Between Two MST Programs

[jeonsied]

Hi Everyone! I am new here but I have searched through many of the previously posted forums and I thought maybe some of you could help me. I have been accepted at Albert Einstein's and NYU's MSTP and waitlisted at Mount Sinai. I am trying to make a final decision of where to go especially between Einstein and NYU but am lacking some insight beyond the revisits to make my mind up. If anyone knows anything about these programs I would love to know it. I am interested in the Neuroscience program if that helps in any way. To wrap up I guess I want to know which one is better.

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[Trashino]

I'm not sure what I can add, I guess just my own impressions from Einstein (didn't apply to NYU).
First of all, I am waitlisted at Einstein, so take my comments with a grain of salt.

Ok, name and admin rep go to NYU. I believe that Rodney Ulane is coming over from UT Southwestern to the NYU MSTP. He's a big name and I am sure that it will have a positive impact upon the program.

I am also interested in Neuroscience and was impressed by the people I talked with at Einstein. There is a variety of research and quality work being done, from molecular to systems neuroscience.

I didn't apply to NYU because I didn't want to live in the middle of a big city for several years. If you like the relative quiet of the Bronx, that is something to think about. If you want easy access to the city (easier than a 40min bus ride from Einstein), then NYU is a better choice.

What really impressed me about Einstein was that the MST program was so well run. They tailor a lot of the curriculum to the needs of the students, and eliminate most redundancies in PhD and MD curricula. I think NYU was also one of the original founding MSTPs, so they may also be as well designed. I am sure you probably know whether this is the case from your visits.

Just my observations. Good luck in your choice.

 

[neurotiger]

I interviewed and considered both NYU and Einstein MSTPs for neuroscience, and think there are serious differences between the two. It's up to you to decide what you value most...

Location: NYU is in a much more 'hip' area. There's not much to do in the Bronx unless you walk 15 minutes to catch a 20 minute subway into Manhattan. NYU is in a great spot, if you're a fan of the action in NYC. To me, this was the only thing that I favored at NYU...

Research: It depends what area of neuroscience you're interested in. If you're looking for something computational/theoretical (i.e. modeling), NYU may measure up a little bit better. In all other respects, Einstein's neuroscience is larger, has a larger breadth of researchers, and I dare to say more depth (though the last part is again area-specific).

Whereas Einstein's administration is on the ball, NYU students seem to flounder a bit. This will probably change as soon as Dr. Ulane starts, but he does have to get used to the program and gain the trust of faculty internally. Housing is 10x better at Einstein; I grimaced when I saw where the MSTP students at NYU lived, though this may be a consequence of living in this part of NYC. Check out the student populations; they are also considerably different in both places, and you may feel a lot more comfortable in one.

Those were the biggest things off the top of my head...I also considered Mt. Sinai (yeah, thought I wanted to be in NY for awhile and decided on elsewhere). I can post more on that if needed.

 

[ATLien1224]

I looked at both NYU and Einstein when I was applying back in the day. Honestly I didn't notice a whole ton of difference between either of them except for location, as has been duly noted in this forum already. They have similar medical school styles and formats and similar overall research reputations. They both seemed to have well-run MD/PhD programs as they are two of three original NIH-funded MSTP programs (along with Duke).

If I had to choose one, I would have gone to NYU purely because of location. Being at Columbia now, there are many neuro folks who are here in the program, and they seem to talk more about (and I see more talks being given by) faculty at NYU. However, this is purely a second-hand impression so don't take it as the holy truth since neuro isn't my field.

The other thing I do know which could be of importance to you is that Betty Diamond, Einstein's extremely competent MSTP director, is moving to Columbia. I don't know if she is going to be involved in our MSTP program or will just be doing research here, but I'm not sure who Einstein has to replace her.

 

[Newquagmire]

I interviewed and considered both NYU and Einstein MSTPs for neuroscience, and think there are serious differences between the two. It's up to you to decide what you value most...

Location: NYU is in a much more 'hip' area. There's not much to do in the Bronx unless you walk 15 minutes to catch a 20 minute subway into Manhattan. NYU is in a great spot, if you're a fan of the action in NYC. To me, this was the only thing that I favored at NYU...

Research: It depends what area of neuroscience you're interested in. If you're looking for something computational/theoretical (i.e. modeling), NYU may measure up a little bit better. In all other respects, Einstein's neuroscience is larger, has a larger breadth of researchers, and I dare to say more depth (though the last part is again area-specific).

Whereas Einstein's administration is on the ball, NYU students seem to flounder a bit. This will probably change as soon as Dr. Ulane starts, but he does have to get used to the program and gain the trust of faculty internally. Housing is 10x better at Einstein; I grimaced when I saw where the MSTP students at NYU lived, though this may be a consequence of living in this part of NYC. Check out the student populations; they are also considerably different in both places, and you may feel a lot more comfortable in one.

Those were the biggest things off the top of my head...I also considered Mt. Sinai (yeah, thought I wanted to be in NY for awhile and decided on elsewhere). I can post more on that if needed.

Disclaimer: I know very little about Einstein. I just wanted to make up for my NYU bashing in Pre-allo...

As mentioned before, many people believe Ulane will revitalize the program. The previous director had other committments, and he prioritized accordingly. Ulane's full time job will be running the MSTP. I hear he's already met with each and every current MST at NYU for lunch or something.

About the housing: first year does kinda stink, but it's probably no worse than your ugrad housing situation. The larger rooms on the N side are actually pretty large. Greenberg (where many upperclass students live) is a good step up, and gives one a lot more personal space to play with.

I don't know much about neuroscience programs anywhere, but in NYU's other graduate programs the focus seems to be more mechanistic and basic rather than translational.

 

[jeonsied]

I interviewed and considered both NYU and Einstein MSTPs for neuroscience, and think there are serious differences between the two. It's up to you to decide what you value most...

Location: NYU is in a much more 'hip' area. There's not much to do in the Bronx unless you walk 15 minutes to catch a 20 minute subway into Manhattan. NYU is in a great spot, if you're a fan of the action in NYC. To me, this was the only thing that I favored at NYU...

Research: It depends what area of neuroscience you're interested in. If you're looking for something computational/theoretical (i.e. modeling), NYU may measure up a little bit better. In all other respects, Einstein's neuroscience is larger, has a larger breadth of researchers, and I dare to say more depth (though the last part is again area-specific).

Whereas Einstein's administration is on the ball, NYU students seem to flounder a bit. This will probably change as soon as Dr. Ulane starts, but he does have to get used to the program and gain the trust of faculty internally. Housing is 10x better at Einstein; I grimaced when I saw where the MSTP students at NYU lived, though this may be a consequence of living in this part of NYC. Check out the student populations; they are also considerably different in both places, and you may feel a lot more comfortable in one.

Those were the biggest things off the top of my head...I also considered Mt. Sinai (yeah, thought I wanted to be in NY for awhile and decided on elsewhere). I can post more on that if needed.

I was wondering why you think the NYU students seem to "flounder a bit". Is it because the program lacks something or because of the students' caliber?

 

[neurotiger]

All I meant by that comment was that from my impression, NYU students are made to figure out the program by themselves. The advising system seemed inadequate, and several students told me about other aspects of the pgraom (classes, grading, administrative issues) that they learned as they went along, but were a pain until they were settled. The most important example is probably program duration...a few students told me how much trouble they'd had finding a lab. I think this reflects the program administration, not the students.