Importance of Campus Location

[EarthtoneJon]

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As a former home schooled student, I have gained confidence over the years in my ability to adapt to new learning styles and situations. I am content exploring new material on my own, as well as having it spoon-fed on power point slides. I also grew up in a suburban area, surrounded by forests, fields, and water. As a result, in narrowing down the medical schools I would like to attend, I have found that location is more important to me than the curriculum. After all, I can adapt to a new or uncomfortable curriculum, but I cannot change my scenery. For me, the appearance of a medical school is not just skin deep: I know that I will rely on what I do outside of class / clinical to relieve the stress of medical school. Whether I am foolish for prioritizing my applications this way, you decide.

So I ask you: in choosing schools to apply to, how important is the setting? I saw a similar thread, and most users posted pictures of "beautiful" campuses stationed in the heart of a big city. For me, that doesn't cut it. I'm talking about:

UCONN (Farmington, CT):

UNECOM (Biddeford, ME):

WVSOM (Lewisburg, WV):

Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota (Vermillion, SD):

LECOM at Seton Hill (Greensburg, PA):

I realize most of these are DO schools, but they are absolutely incredible looking. WVSOM, for example, has all brand new facilities (cadaver lab, library, even basketball courts, on 50 acres of farmland!) More importantly, I know I can get a quality education and place into a great residency at any medical school in the continental US.

How important is the setting for you?

 

[ppfizenm]

well the farmland is obviously extremely important

 

[nadaba]

Location is more important to me than I thought it would be, and I only learned that after applying. There are quite a few schools that I would have crossed off my list had I known just how depressing their cities are, but I won't name names 😏

 

[MT Headed]

How important is the setting for you?

I would say it is the most important consideration for me. I have a lot of control over my ultimate success in medical school (and medicine as a whole), independent of which school I attend. I have little control over the setting of the school where I will be spending the next four years of my life.

I don't suffer from the OP's agoraphilia, so my personal definition of "quality setting" is markedly different. Mine includes 24 hour liquor access, pedestrian-friendliness, open containers, and the cultural interchange that accompanies any major seaport. I found my nirvana, and I hope you find yours.

 

[MrBird]

holy crap. holy....holy crap those are nice schools. Just when I was getting over the fact that my school was hideous you post this ****. Die, EarthtoneJon. Shoulda went DO.

 

[Stumpyman]

WVSOM looks amazing (see the virtual tour on their website).

 

[LingoLaine]

University of Vermont.

 

[Shost5]

Pretty much last on my list. More important factors for me were overall feel of student body (cut-throat, collaborative, friendly, etc.), quality of affiliated hospitals, diverse patient population through the hospitals, and curriculum/course schedule (I really liked the idea of an integrated curriculum), to name a few. If I felt like schools were equal in most other aspects, then I would consider location, but that's just me. I figure residency is more important in determining were I'm going to end up living in the end anyways.

 

[Cinclus]

Hey, OP. Check out Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harrogate, TN:

You may also want to check out East TN State U. Oh, how I love eastern TN.

 

[MrBird]

But where's the diversity?

 

[Law2Doc]

But where's the diversity?

In the library studying, with the rest of the med students. The folks you see outside are the other grad students.

In med school in terms if location you need a good looking library, a good coffee shop, a nice looking hospital, affordable housing, a good gym, tasty take-out, and a local watering hole. For everything else you are likely going to want to get far out of town whenever you have the chance. Other local niceties are often just distractions you don't want nearby. You won't be spending much time at the beach or sitting out under a tree, and it will be frustrating if you see that going on from the windows in the wards.

 

[NickNaylor]

I agree with others that location is one of the less important factors in the big scheme of things, but it shouldn't be discounted entirely. However, I think you should focus less on the specific campus and more on the general type of "feel" you'd like (urban vs. suburban vs. rural, west coast. vs. south vs. midwest vs. east cost, warm vs. cool, etc). Every campus is going to have its beautiful and not so beautiful parts. Really, though, you're probably going to be too busy to go around and appreciate the aesthetics of your campus on a regular basis.

 

[CodeBlu]

In all honesty, I'd pick the MD school if you have any aspirations of specializing in anything other than primary care. It's not that DO's don't match to competitive specialties like radiology, opthalmology, anesthesia, derm, plastics etc.

But there are infinitely less barriers applying to residency as an MD for a competitive specialty.

But if you're dead set on location, I really like LECOM at Seton Hill. Seriously, that looks very lavish.

 

[tryp]

In the end, I ended up choosing between a school/curriculum that I didn't think was the right fit for me, in a city where I would have much preferred to live, and a school/curriculum that I loved in a city I REALLY disliked.

I chose the curriculum/school I loved because I knew I'd be spending a lot more time at school than out in the city. I never really even see the city because I'm always at school, so even though I get frustrated sometimes, overall I think I made the right choice.

 

[CodeBlu]

In the end, I ended up choosing between a school/curriculum that I didn't think was the right fit for me, in a city where I would have much preferred to live, and a school/curriculum that I loved in a city I REALLY disliked.

I chose the curriculum/school I loved because I knew I'd be spending a lot more time at school than out in the city. I never really even see the city because I'm always at school, so even though I get frustrated sometimes, overall I think I made the right choice.

$10 you were down to U of T and UWO... I guess you're at UWO

 

[CodeBlu]

Now that we got some Canadian brother hood on the thread... I will admit, our campus are pretty beautiful.

Some of my favorites are...

1) McGill University - Love the lights.

2) University of Toronto - Big tree.

3) University of British Columbia - Takes the cake. Sun, surf, mountains.

 

[LizzyM]

Just here to make a correction: UCONN's medical school is in Farmington, not Storrs. That's about 1 hour (but 35 miles) west of the main campus. Storrs is rural but Farmington, despite the picture, is an affluent suburb of Hartford.

 

[tryp]

Yes, you got me. I now live in the armpit of Ontario and I have my moments of buyer's remorse but on the whole I think I made the right choice for me.

 

[octupus]

LECOM Seton Hill looks a so much nicer than LECOM Bradenton! (below)

 

[octupus]

ideally, I want the campus to be away from a city as I find it more conducive to studying, but close enough for a 20-30 minute drive for weekends. It would be cheaper this way.
I also want to be within an hour or two drive from family.

I would sacrifice the "look" of the campus if the first 2 criteria are met.

 

[raltima07]

I care more about the school than the city. That said, I wouldn't mind beautiful city, and amazing school.

 

[EarthtoneJon]

Just here to make a correction: UCONN's medical school is in Farmington, not Storrs. That's about 1 hour (but 35 miles) west of the main campus. Storrs is rural but Farmington, despite the picture, is an affluent suburb of Hartford.

Right, my mistake! And I call myself a CT resident 😳

 

[BluegrassDancin]

I may be biased because I love the mountains, but I think the Mile High is pretty gorgeous location. I'm also a big fan of the 300+ days of sun a year...