better to work at cornell med school or nyu med school?

[rumbuls]

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Hi. I am finished with school and trying to decide between a couple of job positions. They are research (lab and clinical) positions at NYU med school and Cornell Weill Medical School, and they are essentially comparable in salary, position, work and environment. I like both positions very much, and I can't decide between them, so I am wondering if perhaps medical schools might be more impressed with me doing research at Cornell rather than NYU... any thoughts? Do you think a pharmaceutical company lab research position would be just as good? Please lend me your thoughts. Thanks!

 

[Mr. Rosewater]

i'd work at whichever one i'd rather go to med school at. i doubt it makes a BIG difference, but if you get a nice letter from someone who is known to the adcom members, then maybe you might get a little bump.

 

[Lefty McFish]

My impression is that both schools will be equally well-recognized amongst admissions officers. I don't think one would skew your chances with med schools more than the other. However, if you have a preference between Cornell and NYU in terms of where you'd like to go, it definitely makes a difference to have a recommendation from someone inside that school I.e. Cornell will be far more impressed by your having done research at...Cornell. You're sending the message that you know their institution, like their institution, and hopefully someone they trust (your boss) will back you up.)

 

[Lefty McFish]

Ummm....right, what Rosewater said, just less concise...

 

[KatieOConnor]

There are also other things to consider, for instance your specific PI. And, how easy it is to transfer labs if your PI turns out to be a holy terror. I know someone who ran into problems with his PI at NYU and it turned out to be easier to find a new job at another university, than to change labs at NYU.

The university where I work is small and Human Resources knows who the "difficult" PIs are so it is easy for unhappy technicians to change.

Also, there is the benefits package. Many people who work in labs do not get to use all of their vacation days so that specifically is a moot point, but, if you have health issues then a specific benefits package may make a difference.

Also, look at tuition benefits. At some universities, you can take classes at any acredited university, and, if the classes are relevant to to work, then they are fully paid for.

 

[Paws]

I think Cornell is the better choice - personal preference but then, hey! you asked!

I like Cornell over NYU because the HR office is very efficient and smoothly run. The hospital is totally awesome and the work they do incredible. And, then there's Rockefeller University across the parking lot, and they are totally awesome. I loved just walking in the door at NY Presbyterian Hospital and thought I was in heaven when I was in the labs.

My experiences with NYU were that their HR office (also shared with Mt Sinai, oh my God don't get me started on them ...) were terrible and incredibly disorganized. Their benefits package was sloooooow to come and no one seemed to know what was going on. Also, alot of their facility is pretty shabby and bleak and I second the stuff about what if your PI is a nightmare. In general, I have had negative experiences at NYU and would not even want to visit a physician there.

These are my personal, gut experiences with both places. Cornell 1, NYU 0.

 

[idq1i]

Weill Cornell = GREAT place to work. I really didn't want to quit last august 🙁

 

[rumbuls]

Hey, thanks for your comments - I really appreciate the advice. I actually had the opposite experience: HR at Cornell was a lot more disorganized (and unfriendly) and NYU was great! Also, the benefits seem to be a little better at NYU. The two positions are very comparable, so I'm having a hard time deciding. If you don't mind, I wanted to share what I know about the two places to give you a better idea:

-both PI's are so sweet and just a pleasure to work with.
-research work will be comparable at both institutions: lab and clinical immunopathology
-the Cornell lab is actually the behind-the-scenes lab for the hospital (they run tissue samples for cancer studies, etc.)
-the NYU lab is a real immunology research lab working on tumor vaccines with a prestigeous PI
-my supervisor at NYU is an MD; my supervisor at Cornell is an MS
-Cornell is paying $2000 more
-NYU benefits are slightly better, and they seem to be kinder to their employees
-I can walk to NYU, but not to Cornell
-The lab seems a lot more fun at Cornell: young, friendly adults (my age). The people in the NYU lab don't seem to talk very much, but they're nice enough
-Research seems more interesting at NYU
-If I were to get into either of the med schools (hypothetically!!!) I would have a much better chance of getting into NYU, obviously.

Sorry this was a novel. I really appreciate all you advice so far. Any further input would be really helpful!