Good afternoon lovely little Gemmies!
So the other night Doc made a list of 114 possible residency programs. Not included on his list were any states that he personally couldn't handle living in. Then gave me the list.
"You edit it down" he told me. "If you're not happy, no one will be happy."
Which might very well be true. As it turns out. (Which begs the question is the converse is true as well? Cause, Oh The Power!)
So I opened up Realtor.com and Google maps, and systematically plugged in information about each city to see if we could A) actually afford living there and B) how doing so would impact my getting to/from work. Any city that didn't have even modest abode in our price range was out, as were any locations that would force me to quit my job. And I confess, I did kind of avoid most of the Arctic North programs. Long, dreary, endless winters are rough on my psyche.
I did this for hours, till I finally pared his list down to 35 programs. Believe it or not, every place on this list has homes we could afford. Who knew! Noticeably absent are any programs in Boston (ouch on the housing!), despite there being an abundance of excellent programs in that city. Doc will be on call a lot, so living reasonably close to the hospital is a must.
So my wise little Gems, whadda say? I'm sure some of you have opinions on some of these locations. I love hearing about different places, and if you have personal experience with any of these, let's have it.
Obviously we can't make the decision based on who lives there. Friends in the area would be fabbo, but it's not a deciding factor.
We'll be living wherever we end up for between five and seven years (some programs are more consolidated...another factor), so I need to make the best choice. So if you have any input, leave a comment. Thank you and thank you again!
H♥gs,
Blue Jeuls
(Sorted by state)
Utah
University of Utah Program - Salt Lake City, Utah...where we'd prefer to go since we're here and it's an excellent program. Our #1 choice
Arizona
St Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center - Phoenix, Arizona
Maricopa Medical Center Program - Phoenix, Arizona
California
Loma Linda University Program - Loma Linda, California
Colorado
University of Colorado Denver Program - Aurora, Colorado
Connecticut
St Vincent's Medical Center - Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport Hospital/Yale University Program - Bridgeport, Connecticut
University of Connecticut Program - Farmington, Connecticut
Hartford Hospital Program - Hartford, Connecticut
Yale-New Haven Medical Center Program - New Haven, Connecticut
Hospital of St Raphael Program - New Haven, Connecticut
Norwalk Hospital Program - Norwalk, Connecticut
District of Columbia
Georgetown University Hospital Program - Washington, District of Columbia
George Washington University Program - Washington, District of Columbia
National Capital Consortium Program - Washington, District of Columbia
Delaware
Christiana Care Health Services Program - Newark, Delaware
Illinois
St Francis Hospital of Evanston Program - Evanston, Illinois
Massachusetts
St Vincent Hospital Program - Worcester, Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts Program - Worcester, Massachusetts
Maryland
Johns Hopkins University Program - Baltimore, Maryland
University of Maryland Program - Baltimore, Maryland
New Mexico
University of New Mexico Program - Albuquerque, New Mexico
New York
University of Rochester Program - Rochester, New York
Rochester General Hospital Program - Rochester, New York
SUNY at Stony Brook Program - Stony Brook, New York
SUNY Upstate Medical University Program - Syracuse, New York
North Carolina
University of North Carolina Hospitals Program - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Duke University Hospital Program - Durham, North Carolina
Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program - Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Ohio
Ohio State University Hospital Program - Columbus, Ohio
Oregon
Oregon Health & Science University Program - Portland, Oregon
Rhode Island
Brown University Program - Providence, Rhode Island
Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth University Health System Program - Richmond, Virginia
Washington
Virginia Mason Medical Center Program - Seattle, Washington
University of Washington Program - Seattle, Washington
12 comments:
I notice that Mayo Clinic isn't on your list. It should be! We loved our time in Rochester. Cost of living is low, public schools are great, the wards are really strong and my heck, it's Mayo!
I think I'd stay away from either St. Vincent's or Bridgeport Hospital. Fairfield County CT is either pricey or scary. Evanston IL is just about as expensive as Boston. Middle of the country is where it's cheap!
But really, you need to stay in Utah!
I'm not totally positive where my hubby will go to Law school, but our target area (provided we get a good LSAT score) is the North Carolina areas you mentioned. Like you said, great housing. It's actually one of the best states for homeschooling but also for good public schools. The triangle schools (Duke, Chapel Hill, Raleigh) are only 2 hours from a beach.
Weather was a BIG perk for me (I don't do cold, and get severe winter depression). They never have as bad of winters as here, and have great parks and recreational areas.
Raleigh has a temple, and a relatively solid LDS population connected with the schools.
It's a top area for research, and I've read up on some eco-friendly programs in the area (if you're a "green" person).
I have heard bugs are bad in the summer, but it has high rankings for raising a family there.
Jeremy and I are in love, and if you went there...we'd hope to see you there!
But as a small disclaimer: I'm VERY biased on this choice, and have never actually been there myself...Just going on research and word of mouth from a handful of friends we have there.
thanks for the feedback!
shelah, my original post actually had a sentence that i deleted, which said ("sorry Mayo, it's not personal!"). i just don't think i can handle such a northern climate. probably because i grew up in the perfect climate of Newport Beach, i just can't hack it. i know mayo's a great school, and all that you said of the area is true. i'm just a wimp! i didn't put VT on the list either, you may have noticed.
Lovely heidi, i've missed you! i won't be at michelle's on tuesday, but hope to see you there the following week! your thoughts on NC were similar to mine...only you gave some excellent insights i didn't have about the schools/church. thanks. ♥
First I have to say how cute are those little birds on your header. You'll have to teach me how you do that.
As far as your ?, I would definitely go with your first choice. Why mess with a good thing. You have grown some roots here my friend. Junior High is around the corner and I think it will be a great place for that cute girl of yours.
If you must go somewhere I would pick Evanston. I loved being so close to the big city. It was an adventure, to say the least.
You lived there as well, didn't you?
When does all of this decision making take place?
Let's get together sometime soon. I'd love to visit with you!
I'd like you to stay in Utah, too.
But if I had to go somewhere else, I'd pick Oregon--my idea of heaven is the Oregon coast, and Portland isn't all that far away from it.
If you love sun and summer, Phoenix would be good--the Mesa Temple is in the same valley.
I've lived in Texas and West Virginia, and I don't think I'd recommend summers in North Carolina (though Orson Scott Card and his family seem fine with it). I just don't like heat when it comes with humidity.
OOOO, I have always wanted to live in Washington DC. We have visited there are few times and loved it. I have a LDS friend who lives there and LOVES it.
Arizona would be fun too. Large LDS population and I have quite a few friends who live there and really enjoy it too!
I love you, but don't stay in Utah! Go have an adventure! I vote Massachusetts('cause I wish I lived there), D.C. and North Carolina.
Aurora is nice, and booming right now!
Loma Linda is also pretty darn expensive but would be a nice place as well!
i've hard some wonderful things about many of those programs. of course, i'm in ohio, and i know ohio state is a great place, but i don't know if i could live in columbus because i'm not a city girl. :)
i'm originally from delaware and can say that it is a good state. good schools for the most part, although some people may argue that one with me.
maryland is also nice. johns hopkins is amazing.
d.c. i couldn't live near there again. too much traffic.
sounds like an adventure, wherever you end up. i hope that it is a place you would like though!
How exciting, Blue! Mark and I graduated from Syracuse University so we are very familiar with that area. It is a wonderful college town but it gets very, very, very COLD in the winter. If your blood is at all thinned from being a native Californian then it would be very difficult to adjust to. The program there is fantastic, but it might not fit your weather requirements. Truthfully, all of the NY schools you listed are in very cold winter climates.
Loma Linda is an awesome hospital in a nice area.
I can't wait to find out what you decide! What an adventure.
Love,
Deb
Alas, Hawaii didn't make the list. Love you anyway. :)
well, OREGON, of course! that's just for selfish reasons. although i've heard great things about ohsu. do you like rain, though? portland is very...moist. the temple is super close, though! and we're an hour and a half away - as it the coast! ore-gon! ore-gon! ore-gon!
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