tufts vs miami, which one?

[David Blonder]

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hey guys, i have a choice between u of miami and tufts u. while tufts' location would be better for my fiance (law school), i've heard that miami offers a ton of clinical exposure (i'm interested in orthopedics), as it has the busiest trauma center in the country. however, boston might be better for networking. as for the academics, i assume i could get the same quality education at either institution. both have decent social scenes. if you have any opinions i'd love to hear them. thanks

 

[meanderson]

What caliber student is your fiance? If she has a chance at a school like Harvard in that area, then maybe you want to take Tufts. If not, go to miami.

 

[SolidGold]

Miami does offer an incredible amount of clinical exposure at one of the busiest hospitals in the nation, but doesn't Tufts have really good clinical exposure as well? Honestly, you probably have a better chance of keeping your relationship with your fiance if you are closer to her, Miami is pretty far from Boston.

 

[MacGyver]

Miami sounds like a nice city, until you realize that the med school/hospital is in the worst part of town, where bullets fly around like birds.

As for med schools, I'd say they are roughly equal. I dont think either one has a strong advantage over the other

 

[tBw]

I think the two are pretty even for you. So that means maybe you should just place the decision in your finacees hands - especially if its a significant difference in law school for her.

 

[David Blonder]

Yes, my fiance has her sights set on Harvard - she's summa cum, with highest thesis honors, and awards and EC's too numerous to list. I'm white, she's black - we'd prefer an ethnically diverse city where an interracial couple would feel comfortable.

My uncertainty about Tufts stems from a comment made by a current Tufts medical student who, on the day of my interview there, mentioned that it may be difficult to gain adequate orthopedic exposure at Tufts (New England Medical Center). In contrast, I've heard glowing comments about the extraordinary opportunities for early clinical experience at Miami. I was extremely impressed with Miami during my visit. I know nothing about the law school in Miami, but, since my fiance is interested in immigration law, rather than corporate law, I wonder if Miami might not be a bad choice for her, either.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

 

[originallei]

😍 TUFTS 😍

 

[wallie]

Originally posted by David Blonder

My uncertainty about Tufts stems from a comment made by a current Tufts medical student who, on the day of my interview there, mentioned that it may be difficult to gain adequate orthopedic exposure at Tufts (New England Medical Center). In contrast, I've heard glowing comments about the extraordinary opportunities for early clinical experience at Miami. I was extremely impressed with Miami during my visit. I know nothing about the law school in Miami, but, since my fiance is interested in immigration law, rather than corporate law, I wonder if Miami might not be a bad choice for her, either.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

I know nothing about ortho surgery (or Miami for that matter) so I'm the last person that should be throwing my two cents in, but it seems like ortho surgery is something that you could do an away rotation in. I think that you can do up to 3 fourth year electives away from Tufts, so if NEMC seemed like it wasn't going to be great, you could do it somewhere that was great, in Boston, or elsewhere. (This is assuming that people do electives in orthopaedic surgery, I dunno, is it just something you do as part of the general surgery clerkship?) There are about 8 orthpaedic surgery matches on the 2002 Tufts match list, how does that compare to Miami? Good luck with your decision.

 

[goredsox]

If you're worried about clinical exposure at Tufts - don't be. Affiliations with Tufts university are plenty to keep your options open - if Tufts doesn't have it then maybe you can look at doing a visiting clerkship to find it. Some schools allow you to leave for a rotation or two at other institutions in your third and fourth years(do a search on yahoo for Harvard Exchange Clerkship). I'm not sure if Tufts allows this, so look into that.

Great schools - you win either way!

Go Red Sox!

 

[meanderson]

Man....if your fiance is talented academically and is urm and really wants to pursue the law thing, you should go to tufts for her. 163+ on the lsat and she has a great shot at Harvard. Good luck

 

[CANES2006]

Originally posted by MacGyver
Miami sounds like a nice city, until you realize that the med school/hospital is in the worst part of town, where bullets fly around like birds.

As for med schools, I'd say they are roughly equal. I dont think either one has a strong advantage over the other

This is one of the dumbest posts I have read in SDN for a long time. Jackson is a pretty safe place if you stay within the complex. The area surrounding Jackson is rough, but to completely ride off excellent clinical exposure for these unsound fears is ridiculous. Some of the best clinical areas in the medical community are located in areas that aren't all that great. They are located there because the patients who need the most medical treatment live there. If treating the neediest patients isn't the reason why you went into medicine then maybe you should quit this profession right now.

 

[Zeusers]

As the busiest medical center in the country and the second largest, you will definitely see things at Miami that we will not see at many other places. You have to plan for you, not your girlfriend. Women come and go, you need to go somewhere where you will be the happiest, if its in Miami go there. If its in Boston go there. I will tell you this however. Miami is a safe city. The area around Jackson rivals that of most cities. You would not want to walk down the street with a rolex on, but at the same time you would not feel scared for your life, or be afraid of bullets flying (as some other idiotic person said). It comes down to the issue of happiness. You will be successful where you are happy. Nobody can tell you where you will be happy but yourself, so probe into your heart and figure it out.

 

[David Blonder]

Thanks for your feedback, Zeusers - that's exactly how I've felt about Miami, and why I've been so torn by this decision.

Yes, Meanderson, she nailed the LSAT with a 169. Harvard is a realistic goal for my fiance, and I'm beginning to think that Miami is a selfish choice for me. From what I've read above, either school can provide the solid foundation I'm looking for. Although she just graduated with me, she has not yet applied to any law schools. She had decided to wait until I knew where I'd be attending medical school, and limit her applications to nearby law schools. Now, it's her turn, and I must give her the chance to reach for her dreams.

I've made my decision, and I'm going to notify Miami immediately. Hopefully, one of you aspiring SDN'ers will take my place at that great school! Best of luck to all, and thank you for all the information, advice, and support you've provided me throughout these past agonizing months. Like many of you, I've touched the depths of negativity, and, later, soared to heights I never dreamed possible.

 

[meanderson]

She's practically into Harvard. I wouldn't say a 169 is "nailing" the lsat, but it is pretty good and probably plenty good enough to get her in. If you really are going to marry this girl, it is in your best interest to stay in boston and have her go to harvard. If it is one of those "maybe" engagements, head down to miami. Good luck....

 

[MacGyver]

Originally posted by Zeusers
As the busiest medical center in the country and the second largest,

Wrong on both counts.

The Texas Medical Center in Houston is the busiest in the world, with over 40 institutions, 2 medical schools, 15 hospitals and 8 clinics. They have 16,000 beds (Jackson = 2000) and had 2.2 million patient visits last year.

As for the largest medical center in the world, thats at the NIH complex in Bethesda. The 2nd largest is again, the TMC. Jackson might be 3rd on the list.

 

[David Blonder]

well, i was told when iwas in miami that it was the busiest in the country, and the 2nd largest as well.

 

[MacGyver]

Originally posted by David Blonder
well, i was told when iwas in miami that it was the busiest in the country, and the 2nd largest as well.

well then somebody is either misinformed at Miami or purposefully lied to you.

 

[David Blonder]

i certainly can't believe that anyone would purposefully lie to us! hopefully, it was a misunderstanding, or, perhaps taken out of context (ie, "largest/busiest with relation to _______).

well, macgyver, with a handle like us news rankings slave, you pride yourself on such statistics, and i assume you've got the stat's to support your claims. so, do you know how miami ranks in terms of its size and activity? i'd also like to know any stat's you might have on tufts (new england medical center).

thanks!

 

[irlandesa]

I think you definitely made the right decision! Harvard is too big an opportunity for your fiance to pass up, and as a current M'05 at Tufts I can almost guarentee you that you'll have plenty of clinical opportunities at Tufts. I am very happy with my education so far, and students can choose from a large # of hospitals during their third year rotations. My best guess is that the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA might be good for rotations in orthopedic surgery during third and/or fourth year, but I'm not exactly sure. And during fourth year, you can do at least 2 "away" rotations should you want to rotate through one of the Harvard-affiliated hospitals or even go back to Miami for 4 weeks.

Boston also seems to have plenty of interracial couples from what I've seen, and in spite of ugly rumors I've heard about racism/segregation in the Northeast, the situation seems much better up here to me than it did when I lived 400 miles to the south growing up. The student body at Tufts is also quite geographically diverse compared to many schools, and only 1/3 of my class came directly from undergrad. The first 2 years are actually not as stressful as one might expect, and you and your fiance will probably be able to spend a lot of time together (well, until she starts up at Harvard Law that is!🙂). congratulations on your acceptances and good luck!

 

[Zeusers]

When I spoke of Jackson memorial as being the busiest medical center in the country I made a mistake. Based on the number of admissions to a single facility it is the busiest hospital in the country. I agree Texas is the 2nd busiest medical center in the country, with Miami next on the list. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[IndyZX]

Originally posted by meanderson
She's practically into Harvard. I wouldn't say a 169 is "nailing" the lsat, but it is pretty good and probably plenty good enough to get her in.

no, im pretty sure a 169 is what you would call "nailing the lsat". thats 97+ percentile.