Baylor v.s. Cornell

[TexasTriathlete]

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If you're going to base your decision on where you're going to live, think about where you're actually going to live: the library.

Unless there is something very specific you're looking at, neither school will offer better opportunities than the other. Nothing can touch the TMC, but I'm sure cornell has excellent facilities too.

I say Baylor, based simply on cost.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I should also add that I saw No Country For Old Men and loved it. One of the best flicks I've ever seen. But anyone who sees it and thinks that is what Texas is like, and not wanting to live there because of it, is about as smart as someone who wouldn't want to live in LA because they saw The Terminator.

 

[OncoCaP]

Baylor's a great school. I know nothing about Cornell, but you can visit cold places during your vacations. The rest of the time, there is plenty to do in Houston and your classmates are from all over the world (and all over the U.S.). As people have said, TMC is an amazing place to learn with plenty of physicians who like to teach ... very motiviating. I scrubbed into a surgery my first fall here. We get a lot of clinical training early on so that when we get to clinics we are better prepared. The courses are well designed and you have many opportunities to explore your interests from international health (e.g., AIDS treatment) to cancer research. The weather's nice and warm also. Your family would be close by, which is nice. You can go to the beach, go boating, go out to clubs, check out museums, and watch sports of your choice (pro basketball, baseball, football). It's cheap to live here, and the people are very nice. Austin is two hours away if you like the 6th Street, Hippie Hollow, etc. (not my thing, but just giving options). Obviously you should pick what is best for you. There is a lot to like about Baylor anyway. Half day classes, plenty of flexibility, and an airport to take to the places you really want to visit during your breaks.

 

[OncoCaP]

Pretty sure Baylor has a second weekend, however I wonder when schools start sending this info to accepted students.

Unless they changed the process since last year, the second look weekends are only for certain out-of-state and minority students. There was a lunch for students who live in Houston. However, our incoming class had get-togethers that we organized ourselves through SDN and facebook. If you need more information (another visit, etc.) I would recommend contacting admissions.

 

[TheRealMD]

Unless they changed the process since last year, the second look weekends are only for certain out-of-state and minority students. There was a lunch for students who live in Houston. However, our incoming class had get-togethers that we organized ourselves through SDN and facebook. If you need more information (another visit, etc.) I would recommend contacting admissions.

Mmm, I'll definitely be getting in touch with them. 👍

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Who the hell goes to hippie hollow? I've lived here 12 years, and never been there. As for 6th street, its just bars. There are bars everywhere. That's more for the undergrad crowd. I can't imagine anyone who is in med school would come to Austin for either of those things. But there are plenty of other reasons to go to Austin. It is a cool town.

 

[nomoreplz]

Who the hell goes to hippie hollow? I've lived here 12 years, and never been there. As for 6th street, its just bars. There are bars everywhere. That's more for the undergrad crowd. I can't imagine anyone who is in med school would come to Austin for either of those things. But there are plenty of other reasons to go to Austin. It is a cool town.

Yeah that's what I was thinking. LOTS of other, better reasons. Oh god, I'm going to miss it so much, why isn't there a medical school in our state capital? Weh.

 

[cleareyedguy]

I decided which medical school to attend over 20 years ago but have had extended affiliations with Baylor and Cornell and couldn't resist jumping in.

A couple of corrections/thoughts:

1. Both places have active MD/PhD programs. Cornell's is 15/101 students, and the tri-institutional program (Rockefeller/MSKCC/Cornell) has enormous resources. So does Baylor.

2. Cornell's match list is probably more impressive, though I'd guess that the most pertinent variable is that most of the most impressive residencies are on the coasts, and Baylor students are more likely than Cornell students to look at programs in Texas and the midwest.

3. Cornell is probably harder to get into, but Baylor is consistently more highly rated. Cornell could easily fill its class with students from just the Ivy League without dropping its average GPA below 3.7, and their admissions committee works reasonably hard to maintain diversity of background. Baylor does not get applications from virtually all the best Harvard/Yale/Princeton students, like Cornell does, but Baylor does get applications from all the best Texans and a nice smattering of really great students from around the country. In regards to diversity, both schools (like almost all schools) are somewhat geographically homogeneous. For Baylor, I'd underline that a third of the students are out of state and that another chunk are instaters who have had significant experience outside the state (ie, their classes are much more diverse than those of other Texas medical schools). For Cornell, I'd underline that the NY metropolitan area produces lots of types of people.

4. New York is unique and better than the movies. If it's real outdoors that you want, an hour or two on a train will get you to beautiful beaches or mountains.

5. Houston is NOT hot and humid 9 months a year. It is unpleasant--to me at least--in July and August. The rest of the year is quite nice, and I enjoyed the opportunity to play tennis in January and February; try that outside in NYC in the winter.

6. Houston has more culture than is being reported in this thread. There are few medical students who are going to be more artsy than the offerings.

7. While there are quite a few Texans who are hyperChristian, hyperconservative, hypermaterialistic, antigay, and fearful of all things foreign, they tend not to congregate in the Texas Medical Center (the biggest medical center in the world).

8. Match and future career have almost everything to do with you rather than with whether you went to one of these two schools.