Vandy vs. BU

[mac n ches]

Hi, am so happy to have these choices but am feeling confused. I have not visited these places, so I'm unsure of how much weight/value I should put into my impressions of the cities, especially since I know I will love wherever I go regardless of my reservations anyway. I have an idea of what my interests are (adolescent behavioral health, school-based preventative health interventions, and asian immigrant health)..but the catch is that I don't know if continuing work in my interests will help me choose my specialty, since I'm completely undecided but internal med, ob-gyn, psychiatry, adolescent medicine, geriatric care are my main things right now (completely subject to change). Financial package is unknown right now beyond the BU scholarship

BU:
pros:
- activism culture!! safety net hospital!! love how diverse the pt population is (i can practice my first language!)
- research/community partnerships in health equity <3 so so many things i want to get involved with.
- big city vibe!!! i want to live my 20s, i love love SF
- walkable and good public transit. i lived w/o a car in the bay and LOVED it
cons:
- have to go out of my way for research, though it seems very accessible
- 2 year traditional curriculum
- COLD, less sunlight? (plz correct me if this is untrue). i love studying outside and get sad in the winter. dark days are hard.
- high COL (maybe $10k scholarship offsets this?)
other:
- matches very well to CA
- medical spanish programs for my level and opportunities to work with the ethnic group i identify with
- not attached to undergrad campus

Vandy
pros:
- designated time for research in curriculum. love how much mentoring/hand-holding I get for research lol
- small class size, more individual attention. ie: the school isn't social justice oriented, but people would go out of their way to help me find my niche
- P/F clerkships (both schools are P/F pre-clinical)
- moderate climate and warm. nice gym
- lots of potential for interdisciplinery work. would love to work with their school of education.
cons:
- less diverse pt population and less opportunities to develop existing interests. the state is not that invested in social justice, but maybe a new environment would make me a better advocate
- sounds very southern (honky tonks??)
- everyone talks about bbq and fried chicken and i'm not really into meat heavy dining
other:
- 1 yr preclinical
- not as many matches back to CA
- higher ranked

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[EdgeTrimmer]

Vandy. You shouldn't have issues with matching back to CA from Vandy, it's ranked 10 in PD list. Nashville is a fun city and weather should be better than Boston. You can volunteer at free clinic or at VA hospital next door to get diversity experience.

 

[gomernation]

Hi, am so happy to have these choices but am feeling confused. I have not visited these places, so I'm unsure of how much weight/value I should put into my impressions of the cities, especially since I know I will love wherever I go regardless of my reservations anyway. I have an idea of what my interests are (adolescent behavioral health, school-based preventative health interventions, and asian immigrant health)..but the catch is that I don't know if continuing work in my interests will help me choose my specialty, since I'm completely undecided but internal med, ob-gyn, psychiatry, adolescent medicine, geriatric care are my main things right now (completely subject to change). Financial package is unknown right now beyond the BU scholarship

BU:
pros:
- activism culture!! safety net hospital!! love how diverse the pt population is (i can practice my first language!)
- research/community partnerships in health equity <3 so so many things i want to get involved with.
- big city vibe!!! i want to live my 20s, i love love SF
- walkable and good public transit. i lived w/o a car in the bay and LOVED it
cons:
- have to go out of my way for research, though it seems very accessible
- 2 year traditional curriculum
- COLD, less sunlight? (plz correct me if this is untrue). i love studying outside and get sad in the winter. dark days are hard.
- high COL (maybe $10k scholarship offsets this?)
other:
- matches very well to CA
- medical spanish programs for my level and opportunities to work with the ethnic group i identify with
- not attached to undergrad campus

Vandy
pros:
- designated time for research in curriculum. love how much mentoring/hand-holding I get for research lol
- small class size, more individual attention. ie: the school isn't social justice oriented, but people would go out of their way to help me find my niche
- P/F clerkships (both schools are P/F pre-clinical)
- moderate climate and warm. nice gym
- lots of potential for interdisciplinery work. would love to work with their school of education.
cons:
- less diverse pt population and less opportunities to develop existing interests. the state is not that invested in social justice, but maybe a new environment would make me a better advocate
- sounds very southern (honky tonks??)
- everyone talks about bbq and fried chicken and i'm not really into meat heavy dining
other:
- 1 yr preclinical
- not as many matches back to CA
- higher ranked

TBH you sound like you vibe more with BU. How important is cost to you/have you received your institutional finaid packages from either school?

 

[mac n ches]

Vandy. You shouldn't have issues with matching back to CA from Vandy, it's ranked 10 in PD list. Nashville is a fun city and weather should be better than Boston. You can volunteer at free clinic or at VA hospital next door to get diversity experience.

Do you say this because of mostly rank? I have been struggling with how to value rank, because I do see that Vandy is top 10 in some rankings, but BU's match list seems to be just as strong, so does the rank difference matter that much? (If you are voting Vandy mostly because of these other factors mentioned then I totally get what you're saying)

TBH you sound like you vibe more with BU. How important is cost to you/have you received your institutional finaid packages from either school?

No finaid packages yet, but both have distributed their merit scholarships :'(. So I'm hoping for some 4-year interest free institutional loans, but I expect both schools to be similarly priced. Nashville is not cheap, so the scholarship from BU makes COL difference between the schools pretty low

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

You really sound like your prefer BU. Sometimes you have to go with your heart.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Do you say this because of mostly rank? I have been struggling with how to value rank, because I do see that Vandy is top 10 in some rankings, but BU's match list seems to be just as strong, so does the rank difference matter that much? (If you are voting Vandy mostly because of these other factors mentioned then I totally get what you're saying)

No finaid packages yet, but both have distributed their merit scholarships :'(. So I'm hoping for some 4-year interest free institutional loans, but I expect both schools to be similarly priced. Nashville is not cheap, so the scholarship from BU makes COL difference between the schools pretty low

I am not saying purely based on ranking but based on what I know and hear that Vandy is a great medical school. Probably more CA students get into BU than Vandy and that’s showing in match. Did you closely look at Vandy match list and see what type of programs they are matching over last few years?

 

[rep_the_don]

Your initial post sounds like you vibe a lot more with BU. Vandy definitely doesn't have as much diversity as BU in terms of what you're looking for. Nashville is also a different type of city from Boston.

 

[Flareicus]

Vanderbilt is higher ranked and you will have incredible opportunities, but if working with underserved communities is a cornerstone in your medical pursuit, BU would be hard to beat in that regard.

In all honesty, do whatever feels the most right to you. Both are great institutions, and you can't really make a wrong decision here.

 

[BritainKittenMittens]

These ones are really hard because there's no clear winner and just a matter of feel.

I have similar preferences to OP (like the social justice focus, prefer diverse cities, but recognize the prestige bump), and I'd probably pick Vandy. 1 Year pre-clinical is nice, P/F clerkship is relaxing, and you might have to go out of your way but I'm sure underserved trips are possible.

 

[deleted1065184]

cons:
- less diverse pt population and less opportunities to develop existing interests. the state is not that invested in social justice, but maybe a new environment would make me a better advocate
- sounds very southern (honky tonks??)
- everyone talks about bbq and fried chicken and i'm not really into meat heavy dining

Nashville is an ethnically diverse city (not quite as diverse as Boston, but still diverse). Also, Nashville is about as populous a city as Boston is, believe it or not. I believe you'll find more diversity in your patient population than you think. It is massive wrt land area because it is a consolidated city-county, but once you're in the city proper it has a big city feel.

You can definitely expect cities in the South to be....Southern lol, but not sure what you mean by "honky tonks" haha. If you're referring to it being a big country music spot, yes there's absolutely that. But the music scene in Nashville, in general, is HUGE. If you're referring to politics, I'll just point out that urban areas lean the same way regardless of geographical location, and so do rural areas. You won't see much of a difference in political beliefs in people in Nashville vs. Boston or SF.

There is a ton of barbecue and fried chicken (especially hot chicken, I love Prince's haha), but Nashville genuinely has an incredible food scene with tons of vegetarian and vegan spots too. Trust me, you won't have trouble finding spots you like. You really should visit if you get a chance, I'd bet the farm that the city is far different than you're thinking it is.

One clear downside based on what you've mentioned is that public transportation in Nashville is pretty terrible. But if you go to Vandy, you're likely going to be living in an area near the campus that is very walkable. A $10k scholarship to BU will not offset the huge difference in cost of living, and as you've mentioned the weather is FAR better in Nashville than in Boston.

Also, you won't have trouble matching from either school in any of those specialties, so I probably wouldn't worry too much about that.

 

[Banco]

You very clearly like BU better and you will be successful come residency time from both places. Don't let the largely prestige driven votes in this poll dissuade you from making your decision. Go with your gut.

 

[spottedcory]

These ones are really hard because there's no clear winner and just a matter of feel.

I have similar preferences to OP (like the social justice focus, prefer diverse cities, but recognize the prestige bump), and I'd probably pick Vandy. 1 Year pre-clinical is nice, P/F clerkship is relaxing, and you might have to go out of your way but I'm sure underserved trips are possible.

What do you mean by "underserved trips"?

 

[BritainKittenMittens]

What do you mean by "underserved trips"?

Sorry was typing fast and on phone. I might be projecting, but I was thinking of global health trips but I recognize that not everyone is interested in that and not sure if the school has those opportunities.

 

[buffalo bill]

Frankly, your enthusiasm to work in the primary safety net hospital in the Mecca of medicine (Boston) is the kind of attitude that will make you fit right in with BU. It seems like you would excel at BU and allow yourself to be the physician you desire to be. Medical school will be hard, and being in an environment where you fit in culturally can make a big difference in how you handle the stress.

 

[lanadelreyy]

Vanderbilt's prestige and rankings go without saying. As someone mentioned and you already acknowledged, it's got a 10 PD ranking vs 39, and ditto for its NIH funding.

But, everyone is different, and if you aren't dead-set on a competitive specialty and care about location, BU seems where you'd fit in best. Not that BU would close any doors either. Since diversity, activism, big city, and matching back home are this significant to you, it seems your decision is already there.

 

[MongutheDoggy]

You can match to anything from either school so decide based on other factors than prestige

 

[SpreadKindness20]

If social justice and working with the underserved are extremely important to you, then BU is your place. It's core to the school and the hospital. But if it's more of an interest, as opposed to your singular passion, then you will be able to find opportunities for community engagement and social justice at any medical school these days.

If you value warm weather and studying outside, Vandy is a much better place for that. Boston is typically too cold to hang outside from November through March. It's not Siberia or Buffalo or Ithaca, but it's a true winter.

You're not going to have any trouble finding research at BU. BMC is a major academic center and Boston is medical research mecca.

Vandy is seen as a better school overall, but in reality they are both top notch schools. You will not have any trouble coming from either place. So it may come down to location preference and other opportunities.