Schools in nice areas?

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tncekm

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Hey everyone, I'm developing my "list" of schools and I'm running into a problem here. The only schools that I know of that are in nice areas are really top-tier schools (my fiance is moving w/ me, so this is a concern for us) . In addition, most of the schools that are on my list that are mid-tier don't accept (or rarely accept) MD only students from California (I prefer MD, but will probably apply to a few schools MD/PhD).

My current list (not narrowed down yet) is full of way too many top tier schools. I need some safety schools.

So, I was wondering if anybody has any suggestions for schools that are both in nice areas and mid-tier level?

Thanks so much, I appreciate it!

----------------------
Background info:
----------------------
GPA: ~ 3.74
MCAT: Not taken yet, but confident I'll do decent.
Research: 15hrs/wk for 1.5yrs; hands on performing molecular biology (in an immunology lab), not just dishwashing.
Shadowing: 20hrs, radiology, neurosurgery (spinal), anesthesiology
Volunteer: None-yet; in the process of setting up something.

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NorthWestern is w/o a doubt the best, as far as surrounding location

UMiami @ Boca is in a really nice upscale suburban area
Wake Forest is in a pleasant locale

Pretty much every school has a sketchy area nearby...just be street smart
 
Why in the world do you care? You commute to the medical school you commute from it. I can see having a preference for urban vs. suburban vs. middle of nowhere, but how important is it, really, for the actual medical school campus to be surrounded by a 'nice' area?
 
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Why in the world do you care? You commute to the medical school you commute from it. I can see having a preference for urban vs. suburban vs. middle of nowhere, but how important is it, really, for the actual medical school campus to be surrounded by a 'nice' area?

The fiance doesn't want to live/work in a bad area, and neither do I. Your objection is what?
 
NorthWestern is w/o a doubt the best, as far as surrounding location

UMiami @ Boca is in a really nice upscale suburban area
Wake Forest is in a pleasant locale

Pretty much every school has a sketchy area nearby...just be street smart

Thanks, I'll look into them for sure. Appreciate it!
 
The fiance doesn't want to live/work in a bad area, and neither do I. Your objection is what?

Hospitals are normally in bad areas. In fact they're sort of self contained bad areas: attracting drug addicts, gunshot wounds, etc. The only medical schools I know of that are in really nice areas are the ones that are no where near their associated hospitals (Emory comes to mind), but that only helps you for 2 years anyway. It seems simpler just to rent/buy a place that's not close to the inevitably bad neighborhood you're going to end up working in. Your fiance will never need to venture into the bad part of town, and you'll only need to pass through it on your way to the covered parking deck attached to the Hospital.

I didn't have a huge objection or anything, and obviously you don't need to listen to me even if I did. It just seemed like sort of a silly reason to choose where you're going to spend the next 4 years of your life.
 
Also remember the relative wealth of the population around you determines the patient population you will see as a medical student. Most rich people don't like med students mucking around with them. Whereas people without a PCP might appreciate the services, albeit limited ones, a med student could provide to them. The poorer the area the more hands on your clinical training will be. Am I right to use this logic?
 
If you're looking at Philadelphia, here's how it goes. I think all the associated hospitals for Temple, Penn, Drexel and Jefferson have about an equal chance of winding up with the ODs, GSWs, frozen homeless, etc.

PCOM is in a nice area, but you're not interested in DO schools, I'm getting.

Temple itself is well-protected and well-lit, however, going a block beyond the light of Temple's campus is like a friggin' demilitarized zone. North Philly is baaaaad news. You would NEVER want to live in the area, but even commuting on Septa (Southeastern PA Transportation Authority) around there, especially after dark, would scare the hell out of me.

Penn and Drexel are pretty much right next to each other. I never thought the area of University City was bad, but some say it is. I think it's similar to Temple in the sense that once you get past the college area itself, it gets bad. However, depending on where you're commuting from, you won't have to take the train or bus through an area as bad as it is around Temple. Drexel has 2 other campuses for medical school, Hahnemann and Queens Lane. Hahnemann is in Center City and should be safe; I'm not so sure about Queens Lane.

Jefferson is in a really nice area in Center City, and only a few blocks from a large train station (several lines meet there), so getting there is pretty easy, even from the suburbs (which is my plan if I get in once I actually apply).

Hope that helps.
 
UCHSC. recently moved, so the suburban aurora location isnt as nice as the former central Denver one, but its pretty close to some very high end neighborhoods, good shopping, parks, trails, etc.
Any of the schools in NYC? Are MSSM and NYU considered top tier or just middle?
UCONN i think, is supposed to be in a nice area?
 
Actually Drexel's medical school is in East Falls (Germantown area) which is a little nicer and calmer than the undergrad area. You should check it out.
 
----------------------
Background info:
----------------------
GPA: ~ 3.74
MCAT: Not taken yet, but confident I can get 35+
Research: 15hrs/wk for 1.5yrs; molecular biology (in an immunology lab)
Shadowing: 20hrs, radiology, neurosurgery (spinal), anesthesiology
Volunteer: None-yet

:rolleyes:
 
IDK about tiers, but Baltimore's not the greatest of cities.

Maestro... took the words right out of my mouth.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Hey everyone, I'm developing my "list" of schools and I'm running into a problem here. The only schools that I know of that are in nice areas are really top-tier schools (my fiance is moving w/ me, so this is a concern for us) . In addition, most of the schools that are on my list that are mid-tier don't accept (or rarely accept) MD only students from California (I prefer MD, but will probably apply to a few schools MD/PhD).

My current list (not narrowed down yet) is full of way too many top tier schools. I need some safety schools.

So, I was wondering if anybody has any suggestions for schools that are both in nice areas and mid-tier level?

Thanks so much, I appreciate it!

----------------------
Background info:
----------------------
GPA: ~ 3.74
MCAT: Not taken yet, but confident I can get 35+
Research: 15hrs/wk for 1.5yrs; molecular biology (in an immunology lab)
Shadowing: 20hrs, radiology, neurosurgery (spinal), anesthesiology
Volunteer: None-yet


Hospitals tend to be built where there is adequate population density. The nicer med schools either mean you have to commute to the hospital, or the hospital isn't very busy (which can be detrimental to learning in 3rd and 4th year). Bear in mind that where the hospital is located is more important than where the med school is located, because the clinical years of med school are when you are most likely going to be ariving and leaving campus in the dark.
 
There's nice areas in almost every city or town. If you're THAT concerned about being in a bad area just go to the school you want and live miles away "in the perfect good area" and take the LONG commute to the med school in the bad area.

Most schools are in the "downtown" area which usually isn't that good of an area. Just move uptown to a suburb then commute downtown everyday:rolleyes: You don't have to live close to the school....it's better but if you really don't like the area....
 
Ohio State and the city of Columbus are pretty nice places if you're looking around the midwest
 
UW SMPH is in a very nice area... and certainly takes CA residents.
 
Ohio State and the city of Columbus are pretty nice places if you're looking around the midwest

If you really want "nice" places, I wouldn't really go for columbus. It's better than say, Cincy, and possibly even Cleveland (although Case Western's surrounding area is gorgeous) If you're into the midwest, it's okay, but I wouldn't want to live there for 4 years. (something I realized after being accepted there.)
 
Hospitals are normally in bad areas. In fact they're sort of self contained bad areas: attracting drug addicts, gunshot wounds, etc. The only medical schools I know of that are in really nice areas are the ones that are no where near their associated hospitals (Emory comes to mind), but that only helps you for 2 years anyway. It seems simpler just to rent/buy a place that's not close to the inevitably bad neighborhood you're going to end up working in. Your fiance will never need to venture into the bad part of town, and you'll only need to pass through it on your way to the covered parking deck attached to the Hospital.
Yeah, I understand hospitals aren't always in the most fancy areas. And, I don't have a problem commuting there myself. My fiance just doesn't want to live in a bad area, and I don't want her to either.

It just seemed like sort of a silly reason to choose where you're going to spend the next 4 years of your life.
Well, some can view it that way. But, the next 4 years of my life involve me and another person, so I make additional considerations. E.g., I'd like her to be safe and to live in an area where she is more likely to make friends since I'll be so busy. And, I also have to consider how her field will pay where we move. Sometimes pay in the area reflects differences in the cost of living, sometimes it doesn't.
 
Hospitals tend to be built where there is adequate population density. The nicer med schools either mean you have to commute to the hospital, or the hospital isn't very busy (which can be detrimental to learning in 3rd and 4th year). Bear in mind that where the hospital is located is more important than where the med school is located, because the clinical years of med school are when you are most likely going to be ariving and leaving campus in the dark.
Thanks for the input. But, again, I'm not so concerned with myself. I'm more concerned with my fiancé's safety, and she'll likely work where we live.
 
To all: I'll be looking through some of the schools you've recommended. Much thanks to everyone who contributed (constructively).
 
MCW in Milwaukee is in a pretty nice area, and cost of living is pretty low too. On another note, fiance is male, while fiancee is female. I got what you were saying though. It's nice that you're thinking of your future wife in your career decisions :).
 
Penn and Drexel are pretty much right next to each other. I never thought the area of University City was bad, but some say it is. I think it's similar to Temple in the sense that once you get past the college area itself, it gets bad. However, depending on where you're commuting from, you won't have to take the train or bus through an area as bad as it is around Temple. Drexel has 2 other campuses for medical school, Hahnemann and Queens Lane. Hahnemann is in Center City and should be safe; I'm not so sure about Queens Lane.

Drexel's medical campus is nowhere near Penn's. Like another poster said, it's in Northwest Philly, and the area is pretty nice (it's much nicer than the area around, say, Temple). The Queen Lane campus is where the preclinical years are, and then the students do (some of) their rotations down at Hahnemann University Hospital in Center City. The hospital is on the edge of downtown; walk three blocks north and suddenly the area is not so great.

But Phila certainly can be an enjoyable city to live in. There are lots of great neighborhoods with their own charms.
 
MCW in Milwaukee is in a pretty nice area, and cost of living is pretty low too. On another note, fiance is male, while fiancee is female. I got what you were saying though. It's nice that you're thinking of your future wife in your career decisions :).

Ah, fiancee, you learn something new every day :D

MCW I can almost certainly get into--its just really cold. :lol: My PI got her PhD from MCW and she/our lab is constantly in collaboration with them. She essentially told me if I want to go there, I can, especially if I go MD/PhD. So, its on my list. Thanks for the info though.
 
If you're looking at Philadelphia, here's how it goes. I think all the associated hospitals for Temple, Penn, Drexel and Jefferson have about an equal chance of winding up with the ODs, GSWs, frozen homeless, etc.

PCOM is in a nice area, but you're not interested in DO schools, I'm getting.

Temple itself is well-protected and well-lit, however, going a block beyond the light of Temple's campus is like a friggin' demilitarized zone. North Philly is baaaaad news. You would NEVER want to live in the area, but even commuting on Septa (Southeastern PA Transportation Authority) around there, especially after dark, would scare the hell out of me.

Penn and Drexel are pretty much right next to each other. I never thought the area of University City was bad, but some say it is. I think it's similar to Temple in the sense that once you get past the college area itself, it gets bad. However, depending on where you're commuting from, you won't have to take the train or bus through an area as bad as it is around Temple. Drexel has 2 other campuses for medical school, Hahnemann and Queens Lane. Hahnemann is in Center City and should be safe; I'm not so sure about Queens Lane.

Jefferson is in a really nice area in Center City, and only a few blocks from a large train station (several lines meet there), so getting there is pretty easy, even from the suburbs (which is my plan if I get in once I actually apply).

Hope that helps.
If you're looking for "nice" areas and "safe" is the only determining factor (my idea of nice is probably completely different), I wouldn't look at Philly at all. Bad year for us, and we're probably looking at another year at the top for murder rates. I look past it and love Philly.

For safe middle-tier places, you could try Nebraska or something, maybe UT-Houston. What field does your fiance work in as that would have a determining factor? Also, Schools like the University of Michigan are in "safe" places. They're unfortunately also very boring...
 
For safe middle-tier places, you could try Nebraska or something, maybe UT-Houston. What field does your fiance work in as that would have a determining factor? Also, Schools like the University of Michigan are in "safe" places. They're unfortunately also very boring...

I don't consider Houston a safe city. Ann Arbor certainly is, but I'm not sure I'd characterize it as boring... it's a college town and close to Detroit, I'm sure you can find plenty to do there.
 
Drexel's medical campus is nowhere near Penn's. Like another poster said, it's in Northwest Philly, and the area is pretty nice (it's much nicer than the area around, say, Temple). The Queen Lane campus is where the preclinical years are, and then the students do (some of) their rotations down at Hahnemann University Hospital in Center City. The hospital is on the edge of downtown; walk three blocks north and suddenly the area is not so great.

But Phila certainly can be an enjoyable city to live in. There are lots of great neighborhoods with their own charms.
Huh... Drexel's website listed University City, East Falls and Hanhemann. Maybe I looked at the wrong part of the site, but that's what came up when I checked for directions to Drexel's medical school.

Odd... I think it's rerouting me from drexelmed.edu to drexel.edu. I can't find anything about where Drexel's medical campus is. Stupid site. Sorry about that.
 
If you're looking for "nice" areas and "safe" is the only determining factor (my idea of nice is probably completely different), I wouldn't look at Philly at all. Bad year for us, and we're probably looking at another year at the top for murder rates. I look past it and love Philly.

For safe middle-tier places, you could try Nebraska or something, maybe UT-Houston. What field does your fiance work in as that would have a determining factor? Also, Schools like the University of Michigan are in "safe" places. They're unfortunately also very boring...
Nebraska sounds like a good one to investigate. And, I've got about 3 different Texas schools on my list ATM.

My fiancee is in dental hygiene (not an assistant--people get the two confused at times. They were historically referred to as dental nurses, and that's a pretty accurate description IMO). Their job description and pay can vary fairly drastically across the country. From $450/day to $150/day and from tooth restorations and owning hygiene clinics to not even being allowed to give local anesthetic injections.
 
I don't consider Houston a safe city. Ann Arbor certainly is, but I'm not sure I'd characterize it as boring... it's a college town and close to Detroit, I'm sure you can find plenty to do there.

Spent 4 years in Ann Arbor. Believe me, it's boring (I don't think our poster is interested in frat parties and college bars filled with 21-22 year olds). True about Houston (but depends on the part, of course - the medical area and swath of condos is pretty inocuous and safe).
 
If you're looking for "nice" areas and "safe" is the only determining factor (my idea of nice is probably completely different), I wouldn't look at Philly at all. Bad year for us, and we're probably looking at another year at the top for murder rates. I look past it and love Philly.
C'mon now. We all know most of that homicide rate is from shootings and things in North Philly and a few other extremely bad parts of town. Frankly, I hope the average medical student is smart enough to stay the hell out of dodge.

Northeast Philly is pretty safe, and it's easy to get to Center City with Septa or driving. There are also plenty of areas in Center city that, while more expensive, will be close to school (university housing included, of course) and should be very safe. You can also take any number of regional rail lines from the suburban counties into the city and bypass the most dangerous areas easily. Personally, my fiance' and I live in Jenkintown in Montgomery County, which is just west-northwest of Philly county (I'm sure Humble knows where it is). The area is very safe, and we're about a half-mile walk from a regional rail train station, where you can take several rail lines into the city. The regional rail system is pretty good and I think it would be relatively easy to get from the 'burbs to any of the medical schools in the area using it.
 
True about Houston (but depends on the part, of course - the medical area and swath of condos is pretty inocuous and safe).

A friend of mine goes to BCM. The first day she got into Houston she saw someone get shot 10 times by the cops right in front of her apartment <shrug>
 
C'mon now. We all know most of that homicide rate is from shootings and things in North Philly and a few other extremely bad parts of town. Frankly, I hope the average medical student is smart enough to stay the hell out of dodge.

Northeast Philly is pretty safe, and it's easy to get to Center City with Septa or driving. There are also plenty of areas in Center city that, while more expensive, will be close to school (university housing included, of course) and should be very safe. You can also take any number of regional rail lines from the suburban counties into the city and bypass the most dangerous areas easily. Personally, my fiance' and I live in Jenkintown in Montgomery County, which is just west-northwest of Philly county (I'm sure Humble knows where it is). The area is very safe, and we're about a half-mile walk from a regional rail train station, where you can take several rail lines into the city. The regional rail system is pretty good and I think it would be relatively easy to get from the 'burbs to any of the medical schools in the area using it.

Not quite. There was a cop shooting and a man drowned in front of 2400 Chestnut, where a ton of med students live, about 2-3 weeks ago. Another recent shooting between Presbyterian hospital and the Penn campus. But we actually have 3 or 4 students (a few who are married) who live outside of the city, and then commute in. Definitely more "safe" but if someone is from the suburbs and wants to keep it that way, I wouldn't recommend going to a school in philly or many urban areas. I hear Hershey is pretty safe (Penn State)...

And I guess Houston is out...
 
Northwestern is in an awesome location, but it won't be cheap. MCW is in a very suburban neighborhood with quite a safe surrounding residential area, but with the way Milwaukee is, you certainly are never far from a diverse patient population.
 
Yeah, not looking at Houston so much. :)
 
Northwestern is in an awesome location, but it won't be cheap. MCW is in a very suburban neighborhood with quite a safe surrounding residential area, but with the way Milwaukee is, you certainly are never far from a diverse patient population.

Northwestern looks nice. And chicago is doable with her salary.
 
Having grown up in Milwaukee, I agree with that as an option. The area around the med school is quite nice, and downtown is pretty lively (and safe!), especially during the summer. The city's put a lot of money into renovating it and it's changed alot since I went to college so it's far nicer than most people think when I say I'm from Milwaukee. It's also an hour and a half from Chicago, which is fun to visit if you are looking for a more big city feel from time to time.

I'm also a big fan of Pittsburgh right now. Same feel as Milwaukee since it's a smaller city that's affordable. Though there's things that are missing from Milwaukee (better museums, theater, etc.) because it's not near a larger city like Milwaukee is, but overall I feel that the city is where Milwaukee was before the renovations.
 
I lived in houston for nearly a decade. I wouldn't ever characterize it as a dangerous city. Its crime rate is pretty low especially for a major city and the fact that you are never walking and unlikely to utilize a lot of public transport makes you that much less likely to be a victim of crime. Houston's cost of living is low. Texas Medical Center is awesome. Baylor and UTH are pretty kickass schools.

Philly is great. We've already passed the murder benchmark we just set last year. Someone was shot at a diner right on Penn's campus just a couple years back, every year multiple students are mugged (many on off campus apartments that are a block away from the campus). We pretty much have a homicide or two every day. As a student you are almost guaranteed to not be a victim of violent crime, but you might just get mugged. Students do get hurt occasionally I guess, but most of the time you just need to know the art of getting robbed. You gotta be on your toes in philly, thats part of the fun living in a big city ;].
 
I would agree with the above comment about Ann Arbor, its pleasant enough, and quite safe, but not too much else going on. Beautiful campus though.

Have you looked at OHSU? Portland is a very nice mid-sized city, the campus is in a great area, and there is easy and free transportation to the hospital from almost any part of the city.
 
Def. have to look into michigan.

OHSU is on my list. Nice area and I have family up there, which is a nice bonus.
 
I lived in houston for nearly a decade. I wouldn't ever characterize it as a dangerous city. Its crime rate is pretty low especially for a major city and the fact that you are never walking and unlikely to utilize a lot of public transport makes you that much less likely to be a victim of crime. Houston's cost of living is low. Texas Medical Center is awesome. Baylor and UTH are pretty kickass schools.

Have you lived in Houston since Katrina? The people I know from there have said it's very different now.
 
Have you lived in Houston since Katrina? The people I know from there have said it's very different now.

I have and do when I'm at home. It's really not that much different. The only real difference is when the news runs a story about a shooting, robbery, etc on the southside then say the suspects are from Louisana:rolleyes: rather than from Houston or Mexico. Same amount of crime, they just now have another place to say where all the criminals are from
 
I have and do when I'm at home. It's really not that much different. The only real difference is when the news runs a story about a shooting, robbery, etc on the southside then say the suspects are from Louisana:rolleyes: rather than from Houston or Mexico. Same amount of crime, they just now have another place to say where all the criminals are from

fbi-most-violent-big-cities.gif


Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Houston's murder rate increased 70 percent in November and December of 2005 compared to 2004's levels.

http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2006_4235150
 
What I find interesting about that graphic is that Chicago isn't included because they don't have the right statistics. I'm really curious to know where they stand because it should be up there.

From what I can tell, it was 1172.8 in 2006.
 
Not quite. There was a cop shooting and a man drowned in front of 2400 Chestnut, where a ton of med students live, about 2-3 weeks ago. Another recent shooting between Presbyterian hospital and the Penn campus.
And compare this to the total number of homicides in Philadelphia in 2007. That's pretty damn good. Like I said before, it gets dodgy around Penn's campus. Of course, I think much of North Philly is much worse as a whole.

But we actually have 3 or 4 students (a few who are married) who live outside of the city, and then commute in. Definitely more "safe" but if someone is from the suburbs and wants to keep it that way, I wouldn't recommend going to a school in philly or many urban areas. I hear Hershey is pretty safe (Penn State)...
I live in the suburbs now. I lived in the same house in Northeast Philly my entire life up until August, which was when I moved (not counting one semester I spent in New York freshman year of college). I only remember a handful of violent crimes that happened in my area when I was growing up. Most were domestic (spousal murder) or accidental (idiot kid/teenager playing with a gun). Muggings (with or without a weapon) have been pretty few and far between and as long as I lived in my neighborhood, there was never any drug busts or shootouts (disclaimer: that I can think of). Hell, the crime that probably shook my old neighborhood most in recent years was a hit and run of a nun on the way to church.

I'm thinking there is a stereotype in the country where all of Philly is a crime-ridden cesspool, and it's really not the case. I have to say, judging from your MPapps page, you've only been in Philadelphia a few months. I have lived here my whole life, so I'd appreciate if you'd take my word for it a bit more. I'm a short little white girl, and I don't think I've ever really been in a situation where I truly felt my life or well-being was in jeopardy because of some criminal element. You have to be smart, just like you need to be in any major city, and should be anywhere you live.

Anyway, my point is there are several areas of this city that are plenty nice and safe, and you can easily access most of the medical schools in the area.
 

My thoughts exactly.

And whatever you do, don't say the reason you're interested in a school is because it's area is nice/safe. If someone said that to me during an interview, I'm thinking they are going to have troubles dealing with the real life grittiness you sometimes experience in medicine.
 
I live in the suburbs now.
...but you don't attend a medical school in Philadelphia, do you? Might change your opinion a smidge on things...

Anyway, we're on the same side here. I absolutely love Philly. You just have to keep your wits about you on the subway or walking around the streets in certain neighborhoods. I've never felt "unsafe," but I wouldn't tell the OP that downtown philly is the squeaky clean family-friendly place you're trying to make it out to be. Data and many people's experiences would say otherwise.
 
fbi-most-violent-big-cities.gif


Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Houston's murder rate increased 70 percent in November and December of 2005 compared to 2004's levels.

http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2006_4235150

Of course immediately following. The city was a mad house then. But the crime is ALWAYS up extra high during November and December because people seem to get trigger happy and violent during the holiday. I can't tell you how many sirens I heard over Thanksgiving break....it made no sense

But it's leveled off. It's still the hot topic, 5 o'clock news ready to report 5 new murders or shootings but that depends on where you live
 
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