NYMC c/o 2011

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Robizzle

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I figure a lot of other peeps have started the 2011 threads for their schools so I thought I'd do NYMC! I know this thread probably won't be getting much action because not that many acceptances have been given out yet, and since it's still early in the cycle for people to decide. BUT I'm proud to say that I'd be very happy to attend NYMC and would like to break this "back-up" stereotype nonsense. While I am still waiting for decisions from other schools, and although I know it's still very early in the cycle to decide, my current choice is NYMC. I've withdrew from practically all schools OOS, and am even considering NYMC over some other NYC schools. Why?

BEAUTIFUL facilities: Best anatomy lab I've visited, New Children's Hospital
Dorms just a few minutes from class,
Gorgeous campus (minus the jail nearby),
Right outside the city,
FREE PARKING!
Clinical years can be done in NYC,
Westchester Medical Center (Level 1 Trauma),
Excellent board scores (Avg. 225)
Great match results: http://nymc.edu/admit/Medical/info/Match2006.asp

I really couldn't ask for more, except maybe a little help on the tuition.

Holla at the NYMC c/o 2011!

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I'm not for sure class of 2011. I have been accepted but am deciding between NYMC and MCW. How are the peds rotations at NYMC? Are the lectures recorded or is it just the scribing service? How often are the mini board exams?
 
I figured I'd join the group to bump the thread.
 
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I wanna love NYMC. Current students and convinced hopefuls, please tell me why you love it.
 
Just responding to someones question: I'm a current MS2, the peds rotation at NYMC is excellent. We are one of 12 schools (12 when I interviewed, maybe more now?) to have a DEDICATED childrens hospital. It's only 6 years old. You should come look at it sometime. Every room has a plasma screen and video game system, to make the kids feel ath ome. It's an excellent place for kids. About the lectures, every lecture is recorded on mp3 then transcribed verbatim, if you want an example, I can send you one. Right now there is an issue with video recordings, due to research issues, but that shoudl be fixed by next year. If you have any other questions (anyone) feel free to PM me, I doubt i'll be visiting this thread much. Just ot give you a quick bit of info, we found out about our early match for optho today (a pretty competitive field), and of the 3 who applied, 2 matched into miamis program (the best one in the country), and the 3rd matched into New york eye and ear which is top 10. These are according to the rankings on USNEWS. Best of luck with your decision guys, I dont regret my decision coming here and I had 8 acceptances to MD schools.

EDIT for MINIBOARDS: They are taken after every class except physiology for some reason. They are all old USMLE questions, to give you an idea of how the exam iwill be. I like them, but not everyone does, but either way its good experience for step 1.
 
agreed robizzle. screw the back up stereotype. nymc is a great school. every medical school is a great school.
 
agreed robizzle. screw the back up stereotype. nymc is a great school. every medical school is a great school.

Nice nice.. Bronx and Brookline?? Crazy, I went to HS in the Bx (From Queens) and go to school in Boston (BU).

Good to finally see this thread movin.
 
Can anyone tell me about pediatrics at NYMC? Is it considered a good program?
 
Anyone know when 2nd look weekend is?
 
I want to know when the second look weekend is too!
 
There hasnt been one in past years, but I'm working with dean juster in hopes of getting one for this year. If you want to come back to the school and visit, you can jsut call in and im sure they will set up something for you.
 
Congratulations to all who got accepted already, and good luck to all those waiting on acceptances. I'm a first year student, Class of 2010 naturally, at NYMC, and I love it.

I'm doing the dual MD/MPH degree and I'm also in the HPSP, so if anyone has questions on these please let me know.

NYMC is a very good school to get work done and learn. I always attribute that to the fact that there's no undergraduate institution here. It's quiet and there's plenty of quiet places to study. The location is key. It's close to the city but far enough away from it for those who hate city life.

The education is great and you learn a lot. Their basic science curriculum is good preparation for Step 1. Our current average Step 1 scores are 221 with an average pass rate of 98 - 99%.

Feel free to send me questions if you have them.

Thanks.
 
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How do you like their MPH program and course offerings?
 
How do you like their MPH program and course offerings?


Don't tell anyone I told you this, but it's a piece of cake course-wise and highly doable. ;) You have 4 years to finish it in, and it's extremely affordable as a dual-degree. You pay $7000 for a masters degree. They charge you $3500 for the first two years.

The course offerings are interesting, but honestly, their testing is lacking. It's very easy to ace their courses without much effort.

Of course they do have courses in which you have to write research papers or smaller papers, but that's the name of the game.

Oh yeah and you have to write a thesis, but you have plenty of time to do that in your 3rd and 4th years.
 
just to clear one thing up that MALDINI said, average board score is 225, not 221, the original number given was a 223, but the average went up when the last of the current 3rd year scores came in. It's also in the December Senate minutes if you want to check.
 
Doesn't matter to me, but thanks for clearing that up.

I guess that's what I get for listening to Rich.
 
I'm not for sure class of 2011. I have been accepted but am deciding between NYMC and MCW. How are the peds rotations at NYMC? Are the lectures recorded or is it just the scribing service? How often are the mini board exams?
Peds at WMC is simply excellent. They have virtually every subspecialty at that one hospital (except for derm) and the teaching and facilities in the Children's Hospital are great. The residents are also really nice and take the time to teach you.

Traditionally NYMC has had only a scribe service, but I've heard tell that some classes are instituting videotaped lectures (available online). A miniboard exam is given once at the end of each class, and two comprehensive miniboards (one during second year as prep for step 1, and one third year as prep for step 2) are also given.
 
Hey current students, as far as competitive specialties go, I know it's not easy to match no matter what school you attend.. but I saw that last year 8 from NYMC matched into Ortho programs (some really good ones too). So, a couple of questions:

1) I know in the 4th year there's a slot for surgical subspecialty rotations.. Is this the first time you'd be able to experience a specialty like orthopedic surgery first hand? Isn't it kind of silly that you need to apply for residency before this? (correct me if i'm wrong)

2) And I'm pretty sure this is how it is at every school, but isn't it kinda unfair that in their 3rd year, all the students get to rotate thru peds, medicine, ob/gyn, general surgery, etc... while other specialties like optho, ortho, derm, pm&r are kinda hidden until 4th year?

3) And do any of you know about how good the affiliated ortho program @ St. Vincent's is? I find it a little unsettling that no one from NYMC ended up at this hospital for ortho, while some matched into Duke, JHU, GW, etc. I always thought that affiliated hospitals liked to take their own.

Thanks for your input
 
Robbizzle, I just actualy listened to dean ayala discuss the whole 3rd and 4th year rotation situation yesterday (I'm a 2nd year), so I'll do my best to answer your questions, but any wiser 3rd or 4th years feel free to chime in

1) I know in the 4th year there's a slot for surgical subspecialty rotations.. Is this the first time you'd be able to experience a specialty like orthopedic surgery first hand? Isn't it kind of silly that you need to apply for residency before this? (correct me if i'm wrong)

-----You are correct in the point that surgical subspecialties is a 4th year rotatoin, its actually 4 different one week specialties, ENT/URO/NEUROSURG and ORTHO. If you are considering one of these fields, you can defer a mandatory rotation, into the 4th year, and do this earlier to get experience. It is common practice for the kids who are planning on doing one of those subspecialties, or anyone applying for early match. From what I hear, Dean ayala is pretty considerate about putting off rotations to allow kids to experience what is necessary (Within certain limits which you will here when you get here, ie, certain rotatoins require prior ones, IE to rotate thru surgical subs, you must have already completed gen surg).

2) And I'm pretty sure this is how it is at every school, but isn't it kinda unfair that in their 3rd year, all the students get to rotate thru peds, medicine, ob/gyn, general surgery, etc... while other specialties like optho, ortho, derm, pm&r are kinda hidden until 4th year?

--Same as above.

3) And do any of you know about how good the affiliated ortho program @ St. Vincent's is? I find it a little unsettling that no one from NYMC ended up at this hospital for ortho, while some matched into Duke, JHU, GW, etc. I always thought that affiliated hospitals liked to take their own.

--I'm not sure how good the affiliated ortho program at St Vincents is, but there could be a few reason that no one matched their. The first one that comes to mind is that people matched into better programs, due to the fact they ranked st. vincents below their other choices. Also, you have to remember that a lot of people like to go back to their home state for residency, which explains why there are a lot of matches to cali (in general, not for ortho specifically). But from the peoplei involved with residency that I've talked to from NYMC, mostly the internal med and peds b/c thats what im interested in, they say they love taking their own. So keep that in mind.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.
 
^ thanks dude. that was exactly what I was looking for.
 
-----You are correct in the point that surgical subspecialties is a 4th year rotatoin, its actually 4 different one week specialties, ENT/URO/NEUROSURG and ORTHO.
Quick correction:

You do neurosurg for a week during NEUROLOGY. During the Surgical subs, the fourth week is ophtho. The two rotations one can defer to fourth year in order to do surgical subspecialties as a third year are neurology and family medicine.
 
what does the daily schedule look like at NYMC? classes 9-5? 8-12???? including labs! Thanks!!!
 
Changes based on year and semester.

1st semester (anatomy and histo) of first year is pretty lecture intense, id say you are in some sort of lecture/lab/small group about 9-4

2nd semester (biochem/physio) of first year, much less lecture and lab, id say 9-1

3rd semester (neuro/behavior) of first year is the same as second semester.

That being said, all lectures are scribed, I barely attended anything that wasnt mandatory.

2nd year is basically no class, but lots of self study to keep you busy.
 
what do you like best about NYMC that you think makes it better than other schools? Right now i am leaning towards NYMC due mainly to location. Everything about the schools seems pretty solid, but i'd like to see something that really stands out. I did enjoy the match list very much! Not only the specialties, but also the great hospitals matched into.
 
The thing I liked most was the atmosphere I got when I visited it (kids seemed happy and friendly). My family lives about 40 minutes north of westchester, so I knew a bunch of kids who went here and were happy. In addition I liked the boards/match list/opportunity to do rotations in NYC. Honestly to me the way I felt with schools (I had 8 acceptances to choose from so I'm not just saying this), is that every school, since its accredited can offer you the same education. I based my decisions on the intangibles.
 
guys, has anyone done fin aid yet? I'm doin the FAFSA now, but i'm pretty sure NYMC has a separate application as well, but i can't find the 2007-2008 one. is it just too early right now?
 
guys, has anyone done fin aid yet? I'm doin the FAFSA now, but i'm pretty sure NYMC has a separate application as well, but i can't find the 2007-2008 one. is it just too early right now?
Try this:
www.nymc.edu --> students --> student financial planning --> student financial aid

Then follow the appropriate options.


edit: My bad, it seems that the most recent class they have forms for is the entering class of '06. You may just need to wait.
 
Thanks Zweihander, found it! But it still requires a username/pw "(as noted on the letter you received from the Office of Student Financial Planning)"

So I'm guessing I'm still too early to be filling that out because I have not received anything from that office as of yet, atleast I don't think so.

Any recently admitted applicants get a letter from them yet? I'm pretty sure it wasn't included in my acceptance packet...
 
Thanks Zweihander, found it! But it still requires a username/pw "(as noted on the letter you received from the Office of Student Financial Planning)"

So I'm guessing I'm still too early to be filling that out because I have not received anything from that office as of yet, atleast I don't think so.

Any recently admitted applicants get a letter from them yet? I'm pretty sure it wasn't included in my acceptance packet...

yea, just need to wait a little longer. i hope i will do fafsa this weekend!
 
what do you like best about NYMC that you think makes it better than other schools? Right now i am leaning towards NYMC due mainly to location. Everything about the schools seems pretty solid, but i'd like to see something that really stands out. I did enjoy the match list very much! Not only the specialties, but also the great hospitals matched into.
A lot of it for me was location, both due to proximity to a major city/family and the physical location in Valhalla. The area that NYMC itself is in is sort of lame, but there are great places nearby (Tarrytown, White Plains, Rockland County/Palisades, and New York City). I actually liked the fact that the Valhalla campus is secluded because it makes a nice, quite place to study during the basic science years. Also, the campus itself is pretty and well-kept, and the facilities are very nice so I feel the school has a great physical atmosphere.

Beyond that, education etc. is solid but I can't fairly compare that to what you'd get at other schools.
 
I don't post very often, but have lurked for a long time and read a lot of things - both good and bad - written about NYMC on these forums, so I figured I'd try to address some of these concerns for current applicants...Caution - very long post ahead:

Location: Yes, there really is a prison near our campus. Actualy two - one for men, and one for women. If this bothers you, you should be aware that there also is a juvenile delinquent center, a homeless shelter, a home for run-away teens, a home for homeless AIDS patients, a chronic care facility, three hospitals (University, Children's, and Behavioral Health), a crime lab, and a small hidden cemetery where "Typhoid Mary" is supposedly buried. And geese. Lots of geese. NYMC's main campus is on a state-own property that contains all of these facilities. For some reason this turns some people off. Why anyone would think living near criminals in prison and homeless people in a shelter is somehow more dangerous than living near criminals or homeless people on the street is beyond me, but to each their own. These facilities can actually be a great resource for students who want to volunteer, and campus has a 24hr security service....The campus itself is in the suburbs, and is actually very pretty - lots of grass and open spaces. There are multiple grills scattered about for barbeques, a playground for kids, a full size basketball court, huge fields for football, soccer, and ultimate frisbee, and nearby softball fields. The housing is dorm-like and can be good or bad - I think our classes are very cohesive and closer than many in other schools, but living on campus definitely makes your world a lot smaller. If you have a car - bring it! Parking is basically free, and anything you need is within 10-15 minutes away. Valhalla is not a college town - you can walk to the bars/stores - but it isn't in the middle of some wasteland like some would have you think, everything you need is very close. If you'd rather drive to school and walk to bars/shops, white plains, tarrytown and sleepyhollow are all nice places within 15min of campus. If you don't have a car, it never seems to be a problem catching rides...Valhalla is 30-45min away from manhattan by train or car, and some people even live in the city and commute up. Half of the class will move to the city for 3/4th year, and most people rotate down here at least once and sublet a place. Manhattan is an amazing place to train and live, and I'm sure I don't have to go into why...

Reputation: This seems to be more important on SDN than in the real world, but it's an understandable concern. New York Med is not a research powerhouse to say the least, and the money that follows research is what builds national reputation (in the form of US news types of reports, at least). This is not Harvard, but then again - it doesn't try to be either. Most of your non-med school friends will think you go to NYU when you say New York Med, however NYMC grads seem to have a very good reputation in the medical community from my experience. The avg MCAT and grades for the accepted classes are always about the avg for those who matriculate across the nation (30/3.5ish), but board scores 2 years later are above the avg for those in allopathic schools (225 step 1 this year), so you could use that as a very non-scientific way to say the students are taught well. Our match list has been excellent - but make sure you interpret match lists the right way. NYMC has a ton of students form cali (more than 50%), so our match list is more west-coast heavy than big east coast name heavy. You will find that location means a lot more to people than rep when it comes to residency...

The catholic tradition thing: Very rarely impacts the students (no more than schools like albert einstein are affected by their religious affiliation, so far as I know) The GLBT issue from a couple years ago, if anything, demonstrated to me how the students voice was more important than the affiliation (By the way, oddly enough NYMC may be one of the best places in the country to train regarding GLBT patients - St Vincent's Hospital is in the west village and probably treats, and is staffed by, more GLBT individuals than anywhere I can think of)

The students: I was pleasantly surprised when i began school here at how interesting everyone was - this school is full of californian"s, ex-medics/EMS/firefighters, people with significant international experience, etc. The classes are pretty cohesive and social. I haven't experienced a ton of competitiveness - but I think no matter where you go that is more a product of the people you surround yourself with...

Con's: I realize this sounds pretty biased so far, and I don't want anyone to think I'm blind to the fault's of NYMC. The biggest one is cost. It's very, very expensive, and the cost of living couldn't be higher than NYC/Westchester. It's a fact of life for many of us in med school...Although campus is wireless, our IT dept leaves a lot to be desired. If you really want to work with famous researchers, this is probably not the place for you.

Overall, I'm very happy I decided to come here - no regrets. Like everything, med school is what you make of it - the most important thing is finding somewhere you'll be comfortable, and then following your instinct. Hope this helps, remember it's all just 1 person's opinion (like everything else on this board)
 
Thanks, Universe Explorer. That was very helpful. But what exactly was the GLBT issue you've mentioned? Were people lynched, or was it just tough to get enough people to participate in the Pride Parade?
 
Chulito,
A couple of years ago the administration refused to fund the GLBT group on campus (which had been around for awhile, I think). Students rallied around the group, and within a year there was a new one approved on campus. During the outcry there was some talk on SDN that NYMC was very religious and conservative, and also that the students weren't getting trained to treat GLBT patients well. I find the faculty and students here (like most med schools) to lean very much to the left (in fact, many attendings protested along with the students until the new club was approved), and that I have had significantly more experience treating the GLBT population than my other friends in med school.

Good luck with your choice, let me know if you have more questions...
 
thx universe. NYMC sounds really great, but I just can't commit myself yet.
 
So...I think it sucks that NYMC doesn't have a 2nd look day. I'm actually not as concerned about seeing the school again (I live 20 minutes north), but I'd like to get to meet my (potential) fellow classmates before the year starts. Has anyone called and specifically asked about a 2nd look, and heard officially that they don't have one, or is it more of a grape vine sorta thing?
 
So...I think it sucks that NYMC doesn't have a 2nd look day. I'm actually not as concerned about seeing the school again (I live 20 minutes north), but I'd like to get to meet my (potential) fellow classmates before the year starts. Has anyone called and specifically asked about a 2nd look, and heard officially that they don't have one, or is it more of a grape vine sorta thing?

Well from what Boyz of 4d says (i think he's a 2nd year), there hasn't been one in the past but they're working on getting one. I'd love to see it again also. And I only live 30 minutes south :)
 
they dont officially have one, I had talked to dean juster in the summer about doing one this year, and it fizzled out because I got busy with classes, but after I saw it a few weeks ago on the boards I brought it up again. Honestly, I'd just call back and say you were interested in one, im sure if they get enough they will definately hold one. I'm going to meet with her after our exams (post feb 16) and see if we can get anything set up though, but nothing is guaranteed.
 
I've had a couple other questions PM'd to me, and I figured I'd just post the answers so anyone can get the info...

First/Second year: New York Med works you pretty hard during the first couple of years, so be prepared. First year has a lot of class and labs. All classes are scribed word for word, attendance is rarely mandatory. Some people are class goers, some aren't. You find your own way. The anatomy lab is amazing, but don't get too hung up on this stuff - you're only in it for a couple months. There are a lot of exams, and usually you'll get a couple of study days before each...Second year is harder, but better. There is a lot less class, and a lot more "self-study" time. You will read Robbins cover to cover, almost certainly more than once. Exams are much less frequent, but much longer. Besides classes, MS1's and MS2's have some clinical experience with preceptors (first years do histories, second years do histories and physicals). They also participate in an autopsy, a clinical exam using patient-actors, use the HARVEY simulators, and take a mock board exam. The first 2 years are a good mix of traditional (1st yr) and more progressive (2nd yr) - it's a nice way to ease into the kind of independent study you'll be doing 3rd year and beyond.

Clinical years: About a third of the class (probably more) stays in westchester, another third (again, probably more) moves to the city, and the rest "float" via sublets and other arrangements. This is all based on lottery and preference, but in the end, most people get what they want. Here's a quick view of the teaching hospitals (I have worked at most of them):

Westchester Medical Center - big, tertiary, university hospital, with all that comes with it. Only level 1 trauma center between NYC and Albany (stradled by lots of highways, with lots of MVA's), transplant center, Burn center, 2 year-old children's hospital that is amazing (also new is an addition to the ED and a trauma ICU). The rotations here are intense, and you learn a lot.

Saint Vincent's Manhattan - a venerable NYC institution (major receiving hospital for Titantic survivors, the AIDS epidemic, and the World Trade Center - you get it). Technically a community hospital, but it's location (west village) is cause for some outlandish pathology. Level 1 trauma (but not much blunt), everything from famous people who live in the village (Lindsay Lohan)to the drunks out front (Bob). Pretty intense rotations, will without a doubt leave you with stories to tell you friends.

Metropolitan Hospital - true county. NYMC doesn't have a VA hospital, we have Met. On the edge of spanish harlem, many uninsured, many homeless, many addicts. The place looks like it's falling apart, it's a dump - but it's Our dump. Varied experience with rotations - you get to do more procedures, but you get less teaching. Some people absolutely love it.

Danbury Hospital - in Conn., about an hour from westchester, near an awesome lake. Beautiful community hospital, more quiet and less crazy than the others, lots of teaching but less of a chance for procedures. Free housing and food for all NYMC students doing clerkships.

Our Lady of Mercy Hospital - in the bronx, actually closer to westchester than manhattan. Very community, but much more laid back than Met. Free food

There are others as well, but these are the major ones. You can stay in one place all year, or go to a different place for every rotation. For example, most people will pick a home base in Valhalla or the city, then jump to a different place for a month or two over the course of the year (ie, live in the city all year but do peds in westchester). They all have pro's and con's. Fourth year is the same as any other school - you can do many electives almost anywhere. Lots of people go back to California for much of the year, others go abroad. Anyway, hope this helps....
 
You're a superstar, UE. Thanks for all the information.
 
One thing to note about NYMC -- the 2nd year path course is almost all self-study. Whether or not you view this as a good thing or a bad thing will come down to personal preference, but at the very least anybody thinking of coming here should be aware that this is the case.

I know some people that absolutely HATE the way pathology is taught here. The lectures are really just introductory overviews of the material, with occasional clinical correlations or specific talks highlighting an important subject. If you want a pathology course that is taught to you much more directly, concept by concept in the lecture hall, rather than through a suggested curriculum, assigned readings (most people end up reading the entire Robbins textbook, among other things), exams, and small groups, then you may find 2nd year here quite frustrating.

Personally, I don't like going to lectures anyway and would probably skip them even if there WERE more. I LOVE self-studying, and I think the curriculum and the method of testing in the pathology course is simply excellent. The course synthesizes everything you learn about normal anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and path and makes you put everything together. I am quite confident that anyone that has truly understood path as it is taught at NYMC will be in a very good position to excel on Step I. I've also had friends in medicine who visited me and they were very impressed by the path curriculum here, just to give you an anecdote about an outsider's sense of our system. Personally, I consider it the biggest strength of the 2nd year curriculum.
 
since it sounds like studying all the time...

is there time for outside interests, say if i wanted to play ultimate frisbee....and is there an ultimate club? when i interviewed, kids said there used to be one, but not anymore. does NYMC have intramurals? esp. for soccer? is there time to do these types of things?
 
since it sounds like studying all the time...

is there time for outside interests, say if i wanted to play ultimate frisbee....and is there an ultimate club? when i interviewed, kids said there used to be one, but not anymore. does NYMC have intramurals? esp. for soccer? is there time to do these types of things?


There is time for other interests, you just have to pick your spots. As a first year who had exams earlier in the week, I skipped out of class yesterday and went to Vermont for the day. I don't feel the slightest bit guilty about it. There are football, basketball, soccer, and softball intramurals at the school. If you want a life, then you can definitely have one.
 
So I just called the Admission office (seriously, they need to change their phone message) and the secretary said they're not having a re-visit day. I asked if they were thinking about it, and she said no.
 
So I just called the Admission office (seriously, they need to change their phone message) and the secretary said they're not having a re-visit day. I asked if they were thinking about it, and she said no.

Bobcat may I ask what schools you deciding over, or have you already made your choice?
 
Bobcat may I ask what schools you deciding over, or have you already made your choice?

You may...and I think I'll answer.
I'm 95% sure I'm going to say no to USUHS and LSU MD-PhD (pm me if you're interested in specifics). Right now it is between NYMC and Downstate (I'm in some weird "hold for spring consideration" category). Interestingly enough, my NYMC tour was led by a guy who said "I decided between NYMC and Downstate, and I'm very glad I came here" while my Downstate tour was led by a girl who said "I decided between NYMC and Downstate, and I'm very glad I came here".
It seems to me that both schools have upsides and downsides, and assuming I get into Downstate I think I'm gonna be a dork about it and make a spreadsheet with the Pros and Cons for both schools.
 
NYMC's current step 1 average is 225, and almost a 100% pass rate.
 
You may...and I think I'll answer.
I'm 95% sure I'm going to say no to USUHS and LSU MD-PhD (pm me if you're interested in specifics). Right now it is between NYMC and Downstate (I'm in some weird "hold for spring consideration" category). Interestingly enough, my NYMC tour was led by a guy who said "I decided between NYMC and Downstate, and I'm very glad I came here" while my Downstate tour was led by a girl who said "I decided between NYMC and Downstate, and I'm very glad I came here".
It seems to me that both schools have upsides and downsides, and assuming I get into Downstate I think I'm gonna be a dork about it and make a spreadsheet with the Pros and Cons for both schools.

Haha yea, I hear the classic "NYMC vs. Downstate" all the time. Many would go with Downstate for the tuition and the clinical experience, but I'm sure a good amount would go with NYMC for the location & facilities. Both are great schools, it all comes down to personal preference (and how much $ is in your wallet) at the end. Since yo'ure MD/PhD, I *think* you actually get paid to go thru med school though? Correct me if I'm wrong. I got the same letter from Downstate, btw.
 
Actually LSU was the only MD PhD I applied for (long story), so I'm gonna be paying along with the rest of the world for school. Money wise, I don't care that much. Its not that I'm not gonna get screwed over\, but I figure that I'm gonna make it back anyway, and I want to go to a place that I like/will be good for me even if it is more expensive.
As far as facilities go, I liked NYMC's building a lot, but I'm not sure how much I care about going to a place because of their anatomy lab (NYMC's is awesome, Downstate's not so much). I mean, the clinical years are really what matters, and I can't figure out where the experience is better...
 
Actually LSU was the only MD PhD I applied for (long story), so I'm gonna be paying along with the rest of the world for school. Money wise, I don't care that much. Its not that I'm not gonna get screwed over\, but I figure that I'm gonna make it back anyway, and I want to go to a place that I like/will be good for me even if it is more expensive.
As far as facilities go, I liked NYMC's building a lot, but I'm not sure how much I care about going to a place because of their anatomy lab (NYMC's is awesome, Downstate's not so much). I mean, the clinical years are really what matters, and I can't figure out where the experience is better...
One of my attendings did her training at Downstate before coming up here, and according to her WMC has a broader spread of pathology (something she did not expect at all). As judged by case mix WMC has some of the sickest patients in the country, and easily the sickest in New York State.

What I don't think you'll get a lot of at Westchester is trauma -- it IS a level I center, but it's also a tertiary care center and much of the trauma you'll see is either of the MVA type or stuff that has been transferred in after initial work at another, smaller hospital. From the stories I've heard about King's County, I definitely think it has more melodramatic trauma cases. However, the patients on the floor and the unit up at WMC are ridiculous.
 
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