CCLCM vs Sinai vs Einstein

[KrebCycleSurvivor]

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Feeling very lucky to be in this position, choosing between 3 schools. That being said, I’m having a lot of difficulty. Would really appreciate any insight into these schools that I may have missed or mis-weighted on my pros-cons list.

About me:

• I’d like to try and eventually match somewhere in the North-East, closer to home, friends, and family
• Undecided on specialty but have thought about IM, ophthalmology, and neurosurgery.
• I have money saved from gap years for ~1 year of full-tuition. After that I would need to rely on family support or loans

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM) – $32,660/year

(+++) Free tuition. Essentially a scholarship of $74,500/year. Estimated cost of living is still $32,660/year
(+++) Cleveland Clinic hospital system. World renowned, beautiful facilities & educational building (see Samson Pavilion). Sounds like they have abundant funding for expansion and are constantly improving upon their healthcare infrastructure.
(+++) I really resonate with the research model built into the curriculum, i.e. translational research summer before M1, clinical research before M2, and of course, the research year, all while taking research seminars. I really enjoy research and want to keep my doors open for competitive specialties.
(++) No (graded) exams! Only written feedback and reflection. (Lots of writing instead.)
(+) Small class. 32 students/year with mentors & opportunities from the entire Cleveland Clinic.

(+/-) Prestige? I have several physicians in the family, all of whom knew the Cleveland Clinic but none who knew what CCLCM was. (Degree conferred by Case Western.) This point is probably moot given the stellar match list.
(+/-) No dorm-housing; most live in apartments, walking distance from class

(-) Car. I just got my learner’s permit… and not a fan of driving.
(-) Mandatory 8am-12pm lecture every day.
(-) CCLCM match list seems to favor the Midwest?
(- -) Cleveland. I’ve honestly heard wonderful things from friends who are in the area. But it’s not NYC. It’s a flight home, or 12-hour Amtrak.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai – $102,760/year

(+++) Being near home for medical school. Friends/family/support system in NYC.
(++) Sinai has a great hospital system with a very large catchment area. Arguably more diverse than Cleveland. Also great free clinics, like EHOP.
(++) True P/F. Friends at Sinai seem very relaxed, protected weekends every 3 weeks. More schedule flexibility than CCLCM (e.g. asynchronous lectures compared to mandatory PBL)
(+) Students live together at Aron Hall. Builds community.
(+) Public transit & social aspect of NYC (more things to do)

(+/-) I might take a research year anyway

(-) Less opportunities for research, more student-driven
(-) Was anecdotally told during my interview that students don’t feel prepared for clerkships. Have also heard that rotations (and residency) in NYC can be brutal
(- - -) Cost of attendance. Haven’t tried yet, but doubt that Sinai would match a tuition scholarship with a merit-based one.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine – $39,752/year

(+++) Free tuition. Essentially a scholarship of $77,232/year. Estimated cost of living would still be $39,752/year (~$7k more/year than CCLCM)
(+++) Same NYC pros as above, and dorm housing in the Bronx seems nice (Eastchester Residence Halls)
(+) Research is embedded into the curriculum (through IMPACT class), and everyone graduates with some kind of abstract/manuscript/publication. Research year is unfunded, but there are summer fellowships.
(+) Transportation shuttle service is provided to rotations far away.

(+/-) Interesting Global Health trips and community service partnerships. Unsure how much I would actually be able to utilize these opportunities given time commitments.

(-) Maybe lower-ranked but probably a negligible difference? Also just became free in 2024.
(- -) Use of in-house exams and AOA before match

 

[riv_jordan]

I'm assuming that applying for need-based aid at Sinai isn't an option? If it is, then I'd wait to hear back on that. I'm not sure how merit aid works for Sinai and I haven't heard of them giving full-tuition merit scholarships, but if you do end up getting merit then it's worth a try. If they can match, then Sinai is sounds like it may be the best option for you. If they don't match, then I don't know if Sinai would be worth it when you have two other great options that would let you graduate debt free.
If it comes down to Einstein or CCLCM, it sounds like Einstein has a lot of the benefits Sinai did + free tuition as well, so I'd lean towards that. The AOA and graded in-house exams suck, but these are both pretty standard in the grand scheme of things. I thinking being close to home and in the region that you hope to match into is a bigger pro.
But in all honesty, these are all great options and you seem decently excited about each of them. I don't think you can really go wrong. My advice is to wait to see if Sinai might match and talk to current students at each school to get a better sense of which community you'd thrive in more.