hope the storm didnt delay anything with NYMC. @earf, ill gladly take ur interview spot 🙂
2012-2013 New York Medical College Application Thread
- Thread starter gettheleadout
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I know they had to Cancel interviews on Monday and Thursday this week so they will have to reschedule a bunch of people
anyone interviewing next week? and does anyone know how hard it is to get to NYMC from Newark?
It isn't too difficult. What I did was take the NJ rail from Newark Airport to Penn Station (NY). From there I went to grand central and you can take the Metro North to White Plains from there. Cab from there to NYMC.
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Not sure what the state of public transit is atm though you should check first.
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Yep pretty much.
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So, I'm flying out from AZ Dec 2... I'm just wondering (if anyone lives on the east coast), do you think that the transportation systems should be up and running by the time I get there? It just seems that Hurricane Sandy was HUGE . . .
Thanks
Thanks
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A month? Yes. I think that if NY was paralyzed for that long, we'd be going into another financial crisis.
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Hey, Yeah I'm interviewing next Monday - my very first 🙂 I'm coming from New England and given the state of public transport in NY, I might just have to rent a car $$ How is everyone else planning on getting there?
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Earliest acceptance date = 11/15
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Did they tell us this on interview day? I must have not heard this.
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You also get several Jewish holidays off which is nice.
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I don't even remember them telling us when we could hear back haha
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It's on the MSAR
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Complete date? If u don't mind...
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I interviewed in September and I was very put off by the school. I found the admissions staff to be stand-offish, and the schedule of the day was a mess. I was in the last group and we basically had to sit around for an hour to wait to do our MMI. I'm still waiting to hear from other schools I interviewed at, but if I get in elsewhere I will almost certainly withdraw.
Just my 2 cents. I did like the location (close to, but not in a city) and the anatomy lab was really nice.
To those asking, I'll save you a trip to my MDApps. Complete 8/21, 3.8/3.9s 31 OOS.
Still deciding whether or not I want to go. I have family in north Jersey and tickets are cheap. May use it as an excuse just to spend a few days out there
Does anyone know how NYMC is with financial aid? Do they solely give out loans or are there opportunities for scholarships/grants/etc.? Thanks!
Still deciding whether or not I want to go. I have family in north Jersey and tickets are cheap. May use it as an excuse just to spend a few days out there
Does anyone know how NYMC is with financial aid? Do they solely give out loans or are there opportunities for scholarships/grants/etc.? Thanks!
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I just withdrew my application today. Unfortunately I had the same impression as kickster. I have been to 7 interviews and this is the only school that I left feeling like I really didn't want to go to med school there. Hopefully the admissions staff was just having an off day when I was there though...
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Dear NYMC, please read my nice update letter and invite me for an interview. Love, Procyon.
+1
I keep checking my email. I'll keep my fingers crossed for both of us, Procyon.
Were the facilities
not great? The faculty? How did the students seem? Or did it seem like the education/curriculum overall was less than impressive?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using SDN Mobile
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it's interesting to hear some of the negative opinions about the school. it does kind of suck for you if you get the last circuit of the MMI but which circuit ur assigned is random. but i thought the students/faculty were really friendly. the anatomy lab was beautiful. there is definitely a sense of community on campus which reminded me a little bit of my undergrad
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http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?...5&chl=No+change|Positively|Negatively|Neutral
It looks like a good chunk of people had a negative impression post interview. I wonder whats going on?
For those who don't know, this is taken from the Interview feedback thing SDN has.
It looks like a good chunk of people had a negative impression post interview. I wonder whats going on?
For those who don't know, this is taken from the Interview feedback thing SDN has.
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II today. 3.4/35. Will probably be declining interview due to a state school acceptance. Best of luck to those in the running!
(Not sure when I was complete sorry! Sent in my app a week after it became available)
(Not sure when I was complete sorry! Sent in my app a week after it became available)
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+1. I loved my interviewing experience.
I thought that the facilities were fine. The anatomy lab was very nice with all of the windows and natural light. However, the admissions staff was kind of snippy with many of the applicants that were there on the day that I interviewed. I also didn't like that to live in Valhalla you basically have to live in the dorms. One of the admissions staff said that a one bedroom apartment would run at least 1200 per month, which just wouldn't work on my med school budget. It also seemed like the med students only ever interact with other med students. It felt like there was no way to take a break from studying/talking about med school. The dorms also seemed to foster a lot of gossip (which admittedly you will get anywhere, but when you can hear conversations of you classmates in their private homes, gossip can get a lot worse). I definitely would not go so far as to say that it is a bad med school by any means. It just was not a good fit for me.
The facilities were a major plus, the anatomy lab was amazing (on the top floor of the medical sciences building, lots of skylights). The faculty seemed to be something that they emphasized and took a lot of pride in in that they are very accessible (not sure the degree of truth to this). The Dean (I think he was just the acting dean though) also came to talk to us and he seemed to think he was incredibly superior and the best thing since sliced bread.
The students didn't seem as enthusiastic about the school as other schools that I've visited. One student explicitly told us that the only reason he attended was because he didn't get in anywhere else.
As far as I'm concerned, a school should want all the students who they interview to WANT to go there, and that's just not how I felt when I left, especially after having other things to compare it to.
+1 about the fit, it kind of seemed like undergrad part 2 with the way housing is set up.
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yeah one thing ill admit im weary of is dorm style living...can any current MS1 or MS2 comment on this? Does it feel like a "dorm" or is it just more like a student apartment complex
I stayed with a host for my interview. In my opinion, it looks more like an apartment than a dorm. There are 4ppl per apartment (one room for each), 2 bathrooms, 1 kitchen, and a good size living room. In regards to the interview day, I also did not have the best impression: students did not seem very happy to be attending there and the day was not very organized. However, I have friends who study there and really like the school. Therefore, I think the interview day was not a reflection of how the school really is. Plus. this is their first year doing the MMI so they are still adapting.
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I think we interviewed on the same day. I also did not get the best impression of the school. Lol after thinking about it, I can see what you're saying about the dean.
I just didn't like the idea of having to travel (eg. to NYC) in order to find something to do.
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I interviewed about a week ago and I wanted to chime in with my impressions.
Dorm living: Basically the dorms run from suites to 4 bedrooms and they come furnished or unfurnished. I stayed with a student host in a furnished dorm and it was exactly like my undergrad dorm. It was basically 4 bedrooms, a shared space, and a tiny kitchen. Everything was stocked with that oak-colored furniture so familiar to a dorm room. I can't tell if it was my hosts or the building, but it seemed a little run down and dirty. But I think the biggest turn off for me on this was the fact that 80% of the students live on campus, and there isn't anything else anywhere for a 10 minute drive. Seriously, it's a 10 minute drive to a grocery store or the closest Starbucks. I'm married, so this just wasn't going to fly with my husband (non-medical), so I would have to be one of the 20% living in White Plains and commuting in.
Student life: This is kind of tied to dorm living. Overall, I got the impression that this is undergrad, or even worse, high school all over again. I didn't realize that a "grad school" atmosphere was important to me until it wasn't there. Also, I didn't get the impression that the students were happy to be there or excited about their school. At all of my other interviews, current students would see the suits walking down the hallways and wave at us, give us luck, talk to us, tell us why their school was the best school ever. Here, they didn't even acknowledge our existence. It's not that I need the attention, but I think it does say something about their enthusiasm. These impressions are very much just a feeling I got, and again could be attributed to my student host experience.
Curriculum: Here was a real problem. Its a true traditional curriculum where you spend every day 9am-3pm in lecture or lab. No PBL or CBL. When presenting the curriculum, they tried to play it up like their curriculum is not stale and 60 years old, which is fine. But what really bothered me was the defensive attitude about it. She started off with something along the lines of "PBL is old news, the real advances in medical education come in vertical learning." PBL is not old news. It's just everyone else has already adopted it and is now working on "integrated learning", and NYMC decided to just skip a step. It's not that I absolutely have to have all PBL, but the attitude about it made me really question their curriculum design. Oh yeah, and H/HP/P/F 😡.
MMI: The MMI was not as bad as I expected, but again I got the feeling that they were trying to make the impression they're advanced and cutting edge without putting the investment into updating their curriculum. The questions were all fair (that's all I'm allowed to say on that). There were around 25 people in my interview day, so everything just felt completely impersonal. I was a number. I was actually in the first circuit, which was nice because I was done really early. I felt bad for those in circuit three who just had to sit around for a few hours to wait for their interviews.
Facilities: This is a huge plus. The facilities are gorgeous! The anatomy lab is incredible, the whole medical school building is very nice, the grounds are gorgeous. However, it just wasn't enough to make up for the other feelings I got. That being said, the dorms/gym are old and a little run down. Another odd point: our tour guide mentioned that they have a new relationship with Touro, so they're going to be rebuilding some of that stuff, but not any time soon. And that's all I heard about Touro, which I found very strange.
TLDR: I was not impressed. I'll be withdrawing regardless since I just received an acceptance from a school that I loved.
Dorm living: Basically the dorms run from suites to 4 bedrooms and they come furnished or unfurnished. I stayed with a student host in a furnished dorm and it was exactly like my undergrad dorm. It was basically 4 bedrooms, a shared space, and a tiny kitchen. Everything was stocked with that oak-colored furniture so familiar to a dorm room. I can't tell if it was my hosts or the building, but it seemed a little run down and dirty. But I think the biggest turn off for me on this was the fact that 80% of the students live on campus, and there isn't anything else anywhere for a 10 minute drive. Seriously, it's a 10 minute drive to a grocery store or the closest Starbucks. I'm married, so this just wasn't going to fly with my husband (non-medical), so I would have to be one of the 20% living in White Plains and commuting in.
Student life: This is kind of tied to dorm living. Overall, I got the impression that this is undergrad, or even worse, high school all over again. I didn't realize that a "grad school" atmosphere was important to me until it wasn't there. Also, I didn't get the impression that the students were happy to be there or excited about their school. At all of my other interviews, current students would see the suits walking down the hallways and wave at us, give us luck, talk to us, tell us why their school was the best school ever. Here, they didn't even acknowledge our existence. It's not that I need the attention, but I think it does say something about their enthusiasm. These impressions are very much just a feeling I got, and again could be attributed to my student host experience.
Curriculum: Here was a real problem. Its a true traditional curriculum where you spend every day 9am-3pm in lecture or lab. No PBL or CBL. When presenting the curriculum, they tried to play it up like their curriculum is not stale and 60 years old, which is fine. But what really bothered me was the defensive attitude about it. She started off with something along the lines of "PBL is old news, the real advances in medical education come in vertical learning." PBL is not old news. It's just everyone else has already adopted it and is now working on "integrated learning", and NYMC decided to just skip a step. It's not that I absolutely have to have all PBL, but the attitude about it made me really question their curriculum design. Oh yeah, and H/HP/P/F 😡.
MMI: The MMI was not as bad as I expected, but again I got the feeling that they were trying to make the impression they're advanced and cutting edge without putting the investment into updating their curriculum. The questions were all fair (that's all I'm allowed to say on that). There were around 25 people in my interview day, so everything just felt completely impersonal. I was a number. I was actually in the first circuit, which was nice because I was done really early. I felt bad for those in circuit three who just had to sit around for a few hours to wait for their interviews.
Facilities: This is a huge plus. The facilities are gorgeous! The anatomy lab is incredible, the whole medical school building is very nice, the grounds are gorgeous. However, it just wasn't enough to make up for the other feelings I got. That being said, the dorms/gym are old and a little run down. Another odd point: our tour guide mentioned that they have a new relationship with Touro, so they're going to be rebuilding some of that stuff, but not any time soon. And that's all I heard about Touro, which I found very strange.
TLDR: I was not impressed. I'll be withdrawing regardless since I just received an acceptance from a school that I loved.
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I have an interview for coming Monday and I'm commuting from New Jersey, was planning on getting there by trains but at the moment it doesn't seem plausible because of the storm. Is it too late to reschedule the interview? Or should I spend the weekend figuring out a way to drive there even though there's almost no gas around here?
Wow, that is a very tough situation. However, I do think it is too late to reschedule an interview that it is going to be Monday. You do have a good excuse thou, so I am not sure what you should do... 😳
Well, waited on line for 4 hours and now I have gas, so I'll be driving tomorrow (hopefully the roads aren't blocked). I guess when nature deals bad cards, you just gotta roll with it.
If you are flying into NYC, you will have no trouble getting to NYMC. The metro-north train is back running on basically a normal schedule). NYMC was spared of storm damage, but some of the surrounding areas lost power (due to down wires from fallen trees). Most things have been cleaned up though, so I doubt you will encounter road blocks.
Im sorry to hear that some of you had poor interview experiences or view nymc as a school people only go to because "it's the only school they got into". My only response to that is that:
1) This is the first year of NYMC doing the MMI - and being that you interviewed early, unfortunately the admissions committee may have been still working out kinks and unfortunately, you guys were the guinea pigs.
2) This is DEFINITELY not a school that people go to because it's the only one they got into. I personally got into 3 other MD schools (and was on 4 waitlists, but subsequently withdrew after receiving my NYMC acceptance). I know that I am no exception. Many people from my class got into other medical schools, including: BU, SUNY Upstate, Drexel, Georgetown, VCU, SUNY Buffalo, Albany, Rochester, Temple, GW, Jefferson, SUNY Downstate, etc. I know for me personally, it was the exceptional match list that drew me in when it came time for me to make my decision (and the fact that nymc students consistently score above the national mean on step 1...therefore proving that whatever the curriculum is, it's obviously working since students do well on step 1).
But on another note, it is true that NYMC is H, HP, P, F...let's be real, in general, only top tier schools are P/F...and nymc certainly is no hopkins. And if you reallllly want to be real, 1st and 2nd yr grades don't really matter when it comes time to applying for residencies...what matters are step 1 scores, 3rd year clerkships grades, and LORs.
Also, for those of you concerned about living on campus - a lot of students do not live on campus 1st and 2nd year. There are some really nice apartments about 5 mins from campus that a few of my friends lived in. Also, i know of a few students who even commuted all the way from NYC 1st and 2nd year without it being an issue. For married couples, many choose to live off campus, but a lot choose to live on-campus (there is special housing for married couples that i doubt you saw on your interviews, which are way nicer than the "typical" 4 bedroom furnished apt). Also, because NYMC has so many rotation sites for 3rd year, you wouldn't be stuck in valhalla for all 4 years. Many students move to NYC (UES), Jersey, or even CT for rotations.
Im sure if you go back and read older threads you will realize that the "touro" thing is no big deal. The only difference is that now NYMC gets Jewish holidays off (which there were a **** load in sept/early oct so if some of u struggled getting in touch w/ the admissions office around that time...it was because they were closed those days), and that the cafeteria in the basic science building is kosher.
Anyway, there's a ton of pros/cons about NYMC as there are about every other school. I think when it comes time to choose a medical school, it is important that you focus on the stuff that really matters (match list, avg step 1 scores, 3rd year rotations, etc). Ultimately your goal as a medical student is to learn how to be a good doctor and work hard to match into a field that you would be happy practicing for the rest of your life. Good luck all.
Im sorry to hear that some of you had poor interview experiences or view nymc as a school people only go to because "it's the only school they got into". My only response to that is that:
1) This is the first year of NYMC doing the MMI - and being that you interviewed early, unfortunately the admissions committee may have been still working out kinks and unfortunately, you guys were the guinea pigs.
2) This is DEFINITELY not a school that people go to because it's the only one they got into. I personally got into 3 other MD schools (and was on 4 waitlists, but subsequently withdrew after receiving my NYMC acceptance). I know that I am no exception. Many people from my class got into other medical schools, including: BU, SUNY Upstate, Drexel, Georgetown, VCU, SUNY Buffalo, Albany, Rochester, Temple, GW, Jefferson, SUNY Downstate, etc. I know for me personally, it was the exceptional match list that drew me in when it came time for me to make my decision (and the fact that nymc students consistently score above the national mean on step 1...therefore proving that whatever the curriculum is, it's obviously working since students do well on step 1).
But on another note, it is true that NYMC is H, HP, P, F...let's be real, in general, only top tier schools are P/F...and nymc certainly is no hopkins. And if you reallllly want to be real, 1st and 2nd yr grades don't really matter when it comes time to applying for residencies...what matters are step 1 scores, 3rd year clerkships grades, and LORs.
Also, for those of you concerned about living on campus - a lot of students do not live on campus 1st and 2nd year. There are some really nice apartments about 5 mins from campus that a few of my friends lived in. Also, i know of a few students who even commuted all the way from NYC 1st and 2nd year without it being an issue. For married couples, many choose to live off campus, but a lot choose to live on-campus (there is special housing for married couples that i doubt you saw on your interviews, which are way nicer than the "typical" 4 bedroom furnished apt). Also, because NYMC has so many rotation sites for 3rd year, you wouldn't be stuck in valhalla for all 4 years. Many students move to NYC (UES), Jersey, or even CT for rotations.
Im sure if you go back and read older threads you will realize that the "touro" thing is no big deal. The only difference is that now NYMC gets Jewish holidays off (which there were a **** load in sept/early oct so if some of u struggled getting in touch w/ the admissions office around that time...it was because they were closed those days), and that the cafeteria in the basic science building is kosher.
Anyway, there's a ton of pros/cons about NYMC as there are about every other school. I think when it comes time to choose a medical school, it is important that you focus on the stuff that really matters (match list, avg step 1 scores, 3rd year rotations, etc). Ultimately your goal as a medical student is to learn how to be a good doctor and work hard to match into a field that you would be happy practicing for the rest of your life. Good luck all.
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I just wanted to give an alternative viewpoint from that pool of people that interviewed a few weeks ago. Some of them might have even been on my interview day.
Some of the negative sentiments I read I believe are rooted not knowing what to expect from a suburban NY school
What New York Medical College Isn't:
-A City School, Particularly it is not a NYC school
-A large University with undergraduate students
-An institution with huge research dollars (largely do to its mission and size)
I think its important to apply for a school knowing what it is. One complaint I saw was the proximity to the city or distance to a supermarket being 10 minutes. 1, this isn't completly true and 2 NYMC is in Westchester county, a very small suburb in westchester at that. I live in the county north of Westchester and I drive almost 20 minutes to the supermarket. Westchester is more of a Greek Diner, Italian or Kosher Deli, and Pizza Place county. Here is what is near campus for those that aren't form the area:
Less than 5 minutes Away
-Executive Diner (pretty good diner)
-Wendy's
-Dom's (really good pizza and italian food)
-Greenburg Multiplex (Stadium Seating)
-Sam's Club
-Westchester Dinner Theater (off broadway dinner theater, pretty popular locally)
-Dunkin Donuts
-Applbees
10-15 minutes gets you to pretty much anything else you want in White Plains, Elmsford, Tarrytown, Thornwood.
You can also get to state parks, county parks, nature preserves, and lakes and river views in this time frame.
Going to NYMC and complaining about having to drive everywhere is like going to Mt. Sinai and complaining about having to take the subway, noise, and crime. Driving goes with suburbia like mass transit in the city. 🙂
I personally found the staff extremely friendly, accommodating, and helpful. What I think happens sometimes is that southern NY culture is sometimes misinterpreted by people from out of state. I needed to get help moving my interview from the admissions office, and the lady worked miracles to make it happen-but our conversations weren't full of pleasantries and well wishes. It was more of a cut to the chase and let me get this done conversation, which I can appreciate.
As far as the students being friendly and receptive. We were specifically informed 2 weeks ago that they were on their block 1 finals for the next couple of weeks, and students may be more reclusive than normal. We sat in on a lecture for my interview group, and at least 15 of the students wished me good luck in the cycle on the way out. Then politely excused themselves citing the need to study for the final. They also raved about their Anatomy professor, saying he was an outstanding lecturer. They said they had a really tight community, and it seemed sincere. Almost had a small town community feel on campus.
I found the director of admissions and associate director to be helpful, and the associate director even offered me advice to improve my chances at being ready for med school come september as a non-trad. The director of Financial Aid was hilarious, and hyper-friendly.
As far as the living situation, a little dated for sure. One section is dorm style (pre-furnished) while the other is not (that is where the married couples live, but single students can live there too). As far as people saying everyone only hangs out with medical students, cite my example of what NYMC is not- a school with a big University attached on campus. It trains doctors and allied professionals. That is who is on campus. The students I talked to insisted that the class was very close, they all helped each other, and were very collaborative.
Also,the students I asked said specifically said this was not a last choice school. Most students I asked admitted that it wasn't in their first few choices (usually the NYC powerhouse schools), but it was far from their last. There are definitely schools on many peoples lists that usually rank below NYMC.
Another benefit of NYMC is that its university hospital gives you close proximity access to competitive residencies. They have Urology, Rads, Neurosurgery, Derm, and all most of the other highly competitive specialties right there in Westchester Medical, sharing facilities with the students. Students can also get a similar experience through their NYC affiliations (and many students move to the city for M3-or so I was told). This is a large part of why the NYMC match list is particularly good for where it ranks average MCAT/GPA wise.
I think I know what the previous poster was talking about with the interim Dean that he said came across cocky. Just to clarify, it wasn't just the "interim Dean" It was the CEO and Chancellor of the University, who is currently acting as Dean until he hires one. So it's not like someone under-qualified holding the spot, it is actually a superior holding the spot. He did come in and give his background, and his CV reads like a tour of the Ivy League "I graduated Upenn undergrad, Went to Upenn Med, then interned at Stanford, Did my residency at Yale, and completed a fellowship at Harvard in pediatric Oncology. I was Dean of Duke Medical for 20 years...etc etc.) . I can see where the poster was coming form, and some people in my interview group were put off by it, but some found him really interesting (me included). I guess I just don't mind a CEO/Chancellor that has those credentials, if he thinks highly of himself and can back it up, I can deal with it. He is a huge history buff, and said a large reason for him taking the NYMC job is the history of the school (150+ years). He is adding a medical history elective soon I think too, and said he might be adding a dental school soon.
As far as the curriculum. It is pretty much a traditional curriculum, with vertical integration Previous posters were correct about this, but personally, I'm kind of happy they skipped PBL after reading the rant thread the other day lol. I did like that they are one of the few schools that allow you to do the full dissection of the cadaver, and their clinical years were far better than some of the other schools I visited. They do have an early clinical mentor program also. The student hosts we had also said last years class did well on their step 1's, I forget the number. 236 with no fails I think.
Finally, I thought the MMI went well. I can't say a lot about it, but their system was far more refined than a few other MMI's I went on. They seemed to have their act together as far as interviews, but the schedule for the afternoon was poorly organized. Group C ends up wandering around aimlessly for hours trying to figure out what to do with themselves. This didn't happen anywhere else, and a few people in my group were pretty unhappy about it. Especially because sitting on benches waiting to interview for 3 hours made some people feel as if they would not be at their best anymore. I didn't mind so much, I sat on a park bench, chatted with some students as they walked by, and enjoyed the breeze.
SUMMARY TL;DR
Overall, I liked NYMC, and it was pretty much what I expected being from the area. Very laid back with heavy clinical focus. Valhalla is one of the most beautiful suburbs of NYC and easily commutable by train and car to just about anywhere you want to go. If you want a suburban school, with both city life and nature nearby, this is an excellent choice. The dorms could be better, but they are safe, clean, and on campus. Anatomy lab is awesome. Clinical professors really high marks from students. Clerkships high marks from students. Small community feel(some may like it, some may not.) MMI went well, events for day could be better scheduled.
Some of the negative sentiments I read I believe are rooted not knowing what to expect from a suburban NY school
What New York Medical College Isn't:
-A City School, Particularly it is not a NYC school
-A large University with undergraduate students
-An institution with huge research dollars (largely do to its mission and size)
I think its important to apply for a school knowing what it is. One complaint I saw was the proximity to the city or distance to a supermarket being 10 minutes. 1, this isn't completly true and 2 NYMC is in Westchester county, a very small suburb in westchester at that. I live in the county north of Westchester and I drive almost 20 minutes to the supermarket. Westchester is more of a Greek Diner, Italian or Kosher Deli, and Pizza Place county. Here is what is near campus for those that aren't form the area:
Less than 5 minutes Away
-Executive Diner (pretty good diner)
-Wendy's
-Dom's (really good pizza and italian food)
-Greenburg Multiplex (Stadium Seating)
-Sam's Club
-Westchester Dinner Theater (off broadway dinner theater, pretty popular locally)
-Dunkin Donuts
-Applbees
10-15 minutes gets you to pretty much anything else you want in White Plains, Elmsford, Tarrytown, Thornwood.
You can also get to state parks, county parks, nature preserves, and lakes and river views in this time frame.
Going to NYMC and complaining about having to drive everywhere is like going to Mt. Sinai and complaining about having to take the subway, noise, and crime. Driving goes with suburbia like mass transit in the city. 🙂
I personally found the staff extremely friendly, accommodating, and helpful. What I think happens sometimes is that southern NY culture is sometimes misinterpreted by people from out of state. I needed to get help moving my interview from the admissions office, and the lady worked miracles to make it happen-but our conversations weren't full of pleasantries and well wishes. It was more of a cut to the chase and let me get this done conversation, which I can appreciate.
As far as the students being friendly and receptive. We were specifically informed 2 weeks ago that they were on their block 1 finals for the next couple of weeks, and students may be more reclusive than normal. We sat in on a lecture for my interview group, and at least 15 of the students wished me good luck in the cycle on the way out. Then politely excused themselves citing the need to study for the final. They also raved about their Anatomy professor, saying he was an outstanding lecturer. They said they had a really tight community, and it seemed sincere. Almost had a small town community feel on campus.
I found the director of admissions and associate director to be helpful, and the associate director even offered me advice to improve my chances at being ready for med school come september as a non-trad. The director of Financial Aid was hilarious, and hyper-friendly.
As far as the living situation, a little dated for sure. One section is dorm style (pre-furnished) while the other is not (that is where the married couples live, but single students can live there too). As far as people saying everyone only hangs out with medical students, cite my example of what NYMC is not- a school with a big University attached on campus. It trains doctors and allied professionals. That is who is on campus. The students I talked to insisted that the class was very close, they all helped each other, and were very collaborative.
Also,the students I asked said specifically said this was not a last choice school. Most students I asked admitted that it wasn't in their first few choices (usually the NYC powerhouse schools), but it was far from their last. There are definitely schools on many peoples lists that usually rank below NYMC.
Another benefit of NYMC is that its university hospital gives you close proximity access to competitive residencies. They have Urology, Rads, Neurosurgery, Derm, and all most of the other highly competitive specialties right there in Westchester Medical, sharing facilities with the students. Students can also get a similar experience through their NYC affiliations (and many students move to the city for M3-or so I was told). This is a large part of why the NYMC match list is particularly good for where it ranks average MCAT/GPA wise.
I think I know what the previous poster was talking about with the interim Dean that he said came across cocky. Just to clarify, it wasn't just the "interim Dean" It was the CEO and Chancellor of the University, who is currently acting as Dean until he hires one. So it's not like someone under-qualified holding the spot, it is actually a superior holding the spot. He did come in and give his background, and his CV reads like a tour of the Ivy League "I graduated Upenn undergrad, Went to Upenn Med, then interned at Stanford, Did my residency at Yale, and completed a fellowship at Harvard in pediatric Oncology. I was Dean of Duke Medical for 20 years...etc etc.) . I can see where the poster was coming form, and some people in my interview group were put off by it, but some found him really interesting (me included). I guess I just don't mind a CEO/Chancellor that has those credentials, if he thinks highly of himself and can back it up, I can deal with it. He is a huge history buff, and said a large reason for him taking the NYMC job is the history of the school (150+ years). He is adding a medical history elective soon I think too, and said he might be adding a dental school soon.
As far as the curriculum. It is pretty much a traditional curriculum, with vertical integration Previous posters were correct about this, but personally, I'm kind of happy they skipped PBL after reading the rant thread the other day lol. I did like that they are one of the few schools that allow you to do the full dissection of the cadaver, and their clinical years were far better than some of the other schools I visited. They do have an early clinical mentor program also. The student hosts we had also said last years class did well on their step 1's, I forget the number. 236 with no fails I think.
Finally, I thought the MMI went well. I can't say a lot about it, but their system was far more refined than a few other MMI's I went on. They seemed to have their act together as far as interviews, but the schedule for the afternoon was poorly organized. Group C ends up wandering around aimlessly for hours trying to figure out what to do with themselves. This didn't happen anywhere else, and a few people in my group were pretty unhappy about it. Especially because sitting on benches waiting to interview for 3 hours made some people feel as if they would not be at their best anymore. I didn't mind so much, I sat on a park bench, chatted with some students as they walked by, and enjoyed the breeze.
SUMMARY TL;DR
Overall, I liked NYMC, and it was pretty much what I expected being from the area. Very laid back with heavy clinical focus. Valhalla is one of the most beautiful suburbs of NYC and easily commutable by train and car to just about anywhere you want to go. If you want a suburban school, with both city life and nature nearby, this is an excellent choice. The dorms could be better, but they are safe, clean, and on campus. Anatomy lab is awesome. Clinical professors really high marks from students. Clerkships high marks from students. Small community feel(some may like it, some may not.) MMI went well, events for day could be better scheduled.
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I too had a great interviewing experience. NYMC is now one of my top choices.
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