Tulane vs. Downstate - Please Help!

[abefroman]

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OK, I never thought I would be lucky enough to post one of these. After having no acceptances on May 20, I now have two.

I am really torn. I had been getting all excited about Tulane and now I just got into Downstate.

Tulane
Pros: Great clinical education, New Orleans, great MPH program.
Cons: Expensive, fiancee has to find a job in New Orleans, far from family.

Downstate
Pros: More affordable.
Cons: Not the best neighborhood. Seems like students are less of a community than at Tulane.

What do you think? Where would I be better off in residency match, especially if I want to come back to NYC anyway? Have any of you been faced with the same decision.

Thanks for your help.

 

[rubyness]

FYI: The woman who ran the MPH program at Tulane is now at Downstate and she has started a new MPH program there. As a med student you can do a combo degree MD/MPH in four years. That is being offered for the first time this comng fall to first years.

 

[fourthyear]

Congrats on the two acceptances.

I go to Tulane and love it - it's a great place to be happy as a med student. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

But...looking at my big huge loans I'll have to pay back, I can see a lot of motivation to go to the less expensive school. Tulane may be better, but is is $XX,000 better? That's for you to decide.

As far as residency, I think doing well at any US med school puts you in good position for residency. School attended is really not a huge factor in the decision process for choosing residents. However, if you think there's significant differences in cirriculum or clinical experiences, that may influence how good YOU think your education is. Don't base it on what you think some residency program will look at, but on what you want out of a school.

Good luck, and remember no decision will be wrong - you've got two good options.

 

[fourthyear]

Just reread that you want to work in NYC - in that case, you probably should stay local, b/c that's where all your "connections" will be. When you take your 3rd year clinical rotations, all the people who write recommendation letters for you will likely be people known to NY residency directors, people they know and trust, which may not be the case if you go to Tulane. I'm certainly not trying to talk you out of Tulane, b/c I love the place and it is a great school in every way. I am just informing you of what I know from being close to that residency application process myself. Good luck again.