Living in Charleston, SC

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MedJoe

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Charleston, SC is one of the towns I'm thinking about for residency. Any comments on this town? Or more specifically, on how a soon to be single, soon to be MD in his mid-late 20's would like this town. I realize that it's not as hoppin' as NYC, Chicago, Boston, etc.. but I've heard great things from both men and women who lived and/or went to med school there. Things to do? Nightlife? Cost of living or what areas to live in? Singles scene? Any help or insight would be fantastic.

Thanks a bunch!!

Congrats and good luck to all the 4th years awaiting the match.

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Is it IMG friendly place???? Thanks
 
i don't know about how img friendly charleston is (no experience in that regard)...but, i can tell you it is an awesome town to live in. laid back, lots to do, close to the water...very nice.


-tm
 
Expensive cost-of-living from what I can tell. Nice place to retire.
 
A lot of old money who is very critical of new money, IMHO. The funny thing about residency is that you will be labeled "new money" even though you don't make jack. Fun place if you are in college...

Oh - I spent 10 years in SC between undergrad, research, and medical school...
 
Great place, don't know though how it is from a singles perspective.

Cost of real-estate goes exponential with proximity to navigable waterways and the beach. If you go a bit into the low-country or one of the burbs it is average southeastern real-estate market (btw, I have a nice 4-bdrm to sell, looks out on the 9th tee of a golf development).

I don't know what specialty you are looking at, but the local medical market is small and not particularly receptive to people who didn't derive their wealth from having other people work for them. So, if you are from 'elsewhere' and don't talk like people there, getting your foot in the door after residency can be challenging (somehow 3/4s of the community hospitals are owned by the same racket).

I really like the climate (spare the months of may,june, july, august, september). If you are into anything that has to do with boats or killing fish, you are in the right place. The airport is decent and is served by 3 or 4 of the major carriers (no discounters though).
 
Real estate market is improving (meaning the market has leveled off and prices are actually falling). As mentioned before, there is a ton to do here (outdoors, historical, baseball, hockey), I can't comment on the singles scene but I know plenty of my classmates got in to enough guy/girl trouble so there must be enough of one. Tons of great restaurants (although not necessarily priced appropriately, since we are a tourist town). As far as where to live, to own, you'd need to do West Ashley, James Island, Mount Pleasant as owning downtown would be impossible unless you have a couple hundred thousand laying around. You could theoretically rent anywhere depending on your budget and desires for amenities/quiet (college of charleston isn't too far from MUSC, being interspersed with college kids may not be great when you are pre-call and obviously the "cheaper" places downtown may be pretty run down). I agree with above, not the place to go in to practice as the MD market is saturated. feel free to PM for other questions, btw what program are you going in to?
 
thanks for the comments - i was considering MUSC for residency, but after your comments i'll probably hold off on applying. i visited there once and really liked it, but the comments about exclusivity in the medical community are a big turn off, and we know the stats about how you're more likely to stay where you do residency than where you go to med school.

Real estate market is improving (meaning the market has leveled off and prices are actually falling). As mentioned before, there is a ton to do here (outdoors, historical, baseball, hockey), I can't comment on the singles scene but I know plenty of my classmates got in to enough guy/girl trouble so there must be enough of one. Tons of great restaurants (although not necessarily priced appropriately, since we are a tourist town). As far as where to live, to own, you'd need to do West Ashley, James Island, Mount Pleasant as owning downtown would be impossible unless you have a couple hundred thousand laying around. You could theoretically rent anywhere depending on your budget and desires for amenities/quiet (college of charleston isn't too far from MUSC, being interspersed with college kids may not be great when you are pre-call and obviously the "cheaper" places downtown may be pretty run down). I agree with above, not the place to go in to practice as the MD market is saturated. feel free to PM for other questions, btw what program are you going in to?
 
don't let me discourage you, there are plenty of opportunities, it is just that Charleston is a tougher market than many other places (or so I've heard, but I'm just finishing up MS3 year so it isnt from personal experience). To the OP, congrats, I hear our Psych program is very good, and Dr. Pelic is a really good guy, our psych dept also has an NFL contract, which is pretty unique (I think). Good luck
 
thanks for the comments - i was considering MUSC for residency, but after your comments i'll probably hold off on applying. i visited there once and really liked it, but the comments about exclusivity in the medical community are a big turn off, and we know the stats about how you're more likely to stay where you do residency than where you go to med school.

I would honestly apply. I interviewed there this year and was convinced that I would not like it there. It is now placed fairly high on my list. Give it a shot.
 
I wouldn't be dissuaded from ranking a good program based on anonymous comments from an internet BB. While many people stay in the area where they trained, this is certainly not a requirement. I don't know the psych work market too well, if nothing pops up in the area you can allways move.
 
Have you guys ever seen the caliber of women in Charleston??? Honestly??? I've never met anyone Northern (like myself) or Southern that doesn't love Charleston. Beautiful homes, girls, weather, and abundant party opportunities abound. PLUS, a lot of southern girls are very interested in getting with doctors.

The only thing I (and my med school buddies from SC) can confirm is what's already been said is that it is a sort of "traditional" kind of place, in that if you're hardcore northeastern (I'm talking Yankees cap, cigarette behind the ear, gelled/bleached hair, John Kerry bumper sticker on your Honda element), you might have trouble shaking off the "yankee" moniker.
 
More golf courses (not that that is of any consequence as an intern) than any other state in the USA. I have lived in towns of 3,000 to towns of 7 million for extended periods - all had quality women available.

If you are looking marriage - all it takes is one. South Carolina is where my wife and spent our first vacation (with her family) after our honeymoon. LOVED it.

If you are looking to have lots of fun - being an MD and single is a great start (attracts lots of gold diggers - the trick according to Tom Leykis is just make sure you neer spend more than $120 total in te entire time of dating a woman before making her nothing more than a bootie call), then look at learning the techniques of Leykis 101. Lots of women hate the guy, but he really teaches game (which I have none of, but on the other hand am one of the few guys - very few guys - who actually have a great wife). Leykis 101 has alot of rules for a guy - never spend more than $40 on a date(best date - call and ask when she is eating dinner, then tell her you will meet her after dinner, take her drinking - do not let her order beer -takes too many drinks to get her drunk and she will pee too much - order shots of Jaegermeister [sp? I don't drink] - then go to her place, so that you do not hve to get rid of her in the morning - you just roll out of bed and run) - do not let her meet you with one of her friends for a date - never have more than 3 dates before you are "in". Never date a single mother. Always use a condom and never let her supply it (listen to his true tales of women poking holes in condoms to get pregnant and on the money gravy train of lifetime childsupport. If you make the mistake of taking her to dinner, and she text messages anyone - she is hooking up with someone else after you feed her - excuse yourself to go to the bathroom and then ditch her, leaving her alone at the table to pay the check for being so rude to text on your dime. Leykis is the biggest dog I have ever listened to - he is a radio personality. You can find him on the internet at blowmeuptom.com. He is very entertaining - even for a married guy, but I get an earful of him in about 30 minutes since his show is very single focused - bagging chicks for as near to free as possible. But he definately teaches game to guys.

By the Leykis rules my wife is great - 1 reason, ALL women according to Leykis are dream killers - keep you from getting too upwardly mobile since it means you can afford to trade up in women when you get middle aged - if you are upwardly mobile you can afford a newer model (Leykis says women's expiration date is age 29) when you are my age. My wife actually filled out my medical application and sent it in for me since I did not think I could accomplish everything - boards etc. My wife is a dream maker. She is one of the exceptions, but as Leykis says : the exception does not prove the rule wrong, even a broken clock is right twice a day. He may be right.
 
More golf courses (not that that is of any consequence as an intern) than any other state in the USA. I have lived in towns of 3,000 to towns of 7 million for extended periods - all had quality women available.

If you are looking marriage - all it takes is one. South Carolina is where my wife and spent our first vacation (with her family) after our honeymoon. LOVED it.

If you are looking to have lots of fun - being an MD and single is a great start (attracts lots of gold diggers - the trick according to Tom Leykis is just make sure you neer spend more than $120 total in te entire time of dating a woman before making her nothing more than a bootie call), then look at learning the techniques of Leykis 101. Lots of women hate the guy, but he really teaches game (which I have none of, but on the other hand am one of the few guys - very few guys - who actually have a great wife). Leykis 101 has alot of rules for a guy - never spend more than $40 on a date(best date - call and ask when she is eating dinner, then tell her you will meet her after dinner, take her drinking - do not let her order beer -takes too many drinks to get her drunk and she will pee too much - order shots of Jaegermeister [sp? I don't drink] - then go to her place, so that you do not hve to get rid of her in the morning - you just roll out of bed and run) - do not let her meet you with one of her friends for a date - never have more than 3 dates before you are "in". Never date a single mother. Always use a condom and never let her supply it (listen to his true tales of women poking holes in condoms to get pregnant and on the money gravy train of lifetime childsupport. If you make the mistake of taking her to dinner, and she text messages anyone - she is hooking up with someone else after you feed her - excuse yourself to go to the bathroom and then ditch her, leaving her alone at the table to pay the check for being so rude to text on your dime. Leykis is the biggest dog I have ever listened to - he is a radio personality. You can find him on the internet at blowmeuptom.com. He is very entertaining - even for a married guy, but I get an earful of him in about 30 minutes since his show is very single focused - bagging chicks for as near to free as possible. But he definately teaches game to guys.

By the Leykis rules my wife is great - 1 reason, ALL women according to Leykis are dream killers - keep you from getting too upwardly mobile since it means you can afford to trade up in women when you get middle aged - if you are upwardly mobile you can afford a newer model (Leykis says women's expiration date is age 29) when you are my age. My wife actually filled out my medical application and sent it in for me since I did not think I could accomplish everything - boards etc. My wife is a dream maker. She is one of the exceptions, but as Leykis says : the exception does not prove the rule wrong, even a broken clock is right twice a day. He may be right.


This has to be one of sdn's top 15 posts of all time
 
It would be hard for me to explain in writing, but - I think it was obvious it was not a good fit for either of us. I think they sent pretty clear messages that they too were just killing time and being polite by interviewing me. My natural talent is not in writing. I do seem to have a natural skill with people, and have an innate sense of social interaction - always won the popularity contests in public school etc, although was certainly not liked by everyone - and like some sort of social idiot savant - seem to have a knack for counting the toothpicks (reference to the movie RAINMAN - obviously I like movies) in soial situations and knew the program and I thought little of each other - and realized I was wasting my time.

I am starting to understand how a program could conceivably have thought that you are not a good fit.
 
I am starting to understand how a program could conceivably have thought that you are not a good fit.


LOL... you are just understanding that NOW? Lord, and I thought it was just me:laugh:
 
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