Hey guys,
This is kind of a response to the thread that OldBlue started that's in pre-allo now. Feel free to post any other questions.
I'm finishing up first year, so I might be able to answer pre-clinical questions a little better. Rendar's right, though--all the things I thought were important applying haven't really mattered that much so far, like pretty new libraries, whereas things I didn't even consider turned out to be a big deal. I'm talking about blocked exams, which have been huge (amen to the 2 weeks on/2 weeks off schedule), and preclinical pass/fail grading (wherever you go, MAKE SURE THEY DO THIS!).
To clear up the housing questions--don't worry about the confusing living room conversion stuff. I have no idea why they still call them 1 and 2 BR's when almost all of them are essentially 2 and 3. I think you have to have a family with children or something to qualify for a non-converted apartment with a living room. I'm in a 1 BR converted to 2 (it was like that when I moved in), and my room is huge- 12 x ~20. The other BR used to be the living room, but has been drywalled off to about a 15 x 15 room. What's left of the living room space is now a little foyer with room for a couch and that's about it. The kitchen is galley-style with a small dining room--it'll fit a 4 person table. In the 3 (converted from 2) BR's, the living rooms are actually a decent size, and you can get a bigger dining room table in, too. Rent is increasing in August to about 420/person in my 2 BR, and I would guess about 370 in a 3 BR. That's about $20 more per person per month than it was this year, but still super cheap. That includes all utilities and internet except cable, and free maintenance through the housing office. I don't know about studios; I heard 500-600, and like Rendar said, you either have to be married to get those as a first year or wait it out on the waitlist, which will take a few years. As for housing guarantees, a few of my classmates had the experience of not having apts available by the move-in date, so they were put in temp housing a few blocks away. I think it's a complex where Jacobi residents live. Everyone eventually got an apartment in the main housing complex, though, and for most, it was within the first month of school. I would say only about a dozen out of our class of 183 were affected by this. Overall, I am extremely happy with the housing situation.
Cars--I have a car, and I do use it about once a week to go to a grocery store that's bigger than the one a block down from housing. I also drive home with it occasionally, and it's nice to have to go on camping/amusement park trips or whatever, but other than that, it's definitely not essential for the first two years. Subways back from Manhattan are a pain, but I wouldn't ever want to drive downtown anyway (NYC traffic sucks). Rendar may be speaking from experience in the clinical years, where it's probably handy to have a car instead of having to rely on the school's taxi contractor and shuttle service. Garage parking is 85/month. I was told there was this huge waitlist for a spot, and it was important to get in early, but I didn't apply until late September and got a spot immediately, so who knows. It seems like there are a good number of spots open whenever I park. If you don't get one, there is some street parking, as well as an outdoor lot that I believe is slightly cheaper.
Study spaces--I prefer the classrooms/labs in Belfer, which are usually empty after about 3 or 4. Some of them have been converted to really nice study rooms with sweet chairs. The others are still labs and they're fine for studying too. All of them have computers, projector screens, and whiteboards, and are open 24 hrs (this is important). Apparently, the library is getting renovated, but it's never going to be a huge university library like I was used to in undergrad, and I can't stand studying in a small space with a bunch of stressed-out med students around exam time, so I never use it. Also, it usually closes at midnight. People who want a change of scenery often take the bus a couple of miles to Fordham University's super nice library, which we have privileges at. Alternatively, you could go to any of the downtown public libraries. I think our senators are petitioning to get some dedicated study spaces set up in the shiny new Price Center, also.
Obviously, I haven't graduated yet, so I can't say for sure how Einstein is preparing me for my career goals, but I came in with the intention of doing academic medicine/public health, and I think it's a great place for it. There are a lot of like-minded students and faculty here, and the Bronx is full of opportunities for community service and public health research (as well as clinical experience). I had a lot of options and support for research in my desired field this summer, as did my classmates. I'm scared of the debt, but so far, I couldn't be happier with my decision. I'll try to remember to keep checking this if you guys have any more questions. Good luck! 👍