UMass Med vs. Univeristy of Wisconsin

[Stillfocused]

I would like some feedback about the relative strengths and weaknesses of Umass Med vs. University of Wisconsin. This is a question about my third and fourth rank spots.

I think that UW is a bit more prestigious but not by much. It has a lot more research going on and it shares a campus with one of the countries great public universities. On the downside, it is in Wisconsin. Also, the program seems more geared toward outpatient psychiatry. I am quite interested in C/L and I know that the C/L service at UMass is strong.

I am kind of a halfsy, having lived about half my life in the Midwest and half my life in New England. My parents and extended family are in the Midwest. I currently live in Chicago. But, I still have small social network in New England.

Madison is a great small town, but I think that the social opportunities are much larger in greater Boston.

I am 36 and getting divorced after a 12 year relationship. My first and second rank choices are in the Midwest.

I have gotten more post-interview attention from Umass Med than from University of Wisconsin.

So, on balance what do you think about their relative strengths and weaknesses?

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[diosa428]

Madison is a great small town, but I think that the social opportunities are much larger in greater Boston.

I don't know anything about the programs, but I just wanted to point out that UMass is in Worcester, which is not really "greater Boston". Boston is about an hour and a half away driving (on the Mass Pike, with tolls). I suppose you could live closer to Boston and commute in, but it's more expensive to live closer to Boston and commuting would add up financially. Worcester is mainly a college town (there are about 11? colleges there) and caters to the 20somethings.

 

[maugham]

Worcester is about 40 minutes from Boston, not an hour and a half. There are many colleges there, but I would hardly call it a college town. It is more accurately described as an aging industrial city that is transitioning to one dependent on a high tech, health care base but is really not a center for hipsters at this point. It does have a good psych program especially in forensics and a medical school that is on the up and up. If you're looking for a real college town, I would say Madison, WI fits the bill far more than Worcester, which is basically blue collar.

 

[beezley]

As someone from the midwest who is actually hoping to match at UW and has no experience with UMass.....

I liked UW. People are just really nice and normal there and the training is great. The thing is, they do not have a C/L fellowship if you are really serious about that, but I think the C/L experience is good. What do you want to do with your career? If you want to work in a community and do consult work in the midwest I'm not really convinced a fellowship is necessary. But if you want to do that in an academic center I would think it would be (required) but I don't know. While Madison is a college town I am sure it will have lots of people your age since it is a major research/medical training place. I myself am a nontraditional student only a few years younger than you. Everyone I have ever talked to who has lived in Madison has absolutely loved it. Quality of life is high.

I don't know about Worcester. All I know is the minute I get anywhere east of Ohio I think my BP goes up. People in the midwest are just....my kind of people. The east coast just seems (not trying to offend here just my experience) kind of fast-paced, uptight and congested. I'm happy to be part of 'fly-over land'.

I see you are at NECOM? Is that osteopathic? If so the midwest is much more DO friendly. Most people on either coast don't know much about it.

Best of luck.

Best of luck with the match.

 

[whopper]

I don't know much about either program but know that both have good reputations.

I don't know if you're interested in forensics, but if you are U. Mass's program has a better reputation. When I say that I mean that in a manner where the reputation is backed something real, and not in name only. Debra Pinals is the program director of the forensics program and has a strong reputation in the forensic psychiatry field. There also are a number of forensic psychiatric heavyweights at U Mass.

U of W's forensic program was also good as well, and I got a maudlin, perhaps corny but good feeling from its program director Dr. Layde. He's strongly respected in the department & has a number of teaching awards.

If you can't decide on either program based on the pros & cons of that program, I would suggest you pick the program based on where you want to live. If you decide to practice where you did residency, you will establish good connections & know the lay of the area where you practice before you become an attending. If you relocate, this will put you months to even years behind in terms of the social networking scene--and that can affect your career options.