Does anyone have a somewhat of a rank list for schools in NY and Illinois?
Which is the better program in their respective states?

I'm really an idiot but I know that different people have different priorities so there is no one absolute rank list of which program is better.

Even some of the well respected programs have faults and may be less suitable for certain needs. That said, I heard that Cook County could use some improvement. Among New York programs, Syracuse is decent but isn't perfect.

If you haven't already, I would recommend searching this forum with the appropriate keywords (eg, "New York", "NYC", etc).

Here's one I pulled on both NY and Chi programs-

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=223683&highlight=new+york

I've heard that NYEE has the strongest clinical training. However, be prepared to really work...residents work a very busy 7-7 (or later) + Sat clinic for junior residents.

I've heard that Columbia has a smaller program that's more academically inclined (with some very famous research faculty there).

Other programs in the NY area don't seem quite as sought after; although given their location I'm sure they're still competitive.

Good luck!