Baylor v.s. Cornell

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Hey guys, I found out yesturday that I've been accepted to Baylor and Cornell (I'm super excited:banana:), but I love both schools. I live in NJ, but my mom and 3 siblings moved to Houston.....I don't know where I want to go more...both are just so amazing....Please let me know what you all think (and give your reason)....much appreciated....
 
Dr O said:
Hey guys, I found out yesturday that I've been accepted to Baylor and Cornell (I'm super excited:banana:), but I love both schools. I live in NJ, but my mom and 3 siblings moved to Houston.....I don't know where I want to go more...both are just so amazing....Please let me know what you all think (and give your reason)....much appreciated....
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So you're asking whether you should have steak or lobster for dinner? You need your own reasons, since you'll be devoting the next four years to one of these institutions. Do second looks, consider the opportunities, and set your priorities. Anonymous internet advice isn't the best solution to your "quandary".
 
Baylor because of the weather and tuition...
 
im assuming you are asking which is better?

i would go with Cornell...gotta love New York City

then again, Baylor has yet to give me a chance to see Houston or the school itself....
 
Thank you Quix
 
midn said:
Isn't Baylor cheaper?
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Yeah, Baylor is cheaper and the cost of living is also cheaper....but I was just so impressed with Cornell when I interviewed there....I'm also a bit torn b/w my boyfriend who lives in NJ and my family in TX
 
yea this is more of your own decision clearly
 
Dr O said:
Yeah, Baylor is cheaper and the cost of living is also cheaper....but I was just so impressed with Cornell when I interviewed there....I'm also a bit torn b/w my boyfriend who lives in NJ and my family in TX
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I'm not an expert on this subject, but I heard that you shouldn't really be weighing your boyfriend as a significant factor. Either way, whichever you choose, Baylor or Cornell, you'll have to sacrifice distance to either your family or your boyfriend. Personally, I would much rather be closer to my family if that was the sole deciding factor, but there are plenty of other things to consider.

It sounds like you liked Cornell a lot. If you're a Nor' Easter, you may not like the South too much. It's hot and humid in Houston throughout most the year. Also, mass transit here is not as good; you will most likely need a car if you plan on going places.

Baylor and Cornell are comparably ranked so there are ample opportunities at either school. What you need to do is sit down and think about what opportunities you want and where you would like to live for the next four years. Additionally, you can post in the Baylor and Cornell acceptance threads in the Allopathic forum and ask them to sell their school to you. Be warned though, people don't like the schools they are committed to attending to be disparaged. As always, take their advice and any advice here with a grain of salt.
 
midn said:
I'm not an expert on this subject, but I heard that you shouldn't really be weighing your boyfriend as a significant factor. Either way, whichever you choose, Baylor or Cornell, you'll have to sacrifice distance to either your family or your boyfriend. Personally, I would much rather be closer to my family if that was the sole deciding factor, but there are plenty of other things to consider.

It sounds like you liked Cornell a lot. If you're a Nor' Easter, you may not like the South too much. It's hot and humid in Houston throughout most the year. Also, mass transit here is not as good; you will most likely need a car if you plan on going places.

Baylor and Cornell are comparably ranked so there are ample opportunities at either school. What you need to do is sit down and think about what opportunities you want and where you would like to live for the next four years. Additionally, you can post in the Baylor and Cornell acceptance threads in the Allopathic forum and ask them to sell their school to you. Be warned though, people don't like the schools they are committed to attending to be disparaged. As always, take their advice and any advice here with a grain of salt.
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Thank you for the advice Midn,.....the boyfriend thing will not influence my decision too much....I guess I should make a list of the things I really liked about each school and do the second-look weekends....


Also, does anyone know if Baylor has a second-look weekend and if they usually cover the cost of traveling for OOS students?
 
baylor just because i have a love affair with the school after my interview a year ago and what my friends who go there tell me. new york has never been my thing tho.
 
as someone who has lived in texas for most of his life and went to school in houston, i would do anything to go to cornell (unless cost is MAJOR concern for you). although houston is the 4th largest city, it really doesnt feel like it cuz you hardly get to step outside 3/4 of the year due to the humidity. also, the class at baylor is still majority texans (with a bunch of Rice students) so it doesnt seem as "diverse" to me as some of the other schools.
 
If I were in your position I would choose baylor. I hope I get in there when I end up applying. Unless I visit and hate it there are very few schools that would dissuade me from attending baylor if I am lucky enough to be accepted.
 
I haven't been to Cornell, but I do know how awesome Baylor is.

Here are some of my reasons for liking it:

*cheap tuition
*low cost of living
*awesome and friendly people.
*innovative curriculum (1.5 years preclinical, 2.5 clinical)
*the Texas Medical Center
*the "track" options if you've already decided you're interested in one of the areas they cover. (i.e. underserved, research, international)
*abundance of good quality mexican food and barbecue in the vicinity
 
Jolie South said:
I haven't been to Cornell, but I do know how awesome Baylor is.

Here are some of my reasons for liking it:

*cheap tuition
*low cost of living
*awesome and friendly people.
*innovative curriculum (1.5 years preclinical, 2.5 clinical)
*the Texas Medical Center
*the "track" options if you've already decided you're interested in one of the areas they cover. (i.e. underserved, research, international)
*abundance of good quality mexican food and barbecue in the vicinity
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I've been accepted to both and I must echo everything Jolie South said in regards to Baylor (the Texas Medical Center is like a city of hospitals; it is the must incredible clinical setup I've seen in my interview experiences).

Then again, NYC >>> Houston IMO (though I don't *think* Houston is bad, I am not a fan of the South..ha).

Either way, you can't really go wrong 🙂. Good luck and maybe I'll see you at the revisit weekends!
 
Jolie South said:
i won't be upset if you decide you hate texas and choose cornell. that would leave one more spot for me at baylor.😀
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Haha, I will be sure to keep SDN updated. But honestly, I think you will be accepted without me having to give up anything 🙂.
 
RandomBlackManX said:
Haha, I will be sure to keep SDN updated. But honestly, I think you will be accepted without me having to give up anything 🙂.
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let's hope. i'm trying to be patient understanding full well that i'm not high on the stats end.

when all the super high gpa/mcat, high priority candidates decide that they hate texas, i'll be waiting. 🙂
 
I loved loved loved both schools when I went. I can't get Baylor out of my head. They are hating on me for some reason. I'm going to reiterate a couple of points from above:

BAYLOR!:

I'm from Houston, so the humidity doesn't bother me that much. Please. I think it's a lot easier to get used to the heat than to get used to the freezing cold, but that's me. Your hair will probably be frizzier though, haha.

Plus:
CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP
fantastic school
TMC
tracks
1.5 years instead of 2 <---- this is way awesome, if you ask me.
low cost of living
i do love texas. having grown up here, i just do.
i'd actually count the weather as a plus, but that's me
i've always thought that the reason houston is a "fat" city is because there are so many amazing restaurants. we can't help it. eat.

Minuses:
Diversity of the student population. Someone mentioned that there are a bunch of Rice kids, lol. I'm just thinking that it'd be like UT all over again....tons of kids from Houston/Dallas. But if you're not from Texas, who cares? It would just be same old same old for me.

Uh.....are there any more minuses? Houston is NOT NYC. Nothing like it. At all.

Cornell:

Pluses: Dude, I don't even remember, I just remember really liking it when I was there. I think they had lots of PBL, lots of international opportunities, and the students were rad.
NYC - to me, this is an amazing plus. The patient diversity in NYC is incomparable if you ask me. And, even though I am a Texan through and through, I've always had a love affair with the big apple. It doesn't make any sense but there it is. I love that mass transportation. And vibrant city-ness.

For you: BF in New Jersey. That's a hell of a lot closer to NY than to Texas. If you guys are super serious, this does matter, I don't care what people think.

Minuses:
Cost, cost, cost
Cost.
 
I vote for Cornell. The med schools are comparable. New York is one of the great cities of the world and Houston really really sucks. And contrary to popular opinion, you do not spend your entire life at the med school. Plus Baylor is pretty much Texans, pretty boring, not the most interesting mix of students. Bush is from Texas. So yeah, buck up, and go to New York. You will be glad you did.
 
searun said:
I vote for Cornell. The med schools are comparable. New York is one of the great cities of the world and Houston really really sucks. And contrary to popular opinion, you do not spend your entire life at the med school. Plus Baylor is pretty much Texans, pretty boring, not the most interesting mix of students. Bush is from Texas. So yeah, buck up, and go to New York. You will be glad you did.
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Dude. I hate this argument:

Bush is from Texas. Therefore, all Texans are [insert whatever you think of Bush.]

Contrary to popular belief, we are not ALL Republicans, we are not ALL fans of Bush, and we are not DEFINED by having produced him. Jesus. Back the **** off.

The other points are pretty valid. We are not NYC, and there will be bunches of Texans there. Balance that against all that cheap education, I don't know where you end up.
 
nomoreplz said:
Dude. I hate this argument:

Bush is from Texas. Therefore, all Texans are [insert whatever you think of Bush.]

Contrary to popular belief, we are not ALL Republicans, we are not ALL fans of Bush, and we are not DEFINED by having produced him. Jesus. Back the **** off.

The other points are pretty valid. We are not NYC, and there will be bunches of Texans there. Balance that against all that cheap education, I don't know where you end up.
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You are not proud of Bush? Sorry, he is your guy and your former govenor. He is a joke, so I can understand why you don't want the guilt by association. The Texas State Legislature is even worse than Bush. But I concede that Texas is more efficient at administering capital punishment than any other state or country on the planet. If you love lethal injections, Texas is nirvana. I miss the newspaper columns about Texas by Molly Ivins. I grant you, Baylor is a fine medical school, but seriously, I would go crazy if I had to live in Texas for 4 years. Thank god, I don't. And now even Roger Clemens has had his halo knocked off. Yeah, the 45 year old with the 95 mph fast ball, sure with a needle stuck in his butt.
 
He is in no way "my guy" if I didn't vote for him. You make no sense. I'm personally quite glad you're staying clear of my state.
 
Just a correction on the Baylor curriculum that TheLesPauls had corrected me on also: you have basic science half-days during your clinical rotations to make up for that missing half semester of basic sciences. It's not like Duke where they just compress things more.

Anyways, debate on.
 
searun said:
You are not proud of Bush? Sorry, he is your guy and your former govenor. He is a joke, so I can understand why you don't want the guilt by association. The Texas State Legislature is even worse than Bush. But I concede that Texas is more efficient at administering capital punishment than any other state or country on the planet. If you love lethal injections, Texas is nirvana. I miss the newspaper columns about Texas by Molly Ivins. I grant you, Baylor is a fine medical school, but seriously, I would go crazy if I had to live in Texas for 4 years. Thank god, I don't. And now even Roger Clemens has had his halo knocked off. Yeah, the 45 year old with the 95 mph fast ball, sure with a needle stuck in his butt.
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well, we're all glad that you'll be avoiding our fine state.

didn't anyone tell you the reason why we have so many med schools? we need all the medically trained people we can get to fill the "executioner" positions in our prisons. 🙄
 
searun said:
You are not proud of Bush? Sorry, he is your guy and your former govenor. He is a joke, so I can understand why you don't want the guilt by association. The Texas State Legislature is even worse than Bush. But I concede that Texas is more efficient at administering capital punishment than any other state or country on the planet. If you love lethal injections, Texas is nirvana. I miss the newspaper columns about Texas by Molly Ivins. I grant you, Baylor is a fine medical school, but seriously, I would go crazy if I had to live in Texas for 4 years. Thank god, don't. And now even Roger Clemens has had his halo knocked off. Yeah, the 45 year old with the 95 mph fast ball, sure with a needle stuck in his butt.
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What a joke. Have you even visited TX? Not everyone here is the stereotypical Bible-thumping, Bush-supporting, semi-literate hooligan that you make them out to be. Many of us happen to be very open-minded and liberal, and while we're in the minority for our political beliefs, I've never once felt ostracized because of my political affiliations. Texans come in all colors, so please don't pass judgment of how we're like before you even give it a chance.

And c'mon, attacking us because of a former governor? How low can you get? He's also your current president. Do you think any less of yourself because of this association?
 
To the OP:

NYC is amazing, but Baylor is a financial bargain. So, you'd have to decide what's more to you: living in an urban dreamland or graduating with less debt?
 
Houston kinda sucks and I lived there for enough years of my life but I would be veeeery happy to get into baylor 👍 Plus if I decide to stay in texas I can always escape to austin which is a cool city.

Houston always wins when you consider COL and tuition.
 
Drogba said:
Houston kinda sucks and I lived there for enough years of my life but I would be veeeery happy to get into baylor 👍 Plus if I decide to stay in texas I can always escape to austin which is a cool city.

Houston always wins when you consider COL and tuition.
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COL? Cost of Location?

If you're going to use acronyms, use popular ones. Way to be ambiguous. :meanie:
 
I would probably do Baylor since they have an MD/MPH program and Cornell does not. I would say Cornell probably has more biomedical research opportunities. On the other hand, Texas blows and especially Houston (Austin is the only great city in Texas), so that's also something to consider. Last, Baylor is much cheaper. None of this hasn't already been said, though. Good luck!
 
synth said:
I would probably do Baylor since they have an MD/MPH program and Cornell does not. I would say Cornell probably has more biomedical research opportunities. On the other hand, Texas blows and especially Houston (Austin is the only great city in Texas), so that's also something to consider. Last, Baylor is much cheaper. None of this hasn't already been said, though. Good luck!
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I'd like to repeat that Texas does not, entirely, blow. YAR.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Baylor lack an MD/MPH program right now? I know you can leave Baylor and go get your MPH, but they have no joint program as of this moment. It's important to me too, and I'm pretty sure they are working out a deal with the school in Houston but it's not set yet.
 
nomoreplz said:
I'd like to repeat that Texas does not, entirely, blow. YAR.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Baylor lack an MD/MPH program right now? I know you can leave Baylor and go get your MPH, but they have no joint program as of this moment. It's important to me too, and I'm pretty sure they are working out a deal with the school in Houston but it's not set yet.
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Does rice offer an MPH? Why don't they hook something up with them. They love eachother so much as it is anyway.

I would never even think about moving back to houston if it wasn't for the COL and the TMC. I wonder how easy it is to break into the Austin market though. The one thing that still sucks about Austin and texas in general is that it is so far away from any other significant cultural center. That's the real beauty of the NE, it is concentrated, like Europe.
 
Drogba said:
Does rice offer an MPH? Why don't they hook something up with them. They love eachother so much as it is anyway.

I would never even think about moving back to houston if it wasn't for the COL and the TMC. I wonder how easy it is to break into the Austin market though. The one thing that still sucks about Austin and texas in general is that it is so far away from any other significant cultural center. That's the real beauty of the NE, it is concentrated, like Europe.
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Yeah. I'm from Houston too. I wouldn't move back if it weren't for the TMC. But for someone who didn't grow up there, I think Houston is an ok place to be. And I don't know about you, but I grew up in the suburbs, which is even less interesting.

Your point about Rice-Baylor love has me running scared. I've always had this notion that the two are connected in some mystical way, and seeing as I was rejected from Rice for undergrad, I harbor this fear that Baylor will axe me as well. ARGH noooooooo

I am pretty sure that Baylor is working out some joint degree plan with the Allied Health whatever, the same people who do the MD/MPH for UTH. Or maybe I'm crazy. Can anyone confirm this? It's not on any info sheets or anything, this is just what I remember from asking my interviewer.
 
nomoreplz said:
I'd like to repeat that Texas does not, entirely, blow. YAR.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Baylor lack an MD/MPH program right now? I know you can leave Baylor and go get your MPH, but they have no joint program as of this moment. It's important to me too, and I'm pretty sure they are working out a deal with the school in Houston but it's not set yet.
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I could have sworn AMCAS had the choice of MD/MPH. I suppose I was wrong.

As far as Texas not blowing: I have lived in both Dallas and Austin and have visited Houston. In my opinion, it does indeed blow.

Drogba makes another important point; this is my reason for applying on the east coast, even though I have in-state opportunities in Texas--I could not tolerate staying in Texas, personally. BUT, I am unlike many other Texas applicants, so people shouldn't take just my word for it.
 
nomoreplz said:
I am pretty sure that Baylor is working out some joint degree plan with the Allied Health whatever, the same people who do the MD/MPH for UTH. Or maybe I'm crazy. Can anyone confirm this? It's not on any info sheets or anything, this is just what I remember from asking my interviewer.
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I wouldn't be surprised. By the way, nice app. Wish I had your MCAT. I bet I've seen you in SOPHS meetings (though I never went too frequently), that's funny.
 
nomoreplz said:
Yeah. I'm from Houston too. I wouldn't move back if it weren't for the TMC. But for someone who didn't grow up there, I think Houston is an ok place to be. And I don't know about you, but I grew up in the suburbs, which is even less interesting.
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Personally I can't imagine anyone without a connection to Houston wanting to go there. I lived in the SE suburbs and in central houston for about equal time. What suburbs were you in? Houston has some decent areas that's unquestionable. It has great food and a pretty decent art scene. As a whole I think it kind of sucks though. I'm not a big fan of spread out cities with no foot traffic either.

Your point about Rice-Baylor love has me running scared. I've always had this notion that the two are connected in some mystical way, and seeing as I was rejected from Rice for undergrad, I harbor this fear that Baylor will axe me as well. ARGH noooooooo

I am pretty sure that Baylor is working out some joint degree plan with the Allied Health whatever, the same people who do the MD/MPH for UTH. Or maybe I'm crazy. Can anyone confirm this? It's not on any info sheets or anything, this is just what I remember from asking my interviewer.
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Is baylor your top choice? I think it would be awesome if Baylor teamed up with Rice for some social science/MD programs. They are both outstanding institutions with good resources.

synth said:
I could have sworn AMCAS had the choice of MD/MPH. I suppose I was wrong.

As far as Texas not blowing: I have lived in both Dallas and Austin and have visited Houston. In my opinion, it does indeed blow.
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I've only been to dallas a couple of times and not for long but it seemed like it sucked at least if not more than houston. What is your impression being in the reverse circumstance of visiting houston and living in dallas? Would you live in Austin post-MD?
 
Drogba said:
I've only been to dallas a couple of times and not for long but it didn't seemed like it sucked at least if not more than houston. What is your impression being in the reverse circumstance of visiting houston and living in dallas? Would you live in Austin post-MD?
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Houston seemed about the same to me as Dallas, and this seems to be the impression I get from other people who have lived in Houston. My problem with Dallas is the political/cultural atmosphere (and the suburbs are even worse, in my opinion), and this is the reason I would probably not want to go to UTSW, nor Baylor.

Yes, I would live in Austin post-MD, if such allowed for me to pursue my career goals at that time. Austin is a wonderful city, but I think one of the only good places in Texas. Still, I personally think I need to experience a new cultural milieu. I will definitely keep my Austin in mind for the future, though, and I recommend it to anyone.
 
synth said:
Houston seemed about the same to me as Dallas, and this seems to be the impression I get from other people who have lived in Houston. My problem with Dallas is the political/cultural atmosphere (and the suburbs are even worse, in my opinion), and this is the reason I would probably not want to go to UTSW, nor Baylor.

Yes, I would live in Austin post-MD, if such allowed for me to pursue my career goals at that time. Austin is a wonderful city, but I think one of the only good places in Texas. Still, I personally think I need to experience a new cultural milieu. I will definitely keep my Austin in mind for the future, though, and I recommend it to anyone.
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Yeah this is one of the biggest drawbacks. I wonder if the cultures of the schools are congruent with the broader city culture. Probably...
 
Drogba said:
Yeah this is one of the biggest drawbacks. I wonder if the cultures of the schools are congruent with the broader city culture. Probably...
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I'm sure there is some disjunction between the culture of the school and the culture of the city in which it is situated, but I am also certain that the culture of the city also irrevocably influences the culture of the school itself. And that is my main point of contention: I think these cultures cannot be altogether separated, and that the academic perspectives, especially within the domain of public health, will be affected, and that is a serious problem for me. I also think that others that I would know outside of the medical school might have less enthusiasm/understanding for the kind of research I want to do in medical school than I might otherwise encounter in other city environments, particularly on the east coast or California.

But hey, these are not concerns for most people, so Baylor/Houston is probably a great school/city for a lot of people.
 
synth said:
I'm sure there is some disjunction between the culture of the school and the culture of the city in which it is situated, but I am also certain that the culture of the city also irrevocably influences the culture of the school itself. And that is my main point of contention: I think these cultures cannot be altogether separated, and that the academic perspectives, especially within the domain of public health, will be affected, and that is a serious problem for me. I also think that others that I would know outside of the medical school might have less enthusiasm/understanding for the kind of research I want to do in medical school than I might otherwise encounter in other city environments, particularly on the east coast or California.

But hey, these are not concerns for most people, so Baylor/Houston is probably a great school/city for a lot of people.
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What type of research are you looking to do in med school? Are you going to build on your undergrad work or do you plan on going in a different direction and exploring different topics?
 
Drogba said:
What type of research are you looking to do in med school? Are you going to build on your undergrad work or do you plan on going in a different direction and exploring different topics?
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Probably different topics, though there will be some continuity. I continue to find new chapters I want to include in my thesis, which I may not have time for. A lot of the questions, and even subdisciplines, that are peripheral to my undergrad research will be wonderful areas to explore.

As you know, though, one's research directions are in large part dependent upon the acquisition of a mentor and where his/her expertise and interests lie, so it will depend partly upon the resources that are available. I also don't know how my perspective will change over my time off if this cycle is unsuccessful. I will probably take off two years (partly to bolster my app so this does not happen again), so lots could change as I work in health care environments, learn more "on the ground," and continue to read more.
 
Just thought I'd mention this. . .

at Baylor there is the option for an MD/MBA and MD/JD. I think they are working on the MD/MPH thought I don't know who the affiliation is with.

for the JD, it's a collaboration with the South Texas Law Center.

for the MBA, I can't remember if it's rice or Univ. of Houston.
 
I hate Dallas. Worse than Houston if you ask me.
 
nomoreplz said:
I hate Dallas. Worse than Houston if you ask me.
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Yeah that was my impression and what everyone from houston says. That's why I was looking to see what someone from dallas thought.
 
I'd vote Cornell, but that's just because I'm not huge on Texas. :meanie: Truth be told, though, while you have some very good advice above, this needs to be your decision. Whichever school you pick will get you where you want to go - make sure you're comfortable and will enjoy it! Congratulations and good luck!
 
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