Columbia vs Baylor?

[daredevil.]

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Hey guys, super fortunate to be making this decision and I am having a hard time picking! Assume COA is equal for both. Currently I am really interested in plastics/ENT but I am also keeping an open mind to different specialties as well. I am originally from TX.



Columbia pros:

T5-T10 institution (more clout for residency match but idk if this is a real factor)

NYC is super fun

I have friends in Manhattan

A different environment than what I am used to in TX

Makes it easier to match into residencies in the Northeast and expands my scope compared to if I stayed in TX



Columbia cons:

Everyone has been dragging columbia recently but idk if that is worth taking into account

H/HP/P/F clinicals, which baylor doesnt have (and people say columbia is hard to honor)

People say it is a cutthroat environment but once again, idk if this is real or hearsay



Baylor pros:

Family is 2 hours away from Houston

Have good friends going to the school and in the area

P/F clinicals (but are they really pass fail because on admit it says baylor has AOA before match which is determined by your clinical grades?)



Baylor cons:

not as much clout for residency? (idk if this is a real factor)

Houston is not as fun as NYC



Overall columbia feels like an "offer I can't refuse" and one that maybe I would regret in the future if I turned down, but maybe I would be happier and equivalently set up for success at baylor, especially if some of the negative rumors about Columbia are true? I talked to 3 columbia students and they all said that the clinical year is not bad / the honors rates are higher than what is spoken about online, but there is probably some bias there. Also, idk if graded clinicals will make you look good for residency or not. What do yall think?

 

[thiophorase]

one thing to consider is that baylor has nbme exams and non-mandatory lecture, not sure abt columbia.

columbia def has a stronger prestige in and out of medicine, if you care about that

if you have any desire to live in manhattan, this is the time to do it

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Well, if you are from Texas and you're bored with Houston, I would definitely have you sample Manhattan. 🙂 That said, there is such a thing as an Ivy League attitude. It's close to an A&M or UT-Austin or UH attitude, but with a different accent. 🙂

Check your COA and debt numbers though.

 

[MeningiomaAndCoffee]

One consideration people don't make are circumstances that may occur during those 4 years.

If you're young, family is healthy and younger, with no concern of death or other circumstances, then it's an easier decision to make to go anywhere you like. Have an adventure. But if you're on the older side, or took many gap years, parents is aging, etc then you might consider staying closer to home. Either way, the average med student won't have much free time to visit family very frequently. So in both cases, you'd only visit in a deliberately planned manner.

Regardless of where you go, you'll be studying 8-14 hours a day. Less for smarter people. People with terrible memory may study nearly every waking moment. I can assume that you're on the smarter side if you were able to get into those schools, so you could probably manage with 8 hours of studying.

You seem very excited about columbia. I think you should go there barring other circumstances.