Case Western vs NYU

[throughandthrough242]

Case Western

Pros:
-I feel like I would fit in in the city of Cleveland.
-I loved the curriculum
-Good school, associated with Cleveland Clinic, etc.

Cons:
-Essay based exams seem exhausting
-they're getting a new building during 2nd year, but the building I would be in 1st year sucks
-I want to go into academic medicine, so name is important, Case has a less prestigious name than NYU?
-2 year pre-clinical
-Students seemed kind of sad.
-Low hispanic population (interesting in medical spanish)

NYU

Pros:
-NYC is tantalizing even though I have no experience in that city.
-Rising in the rankings
-I don't remember the curriculum because it was an early interview other than that they are innovative and have a 1.5 yr pre-clinical
-I loved the hospital system, especially getting to rotate at a hugely diverse Bellevue.

Cons:
-NYC is intimidating, I'm from small town midwest.
-Ranking is inflated? May drop in the future.
-Students seemed very affluent. Not sure I would fit in. But I could've just had a biased interview day.


Overall: Interested in academic medicine, so prestige and name is a bit important. Cost doesn't matter too much.


EDIt: another thing, and I don’t know how much this should impact my decision, but I finish my undergrad classes on June 22. I really had been looking forward to a break and travel before starting rigorous med school. Unfortunately, case starts July 11, whereas NYU starts Aug 22. Im a bit afraid only having 2 weeks between undergrad and med school I will feel soooo burnt out.

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[docr3]

Can’t go wrong either way. Both will open doors for academic medicine. Go where you will be happiest without thinking about prestige, because both will not close doors for you

 

[Bryant088]

If it were me, I'd do NYU for sure. Both are great schools but NYC >>> Cleveland.

 

[SuaveCardigans]

If it were me, I'd do NYU for sure. Both are great schools but NYC >>> Cleveland.

op said they prefer midwest, and i would agree with them

 

[mariagefreres]

NYU seems to be a better fit for you.

 

[ICUBlue]

Case preclinical is 20 months

 

[echacha]

I am choosing between these two schools too. Very tough choice, but I think I'm leaning towards CWU at the moment, unless I somehow get awarded substantial FinAid at NYU

 

[oncmedsurg]

Case Western

Pros:
-I feel like I would fit in in the city of Cleveland.
-I loved the curriculum
-Good school, associated with Cleveland Clinic, etc.

Cons:
-Essay based exams seem exhausting
-they're getting a new building during 2nd year, but the building I would be in 1st year sucks
-I want to go into academic medicine, so name is important, Case has a less prestigious name than NYU?
-2 year pre-clinical
-Students seemed kind of sad.
-Low hispanic population (interesting in medical spanish)

NYU

Pros:
-NYC is tantalizing even though I have no experience in that city.
-Rising in the rankings
-I don't remember the curriculum because it was an early interview other than that they are innovative and have a 1.5 yr pre-clinical
-I loved the hospital system, especially getting to rotate at a hugely diverse Bellevue.

Cons:
-NYC is intimidating, I'm from small town midwest.
-Ranking is inflated? May drop in the future.
-Students seemed very affluent. Not sure I would fit in. But I could've just had a biased interview day.


Overall: Interested in academic medicine, so prestige and name is a bit important. Cost doesn't matter too much.


EDIt: another thing, and I don’t know how much this should impact my decision, but I finish my undergrad classes on June 22. I really had been looking forward to a break and travel before starting rigorous med school. Unfortunately, case starts July 11, whereas NYU starts Aug 22. Im a bit afraid only having 2 weeks between undergrad and med school I will feel soooo burnt out.

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1) With first-hand experience, I can assure you that Case students are not (at all) sad. I would argue that students at CWRU are of the most well rounded of med students that there are because we are encouraged to engage in outside activities that balance us as individuals (sports, orgs, etc.). Also, because of the collaborative nature of the school (classes make google folders to share study materials/guides, books, etc.) the competitive nature one would think is inherent to mecical school is minimal, making the learning environment that much more open and pleasant.

2) The new medical school is almost finished and (as a fourth year who will never get to experience the building), it is an impeccable building and will be a remarkable place to learn. One year in the old building will not negate the many amenities that three years in the new building will bring. Between the upcoming new medical school, located on CCF campus, research currently taking place, and success of Case grads in matching (see our match list), it's very likely that the Case's rank will be climbing higher up the top 25 list very, very soon.

3) As someone from a big city, to whom it was also important to engage in medical spanish, I can attest to the fact that Cleveland is a great place to do this. There is a large Latino population in Cleveland, mostly Puerto Ricans, especially on the West Side. Because of this, MetroHealth (the county hospital) has a family practice and OB clinic that caters to Spanish Speaking patients; all attendings and nurses are required to be biligual. Case students choose where we do our rotations. As such, for family medicine and OB, I chose to do my clerkships at Metro and specifically asked to be placed in these clinics. Even at main campus, e.g. for IM and Peds, the county sees a significant number of spanish-speaking patients. As such, you can absolutely utilize and improve your medical spanish here.

These were big points in your con list that I wanted to clarify. Hope this was helpful!

 

[JPmoleymole]

If I were you I would choose NYU, seems like a better fit

 

[throughandthrough242]

--


1) With first-hand experience, I can assure you that Case students are not (at all) sad. I would argue that students at CWRU are of the most well rounded of med students that there are because we are encouraged to engage in outside activities that balance us as individuals (sports, orgs, etc.). Also, because of the collaborative nature of the school (classes make google folders to share study materials/guides, books, etc.) the competitive nature one would think is inherent to mecical school is minimal, making the learning environment that much more open and pleasant.

2) The new medical school is almost finished and (as a fourth year who will never get to experience the building), it is an impeccable building and will be a remarkable place to learn. One year in the old building will not negate the many amenities that three years in the new building will bring. Between the upcoming new medical school, located on CCF campus, research currently taking place, and success of Case grads in matching (see our match list), it's very likely that the Case's rank will be climbing higher up the top 25 list very, very soon.

3) As someone from a big city, to whom it was also important to engage in medical spanish, I can attest to the fact that Cleveland is a great place to do this. There is a large Latino population in Cleveland, mostly Puerto Ricans, especially on the West Side. Because of this, MetroHealth (the county hospital) has a family practice and OB clinic that caters to Spanish Speaking patients; all attendings and nurses are required to be biligual. Case students choose where we do our rotations. As such, for family medicine and OB, I chose to do my clerkships at Metro and specifically asked to be placed in these clinics. Even at main campus, e.g. for IM and Peds, the county sees a significant number of spanish-speaking patients. As such, you can absolutely utilize and improve your medical spanish here.

These were big points in your con list that I wanted to clarify. Hope this was helpful!

This was very helpful thank you!

I didn't realize that the new building would be a benefit third and fourth years (I assumed that I would mostly be in hospital on rotations), but I take it that is not the case?

 

[Kingsmen2018]

NYU

 

[Porkloins]

Some things to consider: I would definitely NOT take into account the start date of orientation when making this decision. Where you go to med school has a huge effect on what happens in the next 15+ years of your life... 4 weeks should definitely not be the difference maker in that kind of decision.

You mentioned academic medicine -- in terms of prestige, NYU and Case are pretty much on par. In fact, if anything, Case actually has a more impressive match list than NYU in many respects. Both are great schools, but NYC and Cleveland are completely different places to live in. I would make your decision based on what kind of city you want to be in for the next 4 years.

Full disclosure: I think Case is pretty awesome and am probably going there next year haha