USC or Tufts?

[omisoc]

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Which would you choose? I'm a California resident and would love to come back to CA for residency, but because of my sig. other's job prospects, I have to be open to doing residency anywhere. Any advice is helpful...

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by omisoc
Which would you choose? I'm a California resident and would love to come back to CA for residency, but because of my sig. other's job prospects, I have to be open to doing residency anywhere. Any advice is helpful...

well if your wife/husband/same-sex union partner is in boston i think its an easy decision. otherwise go to usc

 

[omisoc]

Well, he has the prospect of being in either Boston or SF/Bay area in a year or so...but this isn't definite...

Originally posted by exmike
well if your wife/husband/same-sex union partner is in boston i think its an easy decision. otherwise go to usc

 

[Jalby]

Boston:
http://www.weather.com/weather/local/USMA0046?from=search_city

Los Angeles
http://www.weather.com/weather/local/90042?lswe=90042&lwsa=WeatherLocalUndeclared


I personally think you will end up at USC over Tufts.

 

[Eraserhead]

Why does everyone always insist on using weather to decide where to go to school?

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by DoctorKevin
Why does everyone always insist on using weather to decide where to go to school?

i dont know either 😕

its a poor argument unless the schools are otherwise identical, which is not the case here.

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

I think USC can provide a better a medical education than Tufts. This is partially reflected in the US News and World Report med school rankings...but also in terms of academics in general. I think even USC ugrad is ranked higher than Tufts...plus, USC has been expanding its facilities and I'm pretty sure it has a much larger endowment for research than Tufts.

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by omisoc
Well, he has the prospect of being in either Boston or SF/Bay area in a year or so...but this isn't definite...

I dont know what happened to my post, but anyway:

SFBay to So Cal isnt that bad of a commute. Its a 4 hour or so drive depending on how fast you go, or a $70 ticket on JetBlue or SWA if you plan ahead.

 

[Jalby]

Originally posted by exmike
SFBay to So Cal isnt that bad of a commute. Its a 4 hour or so drive depending on how fast you go, or a $70 ticket on JetBlue or SWA if you plan ahead.

Travelling 420 miles in 4 hours??? That is quite impressive.

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by Jalby
Travelling 420 miles in 4 hours??? That is quite impressive.

from san jose to right across the grapevine is only 350 or so miles. at 85mph (which is pretty average on the I-5) its certainly doable. add an hour if you're coming from the SFBay of course.

 

[bell]

I would also compare the price tag...isn't tufts way more expensive.
Keck all the way...but then I am biased...

 

[omisoc]

yeah, Keck is much cheaper because I wouldn't have to pay for housing in LA...

I liked both schools, but like LA more than Boston. Sf/Bay area isn't that far from LA, but 4 years is a long time....

Originally posted by bell
I would also compare the price tag...isn't tufts way more expensive.
Keck all the way...but then I am biased...

 

[Mr. Rosewater]

never question the glory of california on sdn, you'll be overwhelmed with homers singing it's praises.

 

[bell]

well..you can't criticize the best 🙂

 

[Mr. Rosewater]

Originally posted by bell
well..you can't criticize the best 🙂

especially if you like pollution and austrians 😉

fwiw, i voted tufts for the following reasons:

1. B/C I may go there.
2. B/C although USC is ranked SLIGHTLY higher, Tufts beats it in peer assesment and residency director rank.
3. Boston is a great place to go to med school b/c it's a great place to get a residency (MGH, NEMC, BI, BUMC, etc).


Anyway, these schools do seem to be quite similar as far as quality goes, so it really comes down to where you want to be. if you enjoy living in ca, and you want to practice there, then i would probably go w/ USC. g'luck.

 

[Adapt]

Tufts tuition is one of the most expensive of private schools at 39K a year.

 

[uclacrewdude]

Originally posted by DoctorKevin
Why does everyone always insist on using weather to decide where to go to school?

b/c weather is something that you cant get away from. its like one of the facts about a place thats with you all the time. i dont think east coast people realize how hard it is to cope with the fact that you cant just wear what you want, you cant just hop out of bed and be out the door in 5 minutes, you have to take your time on the road, not knowing what clothes to get to keep you warm (and spending another thousand just to amp up your winter wardrobe), not even being able to spend any time outside. most of all, the SAD. jesus, that hit me WAY hard this year. thats saying a lot, considering i had never been happier in my entire life up till like mid november. your happiness directly affects how well you learn, so if you want to do well in school you should be as happy as possible, and if the weather is as big a component of your happiness as it is for most californians, go to SC.

i voted for SC even though im a bruin alum. USC is a fantastic school, and since they teach out of LA county you will come out a wonderfully skilled clinician. moreover, someone said they have really good research. when i applied to USC for undergrad, they were throwing scholarships and grants at me left and right (despite not having really done anything) so it makes sense that they would do the same for your medical education. LA isnt far from the bay area at all (fremont - UCLA = 4.5 hrs, my best time [though ive had friends who claim 3 hrs]) ... definitely an easier long term relationship than other people have. finally, if you go to school in USC, you will outright match better, without having to worry about being AOA or scoring hella high on the boards. if you wanna live and work in california, youre better off going to USC.

personally, i thought boston was a dirty city and the people there werent all that friendly. lot of typical east coast snobbery and stuff. moreover, tufts is definitely one of the most expensive med schools in the nation (i go to temple and am set to borrow approx 200K across 4yrs), and frankly, i dont think you get your bang for your buck, plain and simplel.

 

[Jalby]

Originally posted by Mr. Rosewater
especially if you like pollution and austrians 😉

fwiw, i voted tufts for the following reasons:

1. B/C I may go there.
2. B/C although USC is ranked SLIGHTLY higher, Tufts beats it in peer assesment and residency director rank.
3. Boston is a great place to go to med school b/c it's a great place to get a residency (MGH, NEMC, BI, BUMC, etc).


Anyway, these schools do seem to be quite similar as far as quality goes, so it really comes down to where you want to be. if you enjoy living in ca, and you want to practice there, then i would probably go w/ USC. g'luck.

Keck's on it's way up. 110$ Million dollar gift, 450million fundraising in the past 4 years. 3 new research buildings. past three classes having highest MCAT and GPA in school history. 3rd years scoring highest board score in history (and that was with them havint 3.57 GPA and 31.4 MCAT. It'll be better with my class. 3.62 GPA and 32.4 MCAT with all the kinks from the new curriculum worked out)

So you are right, the rankings might not be to different right now. I'm betting they will be drastically different by the time this classes applicants graduate.

 

[darkcity998]

yes, it would be wise to discuss the total cost of attending tufts - $244,000 for the whole MD - with your significant other. sounds like you prefer california, if so, even if you stay with your significant other in boston, things may not be pleasant when you're stressed out during med school and thinking about the "what if I were in cali..."

 

[chicago13]

drop your sig other and go to california. you'll find someone else

 

[Eraserhead]

Originally posted by chicago13
drop your sig other and go to california. you'll find someone else

mwhahaha

 

[Jalby]

Originally posted by chicago13
drop your sig other and go to california. you'll find someone else

LMFAO. But fully accurate.

 

[Rose122]

Originally posted by DoctorKevin
Why does everyone always insist on using weather to decide where to go to school?

Maybe because many people consider weather when deciding where they will live and work. I've lived in california, and four other states so I know what winter weather can be like but many Californians fear cold weather like cold climate people fear earthquakes.