USC Keck vs. Baylor

[ceewhytee]

Hi all,

With the April 30 deadline coming up so soon I have such a difficult decision to make...I'm choosing between USC Keck and Baylor. I know I'm so lucky to even have a choice but I feel really stuck. I made a pros and cons list:

USC:
Pros:
-went to undergrad in California and really love it and want to stay
-definitely want to do residency in California and Keck seems to have those connections
-I would be able to live in the same city with my boyfriend who is my main source of support
-great clinical education--training done at LAC which I really loved when I visited on interview day
-students seem to have a lot of responsibility when it comes to handling real patients
-traditional lecture style, which suits my studying habits
-have a couple friends going to Keck as well

Cons:
-COST. Luckily my family is able to pay for some but not near all of the COA. Going here would put me in a lot of debt!
-Keck is a great research school, but from what I've seen it's not near the research powerhouse that Baylor is. I'm very interested in doing research and matching into a competitive field (currently thinking rad onc, ENT, or derm) and I'm not sure if going to Keck would put me at a disadvantage or not

Baylor:
Pros:
-immediate family lives in Houston
-COA is very, very low!!Would be able to graduate almost debt-free.
-great clinical education--located in Texas Medical Center
-so much great research done here under some really prestigious faculty. Since I am considering a few very competitive specialties, I think that would put me at a great advantage
-higher step 1 scores/ranking

Cons:
-Living in Houston wouldn't be terrible but LA is definitely more suited to my personality and interests, not to mention most of my friends live in CA + my SO
-possibly less of a chance of matching to a competitive speciality in California? Baylor's match list has people attending residency all over the country but it is definitely not as concentrated in California as Keck

Any advice from current students at either school, or anyone faced with a similar decision to make would be so appreciated!!

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[sss1219]

Congrats on the amazing choices! I don't think Baylor would close any doors in terms of gtting back to and eventually practicing in CA, but obviously staying at USC will give you just as much, if not better odds of doing so. It also sounds to me that you'd be happier staying in LA with many of your friends and significant other being there. The debt may be killer, but if the end-goal is practicing in CA, I can't see many reasons not to go to school there.

 

[aalamruad]

Hi all,

With the April 30 deadline coming up so soon I have such a difficult decision to make...I'm choosing between USC Keck and Baylor. I know I'm so lucky to even have a choice but I feel really stuck. I made a pros and cons list:

USC:
Pros:
-went to undergrad in California and really love it and want to stay
-definitely want to do residency in California and Keck seems to have those connections
-I would be able to live in the same city with my boyfriend who is my main source of support
-great clinical education--training done at LAC which I really loved when I visited on interview day
-students seem to have a lot of responsibility when it comes to handling real patients
-traditional lecture style, which suits my studying habits
-have a couple friends going to Keck as well

Cons:
-COST. Luckily my family is able to pay for some but not near all of the COA. Going here would put me in a lot of debt!
-Keck is a great research school, but from what I've seen it's not near the research powerhouse that Baylor is. I'm very interested in doing research and matching into a competitive field (currently thinking rad onc, ENT, or derm) and I'm not sure if going to Keck would put me at a disadvantage or not

Baylor:
Pros:
-immediate family lives in Houston
-COA is very, very low!!Would be able to graduate almost debt-free.
-great clinical education--located in Texas Medical Center
-so much great research done here under some really prestigious faculty. Since I am considering a few very competitive specialties, I think that would put me at a great advantage
-higher step 1 scores/ranking

Cons:
-Living in Houston wouldn't be terrible but LA is definitely more suited to my personality and interests, not to mention most of my friends live in CA + my SO
-possibly less of a chance of matching to a competitive speciality in California? Baylor's match list has people attending residency all over the country but it is definitely not as concentrated in California as Keck

Any advice from current students at either school, or anyone faced with a similar decision to make would be so appreciated!!

What are the specific amounts of debt you'd graduate with from each school?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Moving to SSD

 

[benjamin94559]

Really all comes down to money and if its worth it eh? If I were you I'd drop keck if the difference in debt load was more than 100k. As sss said, the comparative ranks are more or less the same and wont close any doors moving forward.

 

[ceewhytee]

What are the specific amounts of debt you'd graduate with from each school?

The difference in debt would be around 150k. Pretty hefty. In my eyes, the pull towards Keck is an emotional one, while the pull towards Baylor is more of a practical one.

 

[sss1219]

The difference in debt would be around 150k. Pretty hefty. In my eyes, the pull towards Keck is an emotional one, while the pull towards Baylor is more of a practical one.

Oh wow, that's quite large. I have no doubt in my mind that you'll find a new support system if you do end up moving to TX, but you'll have to weigh whether staying with your current friends/SO will be worth the debt. Either way you go, I'm sure if you work hard and stay dedicated, you can end up in the CA sunshine soon enough. Good luck in your decision

 

[ceewhytee]

Oh wow, that's quite large. I have no doubt in my mind that you'll find a new support system if you do end up moving to TX, but you'll have to weigh whether staying with your current friends/SO will be worth the debt. Either way you go, I'm sure if you work hard and stay dedicated, you can end up in the CA sunshine soon enough. Good luck in your decision

Ahhh thank you!

 

[ceewhytee]

Baylor. Easy.

would you mind elaborating?

 

[Goro]

Go easy on them, SS. Some people have not experienced Houston in the summer. But the Tex-Mex is to die for. And TX barbeque??? *sigh*!

QUOTE="SouthernSurgeon, post: 17680357, member: 237581"]Baylor. Easy.[/QUOTE]