Neurology residency Ranking help

[Ice2864]

Hey good people of the internet,

I am trying to gather some more thoughts on ranking, and I figured I would reach out to some of you all.

Trying to rank between UCLA, Hopkins, and Columbia.

A bit about myself and my priorities. I am an interested in Stroke or ICU. I would like to do research later on and stay in academia. I am looking for excellent clinical training and a place that will set me up for a fellowship and a research life in stroke or ICU. Location-wise, I prefer UCLA (warmth and big city)>Columbia (big city)>Hopkins . For clinical training, I lean toward Columbia or Hopkins. Columbia seemed to have excellent ICU training and I enjoyed the permeating energy of NYC.

Any thoughts from people that know a bit more about these programs?

Much appreciated!

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[Jimmy B]

You can get what you're looking for at any of those programs. They all have excellent Stroke/ICU programs, especially Columbia and UCLA. It really boils down to whether or not you fit in with the residents there and could see yourself working with them along with living on the east coast vs the west coast.

 

[Ice2864]

Thanks Dr. B, I appreciate the insight!

 

[PremedBear]

Hey i'm a fellow applicant as well and also interested in the same things, stroke and ICU.
I saw your post in the interview impressions thread and looks like we're considering many of the same programs. My main criteria is also clinical training, then education/research opportunities given that I'm not an MD/PhD but still want to pursue a career in academic neurology. I think you hit the nail on the head for these programs in your other post.

Hopkins: seems like a fantastic program, prepares you extremely well for academics and fellowships, but its main drawback is its city. I keep trying to convince myself that I'd be okay living there but the more I read about Baltimore's recent crime rate, the more I'm reluctant. Still, I think they have many many strengths and residents seemed to be very friendly (although I don't know if that's because of a we're-all-stuck-in-baltimore kind of camaraderie). They seemed to like taking trains elsewhere for fun.

Columbia: I did not get a great vibe from the residents as I felt that they didn't really know each other too well. The chief resident was extremely nice and the general faculty were also very nice. I'm sure they work extremely hard and the reputation here is also on the level of partners/hopkins/ucsf, so I don't think you can really go wrong here. It's true the area is cheaper than other places in NY, but I realized it's not exactly convenient to go from here to, say, midtown (prob 45 min metro ride). At least it's safer than baltimore.

UCLA: the warm weather is a huge draw. Definitely feels like people know how to be more down-to-earth here and their ICU/stroke are extremely good. I agree with you that their volume seems relatively low compared to east coast programs (though may be on par with stanford). That makes it a tough sell for me as I really think volume is important for my training, but I also do enjoy good weather. UCLA does offer the trifecta of tertiary center, VA, and county, which I don't believe either hopkins or columbia offers. That is also an important point for me but not a deal breaker.

I don't really feel like I told you anything you didn't already know, but I feel like I'm in the same boat as you and talking it out is still nice to do. Overall, clinical training is the most important and I think I can convince myself I'll be happy anywhere (although baltimore is the toughest sell, but for some people it may not matter as much). Let me know if you want to talk things out some more. Good luck!

 

[Nexus2001]

I was very impressed by Hopkins. Having lived in Baltimore in college its really not dangerous at all if you're not wandering around in the early AM's inebriated or in the rougher areas looking for trouble. Also, generally Baltimore people are super nice compared to residents of most Eastern cities as you observed. Finally, baltimore is much cheaper than the two other cities you have mentioned.