Emory vs. Duke vs. MUSC

[sonofthesouth]

Hey all,
I have interviewed at all three of these programs. They will likely be my top three, but I am having difficulty ranking among these programs. What should I know about each of them? What are their distinguishing features? At my interviews, they seemed too similar!

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[freaker]

You think?

Emory was probably the most heavily research based of any of the programs I looked at. MUSC had that component for sure, but not to the point of Emory. They just seemed more clinical at MUSC, and the residents seemed to have more of that focus from my perspective. It seemed like almost no one at Emory was interested in anything but a fellowship after residency.

MUSC uses a night float system in place of call, so you essentially know when you're going to be on. Emory has a more traditional call system going into your third year.

The benefits seem to be better at MUSC than at any other program I visited. They take care of your parking, give you a stipdend for academic uses, as I recall, pay for your healthcare. You also earn extra days off if you round past 1 on the weekends.

There's the fact that all of MUSC's hospitals are all there right together. At Emory, they're spread all over eternity.

At MUSC, you have a metro area of about 450,000 people. At Emory, you're looking at 5-million. You have historical ambience in Charleston combined with the beaches and cuisine of the Low Country. You have a major metropolitan area in Atlanta with all the benefits that come along with that.

There's also the general impressions of the place. I got the impression that MUSC tended to have a more layed back and conservative political bent. Emory seemed far more snooty/liberal in my eyes.

If you're looking at having a family, realize the schools in both areas are sketch. There are places you can find that have good public schools in the areas, but they're pricey. Almost prohibitively pricey around Charleston.

Hope that helps a bit. Others may have a opinions that vary, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling.

I never visited Duke, so I couldn't help you ther.

 

[surftheiop]

You think?

Emory was probably the most heavily research based of any of the programs I looked at. MUSC had that component for sure, but not to the point of Emory. They just seemed more clinical at MUSC, and the residents seemed to have more of that focus from my perspective. It seemed like almost no one at Emory was interested in anything but a fellowship after residency.

MUSC uses a night float system in place of call, so you essentially know when you're going to be on. Emory has a more traditional call system going into your third year.

The benefits seem to be better at MUSC than at any other program I visited. They take care of your parking, give you a stipdend for academic uses, as I recall, pay for your healthcare. You also earn extra days off if you round past 1 on the weekends.

There's the fact that all of MUSC's hospitals are all there right together. At Emory, they're spread all over eternity.

At MUSC, you have a metro area of about 450,000 people. At Emory, you're looking at 5-million. You have historical ambience in Charleston combined with the beaches and cuisine of the Low Country. You have a major metropolitan area in Atlanta with all the benefits that come along with that.

There's also the general impressions of the place. I got the impression that MUSC tended to have a more layed back and conservative political bent. Emory seemed far more snooty/liberal in my eyes.

If you're looking at having a family, realize the schools in both areas are sketch. There are places you can find that have good public schools in the areas, but they're pricey. Almost prohibitively pricey around Charleston.

Hope that helps a bit. Others may have a opinions that vary, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling.

I never visited Duke, so I couldn't help you ther.

I grew up in the charleston area and there are definately some good public schools if you dont actually live in down-town charleston (I went to public elementry, middle and highschool in mount pleasant). Most of Mount Pleasant would be less than 15-30 minute commute to MUSC and I think there are even shuttles to MUSC from a couple shopping centers if you dont feel like driving.

 

[sonofthesouth]

You think?

Emory was probably the most heavily research based of any of the programs I looked at. MUSC had that component for sure, but not to the point of Emory. They just seemed more clinical at MUSC, and the residents seemed to have more of that focus from my perspective. It seemed like almost no one at Emory was interested in anything but a fellowship after residency.

MUSC uses a night float system in place of call, so you essentially know when you're going to be on. Emory has a more traditional call system going into your third year.

The benefits seem to be better at MUSC than at any other program I visited. They take care of your parking, give you a stipdend for academic uses, as I recall, pay for your healthcare. You also earn extra days off if you round past 1 on the weekends.

There's the fact that all of MUSC's hospitals are all there right together. At Emory, they're spread all over eternity.

At MUSC, you have a metro area of about 450,000 people. At Emory, you're looking at 5-million. You have historical ambience in Charleston combined with the beaches and cuisine of the Low Country. You have a major metropolitan area in Atlanta with all the benefits that come along with that.

There's also the general impressions of the place. I got the impression that MUSC tended to have a more layed back and conservative political bent. Emory seemed far more snooty/liberal in my eyes.

If you're looking at having a family, realize the schools in both areas are sketch. There are places you can find that have good public schools in the areas, but they're pricey. Almost prohibitively pricey around Charleston.

Hope that helps a bit. Others may have a opinions that vary, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling.

I never visited Duke, so I couldn't help you ther.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the info. Btw freaker, I think emory just started a nightfloat system this january. Anyone have any info on duke?

 

[YOOOUK09]

I thought Duke was one of the strongest programs I saw anywhere. I got the sense that coming out of there you'd be an excellent psychiatrist. Very strong CBT/therapy training, didactics, & faculty. I really liked the residents and felt like they were smart and really enjoyed psychiatry. They do "work hard" the first two years, but it didn't seem excessive or malignant. Just the opposite, actually. The PD seemed very supportive and has a good rep from people who know her. Durham isn't my favorite city, but when you factor in Raleigh and Chapel Hill there's a lot going on in a close distance (30min or less).

 

[freaker]

I grew up in the charleston area and there are definately some good public schools if you dont actually live in down-town charleston (I went to public elementry, middle and highschool in mount pleasant). Most of Mount Pleasant would be less than 15-30 minute commute to MUSC and I think there are even shuttles to MUSC from a couple shopping centers if you dont feel like driving.

Well, I'll agree that Mount Pleasant schools can be quite excellent. Same thing for Daniel Island. The problem is that I'll have a wife and two kids in school, meaning I'll need a 3-bedroom house at least. I say problem, but it looks like the price of real estate has been diving quite steadily there since I initially started looking. Actually, by a lot.

Just a few months ago I didn't think we could afford Mount Pleasant. It's looking far more favorable now. I've reached the decision I definitely want to buy. With real estate taking a dive along with interest rates, I just think it makes too much sense. Even if values continue to drop, taking a small loss on a house when it comes time to sell is a big profit over losing a ton of money in rent.