Baylor vs Dell vs NYU Grossman

[texlonghorn]

I am interested in Ortho or Ophthalmology. I have family (2 siblings + parents) living in Houston and a significant other who will be living in Austin for at least 1 year, but has a somewhat flexible job with remote work on Mondays and Fridays (allowing travel on weekends) and with the possibility (keyword, possibility) to move to other locations after a year. I pre-matched to Baylor, Dell, and UT Southwestern (but not considering UT Southwestern anymore), and also got accepted to NYU Grossman. Part 1 of this is just focused on how to rank the Texas Schools by Friday, and then the 2nd part of this is how to compare the Texas school I match to with NYU and other out-of-state schools (thankfully I have more time for that).

Baylor College of Medicine
Pros

• TMC
• True P/F 1-year pre-clinical + P/F clinical
• Houston campus - Proximity to siblings, parents, and young nephew (would be nice to see him grow up over the next 4 years).
• Temple Campus - A roughly 40-minute drive from my significant other, so not long-distance.
• More established institution than Dell and has better “prestige”. Track record of matching into every specialty.

Cons

• Didn’t like the Temple campus, but would consider it if matched there due to its proximity to SO.
• Roughly 20K tuition per year. (Doesn’t match scholarships so pretty much guaranteed to pay 20k per year).
• Medium-distance with SO: The Houston campus would be about a 3-hour drive from SO, which is the campus I am hoping to match into.

Dell Medical School
Pros

• Went to UT Austin for undergrad, love the institution + city (Currently live with my SO, so we would be able to continue to live together).
• Love the curriculum (the ability to do a year of research would be helpful for competitive specialties).
• The match list for 2023 was really impressive overall, especially for Ortho (4 of 50 students matched at incredible programs such as Harvard and Wash U). However, no students matched for Ophthalmology in the last 2 years (3 years ago someone matched to Penn for Ophthalmology though).
• Apparently have some of the best Step scores in the nation (just heard this from someone, but don’t know how to verify).
• Small 50-person class-size is nice.

Cons

• Subpar clinical sites
• Unranked and not as established a program as Baylor or NYU.
• Roughly 20k tuition (The financial aid director hinted that there was a chance I could get a scholarship post-match. Obviously this is not guaranteed at all, but just an interesting caveat).

NYU Grossman

Pros

• Free tuition + subsidized dorm housing close to hospital & campus.
• A 3-year curriculum is the standard now for all students (with the option to do a research year).
• Can apply to a guaranteed residency at NYU in any specialty (only 1-2 spots per residency per class, so the odds of getting one seem pretty low for Ortho and Optho).
• One of the best Orthopedic residency programs - NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital
• Matches well in every specialty (seems to be mainly in the East Coast though).

Cons

• Not too excited about New York (very far from friends, family, and SO).
• Very long distance from SO.
• Clinicals are on a H/HP/P/F scale (not a deal-breaker, but I've heard having P/F is nice).

Summary: If it came down to Baylor Houston vs NYU, I would consider Baylor even without a scholarship due to proximity to siblings, parents, and nephew. I would also consider Dell Med over NYU but only if they offered a competitive scholarship, which is not likely but possible. I was initially leaning toward Baylor but saw Dell’s 2023 match list and was impressed. I eventually want to live in Texas long-term.

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[burneracc]

I am interested in Ortho or Ophthalmology. I have family (2 siblings + parents) living in Houston and a significant other who will be living in Austin for at least 1 year, but has a somewhat flexible job with remote work on Mondays and Fridays (allowing travel on weekends) and with the possibility (keyword, possibility) to move to other locations after a year. I pre-matched to Baylor, Dell, and UT Southwestern (but not considering UT Southwestern anymore), and also got accepted to NYU Grossman. Part 1 of this is just focused on how to rank the Texas Schools by Friday, and then the 2nd part of this is how to compare the Texas school I match to with NYU and other out-of-state schools (thankfully I have more time for that).

Baylor College of Medicine
Pros

• TMC
• True P/F 1-year pre-clinical + P/F clinical
• Houston campus - Proximity to siblings, parents, and young nephew (would be nice to see him grow up over the next 4 years).
• Temple Campus - A roughly 40-minute drive from my significant other, so not long-distance.
• More established institution than Dell and has better “prestige”. Track record of matching into every specialty.

Cons

• Didn’t like the Temple campus, but would consider it if matched there due to its proximity to SO.
• Roughly 20K tuition per year. (Doesn’t match scholarships so pretty much guaranteed to pay 20k per year).
• Medium-distance with SO: The Houston campus would be about a 3-hour drive from SO, which is the campus I am hoping to match into.

Dell Medical School
Pros

• Went to UT Austin for undergrad, love the institution + city (Currently live with my SO, so we would be able to continue to live together).
• Love the curriculum (the ability to do a year of research would be helpful for competitive specialties).
• The match list for 2023 was really impressive overall, especially for Ortho (4 of 50 students matched at incredible programs such as Harvard and Wash U). However, no students matched for Ophthalmology in the last 2 years (3 years ago someone matched to Penn for Ophthalmology though).
• Apparently have some of the best Step scores in the nation (just heard this from someone, but don’t know how to verify).
• Small 50-person class-size is nice.

Cons

• Subpar clinical sites
• Unranked and not as established a program as Baylor or NYU.
• Roughly 20k tuition (The financial aid director hinted that there was a chance I could get a scholarship post-match. Obviously this is not guaranteed at all, but just an interesting caveat).

NYU Grossman

Pros

• Free tuition + subsidized dorm housing close to hospital & campus.
• A 3-year curriculum is the standard now for all students (with the option to do a research year).
• Can apply to a guaranteed residency at NYU in any specialty (only 1-2 spots per residency per class, so the odds of getting one seem pretty low for Ortho and Optho).
• One of the best Orthopedic residency programs - NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital
• Matches well in every specialty (seems to be mainly in the East Coast though).

Cons

• Not too excited about New York (very far from friends, family, and SO).
• Very long distance from SO.
• Clinicals are on a H/HP/P/F scale (not a deal-breaker, but I've heard having P/F is nice).

Summary: If it came down to Baylor Houston vs NYU, I would consider Baylor even without a scholarship due to proximity to siblings, parents, and nephew. I would also consider Dell Med over NYU but only if they offered a competitive scholarship, which is not likely but possible. I was initially leaning toward Baylor but saw Dell’s 2023 match list and was impressed. I eventually want to live in Texas long-term.

First off, congrats! Those are both amazing choices.

To me, it’s hard to beat NYU the opportunity to graduate earlier, have a guaranteed match (possibly), be debt free, and get to live in NYC for relatively cheaper. On top of that, you’d likely be able to match pretty much wherever you want. However, it’s important not to discount the ability to be close to loved ones. I will be moving with my SO and could not imagine doing school so far away from them.

As far as Baylor and Dell, I would lean towards Baylor given the opportunities associated with the TMC and the Baylor name. If your goal is to match into a Texas residency, I would assume it may be easier to do so from Baylor than it may be from even NYU. If you don’t care so much about academia, it seems like your ability to match strongly in Texas would not be harmed in the slightest by choosing Baylor.

I can’t really speak to the strength of Dell since I am not as familiar with their school.

Truly I don’t think you can go wrong, but it’s worth evaluating what your goals are. If you don’t mind the 80k in debt and aren’t looking to get into a hyper-competitive academic residency, it seems to me like Baylor may make more sense for you so you can be close to your loved ones.

One final thing to consider would be your level of happiness. Again, I have not gone to either school, but it seems to me that the students at Baylor are more relaxed and the atmosphere is nicer, while NYU would be a bit of a harsh transition, especially considering you’re from Texas.

Just my two cents, take them with a grain of salt obviously. Again, congrats on the amazing choices!

Side note: also will very likely be going to Baylor next year and am looking to go into ortho, would love to be able to work together in the future and would love to hear what you end up deciding!

 

[eyeeye_captain]

Congrats. I’m a little old to know about what the curriculums at each school are like, but I can give you an ophtho and big picture perspective.

TL;DR: Old person yells at clouds, Baylor > NYU > Dell

From the ophtho side, it’s Baylor in a landslide. Borderline top 10 department, massive resources, TMC, research opportunities. Regionality is a real thing with programs usually (but not always) leaning more toward taking nearby students or ones with ties to the area, and while Texas programs love Texans, they love Texans who stayed home a hair more. NYU has a solid program per the grads I know, but it’s pretty middle of the pack. My understanding of ortho is limited, but I think it’s the reverse for Baylor based on the Doximity rankings. Dell is so new and small that I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for someone looking at ophtho.

Big picture, if it’s less than a $100k difference in cost of attendance, it’s not going to be a major deal, especially if you do actually wind up in one of those two specialties. Even with subsidized housing, NYC isn’t cheap. Additionally, a 3 year program sounds good, but then you have a year less to do research and network in competitive specialties, and I suspect most NYU folks looking at these are doing a research year, plus you wind up competing with them. The mantra is that people wind up where they train, and to an extent that’s true, but anecdotally at most 20% of people I trained with are within an hour of a city they trained in. Family wins out, so if you were willing to maybe spend some more time on the east coast, you can get back home. Med school is a grind, so mental health is big. NYC is not Texas, and family support is not nothing. Assuming your SO can transfer, which depending on the job can be easier or harder (but is easier in region), I suspect you have your final answer.

Side note, curious about why ortho and ophtho? We’re about as far apart as you can get in terms of surgical cases. We’re talking me peeling a membrane that’s 5 microns (yes, microns) thick vs ortho folks breaking out the drills (though hand does some microsurgery).

 

[tulsajoe94]

Ortho, you’d be fine picking Dell and probably match A-OK! They’ve got stellar mentorship. Dell’s ophtho department uses a specific algorithm to select residents and is not “loyal” to dell students or their partners at all, which I think is a big negative considering the newness of the program. I’d go Baylor > Dell, but maybe still Dell > NYU for proximity to partner.

 

[MercifulCamper]

I feel like NYU and Baylor are just as good of options for you. I understand the pull towards wanting to be at Dell for your SO among other reasons but I don't think Dell will put you in the best position to match either Ortho or Optho compared to NYU or Baylor. Personally, I think its hard to beat NYU: free tuition in this situation, 3 years vs 4 years of school, and a chance to expand your horizons. I've lived in Texas, the East Coast, and am now on the West Coast. It's made me a more well-rounded person and has allowed me to expand my network. I think it's best to train in different locations and get different perspectives on life - especially if there is little cost difference and you are already going to be somewhat long distance from your SO for a year. You'll be fine any way you choose

 

[texlonghorn]

Congrats. I’m a little old to know about what the curriculums at each school are like, but I can give you an ophtho and big picture perspective.

TL;DR: Old person yells at clouds, Baylor > NYU > Dell

From the ophtho side, it’s Baylor in a landslide. Borderline top 10 department, massive resources, TMC, research opportunities. Regionality is a real thing with programs usually (but not always) leaning more toward taking nearby students or ones with ties to the area, and while Texas programs love Texans, they love Texans who stayed home a hair more. NYU has a solid program per the grads I know, but it’s pretty middle of the pack. My understanding of ortho is limited, but I think it’s the reverse for Baylor based on the Doximity rankings. Dell is so new and small that I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for someone looking at ophtho.

Big picture, if it’s less than a $100k difference in cost of attendance, it’s not going to be a major deal, especially if you do actually wind up in one of those two specialties. Even with subsidized housing, NYC isn’t cheap. Additionally, a 3 year program sounds good, but then you have a year less to do research and network in competitive specialties, and I suspect most NYU folks looking at these are doing a research year, plus you wind up competing with them. The mantra is that people wind up where they train, and to an extent that’s true, but anecdotally at most 20% of people I trained with are within an hour of a city they trained in. Family wins out, so if you were willing to maybe spend some more time on the east coast, you can get back home. Med school is a grind, so mental health is big. NYC is not Texas, and family support is not nothing. Assuming your SO can transfer, which depending on the job can be easier or harder (but is easier in region), I suspect you have your final answer.

Side note, curious about why ortho and ophtho? We’re about as far apart as you can get in terms of surgical cases. We’re talking me peeling a membrane that’s 5 microns (yes, microns) thick vs ortho folks breaking out the drills (though hand does some microsurgery

First off, congrats! Those are both amazing choices.

To me, it’s hard to beat NYU the opportunity to graduate earlier, have a guaranteed match (possibly), be debt free, and get to live in NYC for relatively cheaper. On top of that, you’d likely be able to match pretty much wherever you want. However, it’s important not to discount the ability to be close to loved ones. I will be moving with my SO and could not imagine doing school so far away from them.

As far as Baylor and Dell, I would lean towards Baylor given the opportunities associated with the TMC and the Baylor name. If your goal is to match into a Texas residency, I would assume it may be easier to do so from Baylor than it may be from even NYU. If you don’t care so much about academia, it seems like your ability to match strongly in Texas would not be harmed in the slightest by choosing Baylor.

I can’t really speak to the strength of Dell since I am not as familiar with their school.

Truly I don’t think you can go wrong, but it’s worth evaluating what your goals are. If you don’t mind the 80k in debt and aren’t looking to get into a hyper-competitive academic residency, it seems to me like Baylor may make more sense for you so you can be close to your loved ones.

One final thing to consider would be your level of happiness. Again, I have not gone to either school, but it seems to me that the students at Baylor are more relaxed and the atmosphere is nicer, while NYU would be a bit of a harsh transition, especially considering you’re from Texas.

Just my two cents, take them with a grain of salt obviously. Again, congrats on the amazing choices!

Side note: also will very likely be going to Baylor next year and am looking to go into ortho, would love to be able to work together in the future and would love to hear what you end up deciding!

Thank you for all the advice! I will be ranking Baylor first so I will eventually have to decide between NYU and Baylor, but that is a problem (a good one) for another day lol. And also, congrats to you as well for Baylor! Maybe we will be MS1's together next year. DM me if you want to connect, I would love to!

 

[swimdoc23]

I'm in the same predicament for Dell vs Baylor albeit without the Baylor prematch, what solidified your decision for Baylor?

 

[texlonghorn]

Congrats. I’m a little old to know about what the curriculums at each school are like, but I can give you an ophtho and big picture perspective.

TL;DR: Old person yells at clouds, Baylor > NYU > Dell

From the ophtho side, it’s Baylor in a landslide. Borderline top 10 department, massive resources, TMC, research opportunities. Regionality is a real thing with programs usually (but not always) leaning more toward taking nearby students or ones with ties to the area, and while Texas programs love Texans, they love Texans who stayed home a hair more. NYU has a solid program per the grads I know, but it’s pretty middle of the pack. My understanding of ortho is limited, but I think it’s the reverse for Baylor based on the Doximity rankings. Dell is so new and small that I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for someone looking at ophtho.

Big picture, if it’s less than a $100k difference in cost of attendance, it’s not going to be a major deal, especially if you do actually wind up in one of those two specialties. Even with subsidized housing, NYC isn’t cheap. Additionally, a 3 year program sounds good, but then you have a year less to do research and network in competitive specialties, and I suspect most NYU folks looking at these are doing a research year, plus you wind up competing with them. The mantra is that people wind up where they train, and to an extent that’s true, but anecdotally at most 20% of people I trained with are within an hour of a city they trained in. Family wins out, so if you were willing to maybe spend some more time on the east coast, you can get back home. Med school is a grind, so mental health is big. NYC is not Texas, and family support is not nothing. Assuming your SO can transfer, which depending on the job can be easier or harder (but is easier in region), I suspect you have your final answer.

Side note, curious about why ortho and ophtho? We’re about as far apart as you can get in terms of surgical cases. We’re talking me peeling a membrane that’s 5 microns (yes, microns) thick vs ortho folks breaking out the drills (though hand does some microsurgery).

Thank you for the insight! I didn't realize how competitive Baylor was for Ophtho, so that is very helpful. It's going to be a tough decision between the two, but I don't think I can go wrong either way. And for the why Ophtho and Ortho question, I've shadowed those two specialties extensively and have loved being in the OR thus far. Both specialties can make an immediate positive impact on an individual's quality of life, whether it's through helping someone with their mobility/function or removing someone's cataracts and giving them the ability to see clearly. And to my understanding, although it is not considered an "easy" lifestyle in medicine, my understanding is Ortho can grant you a manageable lifestyle as an attending since the majority of the cases are not high acuity (compared to some other surgical specialties), and Ophtho is known for having one of the best work-life balances out of any surgeons. But you bring up a great point that I hadn't thought about, how they are very different types of surgeries. I suppose those are the kinds of things I'll come to learn as I get more exposure to the fields and rotate through them. Great insight overall, thank you.

 

[texlonghorn]

Ortho, you’d be fine picking Dell and probably match A-OK! They’ve got stellar mentorship. Dell’s ophtho department uses a specific algorithm to select residents and is not “loyal” to dell students or their partners at all, which I think is a big negative considering the newness of the program. I’d go Baylor > Dell, but maybe still Dell > NYU for proximity to partner.

Didn't know that about Dell's Ophtho program, thanks for letting me know. And yes, proximity to SO and family is very important making the end-decision of Baylor vs NYU very difficult.

 

[texlonghorn]

I feel like NYU and Baylor are just as good of options for you. I understand the pull towards wanting to be at Dell for your SO among other reasons but I don't think Dell will put you in the best position to match either Ortho or Optho compared to NYU or Baylor. Personally, I think its hard to beat NYU: free tuition in this situation, 3 years vs 4 years of school, and a chance to expand your horizons. I've lived in Texas, the East Coast, and am now on the West Coast. It's made me a more well-rounded person and has allowed me to expand my network. I think it's best to train in different locations and get different perspectives on life - especially if there is little cost difference and you are already going to be somewhat long distance from your SO for a year. You'll be fine any way you choose

Thank you, that's is a great point that New York would likely allow for some individual growth and an expansion of my network. Something to also consider down the line. I suppose if there was ever a time to live in New York it would be when it is somewhat cheaper than if I decided to just live there on my own and during my 20's.

 

[texlonghorn]

I'm in the same predicament for Dell vs Baylor albeit without the Baylor prematch, what solidified your decision for Baylor?

It was a difficult decision, mainly because I love Austin, it's nice to live with my SO, and Dell seems to have no problem matching. However, I tried my best to think long-term over short-term, and long-term I just felt that training at TMC (hopefully) and going to the more established school would serve me best career-wise. And since my 2 siblings and parents live there now, it's not like I would have no support system in Houston. My SO's job thankfully has decent flexibility, so she would still be able to visit frequently during the first year and eventually move hopefully by the 2nd year. But another key factor was Baylor being a true P/F pre-clinical and a P/F clinical, which is huge. Also, I know a lot of people won't rank Baylor high because they don't want to be in Temple, but during my visit to Temple, it's not as bad as some might make it seem. Students are close with the faculty, you still get all the P/F benefits and Baylor name benefits, etc. Like many other people, I would still prefer the Houston campus because of TMC and Houston, but if I ended up in Temple it wouldn't be the end of the world due to its proximity to my SO. Also, it doesn't hurt that I have a great out-of-state option if I truly didn't want to go to Temple by the time I had to decide on where to attend in April/May. There were definitely times when I second-guessed the decision, but I always ended up back at Baylor after thinking it through. I know most of those reasons were personal reasons but I hope that helps your decision a little bit

 

[tulsajoe94]

Didn't know that about Dell's Ophtho program, thanks for letting me know. And yes, proximity to SO and family is very important making the end-decision of Baylor vs NYU very difficult.

I know it was true previously, but they just matched 2 of their own students so grains of salt, I guess.