Albany vs MCW

[ftdoc12]

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I am having a hard time deciding between MCW and Albany. Both look like solid programs. Did not get to see much of the student life at Albany...wondering what that is like. Was hoping to hear some opinions.

 

[JJMrK]

I'd probably go to MCW if the costs were similar. Most people seem pretty impressed with their program after interviewing. If one is a lot cheaper I'd go to that one, though.

 

[AyCaramba]

I have interviewed at both, and I liked MCW better. Don't get me wrong, Albany is very solid. But MCW seemed to have much more going on for the students, much more in terms of research (if that's important to you). MCW has really pushed itself in terms of facilities and development in the past 10 years.

Both schools seemed to have really great students and caring faculty. I would have to say that Albany's curriculum seems really interesting, but MCW is in the process of renovating theirs as well.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[UnfeatyOblation]

I've also interviewed at both, and I gotta give the edge to MCW. Their new curriculum introduces some changes that greatly benefit the student. Add in the wide range of opportunities (research and otherwise) and the cutting-edge facilities, and I think MCW wins. But Albany is a great program too.

As far the student life at Albany, the night before my interview my student host took me to a classmate's birthday celebration at a local bar. There were a lot of students there and everyone was having a good time. Overall, I'd say the student body there is very tight-knit and supportive with one another. Maybe a bit moreso than at MCW because of the smaller class size.

Honestly, I don't think you could go wrong either way. Hope I helped...good luck!

 

[MaryLennox]

Well . . not having seen albany, I am going to say MCW!

I got into MCW too, I probably will not be attending, because I got into a Chicago school I love, but I gave it serious thought. Tosa seems like a pretty livable town. (Well, I like suburbs, not everyone does.) And the school is nice.

Albany I sent a primary to, but not a secondary. Both of them, i think, have pretty big classes but I think albany's is bigger. dont quote me on that though

 

[nonsciencemajor]

Mcw

 

[Golf Shoes]

Albany

 

[ftdoc12]

Albany

Thanks for the feedback...Golf Shoes could you explain

 

[mom2doc]

I have interviewed at both, and I liked MCW better. Don't get me wrong, Albany is very solid. But MCW seemed to have much more going on for the students, much more in terms of research (if that's important to you). MCW has really pushed itself in terms of facilities and development in the past 10 years.

Both schools seemed to have really great students and caring faculty. I would have to say that Albany's curriculum seems really interesting, but MCW is in the process of renovating theirs as well.

Good luck with your decision.

Albany Med was just awarded 10 million dollars in federal stimulus money...the only NY school to be granted stimulus money and one of only 30 nationwide. The money is dedicated to adding two new floors of labs to a new research building already under construction and will fund lots of great stuff...it's a wonderful time to be doing research at Albany. Students are an incredibly close group there.

 

[Golf Shoes]

Thanks for the feedback...Golf Shoes could you explain

Sure, with schools this similar in quality and price, I would choose based on location. I would rather live in New York than Wisconsin. I would prefer a more active environment like the Northeast and the opportunities that region affords over what the Midwest has to offer. It's personal preference though.

 

[drizzt3117]

Sure, with schools this similar in quality and price, I would choose based on location. I would rather live in New York than Wisconsin. I would prefer a more active environment like the Northeast and the opportunities that region affords over what the Midwest has to offer. It's personal preference though.

Is that why you withdrew from there without even interviewing and are apparently going to a Midwesteem school? 😕

I think MCW actually has substantially better resources and a bit better reputation. Students are generally happy and they have great rotation sites. Milwaukee is a surprisingly fun city to be in and is just over an hour from Chicago for big city life or Madison for the quintessential college town experience. I find the city of albany supremely depressing.

 

[Golf Shoes]

Is that why you withdrew from there without even interviewing and are apparently going to a Midwesteem school? 😕

I think MCW actually has substantially better resources and a bit better reputation. Students are generally happy and they have great rotation sites. Milwaukee is a surprisingly fun city to be in and is just over an hour from Chicago for big city life or Madison for the quintessential college town experience. I find the city of albany supremely depressing.

Again, it's personal preference. I find Wisconsin, in general, depressing. I didn't experience Albany, but it is also a large metropolitan city close to many other large cities (2-3 hours from New York City and Boston). A med student could take advantage of Albany and the other resources nearby, surrounded by a more heterogenous population. Similar opportunities exist at MCW, but I would be more excited to partake in them at Albany b/c of the location.

MCW does not compare well to Minnesota, or Wisconsin even. MCW and Albany are comparable. I declined Albany b/c of a lower quality program with less flexibility and a significantly higher cost. It would be difficult to find any applicant that would choose Albany or MCW over Minnesota (or Wisconsin).

 

[latinabelle]

MCW has such a friendly environment and very supportive services to students. They also have many research opportunities, a highly ranked childrens hospital, and professors also seemed very supportive and approachable. In addition, their new curriculum features "pathways" which allows you to train in a specific area of interest (global health, physician/scientist, etc). When I interviewed I felt like they really wanted me there and the students seemed very happy with their education. MCW is also one of my top contenders.

I would def choose MCW. Good luck!

 

[drizzt3117]

Again, it's personal preference. I find Wisconsin, in general, depressing. I didn't experience Albany but it is also a large metropolitan city close to many other large cities (2-3 hours from New York City and Boston). A med student could take advantage of Albany and the other resources nearby, surrounded by a more heterogenous population. Similar opportunities exist at MCW, but I would be more excited to partake in them at Albany b/c of the location.

Albany is a pretty long drive from either NYC or Boston, I went to ug in Boston and it took 3 hours going pretty fast to get there when we went for a conference. It's about the same distance from NYC but upstate NY gets a LOT of snow, and it'd prolly take much longer than that to get anywhere.

I HAVE been to both cities, and while Milwaukee isn't anywhere near ny favorite city, Albany and Milwaukee are not comparable cities. Milwaukee is 2-3x the size and has a far more diverse patient population. I can definitely see someone from say NYC choosing Albany due to location bc of proximity to family or whatever, but in terms of absolute location it's hardly comparable in terms of patient population, nightlife, etc. MCW is usually on the cusp of the top 50 in terms of NIH funding. I wouldn't call it a research powerhouse but it certainly has ample opportunities for someone interested in academic medicine. With it having a decently long history and big class size, there are actually a lot of highly placed alumni in very competitive fields around the US (I was pretty surprised by this too)

MCW does not compare well to Minnesota, or Wisconsin even. MCW and Albany are comparable. I declined Albany b/c of a lower quality program with less flexibility and a significantly higher cost. It would be difficult to find any applicant that would choose Albany or MCW over Minnesota (or Wisconsin).

 

[Suenya]

I cancelled my MCW interview after I heard back from Albany. I prefer the Albany program, at least on paper, but I would have interviewed and given MCW a chance to win me over if it wasn't for location.