Fact finding mission. LA vs ATL

[Nicholasp27]

i am biased because i was born and raised in Atlanta, and I didn't like my one year in Chicago and I don't think i'd like LA too much

if u like ATL, then stay here; u may end up moving over there to a more expensive city, having to pay moving costs, getting a new job, etc and then end up hating it

Emory is a VERY good school; i doubt her future opportunities will vary much if she chooses UCLA over Emory...and if u plan on, or there is a decent probability that u will, living in Atlanta after she graduates, then her connections from going to Emory will likely mean more opportunities here by going to Emory than UCLA


it's a HUGE risk to move to LA for UCLA, so i would say stay here and go to Emory; but if u like change and wanna try out LA, here is your chance, so go for it

[27offsooot]

Being a med student from the SE, Emory has a better reputation in my mind than UCLA. I just looked at an old copy of US News from 05' and they're pretty comparable, so quality of education for her will be v. good at either. Some things to consider though:
1. Will she be able to get in-state tuition after a year. At my school, it can be difficult to convince financial aid to allow u to do this. I would figure out what UCLA's process is for this as it will save at least 10k/ year. This should easily offset cost of living differences.

2. Will she have to move around for her third year clerkships. At my (public) school, I will be moving every month next year. While it'll be really nice to spend time at the beach and in different cities, it is a pain to move constantly and if i was in a long term relationship, it would be a much bigger problem. But if u're married by that time, she would have preference to stay in LA. This may not apply for Cali schools though.

3. I am very happy with my education, but there are some things that other private schools had that I wish we did. Videotaped classes, for one, would be awesome.

4. Atlanta is a really fun city. I have been there many times, but only to LA once. But others here have more experience with this.

5. Just because a school is harder to get in to, doesn't mean she will get a better education there. This especially may apply for her as an out-of-state student. She should try to contact students at both schools before making a decision.

Any questions, PM me.

[CharlieDontSurf]

The problem with LA is that everything in LA is going to get worse and worse

Working in the industry doesn't really having anything to do with why LA sucks...traffic is a nightmare, smog, dirty beaches, housing is waaay overpriced, everything is expensive(gas/food/etc), the people are pretty lame overall, etc. Now there are a lot of cool things about LA too but long term I'd say the negatives out weigh the cool things esp as you get older.

I also know several doctor friends who love it...but that is only because they live and work in one area(Pacific Palisades/Beverly Hills) etc...and never leave that area.

San Diego would be a much better choice if your moving to S. Cali...but it obv wouldn't work in your case.

I doubt going to UCLA would make that huge a difference in her career than going to Emory.

[Aloysius]

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The problem with LA is that everything in LA is going to get worse and worse

Working in the industry doesn't really having anything to do with why LA sucks...traffic is a nightmare, smog, dirty beaches, housing is waaay overpriced, everything is expensive(gas/food/etc), the people are pretty lame overall, etc. Now there are a lot of cool things about LA too but long term I'd say the negatives out weigh the cool things esp as you get older.

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CDS - well I guess we'll have to disagree on these points. I mean the "people are pretty lame overall" comment is kind of absurd considering it's a huge city with millions of people. And if anything, I've found LA people to be more mellow / easygoing than people in SF or of course NYC.

Pretty sure also that LA smog has gotten better (or at least flattened) and is not getting worse due to emissions restrictions etc. And traffic, while it can be bad, is not that bad locally.

I think a couple things (and I'm not sure how it compares to ATL, but I do know vs. SF and NYC) that LA has going for it is that 1) bang for the buck real estate wise (compare what you'd get for $1M in LA vs. NYC or SF); 2) convenience; 3) weather.

Outside of dismal public schools (so added price of private schools for your kids), I think alot of things about LA favor it as being a good place to be as you get older.

Also, and to the OP I agree with Lapoker:

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i think that moving away from where you grew up/where your family lives is always a good idea - even if it's just for a few years.

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And of the different places to try living in the US, LA is definitely up there by any objective metric. For mmbtone and his girlfriend, seems like there are alot of other considerations and it might not make sense to move to LA right now... but if you're going to move somewhere and try something new, you could do a whole lot worse than SoCal.

-Al

[3 VCOs]

i left Chicago for the LA area (Long Beach), and have spent time in ATL and i must say, S. California kills everywhere i have ever been. i've heard people say that people out here are lame but i have not found that to be the case at all so far. Food and gas only marginally more expensive than the national average, but housing is indeed brutal. the smog is brutal as well, but not too much more so than it is anywhere else with a high concentration of people... "the big one" is serious though, not looking forward to that at all, make sure to have a lot of bottled water/canned food/flashlights... i love it here though, will never leave

[Los Feliz Slim]

mmbt0ne,

As has been said, "LA" is just huge. It's not really one city, it's more like 100 smaller cities that overlap with one another. There are a lot of negatives: traffic (although ATL has some pretty bad traffic as well) and cost of living (although as Al said it compares well with SF and NYC) being the worst.

I've lived here for over 10 years and didn't start feeling at all comfortable until I moved to Los Feliz five years ago. It's all about finding your place IMO. The weather is also pretty awesome, smog doesn't bother me too much. It's easy to get used to lots of sunshine. LA has a shitton of great restaurants of all types, and it's 1-2 hours from just about anything you could want to do: hiking, camping, skiiing, San Diego, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, etc etc etc. You have to work a little to find all these things on your own, but there's a lot to do.

UCLA is on the Westside, which is not my cup of tea. I find the people to be pretty snooty and most "LA" of all the areas I've spent time in. If I were going to school at UCLA I'd probably look for a place in Venice rather than in Santa Monica or Westwood, just because I like the Venice vibe much more - it's more eclectic and artsy and less obsessed with income and plastic surgery. Again, one man's opinion.

I think this sounds like a great opportunity to spread your wings a little without making a permanent commitment. You should definitely visit before you make the decision, but it'll be hard to get a real sense of the place over a long weekend (I think it took me two years).

I'm not extremely knowledgeable about med schools, but everything I've heard about the UCLA hospital system is very positive. It's a popular place to have babies, and one of my partners' son had major heart surgery there. From a learning and networking perspective, I have to imagine it's a great place to start.

[CharlieDontSurf]

Yeah the people thing is true..but I've mainly lived on the westside cuz of work so I've had to deal with a majority of the "LA' people I guess. Traffic is pretty heiness..not sure where u live
but going from brentwood to westwood which is just like 2-4 miles can sometimes take 30-45 minutes...and the freeways can be godawful.

I grew up in AZ so the weather doesn't really stick out for me..but i can see how that would be huge for someone used to crappy weather. all together I've lived in Ft Lauderdale/the Caymans/NYC/LA/Scottsdale/Tucson/San Diego/and Alaska...and LA is def near the bottom in my view and I'll be bolting the second I get some financial stability. but thats just me.

LA has always struck me as a great city to have a condo in that you can cruise out to for like a short amount of time..then go back to your house where ever it is..Boulder/Scottsdale/SD/NYC/Montana etc

[DeezNuts]

I don't see how anyone can hate LA, as LFS said, "it's more like 100 smaller cities that overlap with one another". It's all about finding your niche.

I abhor the Westside and try never to cross the 405 if at all possible(unless more south to Manhattan Beach). There are a lot of "LA people", but they are very easily avoidable.

Traffic is probably my #1 problem with the city. I used to live in the 909 area code, so the smog is actually not as bad in metro LA.

I have a couple of friends that really wanted to go to UCLA Med School but were rejected, UCLA has great name recognition on the West Coast. The rejection crushed them(especially since one of them had to go all the way to Pitt instead).

[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.

[turnipmonster]

especially if you are from ATL and have lived there all your life, you should definitely try living someplace totally different, and LA is def totally different.

I lived in the same city (raleigh, nc) until I was 23, and moving to nyc was a great and eye opening experience. I still think raleigh is a great place and would def live there again but making the move to nyc was a great decision for me and I don't regret it at all.