Case Western vs Albert Einstein

[dillweed]

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Hey all,

After my second cycle, I'm fortunate enough to get accepted into medical school. I'm now choosing between Case Western and Albert Einstein and I was wondering if you fine people would give me some input. Here are some of my brief points:

Case Western
-Great gut feeling. I kind of fell in love on my interview day.
-I really like the style of the 1st and 2nd year curriculum (largely case-based, getting out of class at noon each day). I think it will be engaging and will work well with my learning style.
-Excellent reputation, research opportunities and hospitals, slightly higher 'ranked' than AE
-I liked Cleveland more than I thought I would, and housing seems cheap to get a comfortable place

Albert Einstein
-In New York
-New online curriculum looks promising, but I'm having trouble finding specifics
-Also has an excellent reputation with plenty of research opportunities and renowned hospitals in the system
-Not a huge fan of the dormy living situation, but if any current/former students could chime in I'd really appreciate it

Overall, I'm currently leaning towards Case Western. However, I want to give Einstein a very fair look. After all, there may be some bias because I interviewed at Einstein earliest (September), and found out the latest (February), which kind of made it fall off my radar. If any current students can give me more input that will help in my decision, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm a California resident and the tuition difference is not a difference maker for me. Thank you all!

 

[cyberchicken001]

Hey all,

After my second cycle, I'm fortunate enough to get accepted into medical school. I'm now choosing between Case Western and Albert Einstein and I was wondering if you fine people would give me some input. Here are some of my brief points:

Case Western
-Great gut feeling. I kind of fell in love on my interview day.
-I really like the style of the 1st and 2nd year curriculum (largely case-based, getting out of class at noon each day). I think it will be engaging and will work well with my learning style.
-Excellent reputation, research opportunities and hospitals, slightly higher 'ranked' than AE
-I liked Cleveland more than I thought I would, and housing seems cheap to get a comfortable place

Albert Einstein
-In New York
-New online curriculum looks promising, but I'm having trouble finding specifics
-Also has an excellent reputation with plenty of research opportunities and renowned hospitals in the system
-Not a huge fan of the dormy living situation, but if any current/former students could chime in I'd really appreciate it

Overall, I'm currently leaning towards Case Western. However, I want to give Einstein a very fair look. After all, there may be some bias because I interviewed at Einstein earliest (September), and found out the latest (February), which kind of made it fall off my radar. If any current students can give me more input that will help in my decision, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm a California resident and the tuition difference is not a difference maker for me. Thank you all!

Hey, I go to Einstein. Just wanted to say that I personally don't feel like the student housing has a "dormy" feel to it. They're regular apartments and you're given a roommate, with the opportunity to go on a wait list for your own apartment if you would like. And if you're married you get your own apartment.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[dillweed]

Hey, I go to Einstein. Just wanted to say that I personally don't feel like the student housing has a "dormy" feel to it. They're regular apartments and you're given a roommate, with the opportunity to go on a wait list for your own apartment if you would like. And if you're married you get your own apartment.

Good luck with your decision!

Cool thank you for the info. I was wondering, what's your M-F class schedule like in the first 2 years? How many hours per week are you usually in lectures vs labs vs small groups? How often are exams? Thanks in advance

 

[cyberchicken001]

Cool thank you for the info. I was wondering, what's your M-F class schedule like in the first 2 years? How many hours per week are you usually in lectures vs labs vs small groups? How often are exams? Thanks in advance

First 2 years we have a mix of lectures and small group sessions/lab (depending on which course you're taking at the time). For the most part morning there's lectures that aren't mandatory and afternoon has most of the mandatory stuff, with the notable exception of anatomy lab in first year.
Each course is different so it's hard to give a ratio of lecture/small group time. Courses like histology, anatomy and microbio have lab, so there's a lot of non- lecture learning for those classes. Us first years are taking cardiovascular physiology now, and it's pretty heavy on the lectures and lighter on the small group sessions. So there's a range.
Exams are typically around once a month for each class. We take two major classes at a time so figure about 2 major exams per month. They definitely put effort into making the schedule so that there are usually no realy crazy difficult exams back to back.
Hope all that helps....

 

[GoPelicans]

I will say as a first year student that a case-based curriculum sounds terrible, but Case admits a high enough calibur student that the average person will do well no matter the learning style. Overall I would lean towards Case simply because reputation matters and Case's is definitely a slight step up from Einstein's.

 

[dillweed]

I will say as a first year student that a case-based curriculum sounds terrible, but Case admits a high enough calibur student that the average person will do well no matter the learning style. Overall I would lean towards Case simply because reputation matters and Case's is definitely a slight step up from Einstein's.

Why do you think case based curriculum sounds terrible? I think it sounds really engaging. I think putting a name/face on top of all of the curriculum may make it more interesting and enjoyable to study.

 

[dillweed]

First 2 years we have a mix of lectures and small group sessions/lab (depending on which course you're taking at the time). For the most part morning there's lectures that aren't mandatory and afternoon has most of the mandatory stuff, with the notable exception of anatomy lab in first year.
Each course is different so it's hard to give a ratio of lecture/small group time. Courses like histology, anatomy and microbio have lab, so there's a lot of non- lecture learning for those classes. Us first years are taking cardiovascular physiology now, and it's pretty heavy on the lectures and lighter on the small group sessions. So there's a range.
Exams are typically around once a month for each class. We take two major classes at a time so figure about 2 major exams per month. They definitely put effort into making the schedule so that there are usually no realy crazy difficult exams back to back.
Hope all that helps....

That definitely helps. What time, on average, would you say you get out by on most days? Would it be the noon range, 2pm or 4pm ish? Thank you very much for all the info!

 

[pyrrion89]

Sounds like you like Case; choice is clear! Also as an applicant I LOATHED the idea of case-based learning. Now that I'm doing it I am 100% converted and LOVE it. I wish now I chose a more case-based school (no pun intended). Personally I think it makes you learn the material better, as long as you get to have faculty leading the group who are doing some didatics rather than having everything student-run.

 

[dillweed]

Sounds like you like Case; choice is clear! Also as an applicant I LOATHED the idea of case-based learning. Now that I'm doing it I am 100% converted and LOVE it. I wish now I chose a more case-based school (no pun intended). Personally I think it makes you learn the material better, as long as you get to have faculty leading the group who are doing some didatics rather than having everything student-run.

I know but I wanna make sure to make the most informed decision possible. I don't want to cloud my judgement with emotion if that makes sense!

 

[pyrrion89]

I know but I wanna make sure to make the most informed decision possible. I don't want to cloud my judgement with emotion if that makes sense!

I hear you. While you don't want to be irrational, I think your heart should play a bigger role than your mind when choosing a school. Money aside, the place where you're the happiest is the place you'll perform best, so in that sense the emotional choice is actually the pragmatic one.

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

Agree with above that it sounds like you're leaning towards Case and it sounds like you'd be happier there. It sounds like Einstein doesn't have an integrated curriculum, with separate classes for anatomy, histo, pathology, etc. If so, I would definitely choose Case in this circumstance provided Case has an integrated-block-based curriculum.

 

[cyberchicken001]

That definitely helps. What time, on average, would you say you get out by on most days? Would it be the noon range, 2pm or 4pm ish? Thank you very much for all the info!

Classes usually end around 4 the latest, but usually even earlier than that

OP, glad to hear you're asking for facts. Usually these threads are people just asking them to make a decision for them, which I think is unproductive because everyone's different. Go with the school you think is more suited towards your learning/life style and have no regrets 🙂

 

[cyberchicken001]

Agree with above that it sounds like you're leaning towards Case and it sounds like you'd be happier there. It sounds like Einstein doesn't have an integrated curriculum, with separate classes for anatomy, histo, pathology, etc. If so, I would definitely choose Case in this circumstance provided Case has an integrated-block-based curriculum.

Other than anatomy, histology and biochemistry, the other systems based courses are integrated. There's no separate pathology course. Sorry if my comments implied otherwise...

 

[ridethecliche]

Op, those 'dorms' are par for the course for nyc high rise apartments lol.

Congrats on having to make this decision. Honestly, you can't go wrong.

I think Einstein wins on location, and I'm hoping to get in there so that's my bias and i was never quite as interested in case. That said I know someone at case that loves the school.

You honestly can't go wrong. The schools are very comparable in terms of opportunity and reputation. If you pick for emotional reasons, you'll still be happy with the choice. I think this comes down to curriculum and learning style. It's hard to figure that out since we have no experience with CBL.

 

[GoPelicans]

Why do you think case based curriculum sounds terrible? I think it sounds really engaging. I think putting a name/face on top of all of the curriculum may make it more interesting and enjoyable to study.

You may enjoy a case-based curriculum. I find most of the people who had significant clinical experience before med school (working as a scribe, working in a foreign country for significant time, etc) enjoy the cased-based curriculum the most. I prefer to just study on my own and do multiple choice practice questions, since that is how we are tested. Ultimately I don't think pre-clinical curriculum makes that much of a difference so don't let my opinion on case-based curriculum sway you if you are liking Case. I interviewed there, it's a great school which matches consistently well every year. I probably would've gone there if I didn't get into a school close to home. Don't deny your gut feeling if it's telling you to pick Case.

 

[dillweed]

You may enjoy a case-based curriculum. I find most of the people who had significant clinical experience before med school (working as a scribe, working in a foreign country for significant time, etc) enjoy the cased-based curriculum the most. I prefer to just study on my own and do multiple choice practice questions, since that is how we are tested. Ultimately I don't think pre-clinical curriculum makes that much of a difference so don't let my opinion on case-based curriculum sway you if you are liking Case. I interviewed there, it's a great school which matches consistently well every year. I probably would've gone there if I didn't get into a school close to home. Don't deny your gut feeling if it's telling you to pick Case.

Got it. Surprisingly enough, I've been working as a scribe for the past 14 months haha, that's part of the reason I think I'd like case based.

Thank you all for your help! Looking forward to more opinions.