Med School: stay in CA or venture to East coast?

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juliedi

juliedi

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I've been in southern California my whole life: growing up, undergrad, and since graduation. I'll be starting med school this August, and I'm trying to decide between a few schools. One is in California (at my undergrad university in fact), and the others are on the East Coast (Philadelphia, near NYC, and possibly one in DC). I don't want to get into the specifics of the schools; I'll just say that there are pros and cons of all of them, but I'd be really happy at any one of them.

My big dilemma is if I should stay in California, the only place I've ever lived (other than a summer abroad), or should I move across the country to a new city? Part of me really wants to move to the East coast, since I don't know if I really want to live my whole life only in one location. And I know it's only 4 years, so I can always move back to CA if I want when I'm done with school. But part of me is hesitant to just pack up and leave all my family and friends behind for a new place. And the CA school is higher-ranked, which doesn't matter to me too much, but I don't know if it would be a stupid move to turn it down. (Also blizzards and driving in snow right now are sorta freaking me out...)

What would you do? Have any of you been in a similar situation, and did you regret staying in the same place, or regret moving? Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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juliedi said:
I've been in southern California my whole life: growing up, undergrad, and since graduation. I'll be starting med school this August, and I'm trying to decide between a few schools. One is in California (at my undergrad university in fact), and the others are on the East Coast (Philadelphia, near NYC, and possibly one in DC). I don't want to get into the specifics of the schools; I'll just say that there are pros and cons of all of them, but I'd be really happy at any one of them.

My big dilemma is if I should stay in California, the only place I've ever lived (other than a summer abroad), or should I move across the country to a new city? Part of me really wants to move to the East coast, since I don't know if I really want to live my whole life only in one location. And I know it's only 4 years, so I can always move back to CA if I want when I'm done with school. But part of me is hesitant to just pack up and leave all my family and friends behind for a new place. And the CA school is higher-ranked, which doesn't matter to me too much, but I don't know if it would be a stupid move to turn it down. (Also blizzards and driving in snow right now are sorta freaking me out...)

What would you do? Have any of you been in a similar situation, and did you regret staying in the same place, or regret moving? Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Move to the east coast. You can always do your residency in CA, or move back to work post-residency. Once you're settled down with a career and a family it'll be much more difficult to uproot yourself. Personally, I'd much rather risk moving somewhere I end up disliking than stay in the same place and wonder what my life would be like elsewhere. It's only four years.

I've lived in MN for nine years, but it's the seventh state I've lived in (moved a lot as a kid). I'm planning on leaving the state for med school, then ultimately coming back after residency.
 
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I'm in a similar situation and am now leaning toward the East coast move (from Colorado).

You may not get the same opportunity again, and it's a finite time period.

Though, one issue I thought of to the contrary (since I am going to a DC school) is cost.
 
Thats a tough choice. Some thoughts about leaving:

Pros:
  • explore somewhere new. It sounds like you've been very close to home your whole life? I've met some rather terrifying medical students who have lived with their parents their whole lives and are basically like 6 year olds. They can't do laundry, have "never worked with black people" and have unmovable views about life because they've never experienced anything else. They are completely unable to relate to their patients and ended up going into PM&R because they hated medicine and it was the most pay for the least work/patient interaction. So if you feel like maybe you haven't gotten far enough away from home to really grow up and see others experiences then you SHOULD go. Its really important to be able to relate to your patients and if you grow up in white suburbia in Southern California then you won't be able to.
  • Live on the east coast! Some people love it. Its supposed to be an amazing experience and if you learn how to deal with snow now you won't have to later. I refused to apply to snowy areas for residency because I don't know how to drive in snow and thought that intern year was a terrible time to try.

CONS:
  • away from family and friends. How much this matters to you is very dependent on you. I'm a big home-body and spend a lot of time at home with friends or family, I've never been able to study abroad because I figured I would miss them. I'm a big wuss. If this sounds like you then you should stay home near your support system because med school is stressful. If you're outgoing, make new friends easily, don't rely on close relationships then go! You won't lack support because you will find new support. Enjoy life and make new experiences.
  • Price. Which is more expensive? There isn't much difference btwn 200k and 225k but theres a big difference between 200k and 300k.
  • What are clinicals like at the school on the east coast? You could ask the admissions office for the email of a 4th year to talk to. East coast schools tend to be more malignant than west coast schools. EDIT: Forgot to say what you're looking for. Ask how many hours they work per week (some schools make med students do over 80hr), are they allowed to scut you out for personal tasks (get my coffee, pick up my dry cleaning), does the ancillary staff abuse the students (waking them up at 4am to place an IV), etc.
  • Residency. It is slightly easier to do residency where you did med school. Because everyone knows your letter writers and you will already have connections. That does not mean that you couldn't come back to Cali for residency. It would just be slightly easier to match into Cali if you stayed for med school.

So its a personal decision whether you want to go or not. The way I see it, right now do you really need an adventure in your personal life? If you do - then go. If you don't really care and would find it more stress than fun, then stay.
 
Last edited:
Always~

Thank you for this reply. I presumably will face the same decision. For me, at this point it is only a presumption because my only acceptance is in NY, I have yet to here from the UCs where I interviewed.

Again, thank you!
 
Thanks everyone for your replies. I know this is something I need to figure out for myself, but everyone and their mother seems to be giving me (often unsolicited) advice about where to go, so I figured I'd ask you all too.

Alwaysangel, my undergrad university was about 1.5 hours away from home, so close enough that I could see my family every once and a while, but far enough away to be, well, away. I've been living independently since I left home so don't worry, I know how to do laundry and such. 🙂 But that's a good idea to talk to a 4th year about rotations. I'm gonna get on that.
 
Move away and experience something new. You'll have a lot more to gain from doing so, but make sure you're not going to be unhappy being away from your family for so long.
 
you live in southern california? don't leave. winter sucks.
 
If you can stay in California, stay. You'll save money, and the east coast won't be infested with another obnoxious Laker fan.

that said, life out here isn't all bad. I prefer the Midwest and South, though.
 
WingedOx said:
If you can stay in California, stay. You'll save money, and the east coast won't be infested with another obnoxious Laker fan.

that said, life out here isn't all bad. I prefer the Midwest and South, though.
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Truth, though Dodger fans annoy me more.

Another important side note: If you leave Cali, please stop talking about In and Out Burger. We don't care.
 
It's a tough choice. For my undergrad I moved from the Midwest to the East Coast and I was pretty miserable my first year there. I didn't feel like I was connecting with anyone and I was missing my high school friends like you wouldn't believe. I contemplated transferring to my state school, where a lot of my old friends were, but one of my friends (who was going to Pomona at the time) convinced me to stick it out. I'm glad I did, because now I wouldn't trade those four years for anything.

If you can get beyond leaving an established support network behind and feel comfortable striking out on your own, I would definitely move someplace new. It's worth it, in my opinion, to experience different parts of the country and gain new perspectives. And, as you know anyway, you can always move back to CA for residency and post-residency.

Good luck!
 
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You should move... to a different part of California.
 
Barcu said:
Truth, though Dodger fans annoy me more.

Another important side note: If you leave Cali, please stop talking about In and Out Burger. We don't care.
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I can't get too upset about Dodger fans since they have yet to beat us in the post-season... we also have to deal with NY fans of all types here. It's just that Laker fans are particularly annoying because they happen to be the only people in the country that give a flying crap about the NBA.
 
WingedOx said:
I can't get too upset about Dodger fans since they have yet to beat us in the post-season... we also have to deal with NY fans of all types here. It's just that Laker fans are particularly annoying because they happen to be the only people in the country that give a flying crap about the NBA.
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Ah. As an NL West foe, the Dodgers seem to have our number (Rockies fan if not too familiar with the workings of the division).

Living in CO, we get a lot of Cali folks who bring their teams with them, so I pretty much have negative feelings toward any Cali team (at least a little). Petty, I know. Boston fans are becoming much more prevelant though, so that petty hatred is being spread over more teams now.

That is true about Lakers fans, but since I am one of those who doesn't care about the NBA at all, it doesn't bother me much.
 
I definitely vote a resounding 'stay'.

I grew up in socal too, born and bred. Went to undergrad there too. After failing to get in the med school right out of undergrad i did a master's program in chicago and stayed here to work while applying again. I'm starting med school in august too and i've only been admitted to midwest schools so it looks like i will be here for 6 years at least before I even have a chance of going back for residency.

I'd kill for an opportunity to go back to california to be close to my friends and family. They will definitely be part of your support system when school starts, and it sucks to have them on the other side of the country.

Obviously you're the only one that can make the decision, but the grass is always greener. I packed up and moved to the midwest too and while it was great at first the novelty of being in a new place wears off pretty quickly. You realize what's important in life is being close to your friends and family. When you're in the middle of studying in the dead of winter you'll be wishing you stayed.

Just my two cents.
 
Barcu said:
Truth, though Dodger fans annoy me more.

Another important side note: If you leave Cali, please stop talking about In and Out Burger. We don't care.
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U_MAD_obama_The_Ultimate_Graffiti_Guide-s450x286-94948-535.jpg
 
I bet that nearly everyone that says "move" is not from CA.
 
It sounds from your first post that you're leaning towards staying. I would stay as well. It's a higher ranked school, all of your friends and family are nearby, and the weather is better in Cali than the EC.
 
You have been in Southern Cal your whole life? WOW, poor soul.
 
Coming from someone who's from socal and went to school on the east coast....

youll probably like the cities, but hate schools in suburbia (eg duke, princeton (i know no medschool here), and penn state). I'd say if money is not a factor, you should jump on the opportunity because you can always go back to the west coast for residency if you hate it on the east coast.
 
I, also, was born and raised in Southern CA. But when I reached undergrad, I decided to move to northern CA, which is practically another state on its own since its culture is so different...another beast to be familiar with.

The weather was worse, whatever. I acted like a baby and complained about the constant rainfall, the cold, cloudy nights in the urban-like Bay Area. On top of it, I would only go home 4 times a year (summer, thanksgiving, winter, and spring break) because it was too expensive to fly and I didn't have a car to drive down for 6hrs., so it was definitely tough to transition my first year without my family.

But now I am back home, in the bubble suburbia I grew up in. Frequently I have been starting to look back on the last 4 years with a lot of fond memories of simply "growing up" and discovering the new place, navigating on my own with public transportation, meeting different people of different personalities from different cultures. I can definitely say it makes you a stronger, more adaptable and open-minded being when living somewhere new, whatever the weather (which is, I think southern CA's largest draw to applicants to be honest). Many of my friends are still here in Southern CA, and they don't act or believe in anything different since I left them in high school. I definitely agree with alwaysangel's comment above about how some people "have unmovable views about life because they've never experienced anything else".

Although I was still in the same state for undergrad, I do not mind moving to another state because I have come to love learning from my environments. You get used to living away from your family/friends, but you will always make new friends too (some you can consider your own family eventually) and you can ALWAYS travel back to visit home. Plus, it's pretty bomb to say you lived in different places in the country, from LA to SF to DC...anything. But I will ALWAYS be a Lakers fan because it's my home team and I do give a damn about the NBA ;-) Now if we had a football team in LA, maybe we can give a damn about the NFL too.

That being said, CA is still a major attraction to me because it will mean in-state tuition, and I am cheap lol. As for residency, when looking at the match lists from other schools out of state, I have seen a lot of people from CA coming back. You may have to work a little harder, but it is definitely not impossible.
 
Southern Californian for life here. I love it here and will definitely come back, but I'm stoked about going to the east coast for med school. Sure my family and friends are going to be far away and it'll be hard at first but it just takes some getting used to. These are the life experiences that you gotta take advantage of while you're young.

I feel like I've been living in the comfort of SoCal for too long and now its time to see what else is out there. But I'm certain I'll be making my way back to CA eventually. I just don't want to be one of those people who live their entire lives in one area and never experience the pros and cons of life elsewhere.
 
Barcu said:
Another important side note: If you leave Cali, please stop talking about In and Out Burger. We don't care.
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Haha, duly noted.

I really don't know which way I'm leaning toward actually. I've been going back and forth about it. But thank you to everyone, I'll keep all this in mind when I decide. At least I have a few months before I have to make any decision.
 
Meh, we talk about In n out because everyone keeps telling us about Five Guys....
 
juliedi said:
Haha, duly noted.

I really don't know which way I'm leaning toward actually. I've been going back and forth about it. But thank you to everyone, I'll keep all this in mind when I decide. At least I have a few months before I have to make any decision.
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I was born/raised/went to undergrad in cali and went to the east coast for med school. I would advise you to pick based on which school you liked most and cost, not location. Med school is more about the school and who you're with then where you are.
 
I feel like getting to know a new city or place takes a lot of initiative, so med school might not be the best time to "explore someplace new" considering how busy you'll be (presumably). It seems like most med student social interactions revolve around classmates and school too-- so you might not get a full "experience" of the location anyway. (Except that you will have to deal with weather!) Plus you'll probably spend your breaks flying back home to see friends/family.

One option might be to see if you can defer and take some time off to live on the east coast for a year or so. Then, if you like it, you can always move back for residency. If not, then it's fine, right? Haha-- just a thought.
 
juliedi said:
I've been in southern California my whole life: growing up, undergrad, and since graduation. I'll be starting med school this August, and I'm trying to decide between a few schools. One is in California (at my undergrad university in fact), and the others are on the East Coast (Philadelphia, near NYC, and possibly one in DC). I don't want to get into the specifics of the schools; I'll just say that there are pros and cons of all of them, but I'd be really happy at any one of them.

My big dilemma is if I should stay in California, the only place I've ever lived (other than a summer abroad), or should I move across the country to a new city? Part of me really wants to move to the East coast, since I don't know if I really want to live my whole life only in one location. And I know it's only 4 years, so I can always move back to CA if I want when I'm done with school. But part of me is hesitant to just pack up and leave all my family and friends behind for a new place. And the CA school is higher-ranked, which doesn't matter to me too much, but I don't know if it would be a stupid move to turn it down. (Also blizzards and driving in snow right now are sorta freaking me out...)

What would you do? Have any of you been in a similar situation, and did you regret staying in the same place, or regret moving? Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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I'm in the EXACTLY same situation. Thanks for the post! You're not alone in your dilemma to leave paradise!
 
The best advice here has already been said - if you do adventure, you can hopefully do residency and beyond back near home (or wherever you wish to call home). Medical school is 4 years, an intense period of time, but not eternity.

But personally, I love the west coast far more.
 
Don't move to the east coast if you hate the cold.
 
Personally, I'd say move, but I've also moved around my entire life and feel sorry for the people who only live in one place their entire lives. So I'm a tad bit biased.

But you want to be sure you like the place you're moving to... that they have the entertainment options you want (whether it be hiking, movies, theater, etc), that they have the type of community you want (small town vs. big city vs. suburbs), whether or not there is easy transportation home, etc.
 
I grew up in SoCal and went to the East Coast for undergrad - and it was probably one of the best things that I've done. Sure, CA has awesome weather and location can't be beat (go surfing/snowboarding in the same week, where else?!) but there's something to be said in terms of going to new places and immersing yourself in different environments and experiencing the different aspects of cities that are lacking in your home state. I feel like I definitely matured a lot more than if I had gone to undergrad in CA. Definitely got to experience even the cultural differences between the regions in the US. Plus I feel like your mid-twenties are best enjoyed elsewhere away from your home since you'll always have the opportunity to move back when you're older and settle down.

Still, I'll always be a Lakers fan though, nothing will change that!
 
Barcu said:
Another important side note: If you leave Cali, please stop talking about In and Out Burger. We don't care.
Click to expand...

Five Guys >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> In and Out
 
n3xa said:
Five Guys >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> In and Out
Click to expand...

I'd argue they are different experiences. At Five Guys you have more selection and diversity and choice of customization with the toppings, but In N Out's simplicity is one of the reasons its great. Both are delicious.
 
DonutShot said:
I'd argue they are different experiences. At Five Guys you have more selection and diversity and choice of customization with the toppings, but In N Out's simplicity is one of the reasons its great. Both are delicious.
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👍
Totally. I've lived in places that have both.....they are just different🙂
 
I've lived in California my whole life and cannot figure out why people are so obsessed with In and Out Burger. There are much better chains (Portillos rocks it - Chicago area).

To the OP, I've contemplated this same question from time to time. I think I will probably try to leave California, if only for med school. Living in California our whole lives has given us a pretty unique perspective on life and I think that living in a different state is important to gain more perspectives and just become a more cultured person.
 
It's your choice, but I would definitely encourage you to stay in CA. Your family and friends will be an important support system for you during med school. The four years of med school are intense and not exactly the time for you to explore, etc.

In addition, you mentioned that the CA school is ranked higher so that is another plus. The weather is better and will cause you less stress then what you will experience on the east coast.

People are generally much more friendlier on the west coast compared to the east coast. Many, if not all of us, would love to go to med school in CA b/c of the weather, things to do , etc.

Cost would be cheaper, no need to travel back and forth to see family, and living in a place you have lived in before will allow you to perform better in med school b/c you have already adjusted to everything.

These are my thoughts about your situation and this is coming from someone who has lived on the east coast and west coast and had to make a similar decision and wish that I had stayed in CA. Individual results may very.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
 
I vote for staying. I've been in socal for 10 years and went to undergrad on east coast for 4 years. I definitely miss the weather and generally I like the feel of LA a lot more. I'm glad that I get to be back @ LA for a gap year before starting med school (probably on the east cost again...).
 
Now I wish I could be making that sort of decision hehe. I only have one CA school to hear back from, which means 2/3 the chance im going to the midwest (weeee). I'm not native to LA but its been my second home. As someone who have relocated (from across the pacific ocean!) I definitely recommend trying out something new. I've learned and changed so much after moving to LA. In fact I'm pretty sure I'll be going out of state even if I get into my alma mater. Being stuck on the same campus for 10+ yrs (im including residency here) doesn't sound fun 😛
 
CougarMD said:
Go east🙂 Getting out of SoCal for awhile gives you great perspective.
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I'm selfish and want both of you to move to Philadelphia. 🙂

Truly, Julie, were I single, or if it were just my husband and myself, I would have liked to move out of the Philly area. We were both born and raised here, but I would love to experience somewhere new at this point. On the other hand, we don't want to take Chicklet away from the majority of her relatives, and with one child and another coming, we wanted to stay close to home for the support system we have here thanks to friends and family. We may end up moving for my residency or possible fellowship, but we'll cross those bridges when we come to them.

... I think I was going to say something else and now I forget what.
 
Geekchick921 said:
I'm selfish and want both of you to move to Philadelphia. 🙂

Truly, Julie, were I single, or if it were just my husband and myself, I would have liked to move out of the Philly area. We were both born and raised here, but I would love to experience somewhere new at this point. On the other hand, we don't want to take Chicklet away from the majority of her relatives, and with one child and another coming, we wanted to stay close to home for the support system we have here thanks to friends and family. We may end up moving for my residency or possible fellowship, but we'll cross those bridges when we come to them.

... I think I was going to say something else and now I forget what.
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I think the message is....go while you can because you never know when life will change so that it makes it much harder to go🙂

Also, if you truly love SoCal, you will love it even more after living somewhere else for awhile, and it will make you that much more appreciative when you go back.

I went away for grad school and I'm happy I did. It made me realize that while I love the weather and the scenery, there are a lot of things I DON'T love about a lot of parts of SoCal. I also now know better the type of place I am looking to live. It was much easier to spot it on the interview trail because of this, and when you apply for residency you will see this as well.
 
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