Mayo life outside work

[medstdnt123]

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I, like seemingly many people, really enjoyed the structure, residents, and program at Mayo. They make it apparent that they are very big advocates for the residents and seem to always be on the forefront of changes for Internal Medicine residency programs.

However, one major concern I have (also in conjunction I'm sure with many other applicants) is the city of Rochester, MN. I did get a chance to talk to several residents, and even one who graduated from my medical school last year. Unfortunately, he was married and had a child, and from my general consensus amongst those in that boat, Rochester was a great fit as they were able to afford living there, buy a house, and live in a safe area and have access to a great public school system.

I did talk to some residents who were in my boat, younger and single, and said occassionaly if they had enough time they could go to Minneapolis and get some Vikings tickets through the department or watch sports games. But for those who are at Mayo now, or perhaps got more insight about this situation at their interview, what do residents typically do who are single, and what would you say the demographics break down is in a class (as far as single vs. married).

Thanks.

 

[mirrortest7]

Hi medstdnt123,

I'm a current Mayo student, so I'll try to provide some insight for you. I think, as you said, there are tons of factors that make Rochester/Mayo a great choice for residents with families. Many of those factors are also nice for single residents (i.e. low cost of living, short commute time, etc).

In terms of life outside work, Rochester of course does not offer many of the options that a bigger city would. That said, there are things to do: bars/restaurants (yes, they do exist here, but if you're into the club scene, Rochester is not your town), a great city sports league system, some pretty decent community theater stuff if you're into that, some nice parks in the area for running/biking/hiking (or x-country skiing when it's cold), or of course there's always just getting together at someone's house. You mentioned the Twin Cities (MSP/St. Paul), which are less than a 90-minute drive away. Heading in that direction (which isn't unusual for people to do) obviously opens up lots more options: a variety of pro and major college sports, much wider variety of bars/restaurants/clubs, lots of major concerts/shows, etc.

In terms of the demographic breakdown of the "typical" class, I'm not exactly sure. For a point of reference, my med school class is about 50% married/engaged and 50% not. I imagine the typical IM class breakdown is in the same ballpark, maybe a bit heavier on the married side. I think there are some current Mayo residents on here that could probably give you more detailed info.

Overall, I think whether or not you'll be happy coming to Rochester depends a lot on your perspective. If you're coming from NY or SF (for example) and really thrive on having everything those cities have to offer at your fingertips on your days off, you may be dissatisfied here. If you're coming from small-town Iowa, it's a different story. Either way, the decision is one each person has to evaluate and make for themselves.

Would be happy to talk in more detail about Rochester/Mayo via PM.

MT7

 

[Adcadet]

I feel like my class is 60% married 40% single although somebody told me the official statistic was 40% married 60% single. About 50/50 either way.

I do everything here in Rochester that I used to do in Minneapolis. The big difference to me is that I have fewer restaurant choices. On the other hand, getting stuff done around town is so much easier - I never have to worry about traffic or parking and my commute is trivial (~10 min).

 

[BlackNDecker]

My stress level in Rochester is 1/10 (with 10 meaning I'd rather be dead🙄) There is no traffic, and as adcadet said, it's terribly easy to run errands.

There is plenty of nightlife here...bars are always packed with cute local girls (sorry ladies, I haven't been checking up on the dudes, but they seem cool enough). If you have a) a little personality,b) little bit of game, and c) a clean shirt then you won't have a problem. There is a thriving singles scene here, just on a smaller level/appropriate for the population density.

Problem is, most residents have neither a) nor b) and are too scared to go and talk to the cute blonde checking out their c).