Columbia vs. Yale

[MacBook Pro]

I couldn't find a Columbia vs. Yale thread for this year, so I decided to start one.

Factors:
1) Quality of education?
2) Quality of teaching hospitals?
3) Quality of students?
4) Quality of faculty?
5) Research opportunities?
6) Location?
7) Residency match?
8) Prestige in medicine?

BTW, I hear that Columbia is now P/F for the first two years (starting class of 2012). Can anyone confirm this?

Feel free to consider other logical factors. Thanks in advance.

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[CubaLibre]

i think it boils down to optional exams vs. NYC

 

[UVABranch]

toughie. My friend works at columbia, and my god father was on the admissions committe at yale until last year. Both are good schools. I personally would pick columbia because of the city, and the exposure during rotations. If you're interested in surgery/em/or any other "intence" sometimes crime driven specality I would go there.

 

[BttrL8ThanNever]

For me, the difference would be in cirriculum. Columbia is VERY traditional and teaches the standard two years academic and then clinical. Yale is much more modern and integrates the clinical experience right from the start. This may be important for your learning style.

 

[medgrlsox21]

i actually got nauseous reading that thread title

anywho

Columbia...Yale = Conn which is just as expensive as NYC without the awesomeness

 

[MacBook Pro]

i think it boils down to optional exams vs. NYC

I feel like I would be super lazy if I had optional exams. It also seems like a lot is riding on the USMLE for Yale med students.

 

[jult24er]

Neither. Reapply.

 

[searun]

Two big thumbs up for NYC! Both are great schools. Also, I read somewhere on SDN recently, that the first two years at Columbia will be P/F starting next year.

 

[LizzyM]

Does Columbia require a thesis? If not, I'd say that's a major difference between the two.

 

[LovelyMD]

Does Columbia require a thesis? If not, I'd say that's a major difference between the two.

Nope, no thesis at P&S. And yes, P&S is now P/F the first two years, starting from the c/o 2011. Both schools have clinical exposure during the first two years.

 

[ninjapenguin]

i think it boils down to optional exams vs. NYC

I somewhat agree with this - it all depends on your studying habits. If you are very self-motivated and able to take the initiative to study on your own, then I would go with Yale. If you're like me, and can't study without some pressing reason such as an upcoming exam, then I think a more traditional curriculum at Columbia is best for you.

 

[kuhlguy]

i personally like columbia a bit better

BUTTT

at yale it seemed like the people were really chill and acutally wanted to learn medicine beacuse it was their passion. this was why i liked yale a lot.

 

[Multiplex]

Both are excellent -- but no one has mentioned the pretty substantial difference in class size. Yale will be more intimate, and the students give the impression of a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere -- or maybe that's just the optional exams talking!

 

[funshoayo1]

Neither. Reapply.

lol

 

[searun]

If you need the pressure of an exam to kick your butt into gear periodically, then go to Columbia. If you are an entirely self directed learner who does not need exams as a motivator, and NYC is not alluring, then go to Yale.

 

[coin18]

columbia seemed a bit overwhelming - the kind of place where you could get lost pretty easily. also i felt like it's very far from the middle of manhattan, and most students didn't even go out because it's so expensive to get a cab all the way home. if we were talking about cornell or nyu, then maybe. but columbia is in the ghetto!! now yale sort of is too, but it seemed like a much happier place to me.

 

[MsJLewis]

columbia seemed a bit overwhelming - the kind of place where you could get lost pretty easily. also i felt like it's very far from the middle of manhattan, and most students didn't even go out because it's so expensive to get a cab all the way home. if we were talking about cornell or nyu, then maybe. but columbia is in the ghetto!! now yale sort of is too, but it seemed like a much happier place to me.

Columbia is not in the middle of "nowhere". Its in Washington Heights which is a 15 minute train ride on the 1/A to Time Square.. a little longer to SOHO and LES. I wouldn't necessarily call it the ghetto but it IS in a lower income area. Also there is no need to call a cab to get anywhere (unless you're in an EXTREME hurry).. the subway runs 24 hours in NYC and is $2.

If its down to Columbia and Yale I would go by who is giving me more money. I wouldn't want to live in New Haven, but for the right price I would definitely consider it! Good luck!

 

[LovelyMD]

columbia seemed a bit overwhelming - the kind of place where you could get lost pretty easily. also i felt like it's very far from the middle of manhattan, and most students didn't even go out because it's so expensive to get a cab all the way home. if we were talking about cornell or nyu, then maybe. but columbia is in the ghetto!! now yale sort of is too, but it seemed like a much happier place to me.

I think it really does come down to personal preference. I chose Columbia because I thought I'd have more support there than at some of the other places I was choosing between. But then again, I didn't apply to Yale, so I don't know how it compares to P&S with respect to support. I'd assume that with the smaller class size, you'd probably have more support.

I STRONGLY prefer NYC to New Haven. NH is a small place, which is great if you're used to small places or would have problems with being distracted by all that a big city has to offer. But I want to live in a large city during the rest of my 20's, not a very small one. Yes, Washington Heights is at the northern tip of Manhattan rather than right in the center of things, but for me that was perfect-- I'd have access to downtown Manhattan, without having to live in the midst of the busiest areas.

Honestly, with the exception of NYU, I don't think any of the Manhattan med schools are ideally located for easy access to nightlife... and that might be a good thing-- after all, this is med school. I got the impression that P&S students had the tendency to hang out more on the UWS (86th St. area) rather than going all the way downtown. I'm not a fan of the UWS scene, so I'm going to resume going further downtown.

 

[Multiplex]

Columbia is not in the middle of "nowhere". Its in Washington Heights which is a 15 minute train ride on the 1/A to Time Square.. a little longer to SOHO and LES. I wouldn't necessarily call it the ghetto but it IS in a lower income area. Also there is no need to call a cab to get anywhere (unless you're in an EXTREME hurry).. the subway runs 24 hours in NYC and is $2.

If its down to Columbia and Yale I would go by who is giving me more money. I wouldn't want to live in New Haven, but for the right price I would definitely consider it! Good luck!

It's not that silly to call Washington Heights the "middle of nowhere" if you're comparing it to the rest of Manhattan. "15 min to Times Square" is something that realtors like to say, and it is true if you get an express train immediately. But if you're out late at night downtown, you might wait 20 minutes for an uptown train, only to discover that it's running local, etc. When it's 2 am and you're leaving a bar south of 14th street, Washington Heights is very far away.

 

[CubaLibre]

yea, columbia is in the ghetto. A ghetto I happen to like, but a ghetto nonetheless. if columbia was in midtown manhattan, I'd say columbia hands down, no question.

 

[SharpieMarker]

from what i understand (please correct me if i'm wrong), columbia has a very traditional curriculum-- lots of lecture, traditional teaching styles etc., while yale is definitely not traditional. exams still are mandatory, but the self-assessments along the way are not. class time is mostly in the mornings, with many free and flexible afternoons. not the mention that yale students are very obviously ridiculously happy and pleased with their medical school experience, while still matching to top residency programs.

and yeah, new haven isn't new york by any means, but that's not always a negative. a city like that fosters community in a way that being in a city full of... i'll call them 'distractions' although that's probably not the appropriate word... cannot. i guess an example would be if you were like me and stayed freshman year in a terrible, cramped dorm, but everyone in that dorm bonded over the very crappiness of the dorm in a way that many people in other dorms did not.

my vote is for yale. that said, you certainly have two fine choices...

 

[dr midnight]

I couldn't find a Columbia vs. Yale thread for this year, so I decided to start one.

Factors:
1) Quality of education?
2) Quality of teaching hospitals?
3) Quality of students?
4) Quality of faculty?
5) Research opportunities?
6) Location?
7) Residency match?
8) Prestige in medicine?

BTW, I hear that Columbia is now P/F for the first two years (starting class of 2012). Can anyone confirm this?


Feel free to consider other logical factors. Thanks in advance.

Both good schools check this out survey by students how they like the school remember you can't go wrong, good luck
http://www.amsa.org/premed/medsurvey/

 

[Asp]

Nice link..too bad some of the sample sizes are small.

 

[cattt]

but columbia is in the ghetto!!

It really makes my stomach turn a little bit when people see a diverse population and assume it's a ghetto.

This neighborhood is very safe and family-oriented. If you look at the statistics, crime rates are quite low and the population as a whole is healthier than in most other neighborhoods in Manhattan. I've never had anything but extremely positive interactions with the people in my neighborhood. Everyone I've met both in the hospital and on the streets have been exceedingly friendly and gracious to me. If you took the time to walk around a bit, you would actually find lots of green space, a decent selection of restaurants, and an overall vibrant and lovely community atmosphere.

I've heard from long-time faculty that this was not always the case here, so perhaps that is where this "ghetto" misconception stems from. But it has certainly been this way for the past 10 years. I'm not very familiar with New Haven, so I can't make any comparisons. But I have gotten to be familiar with other areas of New York, and I can honestly tell you that I am very happy to be where I am.

Also, I can tell you that I travel to other areas of Manhattan regularly. There are several people in my class who live in the East village. It's really not that tough to get around.

 

[gracioushelper]

It really makes my stomach turn a little bit when people see a diverse population and assume it's a ghetto.

This neighborhood is very safe and family-oriented. If you look at the statistics, crime rates are quite low and the population as a whole is healthier than in most other neighborhoods in Manhattan. I've never had anything but extremely positive interactions with the people in my neighborhood. Everyone I've met both in the hospital and on the streets have been exceedingly friendly and gracious to me. If you took the time to walk around a bit, you would actually find lots of green space, a decent selection of restaurants, and an overall vibrant and lovely community atmosphere.

I've heard from long-time faculty that this was not always the case here, so perhaps that is where this "ghetto" misconception stems from. But it has certainly been this way for the past 10 years. I'm not very familiar with New Haven, so I can't make any comparisons. But I have gotten to be familiar with other areas of New York, and I can honestly tell you that I am very happy to be where I am.

Also, I can tell you that I travel to other areas of Manhattan regularly. There are several people in my class who live in the East village. It's really not that tough to get around.

Washington Heights definitely isn't a ghetto, but I've lived in NYC for almost ten years and I wouldn't be caught dead in a Washington Heights "green space" after sunset! It has nothing to do with how diverse the population is -- it's just reality!

 

[MacBook Pro]

I decided to go with Columbia (for many reasons)! Thanks for the help. By the way, I find it interesting that all these X vs. Y threads turn into a debate about the locations of the schools. They essentially become City X vs. City Y. Oh well...

 

[flip26]

I decided to go with Columbia (for many reasons)! Thanks for the help. By the way, I find it interesting that all these X vs. Y threads turn into a debate about the locations of the schools. They essentially become City X vs. City Y. Oh well...

Well, since you started the thread, please enlighten us with your thought process - how did you ultimately decide? What factors were most important, and what led to the choice of Columbia?