UC Davis or Emory??

[argonana]

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Sorry to add to the flood of polls. I've actually (unofficially) made my decision already, but I'm still worried I've made the "wrong" decision. Just wondering what you all would do.

I'm a CA resident, but I've lived/studied OOS for 6 of the last 7 years. I'd like to go back to the west coast, and Davis is close to home for me.
I'm also interested in going into academics/research.

I'm throwing Irvine into the poll because I loved the campus and the laid-back atmosphere there, but the recent scandals at the med center should probably be a major concern.

 

[argonana]

So no votes for Emory? You all are making this too easy!

 

[Blade28]

All I can say is that if you choose to attend Emory, I'll be the kindest G Surg resident you'll ever have. 🙂

 

[DNM503]

I'm throwing Irvine into the poll because I loved the campus and the laid-back atmosphere there, but the recent scandals at the med center should probably be a major concern.

Speaking of scandals being an issue, you may want to investigate Emory closer. I swear everytime I pick up the school newspaper anymore the hospital has either killed someone, forgot to sterilize its instruments, kicked out a medical student for sketchy reasons, or did something else illegal. They also fell a considerable amount in the rankings if that is important to you. Davis is a great school and you get in-state tuition. You also said you want to go back. I see absolutely no reason why you shouldn't go there.

 

[Elastase]

I voted for Davis, but really Irvine is just as good. I wouldn't really worry about the scandals, it should be based more on where you want to live b/c Davis and Irvine are very comparable. I think I would have more fun at Irvine than in Sac-Town...

 

[Moniker]

.

 

[evade]

So, Davis isn't glamorous, but it is pretty. We've got cows across the street and ducks that'll basically waddle up to you and request verbally that you feed them. Sacramento doesn't hold a lot of thrills, but it's not really as boring as they say. There are definitely some things about the program that I would change, but I get the distinct impression that that is true about all programs.

Overall, I am happy here because of the people. My class is wonderful. They are supportive, good, and kind people. They are incredibly giving. I am happy here because you can get involved. There are the student-run clinics, where I can actually go help people in need and remember why I'm doing this after my bazillionth hour of studying factoids from lecture that are just going to pour right back out of my head.

I won't lie; I'm not interested in research. I do know that some of my classmates are, and that they've found it relatively easy to get involved. No, we're not a huge research university, but yes, there are plenty of opportunities to do it.

Really, I do love this place. I can't imagine being anywhere else. But I encourage you to choose whatever is the best fit for you. This is a time in life where you really want to maximize your happiness, because if you're miserable, this would be an utterly unbearable process.

Good luck!

 

[neutropenic]

So, Davis isn't glamorous, but it is pretty. We've got cows across the street and ducks that'll basically waddle up to you and request verbally that you feed them. Sacramento doesn't hold a lot of thrills, but it's not really as boring as they say. There are definitely some things about the program that I would change, but I get the distinct impression that that is true about all programs.

UC Davis medical school is moving to Sacrament, no? That's what I remembered from the interview trail.

 

[UCSBMed1]

UC Davis medical school is moving to Sacrament, no? That's what I remembered from the interview trail.

Well the pre-clinical years are, yes.

Of course, UCDMC has always been in Sacramento, thus the 3rd and 4th years are already here. I echo Evade's comment's...good school, in-state tuition, and most importantly--it's in California. I think the Class of 2006 had 60+% of their students match in California--just think about that.

 

[evade]

UC Davis medical school is moving to Sacrament, no? That's what I remembered from the interview trail.

Yeah, in January. I speak of life in Davis because I've not yet lived in Sac. . .though I move in June! 🙂 But yeah, you'll have a few months of commuting to Davis, and from there on out it's smooth sailing at the lovely new school. At least, it sure looks lovely from the outside.

 

[argonana]

Thanks for the feedback and comments! DNM503, I hadn't heard about all those scandals at Emory (not that I'd looked into it...). Their med center seems strong and well-funded, so it's pretty disappointing that this stuff is going on.

 

[neutropenic]

Thanks for the feedback and comments! DNM503, I hadn't heard about all those scandals at Emory (not that I'd looked into it...). Their med center seems strong and well-funded, so it's pretty disappointing that this stuff is going on.

Not that it's here nor there, but Emory is one of the few top schools still with grades! Real ABCDEF grades. Yuck! (I am very anti-grades.)

 

[Blade28]

Really? Didn't know that. Just for the preclinical years, right?

No wonder those med students suck up so much... 😉

 

[argonana]

I voted for Davis, but really Irvine is just as good. I wouldn't really worry about the scandals, it should be based more on where you want to live b/c Davis and Irvine are very comparable. I think I would have more fun at Irvine than in Sac-Town...

Right. This is pretty trivial, but isn't the weather in Irvine much better as well? Sunshine works better than caffeine for me.

 

[neutropenic]

Really? Didn't know that. Just for the preclinical years, right?

No wonder those med students suck up so much...

No in clincials too.

I did an away there and got an "A" in a rotation, my first ever since I'm from a narrative eval school.

 

[jameslynton]

The traffic in Atlanta really sucks. The area around Emory and midtown is not too bad.

 

[Blade28]

No in clincials too.

I did an away there and got an "A" in a rotation, my first ever since I'm from a narrative eval school.

Hmmm...interesting. Didn't know that.

The traffic in Atlanta really sucks. The area around Emory and midtown is not too bad.

True...though doesn't really affect me that much since I'm usually arriving before rush hour, and leaving afterwards. 🙂

 

[argonana]

My only concern is that going to Davis rather than Emory could hurt me a bit in the match. I'm almost certain I'll end up wanting to go into radiology, radonc, or pathology. Emory puts out more specialists. Should I put much stock into that?

 

[neutropenic]

My only concern is that going to Davis rather than Emory could hurt me a bit in the match. I'm almost certain I'll end up wanting to go into radiology, radonc, or pathology. Emory puts out more specialists. Should I put much stock into that?

Go where you will be happiest. Medical school is emotionally draining and wherever you can find the most support, you will most likely do well academically and in the rest of your life.

Radiology and pathology are not superhard matches (just to match, I am not talking about radiology at MGH). Radonc is (anywhere). So if you want that make sure you start doing research, do well academically and clinically, and get great board scores.

If you're a gunner and know you will do well go to Emory (they have letter grades). If you're more anti gunner consider Davis.

Also consider cost. Emory is expensive and if you're not getting a scholarship that could add up.

Also consider whether you like Grady Memorial, which is Atlanta and northern Georgia's only level 1 trauma center and in a relatively seedy part of town. It is also Emory and Morehouse's main training site. It's a public hospital run by the Fulton-deKalb Hospital Authority, underfunded, 1200 beds, and Overwhelming (with a capital 'O'). Metal detectors to get into the ED and a McDonald's in the complex. UCDMC seems more humane and you're going to have a brand spanking new preclinical building on the compound. 2 hours to Tahoe and 2 hours to SF, though Atlanta is 4 hours from Savannah or Charleston which is nice too but no skiing.

 

[argonana]

Also consider whether you like Grady Memorial, which is Atlanta and northern Georgia's only level 1 trauma center and in a relatively seedy part of town. It is also Emory and Morehouse's main training site. It's a public hospital run by the Fulton-deKalb Hospital Authority, underfunded, 1200 beds, and Overwhelming (with a capital 'O'). Metal detectors to get into the ED and a McDonald's in the complex. UCDMC seems more humane and you're going to have a brand spanking new preclinical building on the compound.

I don't remember Grady that well, but I was just at LAC+USC last week, and...I didn't like it. I think LA County is (much?) more intimidating than Grady, but Davis is definitely more cush and/or benign. This could be a bad thing--the hospital seemed unusually quiet during our tour--but then again, UCD seems to have a solid reputation for its clinical training.

I'm not too concerned with the grades vs. no grades issue, but the support system thing + location is huge.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Blade28]

Also consider whether you like Grady Memorial, which is Atlanta and northern Georgia's only level 1 trauma center and in a relatively seedy part of town. It is also Emory and Morehouse's main training site. It's a public hospital run by the Fulton-deKalb Hospital Authority, underfunded, 1200 beds, and Overwhelming (with a capital 'O'). Metal detectors to get into the ED and a McDonald's in the complex. UCDMC seems more humane and you're going to have a brand spanking new preclinical building on the compound. 2 hours to Tahoe and 2 hours to SF, though Atlanta is 4 hours from Savannah or Charleston which is nice too but no skiing.

Grady definitely is rough - many other county hospitals are notorious (LA County, Cook County, Charity back in the day, Detroit Receiving, etc.) but here at Grady it can be ridiculously busy. Of course, I think certain fields get brutalized more than others (surg vs. medicine or psych, for example), but I'm probably biased.

How do you know so much about Grady/Atlanta? Did you go to med school here or rotate here? Have seen quite a few well-informed posts about Atlanta from you recently.

I did a fourth-year rotation in CT surg at LA County back in August 2004 - and while it was also incredibly busy there, I think Grady is worse. The ancillary staff is.

 

[argonana]

One more thing--for any UCD students out there--from what I remember, you all have about 4 weeks off to study for Step 1. This is about the shortest amount of time off that I've heard of (Emory, in comparison, gives ~8 weeks off; USC 6-10 weeks; I'm not sure about the time frame for UCI, but apparently they boost students' scores by "teaching to the boards").

Did you feel you had ample time to prepare for the boards? Dr. Bera told us that the average Step 1 score (221?) is just one SD above the national mean (217?). That doesn't seem super high (though I'm admittedly unaware of the averages at other schools), and I'm worried this is partially due to the fact that you guys just don't have enough time to study.

 

[neutropenic]

Grady definitely is rough - many other county hospitals are notorious (LA County, Cook County, Charity back in the day, Detroit Receiving, etc.) but here at Grady it can be ridiculously busy. Of course, I think certain fields get brutalized more than others (surg vs. medicine or psych, for example), but I'm probably biased.

All I can say is that if you can run the Red Zone in the ED at Grady you can do anything.

How do you know so much about Grady/Atlanta? Did you go to med school here or rotate here? Have seen quite a few well-informed posts about Atlanta from you recently.

Only rotated. Morehouse surgery is an interesting service.

I did a fourth-year rotation in CT surg at LA County back in August 2004 - and while it was also incredibly busy there, I think Grady is worse. The ancillary staff is.

Ancillary staff has that special southern inefficiency attached to it; don't get me wrong I love the South, but it just kind of reminds me of sitting on the front porch on a hot summer day down in Savannah [say Savannah with a twang at the end], sipping lemonade, watching the ships and clouds go by.

Did you feel you had ample time to prepare for the boards? Dr. Bera told us that the average Step 1 score (221?) is just one SD above the national mean (217?). That doesn't seem super high (though I'm admittedly unaware of the averages at other schools), and I'm worried this is partially due to the fact that you guys just don't have enough time to study.

I think an SD is more like 20 ish points, not 4. Averages (and I am not absoultely sure of these): Mayo is 235ish, Columbia 230ish, the Joisey schools 220ish as a reference point. 4 weeks is not uncommon and IMHO plenty of time if you stayed awake in the first two years. There's also nothing stopping you from starting your step 1 preparation before the last day of class.

 

[menemotxi]

Not that it's here nor there, but Emory is one of the few top schools still with grades! Real ABCDEF grades. Yuck! (I am very anti-grades.)

Why does everyone on this site care so much about letter grades? I just finished my first year at Emory, and I can tell you that it's not bad at all. There's no curve involved, so there is no competitive air in the whole place, at least not in my class. We send out study guides to the class, and there's always someone who will explain something complicated or help you with problem sets. About half the class gets an A in most classes anyway, so don't be afraid.

I love Atlanta and can't imagine choosing any other school over Emory now that I can look back on the whole application process. If you want a social life outside of school, Atlanta is the place to be.

 

[Blade28]

Did you feel you had ample time to prepare for the boards? Dr. Bera told us that the average Step 1 score (221?) is just one SD above the national mean (217?).

Uh, when I took Step 1, the mean was 217 and the standard deviation was 24. So 241 would be one standard deviation above the mean.

All I can say is that if you can run the Red Zone in the ED at Grady you can do anything.

Hell yeah! 👍 And how about those trauma bays?

I love Atlanta and can't imagine choosing any other school over Emory now that I can look back on the whole application process. If you want a social life outside of school, Atlanta is the place to be.

Agreed. Great city for young singles too - I went out last night for Cinco de Mayo, and man was it fun.

 

[UCSBMed1]

One more thing--for any UCD students out there--from what I remember, you all have about 4 weeks off to study for Step 1. This is about the shortest amount of time off that I've heard of (Emory, in comparison, gives ~8 weeks off; USC 6-10 weeks; I'm not sure about the time frame for UCI, but apparently they boost students' scores by "teaching to the boards").

Did you feel you had ample time to prepare for the boards? Dr. Bera told us that the average Step 1 score (221?) is just one SD above the national mean (217?). That doesn't seem super high (though I'm admittedly unaware of the averages at other schools), and I'm worried this is partially due to the fact that you guys just don't have enough time to study.

Well I'm at the end of my third year here at Davis. When I was studying for the boards (which the 2nd years just started) we were given 8 weeks to study. Classes ended the last week in April, and finals were in the first week in May. Therefore we had until about May 5 or so until June 28 when 3rd year orientation began--plenty of time.

 

[argonana]

With the new curriculum at UCD, Year 3 will start in May. Does this mean we'll take the boards just a month after starting rotations? 😱

 

[evade]

Well I'm at the end of my third year here at Davis. When I was studying for the boards (which the 2nd years just started) we were given 8 weeks to study. Classes ended the last week in April, and finals were in the first week in May. Therefore we had until about May 5 or so until June 28 when 3rd year orientation began--plenty of time.

This is still the case. 2nd years had their last final yesterday. We first years will be all alone for the next month. . .::sniff::

 

[PreMedAdAG]

I think this may sound kind of stupid, but if Davis students were unsuccessful at:
1. Passing the boards
2. Doing well enough to match in specialties

They would probably give more time off. I think Davis probably does a pretty good job the first two years (although like every med student, i have my complaints). If it were a problem, I'm sure they'd give us more time. I personally think that studying for the boards is like a 2 year process. Starting with the last day of school our second year, we're just in CRAM mode like we are for any other damn test 😉

I also think people get really caught up in the minor details and logistics about schools and how their systems work. Go with your gut. If you want to be close to home and you liked the vibe at Davis, go with it. In the big picture, you will look back and either be happy about your med school experience or not. You're not going to look back and say, "Dang, I sure wish I went to such and such school, they gave an extra week to study for boards". Catch my drift?

Anyway, I only have a couple more points to make and of course, I have to try to sell Davis because if a cynical little lady like myself (so far I've been compared to the chief resident on Gray's... I know, not much of a compliment!) is extremely happy at the school, then it can't be too bad

Ask yourself this:
Were the students smiling and overall happy when you visited?
Did you like the location?
Were you treated well?
Could you see yourself living there for the next 4+ years?


By the way, why do so many people like neutrophils.... I hate lobed nuclei! 🙂

 

[Blade28]

Good advice from PreMedAdAG. In the end, you can't really pick a school based on perceived minor details and you certainly can't predict exacctly how things will work themselves out.

 

[pillowhead]

Why does everyone on this site care so much about letter grades? I just finished my first year at Emory, and I can tell you that it's not bad at all. There's no curve involved, so there is no competitive air in the whole place, at least not in my class. We send out study guides to the class, and there's always someone who will explain something complicated or help you with problem sets. About half the class gets an A in most classes anyway, so don't be afraid.

I love Atlanta and can't imagine choosing any other school over Emory now that I can look back on the whole application process. If you want a social life outside of school, Atlanta is the place to be.

I have to second this. People make such a big deal about grades over nothing. I liked having an ABCDF system because if everyone makes a 90 on an exam, everyone gets an A! Exactly how does that promote gunner-ship? I think honors/P/F systems where only a pre-set percentage of the class can get honors would be far more likely to promote competition.

 

[argonana]

Hey everyone, thanks for the advice. I'm dropping my Emory acceptance tomorrow. I know it's the right decision for me.

Now I just have to decide between UCD and UCI. 😱

Seriously, is the weather much better in Irvine? Both times I've been in Sac-town recently, it's been pretty foggy. I don't care if the winters are cold, but I really need sunlight.

 

[PreMedAdAG]

Hey everyone, thanks for the advice. I'm dropping my Emory acceptance tomorrow. I know it's the right decision for me.

Now I just have to decide between UCD and UCI. 😱

Seriously, is the weather much better in Irvine? Both times I've been in Sac-town recently, it's been pretty foggy. I don't care if the winters are cold, but I really need sunlight.

Does this help?

January: Cold, rainy: SNOWBOARD!!!
Februaray: cold, sometimes warm, off and on rain - more snowboarding
March: RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - yep.... still snowboarding
April: a little rain in the beginning but then nice - maybe last chance to snowboard at Tahoe in the first week
May: sunny every day 70's-80's
June: hot hot hot 90's
July : hot hot hot hot90+
August: hot hot hot 90+
September: hot hot 80-90
October: beautiful 70+
November: chilly but not a lot of rain - snowboarding season starts in Tahoe
December: chilly still not a lot of rain - snowboarding!


March sucks..... I can deal with every other month though. March is cold, wet, rainy and foggy. But the summer's here are amazing. We don't hav ea beach, but we have about a million lakes, rivers and beautiful northern california wilderness. In fact, I'm about to go for a run in the Davis arbortetum, it's 63 degrees out, then i'm planning on packing a picnic and either driving to SF or out to the River and chillin for the rest of the day!!!

Your next question is.... do you want FOG or SMOG

 

[LoneCoyote]

One more thing--for any UCD students out there--from what I remember, you all have about 4 weeks off to study for Step 1. This is about the shortest amount of time off that I've heard of (Emory, in comparison, gives ~8 weeks off; USC 6-10 weeks; I'm not sure about the time frame for UCI, but apparently they boost students' scores by "teaching to the boards").

Did you feel you had ample time to prepare for the boards? Dr. Bera told us that the average Step 1 score (221?) is just one SD above the national mean (217?). That doesn't seem super high (though I'm admittedly unaware of the averages at other schools), and I'm worried this is partially due to the fact that you guys just don't have enough time to study.

You'd be on the new curriculum so this could al change. But right now it's definitely more than 4 weeks. We ended class this past Friday and do not have to be back until late June for wards orientation. That's almost 2 full months. I'm going to have time to study for 35 days and have over 2 weeks off to relax before 3rd year. The people in my class who want 260+ scores have been studying for months already, so I'm not sure how much the formal "time off" really matters. Ask me again in a couple of months once I am done with the Step 1 beast, and we'll see how I feel then.

 

[lobster M.D.]

thought i would throw this is in concerning ucdavis' new curriculum and boad prep., the second year will end in february giving 6 weeks for board prep time, that is what the curriculum description says that i got off the website, hope this helps, seems like plenty of time to me

 

[argonana]

PreMedAdAG-I could never take fog over smog, haha. But I wanted to say that the arboretum is gorgeous--I went running around Davis' campus after revisit, got lost, and ended up by the arboretum. It was great!

I don't know where I got the "4 weeks to study for Step 1" thing from--maybe revisit?

Thanks again, everyone, for all the input.

 

[Bluecoke]

Hey

I go to Emory and would like to say that it is a good school. It is also very expensive. They are also changing the curriculum next year, so you will have 1 year under old curriculum(very good) and 1 year under new curriculum(questionable). 🙁

My opinion of the school is that the 1st two years SUCK! But the clinical years more than make up for the badness of the 1st two. Grady is amazing. You will see things here that you will not see anywhere else. 😍

 

[Blade28]

"Amazing" in the sense of seeing tons of awesome pathology, yes. 🙂

 

[argonana]

My opinion of the school is that the 1st two years SUCK!

It's kind of a moot point now, but what sucked about the first two years?

 

[tatao]

Why does everyone on this site care so much about letter grades? I just finished my first year at Emory, and I can tell you that it's not bad at all. There's no curve involved, so there is no competitive air in the whole place, at least not in my class. We send out study guides to the class, and there's always someone who will explain something complicated or help you with problem sets. About half the class gets an A in most classes anyway, so don't be afraid.

I love Atlanta and can't imagine choosing any other school over Emory now that I can look back on the whole application process. If you want a social life outside of school, Atlanta is the place to be.

Hi,
It's so nice to hear that grades aren't a big deal there and that half the class gets an A. I think a lot of people make a big deal out of grades b/c a lot of med students at p/f schools just rave about how wonderful the p/f system is, which got me scared about letter grades. Under pass fail, there's no point in worrying about a few missed points here and there or questions worded amibguously, whereas if grades were taken into account, I feel that more people would worry about the trivial stuff.

 

[tatao]

With the new curriculum at UCD, Year 3 will start in May. Does this mean we'll take the boards just a month after starting rotations? 😱

Did you end up "officially" deciding on UCD? If so, what are your reasons? I'm trying to choose between Emory and Mount Sinai!

 

[argonana]

Did you end up "officially" deciding on UCD? If so, what are your reasons? I'm trying to choose between Emory and Mount Sinai!

I just sent you a PM. Good luck with the decision; you have great options. 🙂