Emory vs. Boston

[synecdoche]

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Still waiting to hear from my state schools (California), but it may come down to these two. I went to undergrad in the midwest.

 

[deleted127837]

Whichever's cheaper, significant bias toward Emory, unless you disliked Grady.

 

[Geebeejay]

Still waiting to hear from my state schools (California), but it may come down to these two. I went to undergrad in the midwest.

BU if you want to do your rotations at a very good, public hospital in a great city.

 

[synecdoche]

BU if you want to do your rotations at a very good, public hospital in a great city.

Thanks for the input! Out of curiosity, what do you mean by "good"? Facilities, better teaching, etc? How would you compare it to Grady in terms of learning experience?

 

[deleted127837]

BU if you want to do your rotations at a very good, public hospital in a great city.

Thanks for the input! Out of curiosity, what do you mean by "good"? Facilities, better teaching, etc? How would you compare it to Grady in terms of learning experience?

I'm going to guess he just meant it's good. Nobody has been an M3 at both Emory and BU, so they can't offer you that comparison.

Grady is THE public hospital in the country. If you're looking for learning in a public hospital, Grady would be the place to be, nevermind that Grady/Emory aren't competing with half a dozen of the world's best public and private hospitals for patients.

I'd take Boston every day of the week over Atlanta, though.

 

[mcloaf]

BU if you want to do your rotations at a very good, public hospital in a great city.

This would be a reason to choose Emory.

 

[synecdoche]

This would be a reason to choose Emory.

That's what I was thinking.

 

[synecdoche]

I'd take Boston every day of the week over Atlanta, though.

Why?

 

[mcloaf]

Boston is little bit more user friendly as a city IMO (disregarding the drivers...). Easier to get around, more walkable, etc. Living in ATL without a car would be tough if you wanted to get around the city much.

Also consider how you feel about the weather. Boston is chilly in winter, but Atlanta is hot as **** in the summer.


If I were just counting living considerations I'd choose Boston anyday, but I'd probably go to Emory over BU (but admittedly I don't know much about BU).

 

[synecdoche]

If I were just counting living considerations I'd choose Boston anyday, but I'd probably go to Emory over BU (but admittedly I don't know much about BU).

This pretty much summarizes how I feel. I LOVED Emory but there's something about the city of Boston...

 

[alpinism]

If you LOVED Emory, go there.

Emory will have more opportunities overall.

Its only 4yrs (technically only 3yrs since most of 4th yr will be audition rotations and interviews outside of ATL).

 

[wnm1]

I'm going to guess he just meant it's good. Nobody has been an M3 at both Emory and BU, so they can't offer you that comparison.

Grady is THE public hospital in the country. If you're looking for learning in a public hospital, Grady would be the place to be, nevermind that Grady/Emory aren't competing with half a dozen of the world's best public and private hospitals for patients.

I'd take Boston every day of the week over Atlanta, though.

Lol. Yes very true. Emory> Boston

 

[dahassa]

This pretty much summarizes how I feel. I LOVED Emory but there's something about the city of Boston...

Emory has a lot more opportunities. I would def say Emory>BU. Both in terms of reputation and research opportunities. In addition, Emory has Grady and a dozen other hospitals in Atl. A lot of the big hospitals are Emory affiliates. Boston, on the other hand, has several medical schools in one city.

Boston>Atl for sure. The transit system is better and it just has a very New England charm to it. Atlanta, on the other hand, doesn't feel that southern (especially compared to Charleston or Savannah). It's a metropolitan type city. By far the largest metropolitan area in the SE and I believe even larger than Boston. However, you need a car in Atlanta. Boston is very cold and Atlanta has mild winters. But Atlanta is very hot in the summer, but honestly, Boston can have some bad summer days too.

 

[HeartArtist]

Boston is little bit more user friendly as a city IMO (disregarding the drivers...). Easier to get around, more walkable, etc. Living in ATL without a car would be tough if you wanted to get around the city much.

Also consider how you feel about the weather. Boston is chilly in winter, but Atlanta is hot as **** in the summer.


If I were just counting living considerations I'd choose Boston anyday, but I'd probably go to Emory over BU (but admittedly I don't know much about BU).

I have to disagree. I am finishing up at Georgia State University, about a mile from Grady. I live in Buckhead, pay $755/mo for a brand new apartment (I'm the 1st to live in my unit), I walk 7 mins to the Marta Station, take train 15 min to downtown and walk to my campus in 5 mins from the station. If you live in the suburbs of Atl, yes you will need a car (I recommend one anywhere you live personally), but you can definitely stay in a work-live community with restaurants, bars, pub transpo, market, etc within walking distance. Midtown, Buckhead, and Downtown Atl are all possibilities. Also, I hear MARTA will be building a new train line directly to Emory but not sure when they will break ground. Again, from my apt I walk to the corner, take the #6 bus and it drops me off directly in front of Emory Hospital in about 15-20.

Summers are humid and suck to be outside, but thats why God made a/c 😀
Overall, Atl is a great place to say with relatively lower cost of living. I am interviewing at Tufts soon, and upon looking at studios anywhere around Boston, I was shocked at the prices! Best I saw was $1000/mo and it looked like crap. And nothing has parking! In Atl, I have gated/garaged parking at no extra cost. Guess I've been spoiled lol.

Oh, and Emory has two hospitals in addition to Grady. Emory Midtown Hospital is like 7 min walk from the train station. Grady about a 10-15 min walk, but you may be able to take a bus from the train station to the hospital, not sure. And if you wanted to avoid a bus/train transfer, many train stations have free parking. My monthly MARTA pass, good for unlimited bus/train rides, is only $61 with my student discount. Thats pretty damn good.

 

[mcloaf]

I have to disagree. I am finishing up at Georgia State University, about a mile from Grady. I live in Buckhead, pay $755/mo for a brand new apartment (I'm the 1st to live in my unit), I walk 7 mins to the Marta Station, take train 15 min to downtown and walk to my campus in 5 mins from the station. If you live in the suburbs of Atl, yes you will need a car (I recommend one anywhere you live personally), but you can definitely stay in a work-live community with restaurants, bars, pub transpo, market, etc within walking distance. Midtown, Buckhead, and Downtown Atl are all possibilities. Also, I hear MARTA will be building a new train line directly to Emory but not sure when they will break ground. Again, from my apt I walk to the corner, take the #6 bus and it drops me off directly in front of Emory Hospital in about 15-20.

Summers are humid and suck to be outside, but thats why God made a/c 😀
Overall, Atl is a great place to say with relatively lower cost of living. I am interviewing at Tufts soon, and upon looking at studios anywhere around Boston, I was shocked at the prices! Best I saw was $1000/mo and it looked like crap. And nothing has parking! In Atl, I have gated/garaged parking at no extra cost. Guess I've been spoiled lol.

Oh, and Emory has two hospitals in addition to Grady. Emory Midtown Hospital is like 7 min walk from the train station. Grady about a 10-15 min walk, but you may be able to take a bus from the train station to the hospital, not sure. And if you wanted to avoid a bus/train transfer, many train stations have free parking. My monthly MARTA pass, good for unlimited bus/train rides, is only $61 with my student discount. Thats pretty damn good.

Everyone I know who lives in Atlanta has told me that if you want to enjoy the city a car is almost a necessity. This is also the impression I've gotten from visiting them and riding around the city.

I guess it depends on how patient you are and what you consider convenient. I live in Seattle and I think public transit here sucks, but I have friends who would tell you the opposite. This is also highly dependent on the neighborhood in which you choose to live and the areas of the city you're trying to get to on a regular basis--I would assume the same is true in ATL.

 

[90minIPA]

Emory MS3 here.

I spent most of my life in Boston and moved to Atlanta for med school and actually had to make this same decision during my admissions cycle.

Regarding travel, I think it's a toss up. BU med isn't really in an easily accessed or abundantly safe part of town, so you'll probably end up driving or riding your bike anyway. That being said, you can get to most parts of Boston on the MBTA, whereas much of ATL is (practically) inaccesible by MARTA. Full disclosure: I strongly dislike the MBTA, as I relied on it for >8 years and hated every minute of it. It's been a relief to drive my car around ATL, so I may be a bit biased 😳. In my experience, traffic in ATL is not as bad as NYC, boston, DC, or philly. People in the south just complain about it because traffic is practically nonexistent in the suburbs 😛.

While you can get around Atlanta without a car during M1 & M2, you'll probably need one by M3 at Emory, because a) you'll need to be at the hospital at strange times that dont coincide with marta service and b) your primary care preceptor will likely be in a neighboring town ~25 minutes away by car.

Re: Atlanta vs Boston, I think they're both great cities with different charms. Atlanta seems to have more young professionals (read: yuppies) and a bit more of an active social scene than I saw in Boston. There's always a handful of pub crawls, city-wide sports leagues, neighborhood festivals, etc going on in ATL. Boston isn't so much known for its social scene as it is for national landmarks, pro-sports scene, universities, overall wealth & influence, and its practically invincible job market. You can definitely have a solid social life in Boston given the sheer # of students, but it's a different vibe altogether than ATL.

There's a significant contingent of Bostonians at Emory, probably 12-15 per class and many more faculty. I personally don't miss anything from Boston and enjoy the much milder weather down here, but I could see how some poeple might prefer the Boston atmosphere. FWIW, more people moved to Atlanta last year than any other city in the US, and the renter-friendly housing market reflects this. There's a multitude of brand new apartment complexes popping up all over town, it's reminiscent of the Fairfax VA/metro DC area in terms of housing options, but with lower prices. As you can tell, I have a bias for the southeast US, but I figured I'd just chime in and cut ATL some slack 😉👍.

 

[Geebeejay]

This would be a reason to choose Emory.

Heh....don't know much about Emory. Good to know

 

[synecdoche]

Emory MS3 here.

I spent most of my life in Boston and moved to Atlanta for med school and actually had to make this same decision during my admissions cycle.

Regarding travel, I think it's a toss up. BU med isn't really in an easily accessed or abundantly safe part of town, so you'll probably end up driving or riding your bike anyway. That being said, you can get to most parts of Boston on the MBTA, whereas much of ATL is (practically) inaccesible by MARTA. Full disclosure: I strongly dislike the MBTA, as I relied on it for >8 years and hated every minute of it. It's been a relief to drive my car around ATL, so I may be a bit biased 😳. In my experience, traffic in ATL is not as bad as NYC, boston, DC, or philly. People in the south just complain about it because traffic is practically nonexistent in the suburbs 😛.

While you can get around Atlanta without a car during M1 & M2, you'll probably need one by M3 at Emory, because a) you'll need to be at the hospital at strange times that dont coincide with marta service and b) your primary care preceptor will likely be in a neighboring town ~25 minutes away by car.

Re: Atlanta vs Boston, I think they're both great cities with different charms. Atlanta seems to have more young professionals (read: yuppies) and a bit more of an active social scene than I saw in Boston. There's always a handful of pub crawls, city-wide sports leagues, neighborhood festivals, etc going on in ATL. Boston isn't so much known for its social scene as it is for national landmarks, pro-sports scene, universities, overall wealth & influence, and its practically invincible job market. You can definitely have a solid social life in Boston given the sheer # of students, but it's a different vibe altogether than ATL.

There's a significant contingent of Bostonians at Emory, probably 12-15 per class and many more faculty. I personally don't miss anything from Boston and enjoy the much milder weather down here, but I could see how some poeple might prefer the Boston atmosphere. FWIW, more people moved to Atlanta last year than any other city in the US, and the renter-friendly housing market reflects this. There's a multitude of brand new apartment complexes popping up all over town, it's reminiscent of the Fairfax VA/metro DC area in terms of housing options, but with lower prices. As you can tell, I have a bias for the southeast US, but I figured I'd just chime in and cut ATL some slack 😉👍.

Wow, thank you for this! If you don't mind me asking, where are you hoping to be for your residency? Atlanta, back home, somewhere new?

 

[90minIPA]

Wow, thank you for this! If you don't mind me asking, where are you hoping to be for your residency? Atlanta, back home, somewhere new?

Good question, I'm really not sure yet. I'll probably apply mostly to NE & SE programs, maybe test the west coast w/ a sub-i and apply if I like it out there. If I had to place a bet though, I'll probably end up choosing to stay in the SE. I like the people, weather, quality/cost of living, and having mountains, lakes, and beach all within ~3-5 hrs of each other is a nice perk. Couldn't ask for much more, IMO.

 

[HeartArtist]

Everyone I know who lives in Atlanta has told me that if you want to enjoy the city a car is almost a necessity. This is also the impression I've gotten from visiting them and riding around the city.

I guess it depends on how patient you are and what you consider convenient. I live in Seattle and I think public transit here sucks, but I have friends who would tell you the opposite. This is also highly dependent on the neighborhood in which you choose to live and the areas of the city you're trying to get to on a regular basis--I would assume the same is true in ATL.

You're right about needing a car "to enjoy the city." Although going from downtown, midtown and buckhead by cab is really easy. We also have Zip Cars parked around atlanta, you pay a membership fee, fairly cheap I believe, and you can rent the car for hours, days etc, and insurance and gas are included in rental fee.

I was more so thinking that one would have very little time to "enjoy the city" during med school at emory lol. I live not far from the university and those M1-M2's LIVE at the coffee shop. But ya, I'd say it's ideal to have a car in Atl.

 

[synecdoche]

Good question, I'm really not sure yet. I'll probably apply mostly to NE & SE programs, maybe test the west coast w/ a sub-i and apply if I like it out there. If I had to place a bet though, I'll probably end up choosing to stay in the SE. I like the people, weather, quality/cost of living, and having mountains, lakes, and beach all within ~3-5 hrs of each other is a nice perk. Couldn't ask for much more, IMO.

Are most of your classmates from the southeast? I noticed from last year's match list that nearly half the class stayed somewhere in the southeast for residency.