OSU vs. Florida state school

[d0cD]

One of the newer state schools in FL (sorry for being vague-- want to remain anonymous)
Pros:

• Cheaper cost of living (no state income tax for my spouse)
• Slightly cheaper tuition (not by much, ~$2k total)
• Smaller class size (120-140)
• Near family (which could also be a bad thing... expected presence at family events, babysitting, etc)
• Easy to find an affordable house (with yard for two large dogs) and would be able to drive to campus with no worries of parking

Cons:

• Not pass/fail
• Rotations might be around the state rather than close to home
• Sounds like there are kinks to sort out being a newer school in terms of rotation locations, mentorship, finding research opportunities) (not really interested in research, but realize it is pretty much mandatory for specialties)
• Humidity & bugs (but winter is amazing!)

Ohio State:
Pros:

• Better location for spouse's job... works mostly from home but travels to this region as it's part of his territory (less overnights)
• Established and known entity
• More structured environment in regards to research, mentorship, preceptorships, etc
• Most rotations appear to be local
• Pass/fail

Cons:

• Class size (205!)
• No parking on campus for students from what I have been told... maybe I'm making a bigger deal than it is. Living near campus (within walking distance) with my spouse and two large dogs is looking to be impossible.

Overall, both schools will get me my MD, and I know that I am fortunate to have this dilemma. I'm just having an issue in choosing between the lower cost of living in FL and the established/structured environment at Ohio State. My end goal is to practice/specialize. Would love to hear what you all think!

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[IMakedThese]

One of the newer state schools in FL (sorry for being vague-- want to remain anonymous)
Pros:

• Cheaper cost of living (no state income tax for my spouse)
• Slightly cheaper tuition (not by much, ~$2k total)
• Smaller class size (120-140)
• Near family (which could also be a bad thing... expected presence at family events, babysitting, etc)
• Easy to find an affordable house (with yard for two large dogs) and would be able to drive to campus with no worries of parking

Cons:

• Not pass/fail
• Rotations might be around the state rather than close to home
• Sounds like there are kinks to sort out being a newer school in terms of rotation locations, mentorship, finding research opportunities) (not really interested in research, but realize it is pretty much mandatory for specialties)
• Humidity & bugs (but winter is amazing!)

Ohio State:
Pros:

• Better location for spouse's job... works mostly from home but travels to this region as it's part of his territory (less overnights)
• Established and known entity
• More structured environment in regards to research, mentorship, preceptorships, etc
• Most rotations appear to be local
• Pass/fail

Cons:

• Class size (205!)
• No parking on campus for students from what I have been told... maybe I'm making a bigger deal than it is. Living near campus (within walking distance) with my spouse and two large dogs is looking to be impossible.

Overall, both schools will get me my MD, and I know that I am fortunate to have this dilemma. I'm just having an issue in choosing between the lower cost of living in FL and the established/structured environment at Ohio State. My end goal is to practice/specialize. Would love to hear what you all think!

I think Ohio State is clearly the better choice. The cons you have listed for them are not nearly as significant as the cons you have listed for the FL school. Clinical rotation sights are key and are becoming more and more important and medical school admission seats increases, and competition gets stronger. I assume your FL acceptance is FSU, FIU, or UCF. The only one in which I would consider would be UCF as the other two's clinical sites are not as strong. But even so, the costs are nearly the same, the class size shouldn't be a determining factor and having the structure of good clinical rotations and a solid established school program is MAJOR

 

[d0cD]

I think Ohio State is clearly the better choice. The cons you have listed for them are not nearly as significant as the cons you have listed for the FL school. Clinical rotation sights are key and are becoming more and more important and medical school admission seats increases, and competition gets stronger. I assume your FL acceptance is FSU, FIU, or UCF. The only one in which I would consider would be UCF as the other two's clinical sites are not as strong. But even so, the costs are nearly the same, the class size shouldn't be a determining factor and having the structure of good clinical rotations and a solid established school program is MAJOR

Thanks for the response! It's helpful to see what someone thinks of the pros/cons from a neutral point of view.