Maricopa or UNC

[koontz]

I know how annoying questions like these are, but I'm struggling with this one. I can't say where they are in my ROL (1-2, or 2-3, or 3-4 etc...) but I keep flip-flopping these two and with the deadline approaching it is happening more frequently. Based on the "gut feeling" philosophy I would put Maricopa ahead, but just barely. Also I think that I would eventually want to end up practicing out west, so maybe Maricopa is better for that. I like the curriculum at UNC better, and the facilities are definitely better as well. Also the nearly 50/50 split between university training and the Wakemed community training I feel is also a big perk for UNC. Finally I'm getting the impression that UNC may have a better reputation (whatever that means).

Does anybody out there, current or former residents or people who interviewed at these place, have any advice/opinions?

 

[TxMed]

I know how annoying questions like these are, but I'm struggling with this one. I can't say where they are in my ROL (1-2, or 2-3, or 3-4 etc...) but I keep flip-flopping these two and with the deadline approaching it is happening more frequently. Based on the "gut feeling" philosophy I would put Maricopa ahead, but just barely. Also I think that I would eventually want to end up practicing out west, so maybe Maricopa is better for that. I like the curriculum at UNC better, and the facilities are definitely better as well. Also the nearly 50/50 split between university training and the Wakemed community training I feel is also a big perk for UNC. Finally I'm getting the impression that UNC may have a better reputation (whatever that means).

Does anybody out there, current or former residents or people who interviewed at these place, have any advice/opinions?

i would not say unc has a better rep than 'copa...if that matters

-tm

 

[deleted109597]

Both of them have reasonably good basketball teams, and pathetic football teams. However, Butch Davis will help the Tarheels football team out of the ACC cellar. Mike Stoops is showing promise, but hasn't put together a full season yet, because he loses games he should win, wins games he should lose, etc.

How is your Spanish?

 

[Hawk22]

Both of them have reasonably good basketball teams, and pathetic football teams

Ummm..... we have much more than a "reasonably" good basketball team. Can't disagree about the football comments, but hope that will change soon.

I'm a current MSIV at UNC and I love it here. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.

 

[NinerNiner999]

Maybe an easier question to ask yourself is "would I rather live in Arizona or North Carolina?"

 

[EctopicFetus]

Both of them have reasonably good basketball teams, and pathetic football teams. However, Butch Davis will help the Tarheels football team out of the ACC cellar. Mike Stoops is showing promise, but hasn't put together a full season yet, because he loses games he should win, wins games he should lose, etc.

How is your Spanish?

Um Copa doesnt have a football team. The team with Stoops is the U of A which is not at all affiliated with Copa.. Maybe Arizona State but they suck at football AND basketball! Go Cats!

 

[EctopicFetus]

Maybe an easier question to ask yourself is "would I rather live in Arizona or North Carolina?"

Or Phoenix vs Chapel Hill. Also one is academic vs County. I mean the U of A just started a med school in the Phx area this yr, this is also another difference.

As far as experience it looks like you are comparing a county experience (Copa), to a mix of academic and community (UNC).

I didnt interview at either but thats my 2 cents.

 

[ElZorro]

focus on what makes these programs different, and then decide which quality you like better. I rotated at UNC, so I feel pretty confident telling you that it is a good program, and very very different from Copa. Copa is a county joint with a good share of knife and gun club in a major metropolitan area. UNC has a much greater community / academic feel where you will see many many more MVCs then GSWs. Also, the location is drastically different. Chapel Hill is a little almost resort town, with the only focus being the university. I know you go to Raleigh for Wake Med, but Raleigh is just barely big enough to be a real city, and certainly doesn't have the inner city / immigrant population that Phoenix does. If you didn't rotate at a county hospital it may be hard for you to compare these 2 programs....but as someone who rotated at both county and academic and community, I can tell you county is a class of its own and you probably love it or hate, but there is little middle ground.

 

[deleted109597]

Um Copa doesnt have a football team. The team with Stoops is the U of A which is not at all affiliated with Copa.. Maybe Arizona State but they suck at football AND basketball! Go Cats!

I was going by who you would root for. I could have said the Cardinals versus the Panthers. I can't see either being spectacular next year either. Unless Carolina actually gets a qb that doesn't blow goats.

 

[lattimer13]

Um Copa doesnt have a football team. The team with Stoops is the U of A which is not at all affiliated with Copa.. Maybe Arizona State but they suck at football AND basketball! Go Cats!

like what arizona is doing in basketball this year is anything to be proud of.

 

[dr. maybe]

Do you speak Spanish? It is going to be a major hindrance at Maricopa if you do not. There is only one interpreter on at night and he/she covers the entire hospital. During the day it often takes a while for an interpreter to show up. It definitely slows down movement of patients.

 

[medivac]

While I agree that Raleigh is not the knife and gun heavy pop, the Triangle (raleigh, durham, chapel hill) has a HUGE immigrant population with the amount of farming, construction, and factories in the area. Knowing a good amount of spanish will make your day go by faster. Thankfully for my crappy spanish skills (tengo dolor? aqui? aqui? gracias!) we have great interpreters at both wake and unc.

I can't speak at all for AZ, but am a 1st year at UNC if you have questions, PM me!

 

[docB]

I agree with Niner, this is really a decision about where you want to live. Both programs are great. The Spanish issue is a bigger deal in AZ. When I interviewed there I was told that ~40% of the ED pop is Spanish only.

BTW this type of question (program A vs. program B) isn't annoying at all. The annoying ones are the "What's the best program in general?" ones.

 

[GeneralVeers]

The question is annoying, in that the people asking the questions ask them as if they are the ones choosing where they are going. They are to a degree, but it's not as if the A vs. B decision will really effect the outcome that much. If they rank program A as #1 and B as #2, then they have a pretty similar chance. For many people, they may end up matching at C, D, or F.

In the end, if you like two programs enough to ask about detailed comparisons, then you should probably not ask, and just rank both of them.

 

[Dr. Curtis]

The question is annoying, in that the people asking the questions ask them as if they are the ones choosing where they are going. They are to a degree, but it's not as if the A vs. B decision will really effect the outcome that much. If they rank program A as #1 and B as #2, then they have a pretty similar chance. For many people, they may end up matching at C, D, or F.

In the end, if you like two programs enough to ask about detailed comparisons, then you should probably not ask, and just rank both of them.

Maybe I misunderstood your post but I disagree. If, for example, someone is a strong applicant and has a better than average chance of matching at A or B, then the order in which you rank them and the differences between the programs make a HUGE difference. I'm in a similar situation as the OP and while my #1 is set, my #2 and 3 keep flipping, and with the idea that most people match in their top 3, the order is extremely important.