Duke vs. Mount Sinai?

[ISABELLE22]

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Anyone have advice on going to Duke versus Mount Sinai? I love living in NY and have many personal reasons for staying here, but don't want to pass up the opportunity to go to Duke even though it's in Durham - any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[doc05]

Duke is a better school with a far superior match list. Also keep in mind that Duke provides earlier clinical rotations, meaning more time to pick a specialty, do research, etc.

Mt. Sinai is a good school too, but I wouldn't choose it over Duke unless I had very strong personal reasons to be in NY.

 

[housemd]

I think you need to think about whether you would be happy in Durham, North Carolina for four years in your mid twenties. If you really like New York, as I do, this would be a huge change and there isn't much more to Duke except for a little more prestige, if that. I would go where you would want to live for the next four years and where you feel most comortable. It isn't law school.

 

[ISABELLE22]

Love.

Duke is a better school with a far superior match list. Also keep in mind that Duke provides earlier clinical rotations, meaning more time to pick a specialty, do research, etc.

Mt. Sinai is a good school too, but I wouldn't choose it over Duke unless I had very strong personal reasons to be in NY.

 

[dannyl]

Hey OP,

Go with Duke, it's only 4 years, and most of the fourth year you could be back in NYC for your aways. Also, it can't be more than a 2 hour flight or so, it's worth the more prestigious degree in my opinion.

Mt. Sinai has a great Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery residency program, whereas Duke doesn't even have one. Duke is one of only three USNews "Top Ten Schools" to not have this residency program. I think that says a lot, and is very weak. I'd go to Sinai for med school. Mind you, I'm a dental student, so I've got a one-track mind. 🙄

Go to Duke you meat-head!! 🙂

Hey Toolbox,

Probably one of the most useless (and not to mention dim-witted posts this week). Good job pal.

1. If only 7 out of the top 10 schools do not have this residency, is it really so bad not to have it?

2. We don't need advice from, ahem, a dental student.

Peas out people.

 

[MadameLULU]

Hey Toolbox,

Probably one of the most useless (and not to mention dim-witted posts this week). Good job pal.

1. If only 7 out of the top 10 schools do not have this residency, is it really so bad not to have it?

2. We don't need advice from, ahem, a dental student.

Peace out people.

Man, why don't you calm down. I think Mithridates was joking--hence the statement, "Go to Duke you meat-head!!"

 

[Newsradiofan]

Either way - you will get a great education. I say look at the curriculum (because they are vastly different) and which group of people you like better. Duke is a small class and you get to know many of them well. Third year research was enticing for me. They were my top choice until they disagreed with me.

 

[Mithridates]

1. If only 7 out of the top 10 schools do not have this residency, is it really so bad not to have it?

😀 Hey Fatty. What part of "Duke is one of only three USNews "Top Ten Schools" to not have this residency program" did you have trouble comprehending.

Also, your sophisticated medical school logic is too advanced for me. Hmm... if most buildings don't have wheelchair access, is it really so bad not to have it? 🙄

 

[dannyl]

😀 Hey Fatty. What part of "Duke is one of only three USNews "Top Ten Schools" to not have this residency program" did you have trouble comprehending.

Also, your sophisticated medical school logic is too advanced for me. Hmm... if most buildings don't have wheelchair access, is it really so bad not to have it? 🙄

HAHA, Fatty, I like it. At least you're not one of the many straight-edged, spineless people that pervade this forum and can joke back. MadameLULU, are you out there sweetheart?

But it's my bad, I meant to say that since only 7 of the top 10 schools DO have this residency, it doesn't seem like such a life-or-death program to have it. Because it my opinion, if it is indeed such an important one, then the 3 schools (like Duke) that don't have it probably would not be in the so-called top 10 (via lowered peer assessments and fewer research dollars due to the lack of an official program).

 

[Zephyrus]

Duke. You'll be so busy in medical school that the surrounding environment will be of little importance. Duke Med is tops. I volunteer, shadow, and do research in Duke Med Center so I'm practically salivating over the place, but there's good reason. Unless you're a "city girl" who can't live without traffic and smog, screw Sinai.

 

[Mithridates]

HAHA, Fatty, I like it. At least you're not one of the many straight-edged, spineless people that pervade this forum and can joke back. MadameLULU, are you out there sweetheart?

But it's my bad, I meant to say that since only 7 of the top 10 schools DO have this residency, it doesn't seem like such a life-or-death program to have it. Because it my opinion, if it is indeed such an important one, then the 3 schools (like Duke) that don't have it probably would not be in the so-called top 10 (via lowered peer assessments and fewer research dollars due to the lack of an official program).

Kewl. I was mostly joking, but you're right - academically, it's not a life or death program to have. However, I would guess that every medium-sized hospital would have an oral & maxillofacial surgeon. They have skills/experiences that a lot of ENT/Plastics doctors don't have. In case you didn't know, over half of all oral surgery residencies are 6 years, and these residents get an MD midway through. So, oral surgeons can have a DDS/DMD and an MD. I'd like to see Duke get an oral surgery program, but it'll still be an amazing med school regardless.

 

[worriedwell]

Let me just say that you shouldn't listen to a premed tell you that you'll be too busy in med school to care about your surrounding environment. This is absolutely untrue. I went to med school in new york, and believe me, you get to enjoy the city. Now that I have graduated and am leaving the city (by choice), I am getting extremely sad about leaving. It is such a great place to live and I would argue that if your free time is limited, its better to be in the heart of manhattan to enjoy it when you do get a chance. I do agree that duke has a better reputation, but if you do well at sinai, you will not be limited. ask yourself this...if you are dead set on academic medicine or a very competitive specialty and that is your top priority, then prestige of school matters. If you want to be a doctor in nyc for the rest of your life, even an academic one, then you aren't hurting yourself at all by going to sinai. you might even help yourself through networking etc. Trust me on this. It is only four years, but its a tough four years where you wanna be in a place where you think you'll be happy. That being said, Duke is a state of the art place and if you felt great about the people and the medical center etc...take that into consideration, but the city in which you live is absolutely an important consideration. Myself and my fellow graduates who have the benefit of hindsight will certainly agree with this.

Duke. You'll be so busy in medical school that the surrounding environment will be of little importance. Duke Med is tops. I volunteer, shadow, and do research in Duke Med Center so I'm practically salivating over the place, but there's good reason. Unless you're a "city girl" who can't live without traffic and smog, screw Sinai.

 

[ISABELLE22]

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I have been in NYC for 9+ years and am very sad at the thought of leaving. That being said, I think Duke is really incredible and will make life that much easier when applying for residencies. Ultimately, financial aid and cost will be the key factor.

Let me just say that you shouldn't listen to a premed tell you that you'll be too busy in med school to care about your surrounding environment. This is absolutely untrue. I went to med school in new york, and believe me, you get to enjoy the city. Now that I have graduated and am leaving the city (by choice), I am getting extremely sad about leaving. It is such a great place to live and I would argue that if your free time is limited, its better to be in the heart of manhattan to enjoy it when you do get a chance. I do agree that duke has a better reputation, but if you do well at sinai, you will not be limited. ask yourself this...if you are dead set on academic medicine or a very competitive specialty and that is your top priority, then prestige of school matters. If you want to be a doctor in nyc for the rest of your life, even an academic one, then you aren't hurting yourself at all by going to sinai. you might even help yourself through networking etc. Trust me on this. It is only four years, but its a tough four years where you wanna be in a place where you think you'll be happy. That being said, Duke is a state of the art place and if you felt great about the people and the medical center etc...take that into consideration, but the city in which you live is absolutely an important consideration. Myself and my fellow graduates who have the benefit of hindsight will certainly agree with this.

 

[seethrew]

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I have been in NYC for 9+ years and am very sad at the thought of leaving. That being said, I think Duke is really incredible and will make life that much easier when applying for residencies. Ultimately, financial aid and cost will be the key factor.

cost of living is sig different, i am sure ur aware of.
now to be a devils advocate... for the sake of argument.
duke will not *guarantee* you ease in residencies.
you still have to perform.
there *are* few people that do *not* match well even at duke.
i only really know of a few.
some residency programs are critical at the abbreviated academic schedule.
(have heard of some surgery like that)
duke has awesome finaid, i think u will be happy.

i've lived in both ny and nc - both are great. i am a flexible person tho and adjust to snow/southern heat, city/country pretty well. 😉

cant beat the early spring here.

in the past, duke students have had access to unc's top ranked school of public health - if doin mph in 3rd year.

i dont think u can lose given ur options. just kick ass wherever u go. 👍

 

[TommyGunn04]

Durham really isn't as bad as most people think. I grew up in New England and went to college there as well. Duke was the only non-Northeast school I applied to, but I absolutely loved the curriculum so much that I just had to come here. Still, I was worried about Durham because everyone says such bad things about it. I've been here for about 3 years now, and I LOVE it! I'm hoping to stay here for residency. The cost of living is phenomenal, the training is unsurpassed, the students are amazing, the financial aid is unbeatable, you can do a second degree without losing another year of your life, the curriculum gets you onto the wards a year sooner, the patient population is VERY diverse...the list of pro's goes on and on! I love being able to have a car, having a huge apartment for $500/month, not having to worry about traffic, not having to worry about snow (mostly), having a great minor league ballpark just 5 minutes away, having an NHL team 5 minutes away (if they actually play a season!), having the mountains to the west and the beach to the east, having Chapel Hill just 10 minutes down the road (one of the best college towns there is!!!), and so on. And don't make the mistake of thinking names don't matter...as I've found from my friends who just matched and graduated, the Duke name makes a BIG difference. Most of them felt like they had the red carped rolled out for them everywhere they interviewed, and the match list is unbelievable!

Choose Duke! 🙂 (okay, I'm a little biased 😀)

 

[ISABELLE22]

Durham really isn't as bad as most people think. I grew up in New England and went to college there as well. Duke was the only non-Northeast school I applied to, but I absolutely loved the curriculum so much that I just had to come here. Still, I was worried about Durham because everyone says such bad things about it. I've been here for about 3 years now, and I LOVE it! I'm hoping to stay here for residency. The cost of living is phenomenal, the training is unsurpassed, the students are amazing, the financial aid is unbeatable, you can do a second degree without losing another year of your life, the curriculum gets you onto the wards a year sooner, the patient population is VERY diverse...the list of pro's goes on and on! I love being able to have a car, having a huge apartment for $500/month, not having to worry about traffic, not having to worry about snow (mostly), having a great minor league ballpark just 5 minutes away, having an NHL team 5 minutes away (if they actually play a season!), having the mountains to the west and the beach to the east, having Chapel Hill just 10 minutes down the road (one of the best college towns there is!!!), and so on. And don't make the mistake of thinking names don't matter...as I've found from my friends who just matched and graduated, the Duke name makes a BIG difference. Most of them felt like they had the red carped rolled out for them everywhere they interviewed, and the match list is unbelievable!

Choose Duke! 🙂 (okay, I'm a little biased 😀)

Crosses burned in Durham

By ERIC OLSON : The Herald-Sun
[email protected]
May 26, 2005 : 12:51 am ET



"DURHAM -- Three large crosses were burned in separate incidents across Durham Wednesday night, the first time in recent memory that one of the South's most notorious symbols of racial hatred has been seen in the city.
Yellow fliers with Ku Klux Klan sayings were found at one of the cross burnings"


http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-611060.html

 

[Jtrinke1]

Crosses burned in Durham

By ERIC OLSON : The Herald-Sun
[email protected]
May 26, 2005 : 12:51 am ET



"DURHAM -- Three large crosses were burned in separate incidents across Durham Wednesday night, the first time in recent memory that one of the South's most notorious symbols of racial hatred has been seen in the city.
Yellow fliers with Ku Klux Klan sayings were found at one of the cross burnings"


http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-611060.html

What does that have anything to do with attending medical school at Duke?? Im sure their is another website where you can discuss racial tensions.

 

[jjmack]

What does that have anything to do with attending medical school at Duke?? Im sure their is another website where you can discuss racial tensions.

I think it has a lot to do to show how living in NYC and Durham are VERY different.

 

[ISABELLE22]

What does that have anything to do with attending medical school at Duke?? Im sure their is another website where you can discuss racial tensions.

FYI - Duke is located in Durham

 

[epalantequevoy]

Love.

well if it's love of the city, i'd say to go train at duke and return to ny for a residency because duke is better. i really like the year off option though.

if it's love for a significant other who can't leave the city, i'd say to train at sinai. you'll match just fine and will probably have a pretty good shot of staying in ny for your post-graduate training if you do pretty well.

 

[TommyGunn04]

Crosses burned in Durham

I've been in Durham for about 3 years and this is the first time anything like this has happened. Don't throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater...Durham is really a great place to live, and you're selling it short by dismissing it due to one negative news story.