Columbia and Cornell ... places to stay

[kuhlguy]

hey guys ...

so im going to be interviewing at cornell on nov 7 and columbia on nov 8 ... im flying into jfk on nov 6 .... since cornell and columbia are close to each other (relatively) and since both arent offering student hosts (am i correct?) then should i just pick a hotel thats in the middle of the two???? any suggestions on where i should stay ... this is my first time to NYC so I'm totally clueless ... any help would be much appreciated!!!

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[TigerSoup]

Columbia actually does have interview hosts if you email Renee asking about it, though staying in Bard Hall would be pretty cramped (you'll see on the tour). Haven't been to Mt Sinai but they may as well. If you want space, I would suggest staying at the International House, which is on 123rd street and a short subway ride up to Columbia (168th). It's not a spectacular neighborhood, but nicer than further uptown, and it's close to the restaurants and shops surrounding the main Columbia campus on 116th.

 

[kuhlguy]

bumpidy bump

 

[nomoreplz]

They actually BOTH have hosting programs. Email Cornell for a list - for some reason they didn't send it with my stuff, but did send it to others??? So email admissions for a host. Same with Columbia. This will save you a TON of money.

 

[Dreemer005]

I'm a graduate of P & S so know the area well. There are no hotels near Columbia (upper westside, Washington Heights) and I would recommend if you stay downtown to take a taxi instead of the subway the morning of the interview because the subway ride can be scary for those not used to NY, especially since Columbia Med is in a sketchy area. Columbia definitely offers student hosts but I would stay away from bard hall because it's run down and cramped and you probably wouldn't sleep well. If you can find a student host in the "towers", I would stay there since it is a lot nicer. Otherwise, you can always use a discount website (priceline, etc) to get a hotel on the westside.

Cornell is across town (on the eastside) and further downtown. Getting across town can be a pain, so I also recommend taking a taxi on the morning of your interview, or else you'll be stuck navigating buses or several subway changes. In case you are wondering, Cornell is in a nice and rich area, very different than Columbia. Their student housing is very nice, so by all means use a host if you can.

If you want to stay directly next to Cornell, there are hotels in the area. There is a shuttle that runs directly from Cornell to Columbia and vice versa, since the two hospitals are technically combined under New York Presbyterian. It might be feasible to find a place by Cornell and use the shuttle to get up to Columbia.

 

[YourGoldTeeth]

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