Wake Forest, Tulane, UF, USF

[Jason24]

I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on Wake Forest, Tulane, UF, and USF. I'm having trouble figuring what balance of location, urban atmosphere, fun, or reputation will suit me best. I went to undergrad in Boston and have enjoyed the north and the city life but am looking to head back south for med school. My family lives in the Tampa area, and I like the idea of being able to drive home randomly, which is why I'm considering USF and UF. I am also concerned the grades and competitive grumblings that I hear about the Florida schools. Overall, I liked both schools fine, but I was more impressed with Tulane and Wake Forest. I definitely like to have a good time and hope to balance studying and fun in med school, which screams Tulane. I loved New Orleans when I visited, but am concerned about the quality of the clinical training there since Charity closed. Finally, I was really comfortable at Wake and liked their curriculum a lot. I also have family in the area, so I feel like I would have a support system. I didn't get a sense of how much fun the Wake students have, but overall it has the best rankings.
Any input would be appreciated!

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[ksmi117]

I hated Wake Forest, FWIW, and thought Tulane was awesome, but it's really your decision. There's a lot to think about and since you're so unsure, I'd wait til the financial aid stuff came back to make any final decisions.

 

[ncmed2014]

Wake Forest all the way!

 

[HAROLDGOODLOOKI]

I went to Wake Forest undergrad, I had plenty of fun.

 

[alibai3ah]

I hated Wake Forest, FWIW, and thought Tulane was awesome, but it's really your decision. There's a lot to think about and since you're so unsure, I'd wait til the financial aid stuff came back to make any final decisions.

+1, I agree with this. Wait for your financial aid to come out to make a decision. If the Florida schools are cheaper, I would go there.

 

[HAROLDGOODLOOKI]

I would go with Wake Forest, it is really great.

 

[sundancekid]

I'm from New Orleans originally. Live in Florida. Received an interview to Tulane after I got into Wake. I would have taken the interview to Tulane, but if you compare total number of faculty between the two schools, Wake has more than 1000 while Tulane was somewhere around 500 (that may be generous). That's not a comment on Tulane med but a comment on the state of New Orleans and its inability to attract faculty.

I know they can play games with the number of faculty--full time, part time, adjunct, etc...but I'm inclined to believe those numbers given the above. Hope that helps.

 

[PinkIvy08]

Personally, I'd vote Tulane (biased, as I'll be attending). I love the city and it's culture, as well as the student body, faculty (at ~80% as compared to pre-Katrina), and their techonology (i.e. Simulation Center, smart boards, etc.). Added to it is their MPH prgm, if that interests you. Also, with the addition of the new training sites in Baton Rouge (state of the art hospitals as well as 1-on-1 training), this re-ups the faculty:student ratio.

I went to school in NC, and personally couldn't stand the Winston-Salem. It's boring, lacks culture, etc. Good school though. I had friends who went to law school there and transferred out because they couldn't stand the environment/pace of life.

But yeah, wait for financial aid stuff since you're so torn.

 

[Taffarel]

Winston Salem = armpit of the South. I hated WFU as well...felt Southern, hospital is a little too dark, nothing going on in Winston Salem. Go to Tulane - better rep and cooler town.

 

[allie1361]

I'm completely biased here as I'm currently finishing my senior year at USF and will be attending med school there in the fall...BUT, I think your fear of competitiveness at Florida schools in general is unfounded. The only school I've heard of being competitive is UF, and I completely see that. I interviewed at UF and didn't like the atmosphere at all. Most of the people there came off as cocky and I got the feeling that they felt entitled to something. They bragged about all the stuff they've invented (Harvey, other medical stuff that I quit paying attention to after a while), which they've every right to be proud of, but there's no need to reiterate it all the time. Hell, they even had to point out that they invented Gatorade...seriously? I can see why they'd have more competitive students because of the letter grade system though.

USF, though, is awesome. No competitiveness (that I witnessed) in undergrad, and none was obvious from the people I've met at the med school. Way laid back, great school, great teaching facilities, great city with a ton of diversity and lots of fun stuff to do (Busch Gardens AND Adventure Island are both RIGHT across the street from the school! How much better can it get??)

I can't comment on the other schools as I didn't get invited to interview at Wake (which gives it a thumbs down in my book) and I didn't apply to Tulane (not interested in New Orleans area).

Good luck deciding!

 

[JJMrK]

If the Florida schools end up being cheapest, I'd probably go there. I was not a fan of WF, and I don't know much about Tulane other than that fact that it's expensive.