Help deciding which med school?

[pushkin]

Hi folks,

I am trying to choose between three med schools. First let me say that I was hesitant to post this thread because I feel like all the schools are amazing places and I will be happy and fortunate attending any one of them. And yet, I can't make up my mind--the schools are all very different and I'm really struggling over this. Also I'm a non-trad and somewhat older than most upcoming first years--and I guess I feel like it is now or never for me to make the right decisions about my life!

Anyway, I'm trying to decide between Hopkins, Cornell, and UCLA. Here are my thoughts on each one:

Hopkins: great school with endless research opportunities and great clinical education. Also an excellent public health program (I probably will do an MPH). But Baltimore? I don't know anyone there and I wonder how much fun my life would be there. (However, I don't mind the part of Baltimore that the school's in--I see this as an opportunity, actually). Also, I think Hopkins is quite lecture heavy and they have a graded curriculum.

Cornell: I LOVE New York City and have friends there. Plus they have PBL and a mostly pass/fail curriculum. Clinical years are spent throughout all the boroughs so students don't just see Upper East Side patients. But there's no public health school.

UCLA: seemed quite relaxed, and I would love living in Los Angeles because of the climate and scenery. Also a great place for clinical experience and for public health. I can see myself wanting to go there for residency as well (possibly in emergency med), though of course this isn't for sure. Still, being there for med school might be an advantage.

Right now I live in Minnesota, and so wherever I go I'm going to have to start up a whole new social life. That's fine--I'm looking forward to it! I'm 32, single, female--and outgoing, so I will be excited to make new friends. I just don't quite know which factors will end up playing the greatest role in determining my quality of life for the next 4 or 5 years. I've heard that I might meet so many new people through med school itself that the actual city won't be that much of an issue. Then again, I've heard that I should pick the school based mainly on the location. Can anyone help me in sorting out these factors? Does anyone want to comment on the schools?

Thanks!

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[efex101]

It sounds like Cornell is the one you would be happiest at...and the MPH can be done anywhere..meaning that you could go and do the MPH somewhere else although yes this would entail moving for one year... there are also many folks that are doing MPH during residency years just fyi.

 

[jamie]

One thing to consider about each place is cost. I imagine that Hopkins and Cornell are not cheap (and neither is it cheap to live in NYC). UCLA is probably also expensive if you're out of state. Having just had my financial aid interview, I am VERY happy I chose my school (with scholarship) over my first choice -- it's the difference between $60k and $200k in debt.

I know the schools are pretty different, but they all have good things to offer. In the end, it's only 4 years of your life and you'll have an M.D. either way. Go where you think you'll be happiest.

 

[klubguts]

All of those places are great med schools and you can get a good residency out of any of them. As a fellow nontrad who has almost finished med school and just matched for residency, i understand this dilemma and it came down to location for me. Being close to friends and family is important IMHO, because there will be times when you need to vent or just go out and grab a beer with some "nonmedical" type of people. Making these types of decisions is really difficult, but i agree with jamie...go where you think you will be most happy (i.e. the "gut instinct") and don't look back...good luck.

 

[doc05]

for a nontrad, NY or LA would be better than Baltimore.

Cornell may not have a public health school, but Columbia does, and it's only about a half hour away.

good luck w/your decision.

 

[quideam]

Also, Cornell sponsors 2 people every year to get a subsidized (read: no tuition, plus, I believe, a stipend) MPH at Columbia between their 3rd and 4th years. That aside, whether or not a med school has it's own school of public health doesn't really matter; you can take a year off between 3rd and 4th and get an MPH at any school you want (and can get accepted to).

Good Luck!

(By the way, I go to Cornell Med, so feel free to PM me with any questions. Are you coming to the second-look weekend? If so, that might help you with your decision!).

Quid

 

[pushkin]

Thanks! This has helped me a lot. It got me to realize that my head is telling me to go to Hopkins, while my heart is saying I should go to Cornell. I'm not sure which part of me is leaning toward UCLA--although my wish to learn to surf is definitely a big part of it.

I still haven't made up my mind, but I'm leaning more towards Cornell. I'll follow up on that PM invitation, by the way!

Thanks again. If anyone else wants to chime in, feel free!