Please HELP!!! PCOM (GA) vs. Western/COMP Pomona

[ttieuca]

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are doing well. I have been a long time lurker of this website but have never posted. I am having a very tough time making a decision. Here's a little about myself: I am married with two little boys, ages 4 and 6. My wife is a registered nurse. I was accepted to LMU-DCOM, then PCOM (GA), and just found out today that I got accepted to Western in Pomona. I turned down LMU-DCOM last week and chose PCOM (GA) because it is 8 hours away from where I currently live. Plus, I felt that it would be hard for my wife to find a job in Harrogate, TN. It is very hard for me to choose between PCOM (GA) and Western (Pomona) since I loved both schools when I was there. I greatly appreciate any inputs and advices.

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[DrWily]

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are doing well. I have been a long time lurker of this website but have never posted. I am having a very tough time making a decision. Here's a little about myself: I am married with two little boys, ages 4 and 6. My wife is a registered nurse. I was accepted to LMU-DCOM, then PCOM (GA), and just found out today that I got accepted to Western in Pomona. I turned down LMU-DCOM last week and chose PCOM (GA) because it is 8 hours away from where I currently live. Plus, I felt that it would be hard for my wife to find a job in Harrogate, TN. It is very hard for me to choose between PCOM (GA) and Western (Pomona) since I loved both schools when I was there. I greatly appreciate any inputs and advices.

1) Look at every other "XX School vs Western" thread
2) Determine where you ultimately want to practice (East Coast vs West Coast)
3) Ask your wife where she'd want to be (obviously Californ-I-A)
4) ???????????????
5) Medical School.

 

[ttieuca]

Thanks for the input Dr. Willy. I actually did check out the other XX School vs. Western threads, I was literally dying from your response to the LMU-DCOM vs. Western thread. Lol. I guess what really worries my wife is the cost of living in California. A few of her friends told her that it's literally impossible to live in California.

I am very grateful for being accepted to both of these schools, and I love both schools a lot. That is why I am having such a hard time deciding. I feel like this thread is different from other threads because PCOM (GA) is located 15 minutes away from Atlanta, so it isn't really in the middle of nowhere like LMU-DCOM. It also doesn't get crazy cold like DMU in the winter as well.

P.S. What are some reasonable/affordable cities to live in if I were to attend Western? My wife and I weren't able to find anything on the internet. The houses in Southern California are so much more expensive than those near Atlanta. Please advise...........

 

[help2]

No matter where in SoCal you live, it will almost definitely be more expensive than anywhere in Atlanta. It is one of the most expensive cities in the country, second to NY.

That being said, it's not impossible to live there. I am pretty sure that there are some areas that are less expensive. Unfortunately, I'm really not familiar enough with the area to know the real estate hot spots.

It sounds like choosing Western for you would really turn your life around from where you are now. So the question then, is whether or not you love Western enough to make that change worth it.

 

[tkim]

go to the cheapest school you like most

 

[DrWily]

Thanks for the input Dr. Willy. I actually did check out the other XX School vs. Western threads, I was literally dying from your response to the LMU-DCOM vs. Western thread. Lol. I guess what really worries my wife is the cost of living in California. A few of her friends told her that it's literally impossible to live in California.

I am very grateful for being accepted to both of these schools, and I love both schools a lot. That is why I am having such a hard time deciding. I feel like this thread is different from other threads because PCOM (GA) is located 15 minutes away from Atlanta, so it isn't really in the middle of nowhere like LMU-DCOM. It also doesn't get crazy cold like DMU in the winter as well.

P.S. What are some reasonable/affordable cities to live in if I were to attend Western? My wife and I weren't able to find anything on the internet. The houses in Southern California are so much more expensive than those near Atlanta. Please advise...........

I agree with ^. If moving to Western is a large change for you, and one you're not sure you and your wife are willing to make, it's better to be somewhere comfortable like GA-PCOM. While California is expensive, Western isn't in one of the high expense areas (relative to other areas of California). I cannot comment on the difference in price since I live in the heart of San Diego, in one of the more expensive neighborhoods (next to UCSD) so everything seems cheap to me.

 

[IamKing]

I feel like in all these comparison threads it has been some school vs Western.

 

[tkim]

there's a $6K difference between comp and pcom, comp being more expensive. that, coupled with the predictably higher cost of living for cali, will drive the total cost of attending comp much higher than $24K. i'm guessing the cost of living in ga is lower that southern ca by a lot.

the only motivation to go to the more expensive school is some opportunity not avail at the cheaper school, such as residency placement or an academic department/specialty that you want exposure to. housing for a family of four in cali will kill you unless you want to live cheap and cramped, which makes for a miserable four+ years. your wife working as an rn will help, but a lower cost of living may enable her to work less and stay home more and still pay the bills.

besides, you guys are scared of cali. stay where you are. save some money. move to wherever you want once you're done with training.

 

[poopyhead]

I feel like in all these comparison threads it has been some school vs Western.

All culminating in the championship finale with DrWily's own comparison thread: AZCOM vs. Western

 

[ttieuca]

Thank you everyone for your great feedbacks. It means a lot to me. I am currently residing in South Florida. We are paying $1500 a month for a three bedroom townhouse. We also live in a very nice area as well. But it seems almost impossible to find a place for around that price range in SoCal. I know I definitely don't want my family to live in Pomona for sure. Are there any nice three bedroom units in Southern California for less than $2000/month?

I'm originally from Michigan, lived there my whole life. Moving to South Florida was a big change for me, and it was opportunities that led me here. I have been here for three years, and loved everything about it. Will moving to SoCal, from South Florida, be that big of a change?

I actually like PCOM (GA) a lot, and I loved Western when I was there as well. That's why I am so torn in between the two schools. I am really clueless, so I figured this would be the best place to go to for advices. Please give me more advices. Is there anything else about these two schools that I may not be aware of? I am sorry if I sound annoying. I have done a great amount of research, but for some things, it's better to hear from others. Especially from the people on this website, since I have always turned to you guys for everything. I have read literally every posts on here, and that has been very vital to my success in this year's application process. Thank you all!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DrWily]

All culminating in the championship finale with DrWily's own comparison thread: AZCOM vs. Western

Lol, no. There would be no competition for me.


Western


I ranked my schools before my app even got verified. For me, both AZCOM and Western are great schools, but my girl will be staying in SoCal while I go to school, and Western is 2 hours away vs AZCOM 6 hours away.

That alone is reason enough for me to go to Western (among other, smaller, reasons)

 

[DrWily]

Thank you everyone for your great feedbacks. It means a lot to me. I am currently residing in South Florida. We are paying $1500 a month for a three bedroom townhouse. We also live in a very nice area as well. But it seems almost impossible to find a place for around that price range in SoCal. I know I definitely don't want my family to live in Pomona for sure. Are there any nice three bedroom units in Southern California for less than $2000/month?

I'm originally from Michigan, lived there my whole life. Moving to South Florida was a big change for me, and it was opportunities that led me here. I have been here for three years, and loved everything about it. Will moving to SoCal, from South Florida, be that big of a change?

I actually like PCOM (GA) a lot, and I loved Western when I was there as well. That's why I am so torn in between the two schools. I am really clueless, so I figured this would be the best place to go to for advices. Please give me more advices. Is there anything else about these two schools that I may not be aware of? I am sorry if I sound annoying. I have done a great amount of research, but for some things, it's better to hear from others. Especially from the people on this website, since I have always turned to you guys for everything. I have read literally every posts on here, and that has been very vital to my success in this year's application process. Thank you all!!!!!!!!!!!

You can get a 3 bedroom house for less than 2k a month. Purchasing a house in that area though, I'd advise against it.. but for renting, you can surely find that. You can't beat the weather here, although that part of the inland empire does get hot during the summer. Your wife can find a job easily. I wouldn't worry about that.

Like I said, each school would have connections in their respective parts of the country. Would you prefer to ultimately be on the West Coast or the East Coast? Picking up and moving too much of a hassle? Less tuition a big part of the deal for you? They will both make you a D.O. Go to where you will have a happier lifestyle that will enable you to do your best. If you find out your wife hates the Pomona area, that will have an effect on your ability to study.

 

[LifeTake2]

You can get a 3 bedroom house for less than 2k a month.

Wow, and I'm shopping for 5br houses around PCOM-GA; and can get a 5/3 in a development with pool etc and 3000+ sq ft with a 10min commute for $1500.

I feel for anyone with a reason to pay to live in CA

 

[chubaca]

I've lived in Georgia and am now living in Claremont, which is only 3 miles south of Western U. There are a lot of cities that you can choose to live with varying real estates, but it will probably rarely (if not never) be cheaper than what you can get in GA. I currently live in a 2 bedroom townhouse/condo in Claremont for 1575/mo. And it's very nice and quiet in the area. I know that with this sort of money, you can get a larger place with an extra room. I feel that if your family is happy living in the south and it will take a large emotional and financial sacrifice, you should really consider staying as close to home as possible. With two kids, I'm sure relocating is harder, but at the same time, since they're young, if you did move out to California and started working, they would have enough time to make new friends and adjust.

When I moved to California, I did miss a lot of my friends back home, but I saw it as an adventure to come here and I ultimately love it here. I would choose to stay here, but that's my personal preference. No matter where you go to med school, you will become a doctor. I guess you have to consider what sacrifices your family is willing to take and where you ultimately want to reside after school.