USC or Rochester?

[decepticonjudas]

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The 15th is coming, do I want to be in the cold or southern California. Is Rochester really a better school?

 

[jclarke]

I really loved Rochester when I went and I'm on their waitlist...if I weren't afraid of the debt and got off their waitlist, I'd go there in a heartbeat. My friend goes there now and she's in love with the school and the students. I think their curriculum is innovative, facilities top notched, and their international program outstanding. Their tuition reflects all this of course, but then again, cost of living at Rochester is dirt cheap. Snow snow snow

 

[rjb]

The 15th is coming, do I want to be in the cold or southern California. Is Rochester really a better school?

are u joking?

 

[waterlily]

I'm debating if I want to apply to Rochester or not. The school sounds great, I'm just hesitant on the weather and location. I'm not too familiar with the school so can you guys please help me out. Is the location really that horrible, in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do? Also, I know it snows a lot...but is it true that the snow doesn't melt until July? I would think that their winters would be like any other east coast state...snow until Feb or so. Help please!

 

[patzan]

USC.

 

[K8ster]

I would go to USC without a doubt if I got off their waitlist...for those who just aren't sure, give the rest of us a chance at their first choices ;-) Go to Rochester, open up spots. But really, go to wherever you think you'd fit in best. Some east coasters wouldn't do well in SoCal (I know because i am from LA but live in Boston now...very different culture) Go where you can handle the lifestyle if all else is equal. Good luck, whichever you choose.

 

[swman]

I'm debating if I want to apply to Rochester or not. The school sounds great, I'm just hesitant on the weather and location. I'm not too familiar with the school so can you guys please help me out. Is the location really that horrible, in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do? Also, I know it snows a lot...but is it true that the snow doesn't melt until July? I would think that their winters would be like any other east coast state...snow until Feb or so. Help please!

I interviewed there in February. I loved the school and found it to be top notch. As for the location, I found it to be a little isolated... until I interviewed at Dartmouth.

So yeah, its not that bad, but on the other hand go where you think you will be most comfortable, since all US med schools are good schools. Hopefully this is USC because I'm on Rochester's waiting list.

 

[ag006j]

I did my undergrad at UR. Its not really in the middle of nowhere. Its a big city in and of itself and an hour from Buffallo and Syracuse. Three hours from Toronto (Now there's a the fast ferry thing). The airport is walking distance from campus and has a good number of participating airlines including cheaper carriers like JetBlue and Airtran. Yes it gets a lot of snow, one of snowiest cities in the continental US. Yes, it melts way before July; it melts before May.

I enjoyed my time in Rochester. The campus is beautiful and the hospital is amazing. Strong Memorial is the largest hospital in western New York so you'll definitley see a diverse set of patients. You'd get a good education in Rochester.

I'm debating if I want to apply to Rochester or not. The school sounds great, I'm just hesitant on the weather and location. I'm not too familiar with the school so can you guys please help me out. Is the location really that horrible, in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do? Also, I know it snows a lot...but is it true that the snow doesn't melt until July? I would think that their winters would be like any other east coast state...snow until Feb or so. Help please!

 

[Prozach]

* > Rochester

 

[wisteria]

The 15th is coming, do I want to be in the cold or southern California. Is Rochester really a better school?

where are you from? If you're from a big city, you'll find Rochester awful.

I'm from Boston, and i went to Univ Rochester undergrad - we called it the "Crotchfester." If location effects your happiness, then I'd be careful about Rochester.

I didn't even consider applying to their medical school. And i'm going ot USC next year. I can't wait for the sun! Rochester isn't any colder than Boston or New York, but it snows a lot more, and there's nothing else to talk about and so people focus on the sh-tty weather.

UR med school is awesome though, and the research is prob stronger than USC. on the other hand, Rochester has no County hospital liks USC, whcih is the amazing for clinicial experience. the curricumlum at both schools is pretty touchy feely (pass/fail).

There's a few charming areas (Park ave) in rochester and you can get amazing housing really cheaply (like rent 200-500/month), prob bc nobody wants ot live there. There are surprisingly good restaurants. The night light is what you imagine in upstate new york. PM me if you want some tips on fun living there.

But as I said, I didn't even consider applying ot the medical school and I'm heading to USC, so you know what'd i'd pick in your shoes.

 

[Newsradiofan]

Go to Rochester man - they match phenomenally and they really care about education. RU all the way

 

[edmadison]

Rochester has no County hospital liks USC, whcih is the amazing for clinicial experience.

Rochester's hospital, Strong Memorial, is a 700 bed quatenary referral center and a level one trauma center. It is THE referral center for Western NY, and Northwestern PA. Med students also rotate through Rochester General (the inner city hospital).

As for the comments about Rochester and big cities....

Rochester has more cultural activities than most cities twice its size. The metro area is about 1 million. You can get around very easily. Since UofR is home to the Eastman School of Music, it has an amazing symphony. There is also great theater too. Great outdoor activities are available: the canal has an amazing bike path, there's great hiking and mediocre skiing. There are a few so-so clubs.

I'm curious as to what the folks that say it is too small are looking for? Frankly, you won't have tons of time in med school anyway. Anyway, there are some advantages to a smaller metro area: I bought an 1800 sq ft house for 72K that was 2 blocks from the hospital.

Ed

 

[Larsitron]

I come from Phoenix (not a capital of culture to be fair, but a big city) and I can't wait to get out of the heat and into the cold. I'm looking forward to seeing something other than dirt and cacti.

Plus, I went back for a second look after I went to Case and just fell in love with U of R. The students were AWESOME. I followed them around at their lectures and they really made an effort to make me feel at home and not be an outsider. I made a few friends that day and I'm looking forward to going back.

Those are just the positives at U of R. I don't know anything about USC, but from the current student reviews (they all seem to be pretty happy) and the increasingly good reputation the school has, you can't go wrong with the U of R.

 

[Scottish Chap]

Go to Rochester. I spent 3 1/2 years in graduate school there and, although I ultimately chose another medical school over Rochester, I should emphasize that the student body is positive and both the basic science and clinical faculty spend a lot of time encouraging the students. The facilities are amazing, the research is the best show between New York City and the Cleveland Clinic, and Strong Memorial just keeps expanding.

The city of Rochester really grows on you and, like everyone else, I was very sad to leave there. The museums and musical culture (free recitals at the world-famous Eastman) are excellent. The summers are great; the lake is not too far from the U of R and there are just beautiful parks all over the place. Almost every weekend in the summer, there are fairs and concerts that will just amaze you. The cost of living is very, very inexpensive and you can even own a house in medical school if you choose to. Toronto is only 3 hours away by car (the fast ferry across Lake Ontario can get you there in half the time), Boston is six hours away, NYC is around six hours away etc. I'm almost talking myself into going back there.

 

[vish57]

I go to Rochester undergrad. The weather is truly horrible, we just had 40 degree weather and 20 mph winds yesterday, May 13th. We graduate on the 15th and its supposed to be high 50's, windy, and raining, 4 years of this **** and we can't even get one nice day for graduation. The snow has only been melted since the beginning of May. The city is pretty dead, a few bars and clubs, a nice street or two, but mostly ghetto and abandoned. It is close to Syracuse and Buffalo but those cities also suck, there is absolutely nothing in Syracuse except for the university and the carosel mall.
The school is great, great faculty, facilities, and students. I'm waitlisted here but would be tempted to attend solely because the school is great. I applied to USC and got rejected but I think its better than Rochester and would definetely go there. After being here 4 years, location is very important to me; I want to be some place nice. I think USC and Rochester are both great schools and the only real difference is the location, of which USC is far better.

 

[SCstudent]

The 15th is coming, do I want to be in the cold or southern California. Is Rochester really a better school?

Rochester is a better school. Usc has a better location. You are proabably better off going to Rochester in the long run, but you would probably have more fun at USC.

 

[mhmd09]

don't do it...go to USC.

Here's why:
1. Rochester weather is horrible. I've lived here my entire life, and it's always sucked. Last week, three days were <50 degrees + cloudy + windy. Winter goes anywhere from early October to early May and summers are very humid.

2. Rochester city life is horrible. The city is great for families, but is pretty bad for those under 30. There just isn't a whole lot going on.

3. I work in a research lab in the hospital, my mom is a nurse and we've both had a lot of contact with attendings/residents, all of whom agree unanimously that the curriculum at Rochester is doing a diservice to the medical students there. My primary care doctor even said he wouldn't take the 1st year medical students for their preceptorships.

4. The research aspect is deceptive. There are a handful of labs that have international recognition, but other than that's its no better than anywhere else.

Go to USC. Enjoy the sun!

 

[Larsitron]

don't do it...go to USC.

Here's why:
1. Rochester weather is horrible. I've lived here my entire life, and it's always sucked. Last week, three days were <50 degrees + cloudy + windy. Winter goes anywhere from early October to early May and summers are very humid.

2. Rochester city life is horrible. The city is great for families, but is pretty bad for those under 30. There just isn't a whole lot going on.

3. I work in a research lab in the hospital, my mom is a nurse and we've both had a lot of contact with attendings/residents, all of whom agree unanimously that the curriculum at Rochester is doing a diservice to the medical students there. My primary care doctor even said he wouldn't take the 1st year medical students for their preceptorships.

4. The research aspect is deceptive. There are a handful of labs that have international recognition, but other than that's its no better than anywhere else.

Go to USC. Enjoy the sun!

While I'm not saying that you're opinions are totally unfounded, they sound anecdotal and I'm not sure exactly what you can point to objectively that would uphold your beliefs. I especially wonder what you're talking about with points three and four.

The integrated curriculum doesn't take anything away from your basic science years (you're only in an office for a half day a week during your first year from my understanding) as far as I can tell. From my perspective, their research is doing just fine. No one is calling it a Harvard or John's Hopkins, but in a lot of fields (especially neuroscience which is what my background is in) Rochester is a pretty sweet place.

Granted, I'll be going there in the fall (so I'm biased) and I'm just heading into my first year (so I could very well be clueless) but I did a lot of research while choosing various acceptances and your opinions appear to differ radically from every established source I've talked to/read. I'm not trying to be argumentative, but you have to see why I'm being skeptical, right?

 

[criminallyinane]

3. I work in a research lab in the hospital, my mom is a nurse and we've both had a lot of contact with attendings/residents, all of whom agree unanimously that the curriculum at Rochester is doing a diservice to the medical students there. My primary care doctor even said he wouldn't take the 1st year medical students for their preceptorships.

Care to elaborate on what exactly in the curriculum does a "disservice" to students? What is wrong with early clinical contact, integrated curriculum, and an excellent teaching hospital?

 

[Sparky Man]

damn, that's a tough choice. i think i would go to usc, but if i think about it too long, i'll change my mind. in any case, you are heading to a great school, so congrats!

 

[Larsitron]

damn, that's a tough choice. i think i would go to usc, but if i think about it too long, i'll change my mind. in any case, you are heading to a great school, so congrats!

Great post. Remember that in the long run, this is the moral of the story.

 

[mhmd09]

I will elaborate on the previous post...

The impression that I get from all (and this is not an overstatement) the attendings and residents I have had contact with, is that by integrating so much outpatient experience so early in the curriculum and not really going to back to revisit it before third year begins, the students are less adept at their clinical skills than students from other institutions, in the eyes of attendings and residents. It's hard to get everything that you need to get out of an outpatient clinical experience, when you haven't plowed through all the basic sciences yet. It's also hard for preceptors to teach first year medical students in a meaningful way on their first day of medical school. Its just a different way of teaching clinical skills than a lot of other medical schools and the docs I've talked to think the result is a watering down of the clincial learning experience. It's just their opinion.

When I interviewed at Rochester, I had a faculty and a fourth year student who both spoke for 40 minutes each about this and the consensus from them was that the clinical exposure was too much too soon and not enough later on.

Regarding the research, there are some departments which are arguably among the best in the country, neuro, ortho, to name the ones I know of. The U of R is doing a lot to promote research, which is a good thing and will definitely benefit the school in the long run.

That said, Rochester does have a great name and places kids in great residencies. Just read between the fine lines of the Double Helix Curriculum, that's all I'm saying.

-my two cents.

 

[Larsitron]

The impression that I get from all (and this is not an overstatement) the attendings and residents I have had contact with, is that by integrating so much outpatient experience so early in the curriculum and not really going to back to revisit it before third year begins, the students are less adept at their clinical skills than students from other institutions, in the eyes of attendings and residents. It's hard to get everything that you need to get out of an outpatient clinical experience, when you haven't plowed through all the basic sciences yet. It's also hard for preceptors to teach first year medical students in a meaningful way on their first day of medical school. Its just a different way of teaching clinical skills than a lot of other medical schools and the docs I've talked to think the result is a watering down of the clincial learning experience. It's just their opinion.

Alright, well, that's good to know. Although from my understanding, the first year preceptorship is just a half day a week. I mean, if you look at other curricula (Case Western Reserve University's for example) they only have class for half the day Monday through Friday, but the rest of the day allows for clinical electives or research. The U of R system is similar in that on MWF, the lecture day ends at lunchtime to give people time to go to their preceptor's office. Tuesdays and Thursdays are full days of lecture to make up for it. But lets also recall this: if you interviewed this year, the fourth year you heard from was reflecting on their personal experience which, from my understanding of the time frame, would have put them at the beginning of the curriculum implementation (I could be wrong about this though). In any case, the school has had three years to address the issues raised and lets just hope that they did.

 

[criminallyinane]

I will elaborate on the previous post...

The impression that I get from all (and this is not an overstatement) the attendings and residents I have had contact with, is that by integrating so much outpatient experience so early in the curriculum and not really going to back to revisit it before third year begins, the students are less adept at their clinical skills than students from other institutions, in the eyes of attendings and residents. It's hard to get everything that you need to get out of an outpatient clinical experience, when you haven't plowed through all the basic sciences yet. It's also hard for preceptors to teach first year medical students in a meaningful way on their first day of medical school. Its just a different way of teaching clinical skills than a lot of other medical schools and the docs I've talked to think the result is a watering down of the clincial learning experience. It's just their opinion.

When I interviewed at Rochester, I had a faculty and a fourth year student who both spoke for 40 minutes each about this and the consensus from them was that the clinical exposure was too much too soon and not enough later on.

Regarding the research, there are some departments which are arguably among the best in the country, neuro, ortho, to name the ones I know of. The U of R is doing a lot to promote research, which is a good thing and will definitely benefit the school in the long run.

That said, Rochester does have a great name and places kids in great residencies. Just read between the fine lines of the Double Helix Curriculum, that's all I'm saying.

-my two cents.

Hmm, I still don't see your point. Any school worth its salt is implementing early clinical exposure these days. Additionally, it's not like Rochester students don't do the full complement of clinical clerkships during years 3 and 4; they do. It's not like they cut corners in their clinical education, they just get more of it earlier. I have close ties to Rochester Med and I know several graduating students. These people are some of the most intelligent and well-trained students you will meet, and their matchlist reflects that. I don't know why you think Rochester is doing a disservice to its students, but I think your views are probably not shared by the majority of people who actually go to Rochester.