Columbia (VP&S) vs. Penn (Perelman)

[kairntos]

Really thrilled to have gotten into both of these schools!

Columbia
Pros:

• Awesome school, awesome reputation
• Easier to get flights there from home
• Tuition pretty much covered, so I just have to worry about cost of living
• The P&S club seems really cool
• Being in New York gives me a lot of opportunities to get involved with music stuff
• I have a couple friends in the area, though they're pretty deep in Brooklyn (hour-hour and 15 minute train ride)

Cons:

• Cost of living is crazy
• I'm a little intimidated by New York: living there seems like work
• Washington Heights doesn't seem like the most exciting neighborhood
• Not ranked quite as highly? (I'm not sure how significant this difference is, though)
• Not really a con per se, but I stayed in Bard, so I didn't get a ton of student interaction outside of the interview day

Penn
Pros:

• Also awesome school with an awesome reputation
• Ranked higher than Columbia (again, not sure how significant the difference is)
• Got to stay with a few students and they all seemed great
• Cost of living is (much) cheaper in Philly
• The area where students live seems to be a little more vibrant

Cons:

• A bit harder to get flights to from home
• I don't know anyone in the area (yet)
• I got less money, but message boards make it sound like Penn is open to matching offers, so we'll see!
• Extracurriculars seemed less arts-heavy, but this may be a snap judgment from my limited exposure

I look forward to hearing from you all! Any insight or further info is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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[puahate]

Upenn. New york is overrated.

 

[Quantal Reasoning]

New York is fantastic, would recommend.

 

[meronebib]

I really don’t think you can go wrong here. Both schools are, in my eyes, equal. I would really be wary of the poll result, which likely will have a lot of bias (NYC or P&S kids will probably vote P&S, Philly or Penn kids will probably vote Penn). I would even argue the same for USNWR residency director scores (people don’t seem to remember that some years ago, both of these schools had the same residency director score). It really comes down to NYC v/s Philly and cost. Washington Heights is a safe neighborhood that’s only a 25 minute express train to midtown. Penn is located in a nicer area, but Center City is not as cheap as the rest of Philly if you plan on living there. If you qualify for need-based aid, Columbia will likely give you more money (but Penn may match it). If I had to choose, I would pick Columbia, but just because I like NYC more. Also, I’m likely biased, as I was accepted to Columbia, but hopefully my post still helps you.

Edit: Also, side note - did Columbia already give you your aid package?

 

[puahate]

You dont need to live in center city. There is cheap housing in or near university city and it would be closer to UPenn.

 

[lalalallala]

I voted Penn. My reasons:

1. Washington Heights is kinda sketch in my opinion (as a woman I just wouldn't really want to live there by myself and be walking around)

2. Penn's med schools and hospitals are in a fun area - lots of bars and restaurants - really near a running trail and the river - new Penn Med buildings being built - so close to nicest places in Philly

3. I actually think that Penn would be better for arts because at Penn you are right in Philadelphia whereas Columbia Med is so far uptown from central Manhattan

4. I don't think the rankings differences are relevant at all in this case

5. not sure where home is but Philadelphia airport is a big city airport - you sure you can't fly home from there? Penn also gives free rides to the airport which is so convenient

 

[Lucca]

Paging @WedgeDawg to Stan for Columbia in this Penn leaning thread

If Penn matches the offer then COL will definitely factor in and it could be a tossup and come down to which location / culture fits you best. But even with the higher COL in NYC, if it turns out to be cheaper COA overall because of the aid they gave you, then I think Columbia wins here. Ya, Penn is ranked slightly higher but looking at match lists both sets of grads do extremely well (everyone either matches at the extremely good home institution or a similarly impressive place somewhere else desirable).

 

[WedgeDawg]

Hi! Congrats on your acceptances.

I'll say here that both are absolutely phenomenal schools and you really can't go wrong with either. Prestige/rankings wise, they're pretty much the same - Columbia will match better/more easily to itself and other NYC area programs while Penn will match better/more easily to itself and other Philly area programs, but other than that they're basically the same.

A few thoughts about Columbia to address some of your points:

Living in NYC is something else. It's a different experience than living in a lot of other big cities, and some people don't like it as much. Philly is also a big city (6th I think in the US), but the feel is much more small city even though it still has like 2 million people (compared to ~8.5 in NYC proper), so it's definitely something to think about. I will say that I had never really lived in any sort of big city prior to med school, but it was pretty easy to adjust and a good deal of your classmates will likely either be from the NYC area or have gone to school/lived there prior to med school and can show you the ropes. I really liked living there for med school and I'm really happy to not be staying in NYC for residency.

Washington Heights kind of sucks. It's dirty, crowded, and there's not much there. However it is one of the safest neighborhoods in NYC (very different from Wahi in the 80s and 90s) and one of the most affordable too. There are also new things opening up in the area - we got an actual good grocery store last year and a couple of new bars have opened in the past few months.

Wahi is connected to the rest of manhattan via the A, C, and 1 trains. The 1 train stop at the hospital is under construction for like a year, but there are frequent busses to the next stop (or you can just walk), and the same bus will also take you along that route through the upper west side. The A will take you express downtown, so you can get to Columbus Circle in 15 mins and MSG/Times Square/Penn Station in under 30.

Airports suck in NYC. LaGuardia is the closest. There's a bus from the 125th metro stop (that the A stops at) that doesn't cost much, but it's a hassle, so when people fly, they usually uber which ends up being like $40. It's even more painful to get to JFK and Newark (but people do it).

What I'd recommend doing is going to the second look for both schools where you can definitely get a better feel for the student body and also check out the cities a little more, then go wherever your heart (and finances) tell you. You'll have an amazing experience and unlimited opportunities at both institutions.

I didn't vote in the poll because you can't go wrong with either and ultimately you'll end up in an excellent position to be successful. If you have other questions, please feel free to PM me.

Congrats again, and best of luck!

 

[weakmadestrong]

Wanted to chime in and say that I'm facing the exact same decision right now between these two schools and I agonize over the choice at least once a day (that is - feeling incredibly grateful but also wanting to make the best choice possible). What makes it really tough for me is that I do enjoy New York a lot, and I don't want this to turn into UPenn vs. NYC. (My older coworkers keep reminiscing about how nice it must be to be in your 20s and able to live in NYC, which definitely appeals to the part of me that wants a big city life and not live with regrets!) I'll be at both revisit weekends!

 

[murphy11]

I’m also making the same decision here but leaning towards Penn at this point. Being from New York City and having lived more recently in a small city, I like the smaller city vibe more. I find it’s easy to feel lost or alone in New York, even having so many connections there from growing up. I also assume (a key word, because I don’t actually know) that Penn had more of a campus-feel and the class do more together socially, whereas in New York City I can imagine half the students picked the location to spend time with existing New York City friends or family. Lots of these are assumptions, of course, but they were the only distinguishing factors I could find!