OHSU vs MSSM

[lankan108]

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anyone have any opinions on the two schools? Which you like better and your reasons? Thanks for the help.

 

[Tatowedges]

While I don't have the exact same dilemma, it is similar.

The question here is where you want to be environment-wise.

Portland - smaller city, though pretty good nightlife, bike friendly, public transit's good too, progressive, less diverse than NYC, opps for outdoor activities, chill people, no sales tax

NYC - as diverse, fast-paced, urban as cities get, amazing nightlife, one of the best public transportation systems, pushy people

I think MSSM costs less in tuition. OHSU has cheaper housing.

I personally love both the city as well as the natural outdoors. I'm having trouble deciding between OHSU and Boston myself. Because I am not white nor was I born in the US, I am worried that OHSU might be a little too secluded for me. As in there will be very few folks like me out there.

What are your considerations?

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I'd choose OHSU over most medical schools in the US, just on location alone.

 

[melissainsd]

Since MSSM waitlisted me, OHSU gets my vote. A month from now when I get rejected/waitlisted by OHSU I may change my mind...

In all seriousness I think it comes down to personal preference. MSSM is way better for research, but OHSU is looking to dramatically increase research. I like OHSU curriculum, but that is just me. Portland is much easier to afford though. Like I said- personal preference...

 

[lankan108]

While I don't have the exact same dilemma, it is similar.

The question here is where you want to be environment-wise.

Portland - smaller city, though pretty good nightlife, bike friendly, public transit's good too, progressive, less diverse than NYC, opps for outdoor activities, chill people, no sales tax

NYC - as diverse, fast-paced, urban as cities get, amazing nightlife, one of the best public transportation systems, pushy people

I think MSSM costs less in tuition. OHSU has cheaper housing.

I personally love both the city as well as the natural outdoors. I'm having trouble deciding between OHSU and Boston myself. Because I am not white nor was I born in the US, I am worried that OHSU might be a little too secluded for me. As in there will be very few folks like me out there.

What are your considerations?

Thanks for the advice. Yeah I am not too happy with the lack of diversity at OHSU, but I really like their curriculum, save for the rural medicine rotation. Does OHSU have housing, I thought you have to find your own. MSSM housing might be more expensive than Portland housing, but MSSM provides student apts, which are significantly cheaper when compared to normal Manhattan housing. I think this is gonna be a very tough decision for me, it might just come down to a flip of a coin. Thanks for all the advice everyone.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Yeah I am not too happy with the lack of diversity at OHSU

You make Portland sound like East Bumblef*ck, Tennessee......

 

[lankan108]

well i am not saying anything about hte city but OHSU's class itself. According to MSAR out of 112 matriculants 96 were white, I would say that is definitely lacking in diversity. After spending the last 13 yrs in California in So Cal and the Bay Area, OHSU is gonna be a stark difference. I didn't mean to put OHSU or Portland down in any way, I am just going off of the statistics.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

well i am not saying anything about hte city but OHSU's class itself. According to MSAR out of 112 matriculants 96 were white, I would say that is definitely lacking in diversity. After spending the last 13 yrs in California in So Cal and the Bay Area, OHSU is gonna be a stark difference. I didn't mean to put OHSU or Portland down in any way, I am just going off of the statistics.

And doesn't it really make that much of a difference? I would go to a school filled with minorities (I'm not just white, I'm physically unable to do anything but burn in the sun) if it was a better choice than my other option(s).

 

[TheCybermen]

I'd choose OHSU over most medical schools in the US, just on location alone.

Portland, Oregon vs. Manhattan, New York doesn't make immediate sense to most people...MOST people.

 

[gsmithers68]

well i am not saying anything about hte city but OHSU's class itself. According to MSAR out of 112 matriculants 96 were white, I would say that is definitely lacking in diversity. After spending the last 13 yrs in California in So Cal and the Bay Area, OHSU is gonna be a stark difference. I didn't mean to put OHSU or Portland down in any way, I am just going off of the statistics.

This is actually very common in Oregon and reflects the greater populus of the state. There is not much diversity in the entire state. That is a big intrinsic problem in Oregon. However, over the next couple decades things will change as people start looking to Oregon as California's Canada due to its liberalism and open-mindedness.

 

[DblHelix]

well i am not saying anything about hte city but OHSU's class itself. According to MSAR out of 112 matriculants 96 were white, I would say that is definitely lacking in diversity. After spending the last 13 yrs in California in So Cal and the Bay Area, OHSU is gonna be a stark difference. I didn't mean to put OHSU or Portland down in any way, I am just going off of the statistics.

I'm also a Californian and my advice to you is to defintely not take our diversity for granted. I lived in Cali all my life, then went away to a very white part of the world for two years and it made me long for and appreciate the CA diversity so much more.

One thing to take into account is the amazing exposure opportunities and residency connections you'll get from MSSM. New York has so many people and so many hospitals that you will see and learn everything and make connections with tons of different hospital's residency directors.

I must say though, this would be a terribly difficult decision. OHSU is a great school and I love the outdoor beauty and rainy weather of Portland more than the snow of manhatten.

 

[lankan108]

thanks for everyone's input...keep the advice coming.

 

[searun]

I think that it is a wonderful city, great restaurants, lively arts scene, progressive thinkers, located next to one of the great wine growing regions in the USA. World class Pinot Noir. Quite scenic - one hour and 15 minutes from the Pacific Ocean and a fabulous beautiful coast line and two hours to Mt. Hood for fabulous skiing and snowboarding. According to Apple, Portland is a Mac town not a PC town. If you are interested in wind surfing, there is world class wind surfing on the Columbia River about 1 hour east of Portland in the Columbia Gorge, probably one of the top five wind surfing locations in the world.

That said, I just took my first trip to New York City last month to interview at Columbia. I definitely would be interested in spending 4 years in such a fascinating location.

You have two great choices. Good luck.

 

[physicsnerd42]

I grew up in Ottawa, Canada, then moved to Portland, OR about 8 years ago, went to undergrad in the San Fran Bay Area and now I'm at med school in NH (although I make it down to Boston and up to Montreal every now and again). Honestly, I would say that Portland and Seattle are my two favorite cities and my friends at OHSU love it. So, I would vote for OHSU.

 

[bretticus]

You make Portland sound like East Bumblef*ck, Tennessee......

As a resident of East Bumblef*ck, I'd like to point out that we have lots of diversity e.g., Asian and Hispanic gangs. 👎

 

[Tatowedges]

As a resident of East Bumblef*ck, I'd like to point out that we have lots of diversity e.g., Asian and Hispanic gangs. 👎

Your correlate diversity with minority gangs...Its exactly ideas such as these that encourages me to stay on the two coasts 🙄

Everyone claims their area has diversity. Its all relative.

Not trying to knock your hometowns, but for someone from NYC, Boston, LA, or SF, nowhere else can compare.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Everyone claims their area has diversity. Its all relative.

Not everyone. The county my parents live in has 8 black people and maybe a dozen Asians. That's not what I would called diversity.

 

[bretticus]

Your correlate diversity with minority gangs...Its exactly ideas such as these that encourages me to stay on the two coasts 🙄

Everyone claims their area has diversity. Its all relative.

Not trying to knock your hometowns, but for someone from NYC, Boston, LA, or SF, nowhere else can compare.

Umm... that's exactly what you're doing. You point out big cities on the coasts as if they're clearly superior to rural America. Shows how much you celebrate diversity. If you think everything there is to be found in the world can be seen in one of those cities, you are huge hypocrite. Did you ever think that maybe people have lived in big cities and decided they didn't like it? That maybe diversity might include those in small towns who might have different viewpoints than your own? That kind of condescending attitude is what most Southerners hate about those on the coasts. We are not a bunch of racists *****s with no sophistication.

I was merely pointing out that "diversity" -- usually what most people associate with racial diversity -- does not always have a positive effect. We never had gangs here before the Hispanic population started booming. Yet my area of the country is berated as "Bumblef*ck" because we don't have a Thai restaurant on the corner. As if that's what makes someone cultured. 🙄

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Umm... that's exactly what you're doing. You point out big cities on the coasts as if they're clearly superior to rural America. Shows how much you celebrate diversity. If you think everything there is to be found in the world can be seen in one of those cities, you are huge hypocrite. Did you ever think that maybe people have lived in big cities and decided they didn't like it? That maybe diversity might include those in small towns who might have different viewpoints than your own? That kind of condescending attitude is what most Southerners hate about those on the coasts. We are not a bunch of racists *****s with no sophistication.

I was merely pointing out that "diversity" -- usually what most people associate with racial diversity -- does not always have a positive effect. We never had gangs here before the Hispanic population started booming. Yet my area of the country is berated as "Bumblef*ck" because we don't have a Thai restaurant on the corner. As if that's what makes someone cultured. 🙄

You had gangs....they just didn't have colors and pack Glocks. They just didn't get labeled as "gangs" because they looked like the majority of the population. I believe they are called "good ol' boys". But yes, things probably got a lot worse when the Hispanics started moving in.

 

[bretticus]

You had gangs....they just didn't have colors and pack Glocks. They just didn't get labeled as "gangs" because they looked like the majority of the population. I believe they are called "good ol' boys". But yes, things probably got a lot worse when the Hispanics started moving in.

Yes, we're all members of the KKK here. I guess stereotypes of non-minorities are ok though. 🙄 Interestingly enough, my county was pro-Union -- no one would ever care about that though. The only place I've ever heard of the Klan around here is in Pulaski, and I'd wager most people there think it's a disgrace.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Yes, we're all members of the KKK here. I guess stereotypes of non-minorities are ok though. 🙄 Interestingly enough, my county was pro-Union -- no one would ever care about that though. The only place I've ever heard of the Klan around here is in Pulaski, and I'd wager most people there think it's a disgrace.

You know what I meant....I wasn't talking about the Klan (hell, my parents live in the county that's home to our state's Klan leader)....I was just referring to the various groups of lowlifes that you see in any larger city.

 

[bretticus]

You know what I meant....I wasn't talking about the Klan (hell, my parents live in the county that's home to our state's Klan leader)....I was just referring to the various groups of lowlifes that you see in any larger city.

No, I didn't really understand. When I hear "good ol' boys," I think of rebel flag-waving, black-hating, rednecks (not necessarily just Klan). I guess that's just what they are around here, though. Where are you from DKM?

 

[Tatowedges]

Umm... that's exactly what you're doing. You point out big cities on the coasts as if they're clearly superior to rural America. Shows how much you celebrate diversity. If you think everything there is to be found in the world can be seen in one of those cities, you are huge hypocrite. Did you ever think that maybe people have lived in big cities and decided they didn't like it? That maybe diversity might include those in small towns who might have different viewpoints than your own? That kind of condescending attitude is what most Southerners hate about those on the coasts. We are not a bunch of racists *****s with no sophistication.

No there is nothing wrong with rural America. There are amazing, wonderful people everywhere. And I certainly don't *hate* Southerners the way you seem to hate us big city folks. I don't see why you have an inferiority complex that you feel the need to flame me.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with different viewpoints. But when these viewpoints are turned against me because I look or act different, I just prefer not to live there. I don't think you know what its like as a non-white or non-black person in Tennessee or Alabama. I've been there done that. I speak from sad personal experiences, not out of ignorance.

 

[bretticus]

No there is nothing wrong with rural America. There are amazing, wonderful people everywhere. And I certainly don't *hate* Southerners the way you seem to hate us big city folks. I don't see why you have an inferiority complex that you feel the need to flame me.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with different viewpoints. But when these viewpoints are turned against me because I look or act different, I just prefer not to live there. I don't think you know what its like as a non-white or non-black person in Tennessee or Alabama. I've been there done that. I speak from sad personal experiences, not out of ignorance.

I don't hate big city folk, I said "most Southerners" hate "condescending attitudes" that some big city folk seem to have. The ones like comparing Portland's low diversity to "Bumblef*ck, TN," where we obviously have none. 🙄 I have no beef with people from big cities -- hell, look at the NYU thread. I'd love to live there for a few years, though that looks like it's not going to happen.

I don't have an inferiority complex, I'm just responding to what you posted:
-Essentially saying people not on the coast are racist/intolerant/closed-minded
-Saying diversity is relative i.e., non-urban areas don't have real diversity
-Urban areas are obviously better than non-urban ones

At least that's what your post said to me.

And once again, even though you say you don't like people stereotyping you because of your looks/actions, you go and do the same to people living in Tennessee and Alabama. Are all non-whites discriminated against here while being welcomed with open arms elsewhere? Sheesh, L.A. riots anyone? Rodney King? NYPD cops shooting unarmed black men? The fact is, racial problems are present everywhere in this country, not just the South.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

No, I didn't really understand. When I hear "good ol' boys," I think of rebel flag-waving, black-hating, rednecks (not necessarily just Klan). I guess that's just what they are around here, though. Where are you from DKM?

Indiana

 

[fugazism]

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Bretticus, I apologize in advance for this but I have to post this....

 

[Tatowedges]

I don't have an inferiority complex, I'm just responding to what you posted:
-Essentially saying people not on the coast are racist/intolerant/closed-minded
-Saying diversity is relative i.e., non-urban areas don't have real diversity
-Urban areas are obviously better than non-urban ones

Not all people are anything. I never said everyone in Tennessee or Alabama treated me poorly. Just enough of them did that I don't wish to live there myself. I'm not attacking you. I like people with opinions.

What I mean by diversity is relative is that Portland may be racially diverse compared to the town DropKick mentioned with 8 black people, but it definitely is not compared New York City. I don't see what's wrong with that statement.