What is it like going to medical school across the country?

[Laura Jean]

Some of the schools I plan on applying to are far away from my home in Wisconsin, including the west coast, east coast and south. I'm not afraid of moving far away for a few years -- it actually sounds quite exciting!
I just want honest feedback about what it is like to move far away for medical school, especially from the midwest, not necessarily about specific schools or costs, since I know life on the coasts are more expensive, but more about the pros / cons, highlights / difficulties, etc.

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[KnightDoc]

Some of the schools I plan on applying to are far away from my home in Wisconsin, including the west coast, east coast and south. I'm not afraid of moving far away for a few years -- it actually sounds quite exciting!
I just want honest feedback about what it is like to move far away for medical school, especially from the midwest.

Totally depends on you. Some people need a lot of support and become homesick when far away, in an unfamiliar place, with no nearby support system. others hate where they are and love the adventure of being in a new place. Some are very independent, others less so. The key is to stay in your comfort zone, unless you really want to try new things. If you hate big cities, or won't be comfortable in rural environments, stay away from them. Personally, I'm not a big CA fan, so, even though they have some great schools, they are hyper competitive to get into and I have no interest in living there even intermediate term, so I am focusing my application efforts elsewhere.

Honest feedback is that only you know yourself. You say it sounds exciting, but your question betrays your apprehension. Just think about the environments in which you would thrive. At the end of the day, there are only around 150 MD schools, and there really are only around 20-30 that make sense for most people to apply to, based on stats, location, IS biases, mission, etc. Beyond that, most people are just taking blind shots in the dark, with diminishing returns. The best advice would be to apply to the schools that make sense, and not to worry about distance from WI unless and until you know whether you are one of the lucky 20% to have more than one choice.

 

[deleted889094]

I moved cross country for school and I actually really enjoy it. It is different because I'm married so I have a social and support advantage there. But I liked getting to go and start something new and make some new friends. Obviously it's difficult to leave friends and family, but it's still totally doable to keep in contact. I think it's good to expand your horizons too. And if you don't like your school or classmates it's only 4 years. Most of med school can be done without interacting with classmates anyway.

 

[DameJulie]

Miserable at first. After a while you get used to it and call it your new home

 

[deleted1063986]

I moved from one coast to the other and it has been difficult, especially during a pandemic where it's more difficult to make new friends. I don't regret my decision because it happened to be the most financially responsible thing to do, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend moving away from your support system if you have the choice between a school close to home and one farther away if there is no cost difference, etc.

 

[Govtoflemmings]

I moved from one coast to the other and it has been difficult, especially during a pandemic where it's more difficult to make new friends. I don't regret my decision because it happened to be the most financially responsible thing to do, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend moving away from your support system if you have the choice between a school close to home and one farther away if there is no cost difference, etc.

Im planning on moving from west coast to the south for school and just starting to look into logistics of the move itself... how did you manage getting furniture and car and all that across the country? I was thinking of getting a Pod but I got a $6,500 quote and that doesn't include my car... so trying to looking into other options, tia!

 

[stickgirl390]

Liberating. I am an 18 hour drive from my hometown, with no plans on returning.

 

[stickgirl390]

Im planning on moving from west coast to the south for school and just starting to look into logistics of the move itself... how did you manage getting furniture and car and all that across the country? I was thinking of getting a Pod but I got a $6,500 quote and that doesn't include my car... so trying to looking into other options, tia!

We rented a uhaul with a trailer attachment for the car. Cost a little under $3k. Moved everything in and out ourselves, no movers.

 

[KnightDoc]

Im planning on moving from west coast to the south for school and just starting to look into logistics of the move itself... how did you manage getting furniture and car and all that across the country? I was thinking of getting a Pod but I got a $6,500 quote and that doesn't include my car... so trying to looking into other options, tia!

Long distance moves are EXPENSIVE. Depending on how old you are, how much "stuff" you've accumulated, how attached to it you are, and how high quality it is, the best move is often to sell or give it away and buy new. $6,500 plus whatever you can get for your "stuff" can buy a lot of nice new "stuff"!

I don't know where I am going to end up yet, but, other than clothing, which I can easily take, all of my crap combined isn't worth anywhere near $6,500 used!!!! YMMV, but, unless your things are worth more than ~$20K, depreciated, it's hard to see how moving it across the country is cost effective. I'd keep the things I really care about at my parents' house (if possible), take what I can in my car, and get rid of the rest.

 

[Govtoflemmings]

thanks @KnightDoc for your reply. Yea, I knew it would be expensive... I didn't think it would be $6,500 expensive! ha! was hoping someone had another idea, but its definitely looking like ill be selling it and getting new stuff in the south. The thing I was hoping to avoid was needed to spend the time/energy to buy and build stuff on that end since move in for student housing is only 3 days before orientation. I do have a pickup so ill be able to bring some stuff and will probably rent a box trailer (which will be around $800)

 

[stickgirl390]

You guys must have a low litmus for value. I’ve made large moves twice with the same furniture I’ve had for 15 years. What is this selling/rebuying everything? Each time we moved, the cost was under $3k, and I have a 2 bed/2bath’s worth of furniture.

 

[viralhiker]

You guys must have a low litmus for value. I’ve made large moves twice with the same furniture I’ve had for 15 years. What is this selling/rebuying everything? Each time we moved, the cost was under $3k, and I have a 2 bed/2bath’s with of furniture.

Yeah for real! There’s a high potential of me and my SO moving >8 hours away for med school, and there’s no chance I’m throwing away tables, couches, mattresses just to repurchase them on the other side. And my back of the napkin math is nowhere near $6.5k for moving costs!

 

[LunaOri]

Are you moving alone? If you are moving to a school where you can get along without a car for a few months, maybe you could rent a van to move your stuff, and leave your car with your family until winter break?

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

I was thrilled to move across the country for school. I left most of my things at my mother’s so the move was easy - just a car. My fiancée came with more things later. I like my new home (Las Vegas!) and was pleased to find COL is much lower out here.

I’m not very close with my family so that’s been a non-issue.

I was a little sad to leave my friends but I stopped being very close to them during my last couple years of premed when I was doing the working/school/ECs/MCAT prep thing.

I wouldn’t worry about cost of the move much. It’s a drop in the bucket compared to tuition and recurring expenses you can control like opting for a modest apartment with roommates. If you’re from the Midwest you might find that COL is higher elsewhere but again, you can be smart. For starters don’t use the school’s health insurance, it’s almost always a rip off. Try Medicaid or a competitively priced insurance from the state marketplace. That’s going to save me $24,000 over the course of my enrollment.

Ultimately it’s a life change that a lot of people make. It’s easier when you can be excited about the reason for your move and I’m sure you’ll be excited to go to med school. Unless you have very strong family and community ties, you’ll probably be busy enough adjusting to your new routine as a med student that you won’t look back.