ATTN: interviewing at NYU and Columbia - Hotel question

[RSXer]

I have an interview at NYU on a Thursday and a Columbia interview on the next day (FridaY).

I was wondering if anyone else is in the same situation. And if so, how do you plan on handling accomodations? Are the schools close enough to stay in one hotel for both interviews? Or would it be better if I made arrangements with hotels near each individual dental school?

thanks.

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[UBTom]

Heya RSXer,

Glad to hear you are visiting my hometown!

If you stay at a midtown Holiday Inn (say the one on 32nd Street) you should be able to reach both schools by Subway. Take the West Side IRT (#1/#9 trains) uptown to Columbia Presbyterian near the George Washington Bridge. For NYUCD, take the East Side IRT (#4/#5/#6 train) downtown to 23rd Street/Park Avenue and walk over to 24th Street/1st Avenue (NYUCD Kriser building). I would budget about 40min to 1hr for both train rides, maybe a bit more if you are afraid of getting lost. You could take a cab too, but Manhattan traffic being what it is, I would prefer the subways.

And if anyone is applying to all three NYC-area dental schools, you can get to Stony from there too-- IRT to Penn Station on 34th Street and get on the Long Island Rail Road to Stony Brook. 2 hours.

New York, New York.. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere! (apologies to Frank Sinatra. Heh heh)

Good luck!

P.S. if the station you got off at is named Coney Island, you know you are lost. (sorry, couldn't resist!)

 

[juan7677]

Hey RSXer. I'm in the same situation as you. I have NYU on thurs (11/21) and Columbia on Friday (11/22).


UBTom,

I have interviews in New York as stated above but I also have a Tufts interview in Boston on Monday (11/25). So I was wondering if I was to take a train from New York to Boston, how long would it take? Someone told me it takes like 4 to 5 hours. Is this correct? So I plan to go to Boston from new york Sunday. I was just wondering which subway do I need to take?

 

[RSXer]

Hey Juan! Mine is on 11/7 and 11/8. I'll let you know how it goes. hmmmmm. I wonder if anyone has been good enough to put up a Columbia Interview Feedback thread or NYU Interview Feedback thread yet.

 

[UBTom]

Hey Juan,

Welcome to my hometown too!

Amtrak's NE Corridor Acela Express service goes through Penn Station on 34th Street/8th Avenue. Penn Station is reachable by subway yep, especially if you stay at a Midtown Manhattan hotel. The IND (E-train) stops right at Penn Station, or you can take the West Side IRT (#1/#2/#3/#9 trains) to 34th Street/7th Ave and walk over.

Be advised Amtrak is still ironing out the bugs on its new Acela trains, so expect delays if you want to take it from NYC to Boston. 3-4 hours sounds about right.

Good luck the both of you on your interviews! New York is a great place for dental school.

 

[UBTom]

Oh!

I almost forgot. Guys, if you are going to stay in Midtown Manhattan and plan on taking the subways, be sure to check out the NYC Subway Map here:

Metropolitan Transit Authority NYC Subway Map

Basically you guys want to concentrate on the left side of the map-- The island of Manhattan. Columbia would be near the northern tip of Manhattan (168 St on the red West Side IRT line) while NYU is on the middle right side of Manhattan "23 st" on the green East Side IRT line.

Penn station is on the extreme left side around the middle -- "34 st Penn Sta"

HTH!

 

[RSXer]

Thanx UBTom for all the info. This is some good stuff. Do you think that taking a cab to the interviews wil be more reliable/faster than the subway? How much more expensive you think it'll be? Just checking out all my options.

 

[UBTom]

Hey there RSXer,

Well... Manhattan is legendary for its gridlock. It's really bad around rush hour (6AM - 10AM in the mornings, 4PM - 6PM in the evening) when 2 million cars are trying to either cram themselves into the 20-square-mile island or trying to get out. During those times it can be unpredictable when taking a cab. Expect to fork out anywhere from $15 to $25 for a cab, depending on how long you are stuck in traffic.

I think the subway is probably the fastest way to get around-- When I was an undergrad at Columbia I tried to drive in to school one day and I was late for class by about 1.5 hours.

Subway rides cost $1.50 per. You can buy a Metrocard pass with a number of rides on it too.

HTH!

 

[ALI]

Hi guys
Juan, I am also planning Boston (Tuft)- NY( NYU) back to back interviews. If anyone could help us plan the trip or give us some suggestion that would be great. I have never taken train and have never been to those cities. I am looking forward to the trip though.

 

[UBTom]

And while I'm at it...

Welcome to my home town too, ALI! Hope you find your New York experience enjoyable.

 

[Pi__Guy1]

Time to chime in...

Whew! D1s have a little break here...no exams/quizzes until Thursday. The Sh1t is hittin' the fan right now....we have at least 1 exam and 2 quizzes every week....at least!
Anyways, I don't know about you guys, but I hate taking the subway. Must be a Chicago thing b/c I'd rather fork over the $10-15 and pay for convenience. True, the subway costs $1.50, but the Lexington 6 train will be packed w/ commuters.

Plus, getting off the 23rd street will require an additional 5-10 minute walk. I don't know...if you're takin the subway tho, just make sure u know what you're doin (ie: physically map it out the night before)

Good luck and enjoy undergrad life as long as you can!

 

[sallycinnamon]

hi all,

i know that if you go to nyc chinatown and boston chinatown, they have several trips that go back and forth everyday for a price range of 10 - 25$ one way. it's depends on the time you choose to leave and if you choose the small buses or the big ones (like greyhound/peterpan). i think it's cheaper if you leave nyc/bos in the morning. the trip takes about 4 - 5 hrs depends on traffic. boston is pretty easy to get around w the T system. hope that helps.

- sallyc!

 

[anu]

goto www. entertainmentour.com , watch a movie while u travel ,40$ round trip ,takes 4and half hrs to get to boston.. relaxing , boston is easy cool place , take taxi wherever u go good part is TUFTS IS RIGHT NEXT TO SOUTH STATION so charges for taxi are pretty less...well everything is small .. do go to harvard square if u get time.. boston has too many schools..good luck all!!!

 

[angelalee]

Hi, may I ask when did you submit your applications for all the dental schools? When did you get the invitation for interviews? many thanks for your information.

Originally posted by juan7677
Hey RSXer. I'm in the same situation as you. I have NYU on thurs (11/21) and Columbia on Friday (11/22).


UBTom,

I have interviews in New York as stated above but I also have a Tufts interview in Boston on Monday (11/25). So I was wondering if I was to take a train from New York to Boston, how long would it take? Someone told me it takes like 4 to 5 hours. Is this correct? So I plan to go to Boston from new york Sunday. I was just wondering which subway do I need to take?

 

[juan7677]

Hey angela. I submitted my application on june 23. I got my first invitation for interview early september from Temple. And I just got the interviews from Columbia, NYU and Tufts a week or two ago.

 

[angelalee]

Hi, Juan7677, thank you for your reply. I wonder what program you are applying for? Is it advanced standing or the four year DDS/DMD program?

Originally posted by juan7677
Hey angela. I submitted my application on june 23. I got my first invitation for interview early september from Temple. And I just got the interviews from Columbia, NYU and Tufts a week or two ago.

 

[angelalee]

hello, I am a new user here, how can I reply without quote the original post? Thanks!

Originally posted by UBTom
And while I'm at it...

Welcome to my home town too, ALI! Hope you find your New York experience enjoyable.

 

[Qoo]

i'm going to Columbia next friday for the interview... can somebody tell me how to get from La Guardia airport to the Bard Hall (where I'll be staying the night before interview)? If i choose to take the cab, how much is that going to cost? Is there a bus that takes people directly from airport to the dental school? Thanks for the help!

~Qoo

 

[UBTom]

Hi Qoo,

Problem with both New York City airports is that they are far away from any subway stations, so you will be best off taking a cab.

Bard Hall is on Haven Avenue and 169th Street (2 blocks west on 169th Street from Broadway, the main north-south thoroughfare of that neighborhood) at the Columbia Presbyterian campus. Figger about 30-40 minutes by cab from La Guardia, probably about $25.

Good luck and hope you have a good time in my home town!


to Angelalee:

Welcome to the community and hope you enjoy all it has to offer. When replying use the POST REPLY button near the bottom of the page rather than the QUOTE button, and you will be able to reply without quoting a post. Good luck!

 

[dent-2002]

First, you don't need to take a cab from the airport to the city. You may get ripped off. You can just take one of the Carey buses that stop at Penn Station or Grand Central.

There's a good cheap (for Manhattan) hotel in midtown called the Herald Square Hotel near Macy's for about $50-75. There's a Comfort Inn on the upper West side near 96th street for $99. NYU Dental is way on the east side of town, a little far from the subway.

I'd say cab it outside of rush hour. ( trains are less frequent during midday) and take the subway during rush hour when traffic is really bad. Of course if it rains or if you want to be fresh, i'd say cab it. But the cab up to Columbia may be a little pricey from midtown/ downtown.

And take the bus to Boston to save a little money. I believe the train is only marginally cheper than a flight!