Einstein or Rochester?

[Elizabeth1028]

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Hi all. I can't really believe I'm doing this, and I apologize for another one of these annoying threads.

Up until today, I had been planning on attending the University of Rochester for med school in the fall. I was accepted to Albert Einstein last week, and just found out today that I've been offered a substantial scholarship there. Now I'm really torn about what to do. I initially got a better feel from Rochester, but I've only visited either school once. I was planning on attending Rochester until I found out about the scholarship. The cold weather factor in Rochester doesn't bother me at all, so that isn't an issue. I'm not thrilled about the idea of living the Bronx though.

I'm interested in going into pediatrics, and am unsure if one school would offer me more opportunities. Both schools are comparably ranked, and I don't really care about that. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of going to each school. Any input is much appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[spidermonkey11]

I was accepted to Albert Einstein last week, and just found out today that I've been offered a substantial scholarship there. Now I'm really torn about what to do. I initially got a better feel from Rochester, but I've only visited either school once. I was planning on attending Rochester until I found out about the scholarship. The cold weather factor in Rochester doesn't bother me at all, so that isn't an issue. I'm not thrilled about the idea of living the Bronx though.

I'm interested in going into pediatrics, and am unsure if one school would offer me more opportunities. Both schools are comparably ranked, and I don't really care about that. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of going to each school. Any input is much appreciated. Thanks!!

I was pretty much in your shoes a few months ago. I had visited all the schools I was choosing from once and had pretty much settled on my state school. Then I got a letter from Einstein telling me about the scholarship and then obviously i was back to 2 choices again because you cant just flat out refuse a scholarship offer. I had to think about it.

So after receiving the letter I made 4 more trips to Einstein and a couple more trips to my state school. After making those trips, I decided that Einstein was definitely the best choice for me.

The 'stigma' of being in the bronx will always affect people's decisions on whether or not to attend Einstein, but honestly, if you go around the area, you will find that it's definitely not the 'stereotypical' bronx environment. On my second trip there, i literally spent about 3-4 hours walking around the entire neighborhood. I walked in each direction around the school to get a feel for it. And i can honestly say it's not bad at all. You should try and walk around and see how you feel but i definitely felt safe and felt there were many things to see/do in the area. And it's only about a 35 minute commute to midtown manhattan. Plus if you take the 2 or 5 train, the 180th st. stop is right in front of a police station in case youre coming back home late at night.

So if i were you i'd definitely give Einstein another genuine look. Not to take anything away from Rochester, which is another great school. But between the scholarship, the p/f curriculum, the international opportunities, the great clinical experience there, and the awsome students (i spent a weekend there and met a lot of great people), I chose Einstein.

As for peds reputation, I dont know anything about Rochester, but I'm pretty sure Einstein has a lot of students specializing in peds. If you look for this years match list I think this year they had students goin to MGH, NYP, etc.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[KNightInBlue]

Try posting this in the allopathic frum. The med students in the respective schools could offer you the proper pros and cons.

By the way, I live in NYC. Trust me, the the Bronx ain't that bad, especially the area around einstein...

 

[ZekeMD]

Rochester is ranked 13th in primary care... It is much better for Peds (I'm fairly certain). I am going there in part for this reason, I plan to enter pediatrics. Personally, I think AECOM is a fine school, but living in the Bronx would not suit me at all. I think you should go wherever you felt most comfortable. Also, the cost of living in NYC is much much higher than Rochester. Your total debt may not be all that different so I'd go to the school where you got the best vibe. As a bonus you'll get to be classmates with JoseHernandez94 and I!

-Zeke

 

[kingcer0x]

I would pick Rochester, cause I hate the Yankees. The city (Rochester) isnt much to look at but crime has improved and it is the richest of any of the upstate new york cities. U of R is a very well respected and endowed institution for the area. The med school has amazing facilities and is close the main campus which is very nice in its own.

Money is hard to ignore, but you liked Roch. before the money was an issue with AE, so maybe you'd really be happy there. In any case congratulations!

 

[Treg]

Would you mind disclosing the details of the scholarship? I am still waiting to hear from Einstein myself 🙂

Congrats!

Treg

 

[sinfin]

Hi all. I can't really believe I'm doing this, and I apologize for another one of these annoying threads.

Up until today, I had been planning on attending the University of Rochester for med school in the fall. I was accepted to Albert Einstein last week, and just found out today that I've been offered a substantial scholarship there. Now I'm really torn about what to do. I initially got a better feel from Rochester, but I've only visited either school once. I was planning on attending Rochester until I found out about the scholarship. The cold weather factor in Rochester doesn't bother me at all, so that isn't an issue. I'm not thrilled about the idea of living the Bronx though.

I'm interested in going into pediatrics, and am unsure if one school would offer me more opportunities. Both schools are comparably ranked, and I don't really care about that. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of going to each school. Any input is much appreciated. Thanks!!

I would say Rochester. U of R has is affiliated with Strong Hospital which is known for their pediatric dept. Additionally, I think the students and faculty at Rochester are great - its really laid back and everyone is extremely friendly and helpful. I dont know much about Einstien, but I think from an academic perspective Rochester is the better choice. Good Luck.

 

[NDESTRUKT]

don't worry about the rankings or opportunities - in the end they all give you a good step in the right direction. i'd go rochester, it's a great school and you'll end up with less debt.

 

[josephgoro]

Hi all. I can't really believe I'm doing this, and I apologize for another one of these annoying threads.

Up until today, I had been planning on attending the University of Rochester for med school in the fall. I was accepted to Albert Einstein last week, and just found out today that I've been offered a substantial scholarship there. Now I'm really torn about what to do. I initially got a better feel from Rochester, but I've only visited either school once. I was planning on attending Rochester until I found out about the scholarship. The cold weather factor in Rochester doesn't bother me at all, so that isn't an issue. I'm not thrilled about the idea of living the Bronx though.

I'm interested in going into pediatrics, and am unsure if one school would offer me more opportunities. Both schools are comparably ranked, and I don't really care about that. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of going to each school. Any input is much appreciated. Thanks!!

You may wish to inform U of R of said conflict; I was surprised at how much money _they_ throw around....
When I began the application cycle in the fall (for what it's worth) Einstein was my top choice, but I've come full circle after they flat-out-rejected me 🙂
Donno why.
Having lived in NYC for a year makes me quite happy with their decision

The biggest difference aside from the curricula and facilities is living in NYC vs. Rochester. This is a biggie, as it is a matter of social (for a single female, nyc has multiple advantages over rochester imho) and cultural opportunities, living costs (not just rent&munchies), transportation (car in nyc bad), and the phenomenona of racism and classism (learn spanish now!). Obviously there's far more than this to location, location, location.

Good luck with your decision 🙂

- Joseph

 

[ZekeMD]

Josephgoro brings up a good point. It may be to your advantage to contact Rochester and inform them that you'd prefer Rochester over AECOM, but that they offered you a substantial scholarship. You never know, maybe they will try to offer you more money. If not, at least you tried. Depending on the size of the scholarship, I don't think your debt will be all that much different between the two. Rochester is extremely affordable, while NYC is very expensive. The differences in financial aid packages may be overcome by this. Anyhow, I'm biased, I'd like to see you come to Rochester since that is where I'm going so keep that in mind when making your decision. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Zeke