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I'm really glad Sinai is giving me a shot; I can't wait to visit New York for the first time!! 🙂 Does anyone have any knowledge about the interview day?
Is the interview open or closed file?
I'm really glad Sinai is giving me a shot; I can't wait to visit New York for the first time!! 🙂 Does anyone have any knowledge about the interview day?
For the record, I wrote 251 words for the diversity essay.
How did you all know you were complete? I got an Application Received email the day I submitted, but haven't heard anything since. Submitted 8/23. Thanks!
I love Mount Sinai!
Been complete since 8/16 and haven't gotten an invite yet.
Because I stuck it to the man for the word limit. =O


Hey guys,
I am an MS1 at Sinai this year, and I hope to serve as a resource to applicants here because I know how frustrating it is when there is a lack of information and the ridiculous rumors that gets propagated by neurotic SDN-premeds sometimes. I noticed that some other threads are staffed by current students, and so I thought - why not?
I also love Sinai, and turned down better-ranked schools to come to Sinai last cycle. Seriously, this has got to be the most underrated school in the Top 20.
First of all, congrats to those who got an interview! I can tell you that interviews start this Wednesday, and will be held every weekday except Mondays till March. The brief breakdown in the day (if it is unchanged from last year) is that you will begin with a talk by the senior faculty (which is usually pretty awesome). Then, you will have a 2-hour window where you do your interviews of 30 minutes each. When you're not having interviews, current students (like us!) will cycle in and out of the room to talk to you guys. Feel free to ask any questions that you might have during that time. After your interviews are done, I think you go to lunch with current students + these students lead you on a tour of the school and the hospital. After that, I think there is a financial aid session or something like that. You will end around early/mid-afternoon.
Interviews are open-file, and are conducted by physicians and/or fourth year students (if I recall correctly).
To answer a question fielded previously, our affiliate hospitals are Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Queens, Englewood (New Jersey), Atlantic Health Systems (New Jersey), Elmhurst (Queens, located in the "most diverse zip code in the US"), and the Bronx VA.
Good luck guys! Hope to see some of you here at interviews this year! : )
whats the school culture like? any thoughts on sinai vs cornell or sinai vs. columbia for that matter?
I went through this last cycle. I'll also claim that my acceptance pattern was
Columbia:waitlisted
Sinai and Cornell: accepted
Matriculated: sinai M1 currently
So, columbia is the highest ranked in NYC, great school, loved it, location was the worst of the three though. I can't say much more cause i didn't actually get in, even though the dean told me I would... long story...
I chose sinai over cornell for a few reasons:
-Mainly, cornell, last year anyway, wasn't true pass/fail. Your transcript that residencies see is P/F, but they use your grades year 1 and 2 to internally rank you when time comes around for AOA and dean's letters.
-Sinai has a better location in my mind. You're ON central park and its awesome to go running eat lunch there, study there, etc. You're next to the 6 train so you can get anywhere you need. Cornell is 68th and the water... so you're closer downtown, but in the city, proximity to train matters more. oh yea, and if we go down you get upper east side food and restaurants, go north and you have east harlem cuisine which is essentially the entire world lol.
-both schools favor their own for residences, so cornell will bump you into presbyterian easier, and sinai will get you back into sinai. For me, i like cardio related stuff, so thats part of it
-sinai loves their students, we have no affiliated undergrad so its all about us. They make changes every year based on what we want. changes to the lounge, the classes, the activities, everything.
ALSO, your exams are honor code, you take them WHEREVER, WHENEVER, you want over the allotted time. (and people REALLY stick to the honor despite what people may say... think about it, its a bunch of really smart super nice kids, they have a fit if you even ask what you might need to know more)
oh yea, and your anatomy professor is Joy Reidenberg, who dissects everything with Richard Dawkins on "inside Natures Giants"
as far as cornell, i got a terrible vibe. the kids AND a professor there were arrogant about themselves, saying its a tough choice between them and columbia, but its no brainer between cornell and sinai... it seemed like a school based around its name, not its students.
Are you guys close to Broadway? I want to see Book of Mormon sooooo badly!!!!OMG! That sounds perfect! This is for sure my ideal #1 school. This is exactly the type of environment that I am looking for. If only I could get in.Are you guys close to Broadway? I want to see Book of Mormon sooooo badly!!!!
we're on 98th street and Madison, so we're not close to the Broadway you're thinking of, no school is. but thats where being near the subway comes in handy. and book of mormon is sold out for MONTHS.... sorry. i want to see it as well...
also, i kinda realized i sounded like i was knocking cornell. Cornell was absolutely beautiful and has research out the wazoo from sloan and rockefeller. And they do PBL.
sinai is almost all lecture, with small group discussions for each class that usually discuss an associated illness (for example, in molec. cell, we had a small group dedicated to sickle cell anemia and we went over a patients results and then discussed the biochemistry behind what was going on and how it creates clinical health problems like clots, etc)
we're also building a new research center that'll be open next year or so bring a ton more research here.
Neither school is 'better': I just liked Sinai a ton more is all...
Thanks for the insight. I'm itching to see BOM. I even wrote about Avenue Q in my primaries, which was written by the same guy who wrote BOM. I've wanted to see that musical since 2008...back when the working title was Mormon Musical. It's gonna be so good when I get to see it...eventually.
I definitely think that being next to the subway is a major advantage. Quick question though...is all parking valet? I heard some rumors that parking is all valet and that cars get all banged up in NY. Any truth to those rumors?
Valet is like someone parks for you. Parking is mostly in parking garages in nyc, theres no room for cars on the street. At night you can find some spots and even then only park overnight. BUT, you're not going to have a car. Nobody does, and theres 0 need for a car in NYC. So it shouldn't matter to you.
....if I even get in...sigh...
I submitted my secondary on 9/2, and never got a 'complete' email. I called the office today and was told that my file is complete, and that I can check my status on the website. But on my website there is no way to actually check my status. They directed me to contact EMBARK help, which was just an email address- no actual phone number to talk to anyone.
Is anyone else having this issue? The woman on the phone couldn't answer how I would receive updates about my application status- hopefully there will be emails because I have no way of checking the website.![]()
no status check!i don't think that there is a status check on the embark website. I submitted over a month ago and received 1 "submitted" email and 2 "received" emails. The "received" emails said the exact same thing. It seems like its just a waiting game to see if you get an interview or not.
Hey Doodl3s, did you apply to the PORTAL program last cycle? If you did do you have any info on it? It seems like a great educational opportunity and financial one too.
The PORTAL program is to gain a Masters in Clinical Research. It sounds nice, and I looked into it. I had a bit of clinical research and publications going in so I thought I would like it. First off, it's medical school, and you have to take extra classes while there. Then you do one year of research, a scholarly year, that you don't pay for. But it's really just you doing research... I'm not totally sure on stipends.
Also, I've spoken to the kids who are in. It's one of those things you did in college to do more, or 'honors' ya know? Theres not TOO many applications for it in the real world, other than knowing a little more about clinical research. I'm MS1, and already talking with a guy about getting a first authorship on clinical research, and i'm not in PORTAL....
AND, i believe you can still start the program in the first few weeks of classes once you're accepted if you're really nice to the director of it and talk with them. Either way, ask questions to the school about it.
tl,dr: I don't see a real use for it in the future...
Just an aside, how hard is it to get an opportunity like this? Did you have to work hard to get it? And how long will the project take? I know how important research is for residency, so jw.
They even replaced a professor for us because last year students all rated this person both boring and unable to convey the science...
Also, to answer the interview question, you finish around 3pm I believe.
When I called to schedule and asked, they said it usually ends around 1:30p and rarely ends after 2:00p.
That sounds safe to me. If you take maximum margins and say the day ends at 2:30p, then you don't get to the airport until 4:00p, that still gets you there by the 2 hour check-in mark.what flight time out of new york would work? 6:00pm safe?
so is the subway/bus system pretty easy to figure out? (especially the bus part)
Where are you trying to go to? Only LGA requires the bus, and it's the M60 that you take on East 125th St. After your interview, head over to either the 103rd St. or the 96th St. station (both are on Lexington, the 103rd will be a bit closer if you're coming from the main building). Take the 6 train up to the 125th stop, and follow the signs for M60 LGA airport. The M60 is generally very reliable, and the 6 train comes often.
If you're going to JFK, you can be in the subway system the whole time. The subway ride is kind of long though.
change of plans. headed to columbia after mt sinai.
btw.... After this I really don't think I'll be able to afford another trip to NY, but I'm still waiting to hear from 4 other schools there (SUNY Downstate, Columbia, NYMC, Einstein). I submitted my apps for all of these fairly recently tho, anyone know how these schools feel about in the area interviews? My interview with Sinai isn't until Nov. 3rd so hopefully that gives more time for schools to check out my app.