NSU MD vs. Rosalind Franklin (Urgent)

[hwrkyl32]

Hi,

I need to urgently decide on Rosalind Franklin (RFU) MD vs. Nova SE MD.

Nova SE MD:

Pros:

• Warm weather year round, Fort Lauderdale Fl
• P/F preclinicals
• Small Class Size: ~52 person class (or is this a con?)
• Close to beach, palm trees on campus
• Some family living in Fl

Cons:

• 8 hours/week mandatory PBL + mandatory presentations and shadowing physicians weekly
• Newer school
• Business casual attire on campus

RFU MD:

Pros:

• Less mandatory stuff (2-4 hrs/week?)
• P/F preclinicals
• More established/older school
• Larger network for match etc
• Couple good friends in Chicago, albeit in the downtown area

Cons:

• Very cold winters

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[chilly_md]

What are the approximate costs? Nova has become very expensive lately due to the sharp increase in housing prices.

 

[hwrkyl32]

What are the approximate costs? Nova has become very expensive lately due to the sharp increase in housing prices.

I was given scholarships at both that reduce tuition,

RFU MD: 4 year total: $168K tuition
Nova MD: 4 year total: ~$130K tuition

With the higher housing prices it may be a wash or Nova slightly more expensive? Tough to say.

What do you think I should do?

 

[chilly_md]

I was given scholarships at both that reduce tuition,

RFU MD: 4 year total: $168K tuition
Nova MD: 4 year total: ~$130K tuition

With the higher housing prices it may be a wash or Nova slightly more expensive? Tough to say.

What do you think I should do?

Having lower cost at both is good. Up to you whether you you want to live in Chicago or Fort Lauderdale. People generally like warmer weather if possible.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

No difference in opportunities/prestige so go where ever a better fit

 

[hwrkyl32]

Having lower cost at both is good. Up to you whether you you want to live in Chicago or Fort Lauderdale. People generally like warmer weather if possible.

Do you think the difference in mandatory hours/week of stuff required outside studying is a big deal or nah? NSU MD requires 8 hours of mandatory PBL per week, then 8 hours of mandatory labs on Tuesday, and some mandatory clinical shadowing first 2 years

 

[hwrkyl32]

Do you think the difference in mandatory hours/week of stuff required outside studying is a big deal or nah? NSU MD requires 8 hours of mandatory PBL per week, then 8 hours of mandatory labs on Tuesday, and some mandatory clinical shadowing first 2 years

Whereas RFU: ~2-4 hours of mandatory stuff a week, some weeks with none

 

[chilly_md]

Do you think the difference in mandatory hours/week of stuff required outside studying is a big deal or nah? NSU MD requires 8 hours of mandatory PBL per week, then 8 hours of mandatory labs on Tuesday, and some mandatory clinical shadowing first 2 years

I didn’t know it was 8 hours of lab as well every week. Better to do Rosalind Franklin for flexibility then since you are down to differentiating on these kinds of details.

 

[hwrkyl32]

I didn’t know it was 8 hours of lab as well every week. Better to do Rosalind Franklin for flexibility then since you are down to differentiating on these kinds of details.

I mean the weather in FLL is a huge pull for me, just not sure if you think those mandatory hours could be a huge detractor away from actually studying for exams/board prep?

 

[Mexicannon24]

I know former students that had issues with RSU administration. Nova is cheaper and in Florida, I would easily pick Nova

 

[chilly_md]

I mean the weather in FLL is a huge pull for me, just not sure if you think those mandatory hours could be a huge detractor away from actually studying for exams/board prep?

If you hate being in-person, it could be a detraction. If you’re fine with planning the rest of your week around that, then you can go to Nova. Some people strongly dislike PBL, but of course, there’s no snow to deal with and it sounds you could relax with some relatives during some weekends.

For these kinds of choices, it comes down to your own preferences and whether you’d be bothered more by one thing vs another.

 

[mdog31415]

RFU M1 entering M2 here. RFU is very flexible. Low stakes Friday quizzes are huge. Housing here is relatively cheap compared to the city. Major pro's that does not get enough recognition. Yes we do Schema's and PBLs most (but not all) Fridays, but they are virtual so that's good.

First 3 months are not as flexible (you have on-campus mandatories/incentivized sessions 3-4 times/week) vs second half of M1 year and all of M2 year (2-3/week). We do have some mandatory shadowing the first two years, but nothing crazy. 3 observerships our M1 year, each 4 hours long. I knocked out 2/3 of mine during break, so that was nice. M2 year I think it goes up to 5-10; not 100%, but I feel like they are advantageous to have early in curriculum.

Admin has been pretty nice. They've moved forward well from the past LCME woes. They are not perfect, and we had our qualms here and there, but nothing unreasonable. If the class did have a qualm, they were pretty reasonable with us during the townhalls. I'm told other schools have had similar small admin challenges (including Nova)- idk, personally I'm going off of what others have said about their schools. They are improving every year with the new curriculum, so that's good.

Admittedly, it would be super hard for me to turn down an offer to study in sunny Florida. That said, if I had to choose cold RFU from November-March over the warm school that has 8 hours of mandatory weekly labs, I'm choosing RFU. Especially if the cost, clinical affiliates, research opportunities, and name brands are similar (which it sounds like they are).