Seton Hall-Hackensack Meridian vs. NOVA MD

[Moonmarmot]

Schools are similar in price with both offering me 20k per year. Both schools are very new with neither having graduated a class. I'm a Florida native and am currently undecided on specialty but keeping my options open is my #1 priority.

Seton /Hackensack (NJ)

Pros:
-Liked the condensed 3+1 curriculum with complete freedom to tailor your 4th year to interests/needs
-School run by a massive health system which I feel will be nice for clerkship options/ finding mentors/ finding clinical opportunities/research
-Much better gut feeling from faculty
-Facilities seem decent with an attached research facility and a ton of room for more to be added
-Possibility to graduate in 3 years with automatic placement into a hackensack meridian residency. (They don't have the giga competitive specialties however so this is not a way to finesse a spot into one of them)
Cons:
-Cost of housing drastically considerably higher compared to other acceptance
-In a suburb of Newark New Jersey. I am a very social person and there does not seem to be much to do locally
-Transitioning to a new state
-Farther from friends and family
-Weather

NOVA MD (FL)

Pros:
-Located in Fort Lauderdale = Much better weather. Beach a short drive away.
-Parents live in Orlando and I have friends scattered across various parts of the state. Nova would make it easier to visit them
-Brother lives near by
-Apartments much cheaper with more amenities
-Feel initial comfort would be better here due to being in the same state/similar culture.

Cons:
-Much worse gut feeling
-small class size
-School has both a DO school and an MD school. Both housed in the same building. Something just feels off/weird about this
-Facilities very meh. Super tiny library which is shared with DO students. Super tiny lounge which is shared with DO students. Confused on where the massive tuition dollars are going.
-Both Nova DO and Nova law of questionable reputation with low board scored and bar pass rates respectively. Something very fishy about Nova being so hell bent on proliferation. Sketchy vibes


Would love hear any/all feedback especially if you had the opportunity to interview/attend at either. These opinions of course are only based on my interview experiences and what research I can do.

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[brgiant1398]

It feels like you definitely prefer HM over Nova, but the location and proximity to family is holding you back. I think you should trust your gut feeling about the sketchiness (not familiar with Nova so can't really comment). I'm from Jersey and HM has a ton of hospitals all over the state - so the 3 year track might be a great option and save you a ton of $$. Also don't forget that the school is close by to NYC if you're looking for things to do.

 

[Wolvvs]

Do you want to match back to Florida/would you be okay in an HM residency?

 

[Wolvvs]

Also, about not much being nearby: there's a train station reasonably close to the school which gives you a ~30 minute ride to Manhattan