NY vs California

[Rad2017]

Hey all,

I'm currently trying to put together my rank list but am having some difficulty.

I am originally from NYC and really liked NYU. However, a part of me has always wanted to move out west, and I liked UCLA as well.

I know that these are both excellent programs of similar caliber. However, I am torn between staying in NYU, where my family and friends are and in a city I know very well, versus changing pace and living in a new location (I've never lived outside New York).

My other concern is that should I do residency in Cali, will it be feasible to return to NYC to practice?

Thanks for your time.

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[cowme]

You have to enjoy, or at least tolerate, a lot of driving to live in LA

 

[deleted379552]

The pace in CA is very slow compared to New York and New England. I grew up there and went to UCLA for undergrad, but moved to NYC for med school. Honestly, it was a little too slow for me and I've appreciated the Northeast a lot more. If you think you can handle a change of pace, CA is a great place to train. UCLA and Stanford are reputed to be more laid back places for radiology training, while UCSF and UCSD are tougher and you work a little harder. Weather-wise/surfing-wise, UCLA/UCSD beats out UCSF/Stanford (it's like a constant 60 degrees in the Bay area all year long).

Both CA and NYC are tough tough markets for radiology. I don't know how tough it is to move from CA to NYC after residency, but I know a few who have successful transitioned from NYC to CA after doing a fellowship in CA. I'm one of many who are hoping to go back after residency.

 

[Insertnamehere123]

Both programs are quite similar in terms of reputation and training. I'm also originally from NYC and I interviewed at both programs a while back and liked them for different reasons. FWIW I ended up going with UCLA and I've loved it here. Definitely glad to have moved out of my comfort zone to check out a new city for a few years (or potentially more depending on where I go for fellowship and beyond). My mentors have said it won't be an issue getting a job back home in NY (and vice versa if you want to go from NYC back to LA).

UCLA
Pros:
- Excellent location and beautiful weather year round (I remember it being around 70 degrees during my January interview in LA and coming back to 20 degrees in NYC and hated it). Within 20 miles of campus, you have beaches with sick waves, mountains for hiking, ethnic neighborhoods with awesome food, etc. I would say LA is like a large collection of distinct towns whereas Manhattan is located in its own urban bubble.
- Top notch IR department
- Pretty chill environment with friendly residents and attendings (Dr. Suh is the bomb)
- You can keep a car and go anywhere (I love driving), albeit with traffic during rush hour if you want to meander further away from campus.
- More moonlighting opportunities (both baby sitting scanner and doing prelim reads).
- You can get subsidized housing although it might take a while with the lottery system.
- Although we have 24/7 attending coverage, the overnight attendings are located in a different hospital so you're still the go-to person making the tough calls when being bombarded by the surgery team.

Cons:
- Traffic is bad in LA in general, but your commute to the various hospital sites can be short if you're apartment is centrally located. They are spread out though, so you won't see all the residents at the same noon conference.
- Food is kind of bad during noon conferences and chairman's meetings.
- Less reimbursement for presenting research at national conferences.


NYU
Pros:
- Fun city to live in (as you know). Very convenient w/ 24/7 public transportation and walking. Also has amazing food and unbeatable night life.
- Your friends and family currently live in NYC which can play a big role in resident happiness. You might be worried about being lonely in a new city, but it was very easy for me to make new best friends among my resident class, especially since UCLA's class size is larger.
- All the hospitals are located within walking distance of each other, and you'll see all the residents together in the same location during noon conference.
- The pre-interview dinner was the best one by far. I suppose it shows the department has a lot of resources (even if Sandy wiped out a bunch of their equipment in 2012).

Cons:
- Moonlighting is limited to doing prelim reads during the weekdays.
- Very high cost of living, and you don't qualify for their subsidized housing if you're from the tri-state area. Combined with the fewer moonlighting opportunities, you will barely be saving at all during residency.
- The training environment is definitely more formal than UCLA, but not quite to the point of being "stuffy".
- IR and peds are on the weaker side.
- They had independent call when I interviewed there, but I think they moved to 24/7 coverage recently.

During my interview at UCLA, they grilled me on why I wanted to be in LA when I had been in NY all my life. I must have given a compelling enough reason because I matched here and would gladly make the same decision if I had to do it all over again.

 

[clutch21]

Deleted. Wrong thread.

 

[vm26]

Hey all,

I'm currently trying to put together my rank list but am having some difficulty.

I am originally from NYC and really liked NYU. However, a part of me has always wanted to move out west, and I liked UCLA as well.

I know that these are both excellent programs of similar caliber. However, I am torn between staying in NYU, where my family and friends are and in a city I know very well, versus changing pace and living in a new location (I've never lived outside New York).

My other concern is that should I do residency in Cali, will it be feasible to return to NYC to practice?

Thanks for your time.

From Long Island, trained in NYC, now living in northern Cali, did a fellowship out here so I would not worry about where you do residency...residency/fellowship is an ideal way of experiencing life elsewhere, you will have access to a social network right off the bat through your training program...