How much does location matter to you?

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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SweetRain

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I'm a texas resident and I'll probably go to a texas med school since it's so much cheaper and I have a higher chance of getting in.
But I just can't stand texas...not that I can pay for private schools. How much does the location of med school matter to you?
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SweetRain said:
I'm a texas resident and I'll probably go to a texas med school since it's so much cheaper and I have a higher chance of getting in.
But I just can't stand texas...not that I can pay for private schools. How much does the location of med school matter to you?
Click to expand...

I see what you're saying. I wasn't happy about the prospects of staying in Louisiana, but that's what it's looking like.

Texas schools are ridiculously cheap and you can use that money to go elsewhere for residency. So do you hate everywhere in Texas? It's a big state with schools all over the place.

Location mattered a good bit to me, I only applied to one school where I couldn't really see myself living for 4 years (and I only realized that after the fact). I would pay more to get out for a while, but I'm definitely in the minority on this site.
 
I think location is equally as important as cost. You do not want to be miserable in a place for 4 years. So it was def a Top 3 deciding factor.
 
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SweetRain said:
I'm a texas resident and I'll probably go to a texas med school since it's so much cheaper and I have a higher chance of getting in.
But I just can't stand texas...not that I can pay for private schools. How much does the location of med school matter to you?
Click to expand...

Location is important, however cost is even more important to me personally. I wish I lived in Texas, if you get into one of there schools its easily going to save you a lot. Like last I checked Texas public med schools are 8k- 11k a year. Compare that to 44k a year at other private schools or 22k at my state school.
 
You go wherever the hell you get accepted. Most people don't have the luxury of multiple acceptances but if you're the lucky few no one can tell you what you want except yourself. Sit down and make a list of what you're looking for in a med school/city/if money matters etc and then decide. Asking SDN kids what you should do is like asking a monkey to play chess. You get nothing out of it except **** thrown in your face.
 
1. Curriculum/opportunities--Some curricula really sound better than others to me.
2. Location--I can be happy in many different places. The main concern is getting out of here, only because I don't think the med school here is nearly the quality it should be for how seriously it takes itself. Also, I want to try somewhere new. Getting some wanderlust =).
3. Cost--Because I can be happy just about anywhere, I would most like to go to the cheapest schools that rank highly in the first two.

So it's 2nd in my top 3 factors. That's assuming I get more than one acceptance =P
 
Ischemic said:
You go wherever the hell you get accepted. Most people don't have the luxury of multiple acceptances but if you're the lucky few no one can tell you what you want except yourself. Sit down and make a list of what you're looking for in a med school/city/if money matters etc and then decide. Asking SDN kids what you should do is like asking a monkey to play chess. You get nothing out of it except **** thrown in your face.
Click to expand...

Take a chill pill. I wasn't asking them to make decisions for me.
 
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Ischemic said:
You go wherever the hell you get accepted. Most people don't have the luxury of multiple acceptances but if you're the lucky few no one can tell you what you want except yourself. Sit down and make a list of what you're looking for in a med school/city/if money matters etc and then decide. Asking SDN kids what you should do is like asking a monkey to play chess. You get nothing out of it except **** thrown in your face.
Click to expand...

Calm down. The OP clearly asked...

SweetRain said:
I'm a texas resident and I'll probably go to a texas med school since it's so much cheaper and I have a higher chance of getting in.
But I just can't stand texas...not that I can pay for private schools. How much does the location of med school matter to you?
Click to expand...
 
SweetRain said:
I wouldn't be surprised if they banned teaching evolution and told all the kids that gay marriage should never happen.
Click to expand...

The textbooks they are making state that seperation of church and state does not exist. Thus they are teaching that the state supports the church's views on the world. Thus we can easily say that evolution is going to be gasping for air in Texas as the cold hands of creationism begins to erode science. And no gay people exist in Texas ;).
 
I would be willing to go to a more expensive school for a location that better suits me, but I don't know where I'd draw the line in terms of how much more debt I'd be willing to take on.
 
Everyone's different. I have money so I want to go somewhere in a place I'd enjoy
 
Location is really important to me. I can't go somewhere where it's winter half of the year. I'm from NY and I definitely don't want to go back! I'd would like to stay west coast. But if push comes to shove- I would go anywhere.
 
I want to stay in California at all costs. If I end up somewhere else, it's because I didn't get into a school in California. I'm shivering already. :scared:
 
I completely understand your situation. I am from Iowa and moved away 3 years ago. However, Iowa will still consider me a resident while the current state I live in will not. I have been accepted at U of I but the thought of returning quite frankly makes me want to cry. Some people tell me "oh it won't matter where you are you will be so busy studying anyway," but I disagree with this statement wholeheartedly. I plan to go to an expensive private school instead and am completely happy with my choice.

Anyway, do what you want to do. If your gut says get the heck out of Texas, go ahead and leave. There are certainly ways to repay the debt, doctors do it all the time. But if you think it makes more financial sense, just remember that you can always pack up the day after graduation. Nothing is permanent. Best of luck.
 
I actually don't give a damn about location. I'd be willing to go to Iowa, Alaska, Florida, Maine, Timbuktu, or wherever. I just would like to experience as much as I can in life.
 
CaptainSSO said:
I actually don't give a damn about location. I'd be willing to go to Iowa, Alaska, Florida, Maine, Timbuktu, or wherever. I just would like to experience as much as I can in life.
Click to expand...

Too bad having to stay somewhere you've already been for the last 15 years doesn't add that much to the overall experience. :laugh:
 
I am trying to be open-minded about location, particularly as my current state (Maine, as of this year) doesn't have a med school. But last week when I was looking at my preliminary list of med schools, pretty much all of them are concentrated in the northeast, with the exclusion of NYC (too intimidating).
 
I didn't think locaion would mater to me but now I am happy to be moving from the South back to my home state (CA), it really seems like the best fit for my personality. TO the OP, clearly it is important to you, u just have to decide how important.
 
CaptainSSO said:
I actually don't give a damn about location. I'd be willing to go to Iowa, Alaska, Florida, Maine, Timbuktu, or wherever. I just would like to experience as much as I can in life.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Part of the reason I don't want to go to Iowa is that I lived there for 24 years already. Time for something different!!
 
I want to stay in Philadelphia if at all possible. It would take a considering decrease in my debt for us to consider moving if I get into a school in Philadelphia and a school elsewhere.
 
For me, a huge part of location is weather. Ideally, my location would be culturally diverse, interesting, near an ocean, and beautiful. The weather should be generally warmer than the rest of the US. If it does snow, it needs to have mild winters.

I'm generally adaptable (moved countries twice and cities a few more than that...) but I figure medical school is big enough of an adjustment, rather than trying to add on the stress of living somewhere completely new by myself where I am unable to function efficiently for half the year for the first year. Luckily, I don't have to make a decision between location and price since my options are pretty similar in that aspect. It comes down to curriculum, location, and fit.
 
I'm currently applying to Teach for America as a pre med school transition program. The application had me rank all 40+ TFA sites in which I could potentially teach. It really made me think about how closely linked my happiness is to my environment.

Now that I have ranked the cities, I am really glad that I did this grueling exercise. For when I end up applying to med schools, I know where I prefer to be without the rank and prestige of the school to influence my opinion. Maybe you should try it!

To each his own, though.
 
SweetRain said:
How much does the location of med school matter to you?
Click to expand...
It is paramount!

The one thing that matters more than location is curriculum. I would be miserable (and it would reflect in my performance) in a lecture heavy curriculum and would flourish and excel in patient-centered or problem-based learning in small self-directed groups.

After that, location. Anywhere that doesn't require an hour in traffic to travel 6 miles is okay, generally. After that, I avoid long cold winter locations. I prefer being close to the/an undergrad institution but I don't have preference for campus setting (city, suburban, etc.) I feel very strongly about the first two points.
 
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