Hello everyone,
So I really enjoyed Cornell on my interview day but have some reservations especially about living in NYC. I'm trying to see if my budget would allow for me to go to NYC for residency. The "subsidized" housing is still super expensive and with the debt I have from medical school I really wonder if it's even feasible living in NYC. The residents I asked about this all say that its totally doable and they live comfortably but still.. 2k a month for a studio apt with 200+k debt on a resident salary seems hard to do. Does anyone on here have any thoughts about being a resident in NYC? (on a side note, do the benefits that we get, like medical/dental, covered or are we paying for it as well out of our salary)
On a different thought, having read through the past forums about Cornell, it seems like there is a lot of changes happening there right now what with the new program director and the new chair. I was wondering what everyone's thought about Cornell was and how it stood with other schools in the tristate area like sinai, columbia, nyu, penn, jeff, etc.
It's expensive. Don't let the residents kid you. You're probably really nice and bright, and they're telling you anything to get you there. Kidding (sort of...). Subsidized housing should not be a term Cornell throws around anyomore for it is actually possible to get an apartment in Manhattan on the open market for a similar amount...maybe not as close, but still. You'll struggle financially...like I did and I did it with dependents.
The medical insurance is excellent. My partner and child were both hospitalized (different times during residency)---ICU level care with all the fees....I did not pay a dime since they came through the (very busy) ER. Medications and PCP visits are pocket change. There is NO dental insurance (I had to wait until I was out of NYC and into fellowship to get a recurrent abscess sorted for good).
You will learn where to shop for milk, bread etc. You'll make it if you budget.
The residency director was brand new when I was there and got off to a really shaky start (came from the Midwest, was not super friendly to us at the start, standoffish etc.), but I've heard she's fine now and she clearly had/has our interest at heart when it came to the big things like NYC resident abuse. Dr. Mark Pecker (who was the residency director for over a decade) will become a favorite and is an amazing clinician.
Dirty secrets of Cornell as follows:
1. there is a MAJOR bottleneck getting into their apartments (and they hid that from me just like they might have from you). MANY people (myself included) could not move into the apartments until the third week of residency because the interns start before the PGY3s move out...then the apartments need to be repaired, painted etc. Major pain to commute 90 minutes each direction the first 3 weeks of PGY1 (the alternative they give you is to move into Helmsely which is like paying a hotel). I put in my apartment choice the day after matching. Some people move in on time...I didn't and I had lots of company in my class. Thankfully I started on an elective. Buyer beware. I did not like having to live away from my child for three weeks.
2. It's not as cushy as outsiders think. I got a TON of autonomy right away, but was exhausted my whole residency. Ancillary services are better than many other NYC hospitals (reliably, you will get AM labs and often PM labs if you have your act together), but expect to be drawing off-hours labs for PTT etc., placing IVs off hours, transporting patients at night etc.
3. If lab science floats your boat, it's pretty weak at Cornell, and you'll not do anything meaningful (MSKCC--different story altogether).
4. It's NYC, and some of the nurses and ancillary staff have 'tudes.
Hidden gems:
1. Cornell does not have the cache of Hopkins, UCSF etc., but you will be REALLY well-trained. I compressed my residency and, modestly, I was exceptionally well-trained and able to handle anything immediately after finishing residency. Several years later, I realize what they made me and I am thankful. We're maybe not the residents that can quote all the latest studies (I think I made it to grand rounds only a handful of times because of the pace of residency), but when the you-know-what hits the fan, we're all over it, and we're very confident.
2. Cornell is super-collegial. They accept smart, but generally very nice residents.
3. Everything is new and beautiful. Did you see the bathrooms in the department, complete with mouth wash, tooth brushes etc. to use on call nights?
Good luck!
