[onthebutton]

t0ne,

I didn't read the responses, but I can comment from what I know of having a med school girlfriend, and several friends who graduated from Emory Medical School. Med school in general is all about getting the residency you want. I realize that UCLA is top notch (13 in US News),but Emory isn't that far behind (23 in US News). Long story short, if she does well at either place, they're both so good that the chances of her landing the residency she wants are very good. Granted, the chances may be slightly better if she goes to UCLA and is interested in a highly competitive residency spot; but I don't see the difference as being that great. From what I know, great students from Emory can pretty much go wherever they want, just like great students from UCLA. I have several friends who just finished med school at Emory that have landed VERY desired spots. Likewise, I have more friends who just finished medical school here at Vanderbilt (which is very comparable to Emory in terms of rank and prestige), and the good ones also got their first choice for residency programs.

To me, this is a clearcut "where do I want to live?" choice. If you love ATL, have already made arrangements to buy a house, have friends and family, etc., I wouldn't let the fact that UCLA is 10 spots higher (this year) in the US News Rankings affect your decision that much.