Dartmouth vs. NYMC vs. Tufts vs. Wake Forest

[airforce1]

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Hello all,

This is another one of those annoying threads so thanks in advance for your opinions/help.

I'm in a very fortunate position to be deciding between 4 spectacular schools. If anyone has any insight into any of these schools, I would greatly appreciate it.


Thanks,
Airforce1

 

[neuromcdoctor]

It is really a personal decision - what city you are most comfortable in and what you are looking for in a medical school (focus on primary care/research based/close to family/inexpensive etc.). Without taking personal preference into consideration I would say that Tufts is probably the best of the batch.

Good luck deciding!!

Hello all,

This is another one of those annoying threads so thanks in advance for your opinions/help.

I'm in a very fortunate position to be deciding between 4 spectacular schools. If anyone has any insight into any of these schools, I would greatly appreciate it.


Thanks,
Airforce1

 

[jackson1]

i would say nymc definitely has the reputation of being a safety school and isn't as prestigious as your other choices. i would cross that off the list if it were me.

i interviewed at dartmouth and wake and liked dartmouth much better-awesome financial aid, fully funded rotations around the country, great reputation. i'll definitely go there if i get off the wl (maybe i should be saying bad things about it so you withdraw and i can have your spot😛). the only downside for me is the rural/cold location. i don't know too much about tufts but it seems like an awesome school too and boston would be a much more exciting place to be for 4 years as oppoed to hanover. good luck!

 

[mdbound1987]

I can only comment on Tufts since I didn't interview at the other schools. It seems that Tufts has it all: great location, innovative curriculum, relaxed students, 1.75 year curriculum (allows for Step 1 prep while not killing you with basic science info like Duke (1 year curriculum) for instance), amazing facilities (minus the anatomy lab but it's not horrible). The only downfall I see with Tufts is the price tag, which could be a deciding factor for you if that's a concern of yours. The best thing to do is find out where you feel most comfortable and then take into consideration the aspects of a school you can't live with/without. I guess I should be trying to dissuade you from choosing Tufts since I am on the waitlist, but this is all in God's hands for me and I trust I will be where I am supposed to regardless of your decision. 🙂 Best of luck to you with your decision and future education.

 

[DoctwoB]

I'd pick between Dartmouth and Tufts. I didn't get a good vibe from wake (purely subjective, I know), and NYMC isn't in the same league reputation wise and clinicals/research wise.

Between the two, I'd say go with where you'll be happier. If you'd be happy in Hanover, Dartmouth is the more prestigious name as well as cheaper, while Tufts is also a great school in an amazing location, albeit at a high cost. Don't know much about Dartmouth residency placement, but Tufts places people in great programs and a lot of people stay in Boston (at Tufts, BU, or MassGen/Bringam hospital).

It comes down to city vs. rural preference and money I'd say.

 

[Infinitydrop]

where did you spend your 4 undergrad years?
1. it was rural and you really loved it and can't get enough of the fresh out doors, then pick dartmouth without a doubt.
2. If you lived in a city and loved it and can't imagine living anywhere else, then go for tufts
3. If you lived in a city but is ready for a change, dartmouth might be interesting to try a lot of new things like skiing, rockclimbing
4.If you spend 4 years in a rural school but now outgrown it (my situation),then pick Tufts.

 

[TarheelMD]

Congrats to you on awesome acceptances! Like previous posters I would cross NYMC off your list. Here are my thoughts on the other schools, I think they're all great in their own way, but it depends on what you're looking for:

Dartmouth - You'd better love cold and snow if you go here. The snow starts as early as November and runs through April sometimes. Dartmouth is very much a college, with less emphasis on its graduate programs (not that they're not great, but Dartmouth's real focus is on its undergrads). There is pretty much nothing to do in Hanover. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but if you're more of a shopping, dining, bar-hopping person, it's got nothing to offer you. On the other hand, if you are a hiking, skiing, outdoorsy type, this is the place for you.

Tufts - Boston is an awesome city with all the metropolitan amenities you would expect. My main gripes are that driving there sucks and the cost of living is expensive.

Wake Forest - It is dirt-cheap to live in Winston Salem. However, it's not exactly a happening place. The weather is better than Dartmouth, but it has less of a small-town feel. Also, most of your classmates will be in a serious relationship, engaged, or married. And the Demon Deacons are the worst basketball team in NC.

Best of luck to you!

 

[alibai3ah]

Like everyone has said, I would take NYMC off as it's kinda the odd man out of that group.

All the other three schools are great, and will probably get you where you need to go. Here are some factors to think about

1) Location- what would you like. Boston is very different than North Carolina/NewHampsire.....

2) Price- who provides the most aid....

3) Prestige- Darthmouth has the "name", but Tufts/WakeForest are also amazing.

I interviewed at only Tufts out of your list. And it's an amazing school. It has everything, I loved it 😀

 

[oze]

I'll speak for the two I know

I was an undergrad at Dartmouth, interviewed at both DMS and Tufts. They're very different places, but like everyone else says, if you're outdoorsy, like I am, Dartmouth will make you happy - but it is easy to outgrow Hanover and unless your idea of a fun time is hopping around frats for beer, there are limited social avenues. You could have a beer at every bar in town (5) and not get drunk type limited. Both schools are awesome though, so go wherever you'll be happiest. good luck!

 

[kstreet]

Rankles me to see people bad mouth a school they do not attend never mind ever having seen the school, especially when medicine is such a small community and negative attitudes can travel farther than mouth to ear these days. Wise words to some of the posters above: you never know who is going to be your boss and the internet isn't some exclusive club.

To the OP: Congratulations, having 4 excellent schools to choose from is a blessing and speaks a great deal about your ability to shine in undergrad. The next 4 years and beyond will be even tougher, but it looks like you are prepared. \\

First thing to look at is cost and family considerations. Any school that provides you with financial aid...SNATCH IT and don't look back. Money is just a number right now with loans and whatnot, but it will become a burden later on and 50 000 dollars now can mean 100 000 dollars later. Do you want to live close to family? friends? Having a support network can provide you with a great deal of happiness.

Second thing to look at is how the curriculum is run. Generally schools are 2 years didactic and 2 years of hospital rotations, but this can vary and I can't speak to some of the schools you listed and you are in the best position to examine the pros and cons of each.

Regardless of where you go, you'll make friends and have fun but time is always a commodity and how much you really have to go out and explore is up to you.

So what would be the perfect school?

Free, close to family and friends, close to city life or suburban/rural life depending on your preferences, and somewhere you feel you could thrive. That's it, everything else is icing.

For the match, regionalism trumps most everything else as people tend to know people in their own area and a name can only carry you so far. Your own candidacy to become an excellent resident will be shaped by your own drive and desires and nothing else.

btw, I go to NYMC and we do pretty good year to year. Thank god naive pre-meds aren't program directors or otherwise we'd always end up in Kryrgyzstan (not that there's anything wrong with that).

 

[airforce1]

Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate it!

As of now, I am deciding mainly between Dartmouth and Tufts. I certainly think Dartmouth has the better name and will probably open many more doors in my future career. However, I am unsure of what it will be like to be a grad student in Hanover, NH. My take is that Dartmouth is very undergraduate focused and grad students tend to be older, with families, and keep to themselves (please correct me if I'm wrong). In addition, I am worried that being in such a rural setting will prevent me from seeing and learning about various clinical cases.


Tufts, however, is located in Downtown Boston where I will be surrounded by many other grad students, college friends, and opportunities that only a major city can offer. In addition, I believe that Tufts has newer and better facilities than Dartmouth. Is this enough to justify the exorbitant cost of attendance and forgoing opportunity to attend an ivy league medical school?

If any current Dartmouth or Tufts student could comment, I would certainly appreciate it!

Thank you, and good luck to all of you in your decision-making process!

 

[Ian1223]

Im a Masters Student at Tufts Med.

I dont know why people dont like NYMC. I just interviewed there and it seems really nice. There match list was very impressive: 28 Rads!

Dartmouth is the best school. Tufts will cost much much more with living expenses.

I wouldnt want to go to Virginia or NC or wherever Wake Forest is.

 

[DoctwoB]

Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate it!

As of now, I am deciding mainly between Dartmouth and Tufts. I certainly think Dartmouth has the better name and will probably open many more doors in my future career. However, I am unsure of what it will be like to be a grad student in Hanover, NH. My take is that Dartmouth is very undergraduate focused and grad students tend to be older, with families, and keep to themselves (please correct me if I'm wrong). In addition, I am worried that being in such a rural setting will prevent me from seeing and learning about various clinical cases.


Tufts, however, is located in Downtown Boston where I will be surrounded by many other grad students, college friends, and opportunities that only a major city can offer. In addition, I believe that Tufts has newer and better facilities than Dartmouth. Is this enough to justify the exorbitant cost of attendance and forgoing opportunity to attend an ivy league medical school?

If any current Dartmouth or Tufts student could comment, I would certainly appreciate it!

Thank you, and good luck to all of you in your decision-making process!

How much more $ is Tufts than Dartmouth? People like to rag on Tufts for being the most expensive (and they should), but remember they're generally pretty similar to most big city private schools. Part of the difference is you're paying for housing in downtown Boston, which is an awesome place to live, but expensive. Only you can decide if the better lifestyle is worth the money (assuming you prefer city to rural, some don't).

In terms of "opening more doors," I don't think there will be a difference. Outside medicine, Dartmouth has a much better name, so you have more name-dropping powers to non-doctors. Within medicine though reputation is a wash, and Tufts might even have the advantage due to having lots of ins to other programs in Boston, while Dartmouth is kinda isolated. Ivy names don't carry as much weight just because its an Ivy for medicine (though its nice to tell ur non-medical friends).

 

[sundancekid]

I don't know if this would be relevant in your consideration or if its even true. But I think the diversity of the region--specifically the diversity of the patient composition-- may impact the type of experience you receive in your 3rd and 4th years. I could be wrong but I imagine the population of Hanover is fairly homogenous which could limit your experience with specific types of diseases and conditions as well as different types of cultural expectations of physicians. Just a thought...I'm not in med school yet so don't take my word for it, but it might be something to consider.

 

[jackson1]

that's a good thought, but dartmouth actually allows students to do as many rotations as they want in different parts of the country so it doesn't end up being an issue. specifically, they send a lot of students to a native american reservation in the southwest and also have a partnership with a big san francisco hospital (i'm sure there's other locations too, i just don't remember them). they even pay for housing while you're there! i think they know that hanover is a bit limiting in clinical exposure, but they have some awesome alternatives.

 

[sundancekid]

ha...shows what I know. That's very cool...I'm sold and I'm not even going there.

 

[JJMrK]

How do the financial situations compare? I wouldn't make a decision without that info.

FWIW, I was not a huge fan of WF but would probably attend if it was cheapest. Tufts is too expensive for me. Don't know much about the others.