Hey, current M1 here. Only been in school for about 2 months, but feel free to ask/message me with any questions.
Main things I like about the school:
- On-campus living community/ ease of access to classes, gym, and study space.
- Frequent face time with professors in labs/small classroom sessions.
- Communication between faculty so that what we are learning in histology is directly related to topics covered in anatomy/embryology.
- INCREDIBLE amount of collaboration between peers. The number of resources/study guides that are shared is absurd. My classmates are amazing and I've formed some really close friendships already (its easy when a majority live in the same housing area).
- Lectures are video recorded so I never am obligated to go to class and can learn at my own pace.
- Grading system is P/F with top 20% getting high pass/honors (although I've heard this is getting phased out soon). I definitely do not feel pressured to perform for a grade like in undergrad.
- Surrounding area of Westchester county is beautiful. If you love outdoorsy things like hiking, running etc..., you will be happy here. Also close enough to city for nightlife/day trips.
- Westchester Med Center makes finding research/clinical opportunities much easier (so I've heard).
- Standardized patients here are a really helpful way to get you comfortable working with patients.
Cons:
- Campus is about 5 to 10 minute drive to anywhere (food, groceries, malls etc...), so not having a car makes it much harder. There are super convenient and cheap grocery delivery services, but it just makes things more difficult.
- On-campus cafe is only open until 2 PM (for a religious reason, I believe, not too sure though). I don't mind this as it incentivizes me to cook and save money, but it is frustrating to some students.
- Labeling and detail on Powerpoint slides for lectures is often minimal, so much of the test material is based off what the professor verbalizes. This can be frustrating, depending on your preferred learning style. Although, I have not discussed this with friends at other med schools so this may be typical. There is a scribe service that you can pay for (I do), which is quite helpful.