving away for several years). Best of luck in whatever you end up choosing!

 

[HingleMcCringleberryPSU]

Tuition is slightly cheaper at Emory, but COL is slightly cheaper at Dartmouth so the total COA is comparable at the moment.

Do you want to end up practicing in the northeast? If your family is in the northeast, you feel you'll be happier there, and you want to end up in the northeast long term, I think it's hard to go wrong with Dartmouth.