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I am a fourth year medical student in need of some help. I am about to participate in the residency match where we rank the different hospitals we interviewed at and they subsequently rank us with ultimately a complicated algorithm deciding where I match.
I liked all of the places I interviewed at and they are all similar caliber in terms of prestige/ranking, so location is the main criteria I am going to be using to make my rank list.
Can you guys help me rank these locations in terms of things to do, entertainment, progressive attitudes, and just generally what the most desirable choice would be for a young, liberal, single professional? I am looking for a good urban experience, and have spent the last 8 years in D.C. and really enjoyed my time here.
In no particular order here are the various locations:
Albany, NY
Port Jefferson, NY
Little Rock, AR
Indianapolis, IN
Grand Rapids, MI
Harrisburg, PA
Ah, this process brings up some memories.... Don't worry, the match algorithm works in the student's favor, right
First off, congrats. Surely, there are 2-3 of these programs that stand out more than the others based on their reputation. My advice would be to rank them according to program reputation, your perception of how well you think you will fit into the program, how happy the current residents seem to be (assuming they are honest about that) and then, lastly, location. Location is a temporary thing and a good location is not going to make up for a program where you are miserable (more so than the normal amount of misery, anyway).
Have you been on the SDN forums for your specialty and asked this same question? If not, you should do that for sure. Do as much due diligence as you can about the program. You have time before the ROL deadline.
One thing I will say is don't ever rank a program that you are not willing to go to. You never know how far down your list you are going to match, especially if you are going into a competitive specialty.
Good luck!
Last edited by Texas Ag 93; 01-17-2017 at 07:37 PM..
I think Tx Ag gives pretty good advice, but as you said in the OP, you liked all the programs equally and the are of similar prestige. While location shouldn't be the top factor, it's a good way to help differentiate between two programs you otherwise like about the same.
As for the cities you listed, being in a place where you can enjoy your time off, especially as a 20 something single, is important. All of the cities you listed are going to be a significant step down from DC. The three I know best are Indianapolis, Little Rock, and Grand Rapids. None of them are particularly liberal or in my opinion have that great of an urban experience. Indianapolis is ok, and by virtue of size probably has the best urban experience, but it's still a very suburban city outside of a couple of neighborhoods. It's also more liberal than Grand Rapids or Little Rock, but it is probably the most conservative large city in the Midwest after Cincinnati. Someone in the mid-Atlantic can probably weigh in on the other options.
As for the cities you listed, being in a place where you can enjoy your time off, especially as a 20 something single, is important. All of the cities you listed are going to be a significant step down from DC.
Yes, that's a good point and in my first post, I didn't even touch on OP's location choices, because I know very little about them.
Out of all of them, only Indy and Little Rock are truly cities, IMO. I would think Indy would offer you the most options overall, including finding other 20 something professionals to forge friendships and relationships with. Little Rock is in a beautiful location and is a college town, of course, so it has something to offer from that perspective. Don't know anything about the others on your list.
Last edited by Texas Ag 93; 01-18-2017 at 05:20 AM..
Yes, that's a good point and in my first post, I didn't even touch on OP's location choices, because I know very little about them.
Out of all of them, only Indy and Little Rock are truly cities, IMO. I would think Indy would offer you the most options overall, including finding other 20 something professionals to forge friendships and relationships with. Little Rock is in a beautiful location and is a college town, of course, so it has something to offer from that perspective. Don't know anything about the others on your list.
I think this is your impression due to your proximity to Little Rock. I think it's a bit misguided to make this statement without visiting the other cities. What makes Little Rock a "truly city" in comparison to Albany or Grand Rapids? It's less than half as dense as either of them and with a metro area more than 30% smaller. So what qualifies it as more city than them? Also can you confirm that Little Rock has been seeing as much construction in its core as the other 2 I just mentioned?
Please see the side by side comparison of Grand Rapids and Little Rock from the Census Bureau website. Grand Rapids is growing faster and more than 3x's as dense. Little Rock more of a city?
[quote=Kid Cudi;46863675]
Can you guys help me rank these locations in terms of things to do, entertainment, progressive attitudes, and just generally what the most desirable choice would be for a young, liberal, single professional? I am looking for a good urban experience, and have spent the last 8 years in D.C. and really enjoyed my time here.
In no particular order here are the various locations:
Albany, NY
Port Jefferson, NY
Little Rock, AR
Indianapolis, IN
Grand Rapids, MI
Harrisburg, PA
Having lived in DC myself with similar attributes I would go as follows:
1. Albany - It surprisingly has a lot going on, shares your progressive attitudes and offers a cost of living which allows for enjoying more. It would be the easiest transition in my opinion.
2. Port Jefferson - While a suburb and not a city like the others, you're a 45-50 minute train ride from NYC. Arguably it could be the better choice providing enough to do on work days and a multitude when not. Higher cost of living though which is a major concern probably.
3. Grand Rapids - A thriving mid-major city with a revitalized downtown that's continuing to evolve with a steady flow of younger residents moving in thanks to the economy and low cost of living. It's markedly slower in the Midwest in terms of the everyday feel so if you like the buzz and frenetic feel of DC you won't find it here. The people are much nicer and more genuine though so if you find that appealing definitely a good fit. Perhaps not quite as progressive and closer to middle of the road politically.
4. Indianapolis and Little Rock - I like both and they're similar in that they're progressive islands in a sea of conservatism that sometimes manages to find it's way in. Both however offer plenty to do and at a cost of living well below average big cities. I just don't think either is going to provide the vibe you're after though.
5. Harrisburg - One of my least favorite cities (sorry If I offend anyone) but it's just kind of grim. It's very much a government town (PA state capital) and largely shuts down at night as those downtown mostly seem to flee to the suburbs. Not particularly progressive either as it tips red in elections.
1. Indianapolis-Best option by far. Growing mid-sized city, solid downtown, easy to meet young professionals. No it won't be anywhere near as urban as D.C. but you also won't deal with D.C. traffic, expense or crime. It's also a metro area of almost 2 million so it will probably be the easiest adjustment from D.C.
2.Grand Rapids-Its downtown seems pretty impressive for what you'd expect from a city with a low profile. It's MSA is about half the size of Indianapolis.
2. Albany (tied with Grand Rapids) seems to have a significant amount of historic and walkable neighborhoods for being a relatively small city. I could see it working for you if you found the right neighborhood and were fine living in a smaller city
3. Little Rock- Not knowledgeable enough to comment. Seems like a aesthetically attractive city. I understand it's probably considered a liberal area for the south but at the end of the day it is still in Arkansas. That's not a bad thing but you'd probably have to adjust to some culture shock.
4.Port Jefferson- Nice seaside town. But it is a town, not a city. 67 miles away from NYC on Eastern Long Island. Probably a good option if you're into boating and don't mind only very occasional trips to the city but in terms of daily living and dating I don't think I'd want to be a young professional there.
5. Harrisburg- big city problems and not much going on in the metro area.
Last edited by Buckeye614; 01-18-2017 at 07:28 AM..
Grand Rapids, MI A small city which has developed a good reputation. It probably has the most cohesive and active downtown for recreation out of all the cities you mentioned. There are several smaller walkable areas in the vicinity of East Hills as well. The city is a bit geographically isolated, but it gets upgraded in my book because it's generally considered to be on the rise, meaning your experience there should only improve with time.
Albany, NY Albany was somewhat wrecked by urban renewal in the mid 20th century, but a lot of it still remains. There's a little neighborhood called Center Square which is between the capital and Washington Park which is like a piece of brownstone Brooklyn relocated to the Hudson Valley. It's developed into the place that state workers live who want to walk to work, and thus is a notable middle class enclave with plenty of walkable amenities. Much of the rest of Albany is kind of run down, but there's plenty of smaller cities in the region to explore (Troy, Schenectady, Rensselaer, etc) along with Amtrak service into NYC, which adds to the appeal.
Indianapolis, IN Clearly the biggest metro, but not clearly the best in terms of urbanism. Indianapolis was pretty heavily urban renewed, and thus lost most of its urban bones, making it feel more "sun belt" than most of the Midwest. Downtown has a lot of modern infill and is very clean. Living there or one of the immediately adjacent neighborhoods within the Downtown highway loop (e.g. Renaissance Place, Lockerbie Square) is your best bet. Outside of this zone, Fountain Square and Broad Ripple aren't terrible.
Harrisburg, PA Similar to Albany, but smaller. Since it's a state capitol, there is a young professional presence in the city. This is focused on Downtown and the residential neighborhood immediately north of it - Midtown. Midtown is pretty similar in built environment to Capitol Hill in DC, dominated by 19th century rowhouses. There's a fair amount of walkable amenities in the neighborhood - everything from a vegetarian cafe to an art museum to a brewery to an independent movie theatre. It gets downgraded because there's not much to do besides that. The rest of Harrisburg is pretty low income and semi-blighted, and the suburbs are pretty boring and unwalkable (with the exception of the downtowns of Mechanicsburg and Carlisle, which are actually pretty nice).
Little Rock, AR It's a fairly large metro, but like a lot of southern cities it doesn't offer much in terms of walkable neighborhoods. Downtown isn't very cohesive either, with lots surface parking lots breaking up the urban corm.
Port Jefferson, NY Basically just part of suburban Long Island with a couple small walkable business districts (one near the water, and one near the train station). You can take the LIRR into NYC, but that's the only real appeal.
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