Good School, Good Location?

[lindtchocolate]

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Hey Guys! Now that application season is approaching, I am trying to formulate a list of schools I would like to apply to. For me, it's really important to be in a school that is academically strong, but also in a location where I would like to spend four years of life. In saying good location I don't just mean places with amazing weather like sunny California, or somewhere in the Caribbean, but instead safe and fun cities/neighborhoods.

Could current med students/premeds comment with more insight into the city and especially neighborhood of schools they go to or have visited? Including factors like cost of living, safety, fun-ness, and the quality of public transport system would be very helpful. Also, could mention your level of familiarity with the school/area you are commenting about?

Hopefully, this will create a resource that current and future applicants will find to be helpful.

 

[rhesuspieces]

I interviewed at Columbia a couple weeks ago and found nothing objectionable about Washington Heights. The medical complex is so huge that you could probably live your entire life without venturing into the nearby neighborhood. It's so far uptown that you'll get a nosebleed, but you can get to midtown/downtown pretty quickly on the 1. Mmmcdowe can probably comment more on the social aspect of the neighborhood since he's the resident Columbia expert.

 

[Mbeas]

Hey Guys! Now that application season is approaching,...

meh...sort of

rhesuspieces: thank you for the stress relief 😀

 

[Barcu]

Washington DC- George Washington and Georgetown. Both are in very nice areas of the city.

Philly is good too. UPenn is not in the nicest area, but I visited a friend there (and talked to them about safety), and it doesn't seem bad. Some of the other Philly schools (Jefferson, Temple, PCOM, Drexel) are also good to check out. Philly is a cool city.

JHU is in a pretty rough neck of the woods. And you hear some stories every now and then of a doc getting caught up in the violence.

I am not too familiar with the New York schools locations, but that is a fun city.

The winner may be Chicago, however. Northwestern's location cannot be beat. UChicago is ok. Rush and UIC are in pretty central locations as well. Rosalind Franklin is a bit outside the city. And I am unfamiliar with Loyola's location.

Really, choose a major city you would like to spend time in, and you will find a med school to apply to.

 

[rtm903]

meh...sort of

rhesuspieces: thank you for the stress relief 😀

that video was absolutely fantastic. made my day.

 

[IlDestriero]

You may not like Palo Alto considering you seem to want a city experience. Stanford's quite suburban and farther than you think from San Francisico nightlife. The Bart train hours are not the best either. You'll spend big $$ getting a cab back if you don't drive. And of course, if your going out to party and let loose, you're not going to want to drive.
Look at UCSF if you're really a baller.
Penn (university city area) is also quite safe, and adjacent to the best part of Philly.
I am quite familiar with both areas.

 

[slatermd]

The winner may be Chicago, however. Northwestern's location cannot be beat. UChicago is ok. Rush and UIC are in pretty central locations as well. Rosalind Franklin is a bit outside the city. And I am unfamiliar with Loyola's location.

Chicago rocks. Loyola's med school is west of the city, technically in Maywood. The area directly around the medical campus is a little ghetto, but it is quite close to Forest Park and Oak Park (5 minute drive, 15 minute walk), which are nice/fun where a lot of Loyola med students live. You would be a 15 minute train ride from the heart of downtown Chicago.

You can make your own judgments on the schools, IMO Northwestern and U of Chicago are a little stuffy and faux ivy league. They are considerably more selective than Loyola as far as average credentials (see MSAR, but we're basically talking average MCAT of 36 and 37 for NW and UofC [respectively] vs 32 for Loyola); however Loyola receives over 10,000 applications for 150 seats; the other schools receive about 6500. Loyola is very down to earth. Like every med school they talk about early and outstanding clinical experience; I do know that their grads tend to be very well-prepared for their intern year.

Now, I will tell you my next comment carries extreme bias so you may just want to ignore it. I am from Michigan and my mom is a nurse at University of Michigan. I love the state of Michigan, particularly the northwest coast along Lake Michigan - amazing sand dunes, great beaches, camping, etc. This stuff is a good 4 hour drive from U of M, but you could eek out some pretty great travel during breaks. While Ann Arbor is nothing like Chicago, it is an awesome place in its own way, with a decent amount of stuff to do. I have heard a few attendings describe UMich as "a premier medical school," obviously you'd have to check out whether or not it is a good fit for you.

It's taken me a few years to get used to Chicago coming from Michigan but they are both great places.

 

[WingedOx]

Washington DC- George Washington and Georgetown. Both are in very nice areas of the city.

Philly is good too. UPenn is not in the nicest area, but I visited a friend there (and talked to them about safety), and it doesn't seem bad. Some of the other Philly schools (Jefferson, Temple, PCOM, Drexel) are also good to check out. Philly is a cool city.

JHU is in a pretty rough neck of the woods. And you hear some stories every now and then of a doc getting caught up in the violence.

I am not too familiar with the New York schools locations, but that is a fun city.

The winner may be Chicago, however. Northwestern's location cannot be beat. UChicago is ok. Rush and UIC are in pretty central locations as well. Rosalind Franklin is a bit outside the city. And I am unfamiliar with Loyola's location.

Really, choose a major city you would like to spend time in, and you will find a med school to apply to.

Philly: Penn's area is perfectly fine. If anything rents are actually a bit more pricey in eastern UCity than Center City because of all the spoiled UPenn undergrads driving up prices. Jefferson is right in Washington West, which is a great part of town. Temple is in an ugly part of North Philly but only a few students live anywhere near campus. Most live in Manayunk and drive in or ride the subway up from Wash West. I've never felt unsafe around their campus though... the place is so lit up you'd think it's daylight at midnight. Drexel's preclinical years are out in upper East Falls which is a pretty dead residential area, but HUH where the majority of 3rd year rotations are set at is right in a busy part of town.

Baltimore: Hopkins isn't the greatest neighborhood, but IMHO it's not as bad as people make it out to be. Fells Pointe is just a few blocks south of campus, which is a nice gentrified area of the City. UMaryland is in Camden which is a pretty nice part of the city.

DC: GW is in a nice safe area of town, but it's also a pretty boring part of town as well. There really is nothing near campus. Georgetown is a cool neighborhood but way too expensive for what you get. (I've never been a big fan of DC for med school, honestly. Rent in Arlington is more expensive than what I pay for in center city philly).

 

[Ilovewater]

Philly is great! Jefferson probably has the best location out of all the Philly schools since it's in Center City. UPenn's location isn't bad as long as you don't go too far west. Temple is probably in the worst area considering its location in North Philly.

And, JHU is definitely in a rough neighborhood....

 

[Barcu]

DC: GW is in a nice safe area of town, but it's also a pretty boring part of town as well. There really is nothing near campus. Georgetown is a cool neighborhood but way too expensive for what you get. (I've never been a big fan of DC for med school, honestly. Rent in Arlington is more expensive than what I pay for in center city philly).

Except the National Mall a couple blocks away, complete with the White House, Capital, and many free museums?

I guess if you find that boring, but I love that stuff. Free museums (and interesting ones too) are great.

Plus, the metro system in DC is good (and GW is it's own stop). But, one of the pitfalls of Georgetown is that the metro does not go there.

The major problem with DC is that it is VERY expensive.

 

[NickNaylor]

What does good mean?

 

[WingedOx]

Except the National Mall a couple blocks away, complete with the White House, Capital, and many free museums?

I guess if you find that boring, but I love that stuff. Free museums (and interesting ones too) are great.

Plus, the metro system in DC is good (and GW is it's own stop). But, one of the pitfalls of Georgetown is that the metro does not go there.

The major problem with DC is that it is VERY expensive.

sure, but how many times are you REALLY going to hit up the museums? probably not a lot more than I have living in Philly.

...and as you said, what you save in museum admission fees you make up by overpaying on nearly everything else to live in a city surrounded by d-bag former poli-sci majors.

 

[Barcu]

sure, but how many times are you REALLY going to hit up the museums? probably not a lot more than I have living in Philly.

...and as you said, what you save in museum admission fees you make up by overpaying on nearly everything else to live in a city surrounded by d-bag former poli-sci majors.

Touche.

Still, DC has some great opportunities that are pretty accessible within reach of both GW and Gtown. DC seems like one of those hit-or-miss cities to people. I have spent a lot of time there, and I love it.

Something for the OP to consider.

 

[lindtchocolate]

Thanks for the input, guys.

 

[Geneticist]

What does good mean?

• having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified; "good news from the hospital"; "a good report card"; "when she was good she was very very good"; "a good knife is one good for cutting"; "this stump will make a good picnic table"; "a good check"; "a good ...
• full: having the normally expected amount; "gives full measure"; "gives good measure"; "a good mile from here"
• morally admirable
• estimable: deserving of esteem and respect; "all respectable companies give guarantees"; "ruined the family's good name"
• beneficial: promoting or enhancing well-being; "an arms limitation agreement beneficial to all countries"; "the beneficial effects of a temperate climate"; "the experience was good for her"
• agreeable or pleasing; "we all had a good time"; "good manners"
• of moral excellence; "a genuinely good person"; "a just cause"; "an upright and respectable man"
• adept: having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude; "adept in handicrafts"; "an adept juggler"; "an expert job"; "a good mechanic"; "a practiced marksman"; "a proficient engineer"; "a lesser-known but no less skillful composer"; "the effect was achieved by skillful retouching"
• dear: with or in a close or intimate relationship; "a good friend"; "my sisters and brothers are near and dear"
• dependable: financially sound; "a good investment"; "a secure investment"
• most suitable or right for a particular purpose; "a good time to plant tomatoes"; "the right time to act"; "the time is ripe for great sociological changes"
• resulting favorably; "it's a good thing that I wasn't there"; "it is good that you stayed"; "it is well that no one saw you"; "all's well that ends well"
• effective: exerting force or influence; "the law is effective immediately"; "a warranty good for two years"; "the law is already in effect (or in force)"
• capable of pleasing; "good looks"
• appealing to the mind; "good music"; "a serious book"

 

[Political]

Thanks for the input, guys. The DC area was kind of off my radar, so nice to know more about that.
Does anyone know about the Boston and NYC schools? And Yale and Brown?

I dont know too much about campus life in medical schools in nyc, but i've lived in nyc for most of my life and its pretty amazing, theres always things to do, and although some people here are somewhat stuck up, the vast majority of people are extremely helpful and are very nice. Depending on where you live it can get a bit noisy; esp. if you go to Albert Einstein (generally avoid the bronx xD) and only downside is the weather; its pretty extreme. Harsh winters and brutal summers, but in all, nyc is a pretty awesome place to live, and, fyi, if you want cheap and amazing sandwiches go by the deli's near brooklyn hospital on dekalb ave and flatbush right by brooklyn tech; single awesomest food ever!

 

[DancingThruLife]

As has been previously mentioned, most of the Chicago schools are in good locations. NU, UIC, Rush are all really close to the loop (downtown) and are very safe campuses.

Philly:
UPenn: There is a lot of a campus police patrolling on bicycles, cars, etc. on the actual campus and in the surrounding area. I would definitely not go west of ~44th or 45th and would stay in between the Pine and Chestnut sts.
Temple: Most people live in Center City. As someone else mentioned, the whole campus is lit with what appears to be stadium-lighting, so it looks like daytime in the night.
Jefferson: Best location. Center city, right next to the "gayborhood" and Market East station, Reading Market, etc.

Columbia: That area of the heights is not that bad. Once you start going past 177th-ish, it starts getting a little rough. Both the A and the 1 train are on campus. I know students that live in the surrounding area and they feel relatively safe (there are lot of businesses on St. Nick/Broadway and Amsterdam).

Source: I either lived in the city or have friends who live there.

Hope this helps!

 

[vivalavie]

For Yale... I've heard New Haven is rough. Undergrads stay on campus which is rigorously patrolled, but 43 percent feel unsafe by the medical school and 74 percent feel unsafe elsewhere in New Haven.

Source: http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2009/sep/15/safety-in-new-haven-a-tale-of-two-cities/

So, the area around JHU med school is kind of rough, but Baltimore itself is a pretty cool place if you're willing to explore and there are safe (and some beautiful) places to live by the school. The inner harbor gets old fast but fells point is fun, no shortage of bars and some good places to eat.

NY schools are kind of hit or miss. NYU probably has the best location as the only Manhattan school that's downtown. Mt. Sinai is on the upper east side which IMHO is kind of lame, but very safe (and expensive). Columbia's pretty far removed from what I consider the city, but you can always grab a subway downtown, that neighborhood's not great but it's not that bad. Einstein is actually in a decent part of the bronx, but not much around there and an hour away from downtown. SUNY downstate's in kind of a rough area of Brooklyn but most students live in Park Slope, which is awesome, and reasonably close to downtown NY.

 

[lindtchocolate]

Thanks everyone! Just wondering - Is the location/safety of a school a "legit" concern when deciding a school, or is it more something people learn to get over or get used to? Obviously, there's no right or wrong answer to this question, but I'd be interested in knowing what people think. For example, I see a lot of people really interested in going to JHU because of the good name and quality of education. Do they just "ignore" the fact that so much crime happens in the area?

Also, how is Cornell's location in comparison to Sinai's?

 

[NickNaylor]

Thanks everyone! Just wondering - Is the location/safety of a school a "legit" concern when deciding a school, or is it more something people learn to get over or get used to? Obviously, there's no right or wrong answer to this question, but I'd be interested in knowing what people think. For example, I see a lot of people really interested in going to JHU because of the good name and quality of education. Do they just "ignore" the fact that so much crime happens in the area?

Also, how is Cornell's location in comparison to Sinai's?

Haven't been to Sinai, but Cornell is pretty posh. The area is really nice.

 

[vivalavie]

Haven't been to Sinai, but Cornell is pretty posh. The area is really nice.

I used to work right there, it's similar, lots of nice, new buildings and generic shops. Kind of stuffy, not much personality but expensive and nice.

 

[mauberley]

Thanks everyone! Just wondering - Is the location/safety of a school a "legit" concern when deciding a school, or is it more something people learn to get over or get used to? Obviously, there's no right or wrong answer to this question, but I'd be interested in knowing what people think. For example, I see a lot of people really interested in going to JHU because of the good name and quality of education. Do they just "ignore" the fact that so much crime happens in the area?

Also, how is Cornell's location in comparison to Sinai's?

I think it's very much a legitimate concern, but more for late hours than during the day. Schools may try to mitigate this somewhat, usually through late-night arranged transportation options. That having been said, crime will happen even in nice neighborhoods, so regardless of your location, it will serve you well to learn how to minimize your risk of being a crime victim.

As for Cornell vs. Sinai, my issue is that Cornell's too far from the 6 train.

 

[NickNaylor]

I think it's very much a legitimate concern, but more for late hours than during the day. Schools may try to mitigate this somewhat, usually through late-night arranged transportation options. That having been said, crime will happen even in nice neighborhoods, so regardless of your location, it will serve you well to learn how to minimize your risk of being a crime victim.

As for Cornell vs. Sinai, my issue is that Cornell's too far from the 6 train.

Agree with the last bit. The closest station is about a 10 minute walk away.

 

[235009]

Columbia:

Having gone to school and worked at columbia med center for 2 yrs i can tell you that during work hours (9-5) the area is extremely safe, however at night it can get very creepy. There is a homeless shelter literally across the street from the hospital/med school with ....unsavory individuals...roaming around infront of the building and constantly begging for money (even during work hours).

Aside from the safety aspect the location is really pretty bad.....the A train runs local at night (after 11:30) and the 1 is always local so if you're planning on going out at night you will find yourself dropping $20+ on a cab to get home if you want to hang out downtown. Also during rush hour the express train tends to get backed up and slow down to a crawl (i used to commute from midtown east every day and it took at least 1 hour for subway + crosstown bus)

All that being said, it's a great med school and obviously few people find that these negatives outweigh the positives. Personally I would do my residency there in a heartbeat and would have continued working there had I not gone to med school.

 

[ElChamaco]

Philly:
UPenn: There is a lot of a campus police patrolling on bicycles, cars, etc. on the actual campus and in the surrounding area. I would definitely not go west of ~44th or 45th and would stay in between the Pine and Chestnut sts.
Temple: Most people live in Center City. As someone else mentioned, the whole campus is lit with what appears to be stadium-lighting, so it looks like daytime in the night.
Jefferson: Best location. Center city, right next to the "gayborhood" and Market East station, Reading Market, etc.

Hope this helps!

I'm sorry to interject, but this is ridiculous advice that is often proclaimed by people who are unfamiliar with Philadelphia or are petrified of their shadows. No need to contribute to the culture of fear saturating new Penn arrivals. Not to mention the fact that your boundaries are essentially Penn's campus plus 4 blocks west. You even have to cross chestnut if you plan on getting to the El (Philly's subway). God forbid you have friends at Drexel University and have to even cross Market street! 🙄

The best pizza in Philadelphia is served at a microbrewery on 50th and Baltimore (which is both south of Pine and West of 45th). It can get a little scary here though when all the hipsters start coming out.

There is a whole stretch of Baltimore Ave, in fact, that is saturated with restaurants and bars. One of the nicest local parks in the area is on Baltimore (Clark Park). Another great Mexican restaurant is even further west at the start of Upper Darby, a little past the 69th street terminal.

Please no one listen to this advice. You will find many people in Philly who are unreasonably scared of the city and who devise arbitrary frontiers of safety.

 

[Brachyury]

Another source to look at is the Princeton Review's ranking of 'Best College Towns'

1. Columbia, NYC
2. Barnard, NYC
3. New School, NYC
4. NYU, NYC
5. GWU, DC
6. University of San Francisco, SF
7. University of Texas at Austin, Austin
8. Emerson College, Boston
9. American University, DC
10. Georgetown, DC
11. Tulane, NOLA
12. Stevenson Insitute of Technology, somewhere in Jersey
13. Northeastern, Boston
14. McGill, Montreal
15. College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
16. University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder
17. BU, Boston
18. University of San Diego, SD
19. DePaul University, Chicago
20. Cooper Union, NYC

 

[235009]

Another source to look at is the Princeton Review's ranking of 'Best College Towns'

1. Columbia, NYC

u do realize that the columbia undergrad campus isn't in the same area as the med school right?

 

[lindtchocolate]

Hey Guys! I just came across this website, thought you all might find it interesting - www.findyourspot.com. It basically is a questionnaire that figures out what places in the US suit your needs. It's more about place to live long term, but I guess it works for med schools too.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

It seems like you're only considering northern schools, but there are a few down south that I know from undergrad are in nice areas. Vanderbilt and Emory have wonderful schools and are in nice parts of Nashville and Atlanta respectively.

I have also heard that Pittsburgh is a pretty cool city as well, so Pitt is an option in the top tier. Houston is supposed to be a decent city, and Baylor is a top school there as well. I didn't visit those places for undergrad, but I know a few people from each that have spoken highly of those programs/cities.

 

[lindtchocolate]

It seems like you're only considering northern schools, but there are a few down south that I know from undergrad are in nice areas. Vanderbilt and Emory have wonderful schools and are in nice parts of Nashville and Atlanta respectively.

I have also heard that Pittsburgh is a pretty cool city as well, so Pitt is an option in the top tier. Houston is supposed to be a decent city, and Baylor is a top school there as well. I didn't visit those places for undergrad, but I know a few people from each that have spoken highly of those programs/cities.

Actually, yes, I would like to know more about the schools you mentioned here. Especially Baylor - It seems to be academically strong, and the price makes it REALLY attractive. However, from what I have heard, Baylor's ranking has been dropping in recent years. What is the reason for this?

 

[MilkmanAl]

Just FYI, every med school is "academically strong." You're not going to go wrong in that respect, so just pick a place you want to be that has reasonable tuition. Problem solved.

 

[mvenus929]

Another source to look at is the Princeton Review's ranking of 'Best College Towns'

15. College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
16. University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder

Those two are party schools. Also, Boulder doesn't have a medical school associated with it; the medical school for CU is in Aurora. Pretty sure MUSC isn't associated with CoC, but it might be.

If you're looking to get out of the city a little, take a look at UVA. It's really quiet, but there's still a lot to do (free concerts during the summer, plenty of bars, and the medical school is really active). The crime rate is really low, and there's lots and lots of restaurants here.

 

[2012mdc]

It seems like you're only considering northern schools, but there are a few down south that I know from undergrad are in nice areas. Vanderbilt and Emory have wonderful schools and are in nice parts of Nashville and Atlanta respectively.

I have also heard that Pittsburgh is a pretty cool city as well, so Pitt is an option in the top tier. Houston is supposed to be a decent city, and Baylor is a top school there as well. I didn't visit those places for undergrad, but I know a few people from each that have spoken highly of those programs/cities.

The area around Emory is nice but the area around Grady Hospital isn't terrible, it's not great either. The parking deck is close to the hospital but I wouldn't make the walk alone at night if I were female. Never heard of anything happening though

 

[mauberley]

Should you find yourself considering one of the Wisconsin schools (UW-Madison or the Medical College of Wisconsin), both Madison and Milwaukee are fine areas to live. Both are quite affordable for med students. If you're more of the (politically) progressive type, you will be quite at home in Madison (although there's a Republican serving as governor now 🙂). Or even if you're not, the Wisconsin campus is in a good neighborhood with the amenities you would expect for a college town. Overall, Madison's a very safe and clean town.

Milwaukee has its gritty parts, but it has a lot going for it. Pretty good food and drink options available and the summers are packed with festivals from Summerfest to the various ethnic festivals (German, Irish, and Polish, to name a few). From the Medical College's campus, it's a short drive to get to downtown Milwaukee, the surrounding suburbs, or even rural Wisconsin. Chicago is also a very convenient 90-minute ride on the Amtrak if you want to do daytrips to a larger city.

Since Wisconsin's a state school, they do prefer in-state applicants. MCW is private, with roughly half in-state and half-out-of-state students composing the student body, with California applicants being the majority of out of staters.

 

[bucks2010]

I found Charleston to be a very quaint city when I visited. It's very small but depending on where you go, it's pretty nice. MUSC is only a few minutes from the bar/restaurant district. Housing probably costs out the nose but I don't know for sure.

 

[loljkttyl]

Actually, yes, I would like to know more about the schools you mentioned here. Especially Baylor - It seems to be academically strong, and the price makes it REALLY attractive. However, from what I have heard, Baylor's ranking has been dropping in recent years. What is the reason for this?

This has been discussed on prior threads. Baylor used to include research money from MD Anderson even though it was principally affiliated with UTSW. UTSW called them out on this, and the president agreed to no longer include this research money.

 

[Brachyury]

Those two are party schools. Also, Boulder doesn't have a medical school associated with it; the medical school for CU is in Aurora. Pretty sure MUSC isn't associated with CoC, but it might be.

If you're looking to get out of the city a little, take a look at UVA. It's really quiet, but there's still a lot to do (free concerts during the summer, plenty of bars, and the medical school is really active). The crime rate is really low, and there's lots and lots of restaurants here.

Well, duh. You made the same mistak SkinMD did: I just posted a list from Princeton Review of what they consider to be the best undergads based on location.

 

[mvenus929]

Well, duh. You made the same mistak SkinMD did: I just posted a list from Princeton Review of what they consider to be the best undergads based on location.

Yes, I'm well aware of what you posted (since you started the list with colleges, not medical schools), but since this is a discussion of med school locations, I figured I should clarify that for someone who was reading your list but wasn't aware that the two locations are separate. Lord knows I get that all the time when I say I went to CU undergrad (I didn't go to Boulder).

 

[schrizto]

Pitt!

Pittsburgh has cheap rent, good food, good shopping, and it's a nice city overall. Plus Pitt students can ride the Port Authority for free with their ID card-- I think it applies to medical students as well.

 

[mauberley]

Pitt!

Pittsburgh has cheap rent, good food, good shopping, and it's a nice city overall. Plus Pitt students can ride the Port Authority for free with their ID card-- I think it applies to medical students as well.

👍 Hell yes. Students, staff, and faculty. It's awesome. One of the few things I liked about living/working in Pittsburgh.

 

[Signifier]

Lol @ New Haven. It is pretty sketchy.